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Pride: A Pride & Prejudice Remix

Zuri Benitez loves her family and her neighborhood in Brooklyn because it’s filled with friendly faces and a shared sense of culture. She has an incredible sense of pride, so when the elitist Darcy family moves onto the block, she is very protective of her four sisters. While Zuri’s sister, Janae, falls for one of them, Ainsley, Zuri is hesitant to give them a chance. She is suspicious of all of them, especially the older brother, Darius Darcy. As the two families become better acquainted, Zuri spitefully finds herself more drawn to the rebellious Warren, who has a long history with the Darcy family. Zuri is a stubborn protagonist, but she is also ambitious, fiercely loving, and intelligent; this is her coming-of-age story of family, friendship, and love.

As Zuri’s relationships with Warren and Darius develop, she tries to stay focused on the prospect of college. As she sneaks away from home to tour her lifelong dream school in DC, she runs into Darius and gains a deeper understanding of the Darcy family. Zuri and Darius reach a tentative peace and a turning point in their relationship as they confide in one another. In an olive branch of a text message, Darius warns Zuri about Warren’s sinister motives. With her four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, Zuri must contend with the complications of teenage life and love, as well as the growing worry of gentrification in her neighborhood, which is forcing families out. This adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice sets the characters of early nineteenth-century England in a twenty-first-century New York borough’s Afro-Latinx neighborhood, complete with amusing drama and cases of miscommunication.

Pride is tame and chaste, balancing the budding physical and emotional intimacy between Zuri and Darius well with their individual ambitions and traits. However, the plot is somewhat two-dimensional and lacks the nuance that the book’s inspiration possesses. This version flattens aspects of the original Pride and Prejudice, creating a version of Darcy that is blameless, having become more direct and communicative. The modern version casts Zuri in a more negative light because she is judgmental, and there’s no real foundation for her dislike of Darius. The ending is unsatisfying and leaves several unresolved elements, including Warren, who commits wicked acts but seemingly gets away scot-free.

Still, Pride is easy to read, with simple language and a simple plot. It’s a good way to understand the overall framework of a classic novel, while being strongly rooted in American immigrant culture and the Brooklyn neighborhoods. Readers will connect with Zuri, a fun and inspiring main character who is trying to find her way in the world. Readers who love adapted classics like Pride and Premeditation, Geekerella, and Within These Wicked Walls will love the rude but playful banter, fierce independence, and strong setting of Pride. Additionally, Zuri’s heartwarming familial bonds and hometown pride enable her to fight for her future and demonstrate that, no matter how complicated life becomes or how far from home people stray, home is something to rely on.

Sexual Content

  • Darius and Zuri hold hands and kiss. For example, Darius “leans in, breathing heavy, looking into [Zuri’s] eyes, and his lips touch [hers]. He pauses as if making sure it’s okay, and that’s when [she] finish[es] what he started” and they “kiss right there in the middle of the vintage store.”
  • A couple of times, there are thoughts of kissing, but it’s not executed, such as, “I move in when he’s not looking, ready to plant a fat, wet one on his lips, but someone calls my name.”
  • It’s important to note that there are references to sexual harassment, specifically revealing pictures of minors shared without consent. At one point, Darius shares with Zuri that “Gigi is in boarding school because Warren took sexy pictures of her. He sent them to his friends.”

Violence

  • While Zuri walks with Darius around her neighborhood, she describes a person who was murdered right inside her apartment for trying to stop drug dealers.”
  • When Zuri is arguing playfully with Warren, she “ball[s] up [her] fist and punch[es] him really hard on his muscular arm…But Warren doesn’t even flinch. He keeps laughing.”
  • Darius discovers Warren’s predatory behavior and grabs “Warren by the collar. Warren pulls away and gets ready to throw a punch, but Darius ducks and hits him with an uppercut. . .  Darius gets hit in the face and stomach, but Warren manages to dodge all of Darius’s empty punches.”
  • Later on, when Zuri is tending to Darius, he visibly displays injuries from the fight, as “there’s a small scratch across his forehead and his lip is busted. His face is all wound up and he winces as he gets up from the couch.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • At an adult cocktail party, Zuri’s underage sister, Layla, gets her hands on wine. “‘It’s not cranberry juice,’ Layla sings with a wide smile. . . ’Layla!’ I whisper-yell through clenched teeth and try to grab the glass from her. But she snags it back, and some of it spills onto her dress.”
  • Zuri goes to a teenage house party, where there is a lot of underage drinking. When she gets there, “the smell of alcohol smacks [Zuri] in the face.” She sees “two guys are on the floor in front of her, playing a video game, and she’s surrounded by white girls who all have red plastic cups in their hands . . . and two others are taking turns swigging from a plastic vodka bottle and giggling.”
  • There are vague mentions of drug dealers in the area, but no drugs are exhibited in the story. During the teenage party, a crowd gathers and asks about her neighborhood. “Is it safe? It is loud? Are there gangs? Did he meet any drug dealers?”
  • When Darius and Zuri are talking, Zuri mentions that “when he was little, my father played with her kids here. She was murdered right inside her apartment for trying to stop drug dealers from selling in this park.”

Language

  • Profanity is used periodically, including words like bitch and damn. The f-word is used sparingly.
  • The n-word is used once in a non-discriminatory context.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • There are brief, vague mentions of spiritual beliefs in relation to the character, Madrina. Madrina is someone Zuri goes to for help, who passes towards the end of the story. For example, Zuri thinks “to Madrina and her clients, the basement is home to all of Ochún, the orisha of love and all things beautiful. For them, this is a place of magic, love, and miracles. . . it’s Madrina’s wisdom that unties the tight knots of my life, so I play along with what she does for a living and try to believe in these spirits.”

by Kate Schuyler

Thieves’ Gambit #1

Seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest is a master thief, adept at escape plans. After all, her family runs an organized theft enterprise that rules the North American region.  She longs to live a semi-normal teenage life, but she can’t seem to escape the pressure of her familial expectations. Her life becomes more complicated after her mom is kidnapped. It’s up to Rosalyn to acquire the ransom and save her mother.

The only way Rosalyn can get the ransom money is by entering the Thieves’ Gambit, a game composed of three phases where teenagers are tasked with stealing the world’s most prized possessions. Her competition is the best teenage thieves that exist in the criminal underworld. Through clever tactics, difficult choices, and life-or-death situations, Rosalyn competes for her mom’s freedom. However, when unanticipated obstacles arise, she must make difficult decisions not only for herself but also for her opponents and her mom. Rosalyn’s whit and unorthodox plans have gotten her this far in life, but will they help her win the game?

Readers will sympathize with Rosalyn’s wish to experience a normal teenage life. For example, Rosalyn gains the courage to venture out on her own to explore and self-reflect. Ironically, this is when her family needs her the most. Rosalyn grapples with the guilt of wanting to leave her family while at the same time attempting to save her mom. Joining the Thieves Gambit allows Rosalyn to socialize with other teenagers and make friends, something she has been longing for. Rosalyn’s intelligence enables her to think outside the box and find her way out of a sticky situation, making her a likable character.

Devroe Kenzie, a competitor in the Thieves’ Gambit, is a flirtatious young man who seems to be drawn to Rosalyn throughout the game. He offers his assistance, proposes that the two of them pair up to beat the others, and even asks her out on a date. These actions distract Rosalyn as she struggles to get a read on him and is tested by his flirtatious advances. She constantly reminds herself to remain determined to win the game for her mom and not to break her core value: a Quest can only trust another Quest. Noelia Boschert, Rosalyn’s childhood rival, is also competing but displays resentment and bitterness towards Rosalyn. Noelia goes out of her way to get Rosalyn kicked out of the game, pokes fun at her, and makes it difficult for the two of them to even remain in the same room without bickering. The tension between the two advances the overall plot and sheds light on Rosalyn’s past and the unanswered questions that are raised. They both enhance the storyline through emotional resonance and by challenging her perseverance to win the game for her mother.

Thieves’ Gambit is an action-packed book that delves into the lives of the world’s most skilled thieves, their methods of operation, and the extreme measures they will take to win the game. The characters reveal their skills, emotional intelligence, and complicated reasons for playing the intense game. Through this, the story takes unexpected turns, keeping the reader in suspense. Moreover, the events that unfold display the author’s imagination while also giving readers a glimpse into the underworld of crime.

Thieves’ Gambit grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning and keeps the thrill alive until the end. The book is easy to read and has an intriguing storyline. The author explores the ideas of friendship, trust, and a sense of belonging. The characters are relatable as they navigate their relationships and familial expectations. The conclusion will leave the reader reflecting on the characters. The book teaches the reader that when it comes to someone you love, you believe you will stop at nothing to ensure they are okay. However, when your morals are tested, it is sometimes necessary to think outside of the box. For more exciting books, read The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte and the Heist Society Series by Ally Carter

Sexual Content

  • There is flirtatious behavior between Devroe and Rosalyn, such as romantic slow dancing, Devroe telling Rosalyn she is beautiful, flirtatious looks, etc.
  • Devroe and Rosalyn cuddle in a hotel room. “I slid in next to him. He lifted his arm like he was going to pull me against his chest. . . I put his hand on my waist, letting him pull me close.”
  • Devroe and Rosalyn share a first kiss. “I cupped his face and pulled him in myself. His lips were soft at first and then they moved over mine. . . when he deepened the kiss, I couldn’t help but moan. . . ” and then they fell asleep.

Violence

  • Two competitors in the Thieves’ Gambit, Rosalyn and Noelia, fight. “My foot slammed into her torso, then into her hand. Her blade flew up and across the room.”
  • A museum guard shoots Yeriel, a competitor. “‘Hey! Freeze!’ a guard’s voice echoed distantly… a gunshot rang out… I was frozen, my gaze stuck on Yeriel and the red seeping through her jacket.” Yeriel is seriously injured and in need of a hospital.
  • Rosalyn’s mom is kidnapped by two men. Rosalyn saw “the yacht was speeding away. Disappearing into the night. Along with my mom… She was gone. Captive on a yacht headed to . . . I had no clue where.”
  • Rosalyn’s mom’s kidnappers request a ransom. “These people weren’t just going to give me my mom back… More rustling over the line. It sounded like he was talking to someone. Deciding just how much Mom’s life was worth… ‘One billion.’”
  • Rosalyn and Taiyo, one of her competitors, begin fighting during the second phase of the game over a flash drive that Rosalyn had acquired. “I kicked against his hold, but he twisted my arm tighter and dug his knee into my back.” Rosalyn is not seriously injured but is handcuffed to a balcony, struggling to break free.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Kyung-soon, a competitor in the Thieves’ Gambit, “[held] a small bottle of something definitely alcoholic. . . took a sip and her face scrunched up.”
  • Devroe shows Rosalyn his plan to drug clients to manipulate their spending at an auction. Devroe told Rosalyn not to drink it because “the chemical I am planning on using, when given in the correct dosage, should make the target disoriented.”

Language

  • Mild language including damn and hell is used very rarely.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

by Leela Kowalski

Monday’s Not Coming

Claudia’s best friend, Monday, is missing, and she’s the only one who cares. Determined to find her friend, eighth-grader Claudia conducts an investigation into Monday’s disappearance, hindered by her age and naivety. The book is told from Claudia’s point of view, giving readers insight into her fear and confusion, as well as the love she has for her friend. There are multiple timelines: “The Before,” “The After,” “One Year Before the Before,” and “Two Years Before the Before.” By describing the past, Jackson paints a picture of Claudia’s friendship with Monday and highlights Claudia’s innocence before being exposed to this new reality.

Claudia is supported by her parents, who clumsily attempt to help her while keeping her sheltered from the harsh realities of life. They often become hindrances in Claudia’s investigation. She starts keeping secrets from her parents, another element of her loss of innocence and trust in the adults around her. Although Monday is not present in the current timeline, she is present throughout Claudia’s memories and is her motivation throughout. Claudia’s loneliness is exacerbated by her classmates, most of whom bully her, proving her need for Monday’s friendship. However, she does make a friend in Michael, a high schooler from her church, which eventually leads to her first romantic relationship. All of the characters, including Monday’s siblings and mother, play roles in Claudia’s investigation and in her coming of age.

The mystery of Monday propels the narrative, but the different timelines often become confusing. Claudia is an endearing narrator, although the reader often figures out clues and realizes answers before she does, which can be frustrating. There is a twist at the end, which simultaneously answers many questions and creates more unanswered questions. The ending invites a rereading, allowing us to look back at what might have been overlooked.

Monday’s Not Coming also deals with many dark themes, including child abuse and murder. Claudia is not only growing up as she faces the prospect of high school, but she is also becoming increasingly aware of the world around her, outside her idyllic childhood. She realizes the contrasts between her life and Monday’s, and her growing horror parallels the reader’s. Claudia and Monday’s story brings awareness to the reality of the many missing girls of color, and the importance of telling their stories, and not allowing people to slip through the cracks. While there is a strong sense of community in the story, it also serves as an indictment of how the community fails its members by trying to stay blissfully ignorant. Part coming-of-age, part mystery, Monday’s Not Coming will keep readers engaged as more twists and questions are revealed. As the reader begins to care about Monday, they too are invested in Claudia’s exciting, yet tragic eighth-grade year.

Sexual Content

  • Monday describes making out with Jacob Miller, a boy she has a crush on. The kiss was the kind “when the guy puts his tongue in your mouth.”
  • Jacob later claims that Monday “sucked [his] dick.”
  • Claudia and Monday talk about sex. Claudia asks Monday, “did you . . . you know, do it?” Other characters talk about Monday and her sister, April, sleeping with people, but it is never graphically described.
  • A boy says to April, Monday’s older sister, “You don’t even go to this school. You’re just here to get some dick.”
  • Many of the classmates who bully Claudia and Monday do so through homophobia and speculating that the two girls are in a relationship. Monday and Claudia were sitting in a bathroom stall with Monday’s head in Claudia’s lap; someone takes a picture and spreads it through the school. Their classmates make references to sexual parts of their hypothetical relationship. “‘Cause in that PICTURE, look like Monday was the one licking your box”. “She did your homework and you ate her coochie.”
  • Claudia and Michael become close friends and eventually get into a relationship. They kiss when Claudia is drunk, and she gets on her knees, but Michael stops her before anything else happens. They hug and kiss throughout their relationship.
  • There are references to pregnancy, and Claudia’s mother has had multiple miscarriages. None of the main characters are pregnant.

 Violence

  • Claudia and Monday get into a fight with Jacob Miller, a boy with whom Monday is briefly involved but who eventually betrays her. The fight included punching, scratching, and shoving. “He shoved Monday into a locker, pinning her. [Monday] screamed, tackling his back like a monkey, hitting his head with my balled-up fists…I dug my freshly painted nails deep in his neck and scratched.” Claudia later accuses Jacob: “It was Jacob . . . he was biting her!”
  • A group of girls bullies Claudia; she tries to punch one of them but misses. Shayla, one of the bullies, shoves Claudia, and “Shayla propped me up like a doll, shoving my head toward the nasty toilet bowl.”
  • There are references to child abuse, both vague and explicit, along with references to neglect. “Monday, August, and her sisters were taken out of the house for neglect.” Claudia says, “See, I’d seen a couple [bruises] on Monday, here and there. But I’d never given them much thought.” Claudia worries about Monday’s well-being, and questions her multiple times about bruises and bitemarks on her body. “Finally, with a sigh, [Monday] pulled back the collar of her shirt, exposing her chewed-up shoulder.”
  • There are graphic descriptions of dead bodies, including the bodies of dead children. One child, “had been in that freezer for a year and a half.”
  • There are also descriptions of children being murdered. In a recording from Monday’s mom, she describes killing Monday’s little brother August: “I choked him, putting my hands around his throat. He fought until his eyes started rolling back, and then he was dead.” April also describes putting Monday’s body in the freezer: “Stupid freezer was already half full with August. Wouldn’t close right since Monday was so tall.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Claudia gets drunk at a party. After she drinks a “nasty brown drink” that is given to her. She’s not sure what it is at first.

Language

  • Profanity is used regularly. Profanity includes: ass, damn, dyke, fuck, hoe/ho, motherfucker, and shit.
  • Other derogatory language is used, especially homophobic language and language that insults Claudia’s intelligence. For example, a classmate says, “You dummy, everyone’s been finished. Why you so slow?”

Supernatural

  • Claudia imagines Monday’s ghost, but it’s not real.

Spiritual Content

  • Claudia goes to church with her family. She also prays for her grades to get lost in the mail.

by Abigail Clark

Goodbye Days

Carver Briggs may or may not have killed his three best friends.  

After his poorly timed text message leads to a car crash that kills Mars, Blake, and Eli, Carver is forced to reconcile his guilt and grief while also working his way through his final year of high school. His feelings are worsened when the father of Mars, the text recipient and driver during the accident, opens an investigation into Carver’s “negligent homicide.” As Carver mourns his friends, he also struggles to convince the court – and himself – that his reckless texting was not a form of murder.  

Desperate for a way to cope with his loss, Carver begins a series of “goodbye days:” days spent with each of his friends’ families as a way to remember them and say goodbye. In each of these episodic segments, the reader travels with Carver into the memories of his three late friends. Carver’s own reflections and imagined conversations also enrich the story. Complicated by his upcoming graduation, potential criminal charges, and growing feelings for Eli’s girlfriend, Carver must navigate situations he never thought he’d encounter.  

Carver’s deep internal struggle makes for an engaging, if heart-wrenching, story about grappling with difficult emotions and living life to the fullest. His status as a high school student makes the day-to-day of his life grounding and relatable, while the emotional turmoil that fills him for most of the novel adds complexity to his character. As a writer, Carver yearns for a way to retell the story of his friends’ deaths, struggling to accept his own powerlessness. This makes for a thought-provoking and poignant story that is sure to evoke emotional responses from the reader. While it seems unlikely that a real-life teenager would be charged with murder due to a text message, Zentner crafts a believable tale full of characters with a wide variety of opinions on the controversial issue.  

Aside from his personal grief and guilt, Carver spends a great deal of time with his friends’ families discussing deeper matters of being alive. As he ponders what he and his friends would be doing if they were alive, he seeks a way to move forward that both honors them and gives his own life meaning. Although the novel is certainly a tearjerker, it also has moments of joy and laughter that balance out the darker themes. The story leaves the reader with plenty to think about, from the dangers of texting while driving to living life with no regrets. Readers who want to see how other characters face difficult circumstances may want to read Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper and Bruiser by Neal Shusterman. 

Sexual Content  

  • Carver dusts the dirt off of Jesmyn, his late friend Eli’s girlfriend, after she lies on the floor. Carver becomes aroused while touching her legs. 
  • Carver reflects on Blake coming out as gay. Carver says he has “never been into girls. . . that way. Ever.”  
  • Carver has a conversation about Blake’s sexuality with Nana Betsy that goes on for a few pages. “Blake…never found the right girl because he…didn’t want to.” 
  • There are rumors that Carver and Jesmyn were seeing each other before Eli died. Jesmyn asks Carver, “Have you been telling people we’re hooking up?” She says that at her old school there were rumors about “what a slut” she was.  
  • Carver tells his therapist that he and Jesmyn are just friends, “boners notwithstanding (let’s be honest: a Kmart lingerie ad can get things moving under the right circumstances).”  

Violence  

  • There are frequent but non-graphic references and flashbacks to the car crash that killed Carver’s three friends. During the accident, “[Mars] slammed into the rear of a stopped semi on the highway at almost seventy miles per hour. The car went under the trailer, shearing off the top.” 
  • Nana Betsy recalls when she took Blake from his abusive mother when he was eight. Fearing for his safety, she entered the house with a shotgun. It is not fired. 
  • Nana Betsy rescues eight-year-old Blake after finding “a hand-shaped bruise on his back and another that looks to be a shoe print.” It is heavily implied that his mother inflicted these injuries.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Nana Betsy briefly references the scent of cigarette smoke.  
  • Eli’s parents have a wine rack. 
  • When recalling her first kiss with Eli, Jesmyn says, “My parents probably thought I was high.” 
  • Eli’s mom says, “We thought some of the kids had smoked up after the show.” 

Language    

  • Shit and ass are used frequently. For example, Carver says that Adair, Eli’s sister, “hates the shit out of” him and Jesmyn.  
  • Stronger profanity is used a few times. Profanity includes fuck and bitch.  

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Carver has a conversation with Blake’s grandmother, Nana Betsy, about whether God will let Carver into heaven after his role in his friends’ deaths. “What do you think it takes to keep you out of heaven?” 
  • Carver and Nana Betsy briefly discuss how she reconciles Blake being gay with her religion. “Our religion definitely doesn’t approve of that lifestyle, but I never did believe that people choose to be that way.” There are frequent references to Nana Betsy’s Christian beliefs.  
  • Carver tells Eli’s atheist parents that he “believed in God.” Eli’s dad “derided religious people as idiots.” The three of them, along with Jesmyn, discuss this topic for two pages. 

Animal Superstars: And More True Stories of Animal Talents

“Opee: The Motocross Biker Pup”: Mike was surprised when his dog Opee jumped on his motorcycle. At first, Mike tied Opee to him so he wouldn’t fall off the motorcycle, but Opee did everything right. He crouched closer to the bike and when the road curved Opee leaned into the turns. After a lot of practice, Mike and Opee signed up for the Baja 500 race that takes place in the desert. Would Mike and Opee be able to finish the race or would the noise and teeth-rattling ride be too much for the adventurous dog? 

“Sidewinder: Groundhog Weather Wonder”:  When Bob got home, he found a wicker basket on his doorstep. Inside was an injured groundhog that had been shot in the head. Determined to help the animal, Mike cleaned the animal’s wounds and fed him every three hours. Because of the injury, Sidewinder had difficulties standing up. When she finally learned how to walk, she could only walk in a circle. Someone asked Mike if Sidewinder could participate in Groundhog Day. Mike said yes, but he wondered, would Sidewinder be able to pop out of a hole and predict the weather? 

“Tuna: Kitty Rock Star”: Tuna, a white kitten, was born to purr-form. She wasn’t afraid of bright lights, noise or people. Tuna’s person, Samatha, knew Tuna could be a big star in the movies, so she began training Tuna and other animals to do tricks. It wasn’t easy and sometimes the animals didn’t perform well, but Samantha learned how to use humor to keep the audience engaged. Soon, Tuna, a chicken, and other animals had their own rock band. But will Tuna ever star in a big movie? 

“Sidewinder: Groundhog Weather Wonder” is an interesting story that shows the power of determination. In addition, Sidewinder went to Boby’s classroom. “In Bob’s class, all of the kids had special needs. It set them apart. Sometimes they felt left out.” Sidewinder helped the students feel important. “In one way, she and they were alike. She also had disabilities that made it hard for her to learn. Bob explained how Sidewinder kept trying. She never gave up. Her story gave the kids hope.”  

Based on the hit feature in National Geographic Kids magazine, National Geographic Chapter Series features three true stories about amazing rescues. Each story is broken into three short chapters. The book is packed with full-color photography, lists, and infographics. Some pages also include orange boxes that contain additional facts about the animals. For example, “Did You Know? When scared, groundhogs give a high whistle. That’s why they’re also called ‘whistle pigs.’” 

While reading each story, readers will learn more about animals. One page is about helping your dog when it’s hurt, another page gives a list of amazing things groundhogs can do. The interesting facts, and short sentences make the stories easy to read. Despite this, emerging readers may need help pronouncing difficult words, such as custodian, Candlemas, disappointment. And while the stories are easy to understand, adults will need to read the book to beginning readers. 

Animal Superstars isn’t just about the amazing things animals can do, it highlights the power of practice and determination. Each story shows how the animals—Opee, Sidewinder, and Tuna—practiced new skills and surprised everyone. Each story will amaze readers and encourage them to use determination to learn new skills of their own. Readers who want to learn more animal facts should race to the library and check out the nonfiction book What If You Had Animal Hair!? by Sandra Markle. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • While racing, Mike went into the sand, and “the back end of the bike spun out. It crashed to the ground. Both Mike and Opee flew through the air. Mike landed on his face in the dirt with his arms straight out in front of him. . .” Mike checked out Opee and found “a scrape on his nose another on his paw. . . Only then did he notice the blood. It was running into his boot from a cut on his calf.” 
  • When Bob was ten, he found an injured groundhog. “Someone had shot it. . . Bob taped bandages over the groundhog’s wound.” The groundhog recovered and was released into the wild. 
  • When he was older, someone left an injured groundhog on Bob’s doorstep. It had been shot in the head. A vet said, “The damage she had suffered had jumbled the signals in her brain. The plucky little groundhog could only walk in circles.”  
  • While in a public place, a big dog came close to Tuna, and “before Samantha could stop her, the cat leaped onto the dog’s back. EEEYOW! She dug in her claws. . . Fur flew as Samantha stood then in shock. Then, as suddenly as everything started, it stopped.” 
  • When someone becomes homeless, they may not be able to care for their cats. When the cats go to the animal shelter, “many cats are put to death.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Mike helped many different animals by giving them medicine. 

Language  

  • None

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • While training Tuna, “Samantha prayed that their big break would come soon.”  

Lifeboat 5

When Nazi bombs begin to destroy Bess Walder’s hometown of East London, Bess convinces her parents to evacuate her and her younger brother, Louis, to Canada aboard the SS City of Benares. On the journey, she meets another evacuee, Beth Cummings. Bess and Beth have a lot in common—both strong and athletic, both named for Queen Elizabeth, both among the older kids on the ship, and both excited about life in Canada.

On the fifth day at sea, everyone starts to relax, but trouble is right behind them. That night, a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the Benares. As their luxury liner starts to sink, Bess and Beth rush to abandon ship aboard their assigned lifeboat. Based on true events and real people, Lifeboat 5 is about two young girls with the courage to persevere against the odds and the strength to forgive. 

When Bess boards the Benares, she doesn’t expect to find a friendship that will last a lifetime. Despite the dangerous situation, Bess and Beth instantly connect and enjoy being aboard a luxury ship where the crew treats them kindly. The two girls like to share secrets and imagine their life once they get to Canada. Bess is a relatable character who finds her brother annoying, enjoys flirting with the crew, and desperately wants to find a place where she belongs.  

Even though the story is mainly told from Bess’ point of view, readers also get a glimpse of the people who impacted Bess’ life, such as the boys’ escort Michael Rennie. Michael showed kindness to the children, and when the ship sank, he did all he could to save the boys from the freezing water. Michael died before being rescued, but those who knew him remembered his kindness and heroism.  

The story of Lifeboat 5 is told through prose, and the text is often shaped to emphasize emotions. However, the prose does not allow space for character development, keeping readers emotionally distant from the events. Several aspects may make the book confusing for readers. The characters use colloquial language. For example, Bess says, “We’ll settle in and have us / a jolly good chin wag.” In addition, some of the story is told from different characters’ and the ocean’s point of view. This requires readers to pay attention to the chapter titles that are labeled with the narrator’s name. 

Lifeboat 5 educates readers about the devastating sinking of the Benares and the kindness and heroism of the adults who tried to save the children. In the end, Beth and Bess’ friendship allowed them to survive a harrowing nineteen hours in the ocean. As an adult, Bess learned: “Forgiveness / can be. . . beneficial to the soul . . . / helpful in healing deep wounds / of the mind.” Since most of the ship’s crew and passengers died, Lifeboat 5 may be a difficult book for some readers. However, for readers who want to learn more about World War II, Lifeboat 5 is a must-read book that reflects on the destructive nature of war. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • There are references to the violence in England. For example, Bess’ family goes to a bomb shelter. “Huddling inside, / we hear the drone / of the airplanes— / a low thunder, / then the pop-pop-pop / of the antiaircraft guns, / then the whistle / of the bomb drop.” 
  • A girl talks about why she is fleeing the country. “I didn’t have much left after / the Volendam [a ship] was torpedoed / and my house was bombed. / All my stuff was wrecked.” 
  • The ship’s departure was delayed because “the Germans / have dropped mines / in the mouth of the Mersey, / blocking our path.” 
  • The SS City of Benares is torpedoed. “Whoosh! / A cold, hard missile / rockets / through the sea’s sleep. . . Sound explodes in [Bess’] ears. / The dresser smashes into / the cabin door. / The whole ship / shudders / beneath me.” 
  • As the ship is evacuated, a crewman has to chop through the door to Bess’ room. “The crewman reaches / in again and pulls Ailsa out, / but she’s wounded / by the ragged woodwork.” 
  • The evacuation is chaotic. People jump into lifeboats and rafts, and “some just jumping / straight into the sea— / children and adults alike.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • After being rescued, a sailor gives Bess “cool sugar water and rum.” 

Language  

  • Bess tells her friend, “You’re a cheeky one! / Don’t be daft!” 
  • While in the ocean, Bess “wees” and then thinks, “Who knew taking a piss / could feel so good?” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • While traveling to Canada, the children are gathered to say morning prayers. For example, Reverand’s hands “lift to God / fold in prayer / lead a hymn / embrace the world / bless us all.”  
  • When the Benares sinks, Bess holds on to a capsized lifeboat and thinks, “God help me.” 
  • While hanging on to the lifeboat, Bess thinks about the bullies back home and thinks, “I thank God / Beth and I are/made of stronger stuff.” 
  • Two Lascars are also hanging on to the lifeboat. When she hears them speaking, Bess thinks that they are praying. Later, “[Bess] hear[s] a voice calling to Allah. / It’s one of the Lascars / on the end of our lifeboat.” Bess says the Lord’s Prayer. 
  • Bess believes that her brother is dead and thinks, “Oh God. / It will break [her parents] / And it will be all my fault.” 
  • Three of the rescued boys die and are given a sailor’s funeral. “Officers, sailors, stewards, / escorts, and children / stand together to / sing hymns, / whisper prayers, / and weep. / We grieve for / the three boys / who died last night / and for all who were lost.”
  • A man tells Bess’ father, “Your children are safe.” Her father says, “Thank God.” 

A Manatee Calf Grows Up

Learn all about manatees by tracing the life of a manatee calf from infancy to adulthood. The book starts with a word hunt that uses pictures to introduce key words in the text. Then readers will learn interesting facts about manatees. 

Using an engaging format, A Manatee Calf Grows Up reinforces core language skills for first and second graders. Whenever a keyword is introduced, an arrow points to a picture that helps readers understand the word. Each two-page spread has one page with three to five short sentences with keywords in bold font. The other page has a full-page colored illustration with one to two sentences of facts about the manatee. For example, “A calf begins drinking its mother’s milk a few hours after it is born.”  

Many of the book’s concepts are repeated throughout, and the end includes an infographic summarizing a manatee’s growth cycle, a glossary of keywords, and pictures of other mammals that readers will want to learn about. This Scholastic News Nonfiction Reader helps readers build background knowledge, expand their vocabulary, and develop critical reading skills.  

A Manatee Calf Grows Up will engage students as they learn about manatees. The illustrations and repetitive text help readers remember the facts. To learn more about ocean animals, readers should also read Disney Moana: Moana’s New Friend by Jennifer Liberts and Otters Love to Play by Jonathan London. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Thankful

At the first snowfall of winter, a young girl and her family begin a yearly tradition: they jot down everything they are thankful for on strips of paper. These strips are then assembled into “thankful chains,” which decorate the family’s house giving comfort during the cold months. While the chains are easy to make, the girl finds herself stumped as she faces the blank pieces of paper. It’s difficult to list all the things she has been thankful for during an entire year. The girl decides to start with the things in her room, like her bed and her books. By finding the value and comfort in these small things, she is able to find more things to be thankful for than she believed. 

Thankful is a moving and inspiring book by award-winning author Elaine Vickers. The girl’s exercise allows her to fully appreciate the value of the little things in her life, which have wider effects on her than she realized. Looking about her room, she realizes she is thankful for her dog, who comforted her before her first day of school. This small act helped the girl understand that her nerves were perfectly natural. The girl finds that she is thankful for pen and paper, which let her create stories and express her creativity. By the end of her exercise, the girl’s chain is longer than she had expected.  

The book is accessible to younger readers, with simple vocabulary and only one to six short sentences per page. Vickers’ lullaby-like prose is perfectly matched by Samatha Cotterill’s stunning illustrations. Characters are drawn on cutout pieces of paper, then placed in studio-lit, hand-made dioramas, mixing traditional illustration with photography. Cotterill’s style is a perfect match for Vicker’s story: familiar and comforting elements portrayed in a way you have never seen before. 

Thankful is a warm story that invites readers to find value and beauty in their everyday lives. Thankful is an excellent pick if you are looking for a comforting nighttime read with a strong message. 

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

Game Changer

All it takes is one hit on the football field, and suddenly Ash’s life doesn’t look quite the way he remembers it. Impossible though it seems, he’s been hit into another dimension—and keeps on bouncing through worlds that are almost-but-not-really his own.  

The changes in his world start small, but quickly spiral out of control as he ends up in universes where he has everything he’s ever wanted, universes where society is stuck in the past, and universes where he finds himself as someone he’s never had to consider before.  

And if he isn’t careful, the world he’s learning to see more clearly could blink out of existence . . .  

Game Changer follows Ash as he jumps into different worlds, forcing him to take a hard look at his own bias and choices. For example, in one dimension, America is still segregated which makes Ash realize that he had little understanding of what it means to be Black in America. In another world, Ash is a self-centered jerk who sells drugs—a version of himself Ash doesn’t like. Each time Ash’s world changes, he is forced to explore the complicated nature of humans and how small decisions can lead to major consequences. 

Ash’s world is everchanging which forces him to face many difficult topics such as racism, sexism, and homophobia. This is accomplished not only through Ash’s own experience but also the experiences of people close to Ash. Before jumping to other realities, Ash had never thought about “the idea of basic human dignity being stripped away. . . people whose lives were so far removed from mine, they might as well been on a different planet.” While Ash doesn’t find a way to fix society’s woes, he does become a better person by realizing how his own biases affect his relationships. 

Game Changer explores the idea of having a multiverse; however, the plot is easy to understand because Ash is surrounded by a core group of characters that appear in every world. The fast-paced plot isn’t afraid to take a deep look at complicated issues and forces the reader to question their own biases and choices. Shusterman doesn’t give a cure to the world’s illnesses, but instead reminds us of how little we understand and that “only by being humbled can we ever hope to be great.” 

Sexual Content  

  • Ash’s friend says he’s only interested in “food and sex.” 
  • In one of Ash’s worlds, he “secretly hooked up last spring” with his best friend’s sister. Ash thinks his other self would never “hook up with his best friend’s sister behind his back.” 
  • Ash has a crush on Katie, who is dating someone on the football team. Ash and Katie hid behind the bleachers so they could talk, but then Ash “leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss.” He apologized afterward, and Katie said, “I didn’t say not to do it again. Just don’t do it now.” 
  • In one of Ash’s worlds, he is gay and has a boyfriend named Paul. When alone, Paul kisses Ash. Ash says, “The kiss pretty much laid waste to my brain.” At first, Ash is conflicted, and then he “kissed Paul with such force, we both stumbled back against the closed front door.” 
  • The gay Ash remembers when he was twelve, “[he] would sometimes get a hard-on in the locker room. [He] was good at hiding it though.” In ninth grade, he “made out with a friend the night before he moved away.” 
  • In the hallway at school, Ash gets everyone’s attention and then “turned to Paul, and planted one on him that was even better than the kiss at my front door.” 
  • In one reality, Ash is a girl named Ashley. It is implied that she had sex with her boyfriend. 
  • A teen says, “Personally, I’d have loved a wide receiver on top of me” before taking off after a guy. 
  • In one universe, Ash is “an all-American vagina-loving straight boy.”

Violence  

  • The story implies that one of the characters is physically abusive, and he is definitely emotionally abusive to his girlfriend. 
  • Ash decides to stop selling drugs. His drug supplier shows up with two other men, whom Ash calls Thing One and Thing Two. “Thing One was holding me, and Thing Two was swinging away. It was all fist. . . I kicked, swung, and elbowed. . . I was doubled over, and although my knees were buckling from the pain, Thing One kept me on my feet so they could keep hitting me.” Ash shifts, and the drug supplier and his two goons cease to exist. People assume that Ash was beaten up because he is gay. 
  • Ash recounts how “in 2016, nearly fifty people were killed by a gunman armed with semiautomatic weapons at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando. In 1998, Matthew Shepard was tortured, beaten, then tied to a fence, and left to die just because he was gay.” Ash lists several others who were killed for being gay and how they died.  
  • While working at a grocery store, Leo, a Black teen, sees a homeless guy who is “not strung out or anything, just wrong in the head.” One of the managers corners the homeless guy. “The guys got a knife, and he’s scared out of his mind. Because my manager’s pulled a gun on him. . . [Leo knows] from the look on [his] manager’s face that he’s gonna pull the trigger. So I take my manager down before he can. . . the gun goes off, shattering the deli case. And the homeless guy gets away.” Leo is arrested and put into jail. 
  • Multidimensional beings try to help Ash. Teddy gives Ash advice, but when things go wrong, the others punish Teddy by putting him in a burned-down church. “Down in the pit. Teddy sat, tied to a chair. He was in bad shape. Bruised, bloody.” 
  • In one dimension, Ash is a female named Ashley. In this world, Ashley’s boyfriend, Layton, bruises her, “but never on my face. They’d appear on my arm when he’d grab me to stop me from storming away.” 
  • While Paul is tutoring Ashley, “out of nowhere . . . I leaned in and kissed him.” Paul gets upset and leaves. When Layton finds out, he beats Paul up. 
  • Layton tells Ashley to meet him at the park. When she gets there, Layton has a baseball bat “smeared with blood and Layton was splattered with it.” Layton confronts Ashley, and then “he brought his arm up across his chest and swung it in a brutal backhanded slam across my face so powerful it spun me around and knocked me to the ground.”  
  • Layton takes out a gun, intending to use it. “In that moment, [Ashley] saw three worlds unfolding: The world where he killed me and ran away. . . the world where he put the gun in his own mouth and blew his brains out in front of me. . . and the world where he did both.” 
  • Paul arrives at the park, takes the bat, and swings it. “The bat connected with the nape of Layton’s neck. I could hear the vertebrae fracture. Layton crumbled to the ground. . .” Layton survives but is paralyzed from the neck down. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • In several of Ash’s parallel worlds, he sells drugs from his family’s store. The drugs include “pills, powders, and weed.” The drugs also include steroid powder. He would sell the drugs at “parties, and in school hallways, and out back of various local hangouts.” 
  • Ash “even supplied coke to Mr. Gilbreath, my English teacher, who was an old hippie.” 
  • Ash’s parents don’t notice his side job. Ash thinks, after his mom’s “nightly bottle of merlot, [she] wouldn’t care if a pallet of heroin was airdropped through the living room ceiling.” 
  • Ash doesn’t sell heroin and meth, so he doesn’t think of himself as “a drug dealer—I was a recreational entrepreneur.” However, he does sell ecstasy and oxycodone. 

Language  

  • Profanity is used often. Profanity includes ass, bitch, bastard, crap, damn, dickwad, douchiness, goddamn, fuck, hell, pissed, and shit. 
  • God and My God are used as exclamations once. 

Supernatural 

  • During a football game, when Ash gives a power hit, he feels “a sudden surge of phantom cold . . . like my blood had been replaced by ice water, but only for an instant.” Later, he discovers that he has caused a shift in time and is now in another dimension.  
  • When Ash is hit, he goes to “Elsewhere.” Each time he does this, his world changes. “Each time I’m in Elsewhere, I can sense the different realities around me. They feel alive. They feel . . . needy. Like they’re afraid of being left behind.”  
  • Ash meets “multidimensional beings that project into” his world. They try to help Ash navigate his abilities. The beings say there may or may not be a God, but if there is a God, “then the universe would be an it rather than a he/she/they. . .” 
  • The people closest to Ash remember part of the previous world. “It’s called the proximity effect. The closer someone is to the subjective locus, the more likely they, and even people around them, are to have stray memories from other existences.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Ash describes one of his friends who makes “stupid decisions and say[s] all the wrong things at the wrong times, like maybe he was taking a dump when God was handing out common sense.” 
  • After a time shift, Ash thinks, “Maybe this was the life I was supposed to be living, and the universe, or God, or whatever, decided to fix it.” 
  • Ash tries to understand what is happening. He thinks, “Faith would tell us that we are a spark that exists separate from the drama of our lives.” 
  • To avoid the man who supplies his drugs, Ash closes the store and posts a sign that says “Closed for Religious Reasons.” Ash checks and discovers it is “Yom Kippur—the Jewish day of atonement. The perfect day for my ‘special customers’ to repent from their drug habit.” 
  • After Ash makes three people cease to exist, Ash feels “guilt and shame. Like somehow I had pissed in God’s teacup, and not even he knew.” 
  • Ash wants to change the universe for good. He thinks, “My grandma would say God was working through me, because that’s the way he worked.” 

Swimming with Spies

It’s February of 2014 in the seaport city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Sofiya Oleksandrivna only wants two things: to figure out a way to get Ilya Ilyich to stop bullying her, and to convince her mother to come back home. But as battleships come to populate the waters around their city and Russian forces, including Ilya’s father, start to make their presence known, an even greater threat takes over Sofiya’s life. 

Sofiya’s only escape is the dolphinarium where her father is a trainer at the forefront of teaching sign language to a pod of dolphins. And now the Russian military has ordered the dolphinarium to hand over its animals for military use. As armed Russian troops invade Crimea and conflict and tension continue to rise, Sofiya will do everything she can to keep her pod safe. And what she knows better than any of the soldiers occupying her city, is that the most powerful force is communication. 

Sofiya’s world is forever changed when the Russians take over Crimea. As the daughter of a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, Sofiya doesn’t want to choose sides. But when Sofiya is forced to work with Ilya, she is forced to look beyond Ilya’s public persona. Sofiya’s grandmother gives her sage advice, saying, “I told you to listen with your eyes, not only your ears. Everyone wants to be understood. Never doubt that. Most of all, though, we have to listen with our heart.”  

Swimming with Spies highlights the complicated conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Often, Sofiya’s teacher, Miss Yvette, discusses the conflict with her class. One concern is that Russia will try to erase Ukraine’s culture because, before Ukraine became independent, “Ukrainians could not learn or work in their language. They had to function in Russian. And language as a weapon is something I overheard over and over since I was a kid.” Ukraine’s conflict is a central component of the book; Sofiya’s relationship with Ilya and the dolphins also highlights the importance of communication and working together. 

Since the story is told from Sofiya’s point of view, the events focus on how the annexation of Crimea affects her and her friends. Sofiya grieves when the people she cares about decide to leave the peninsula. She’s frightened when her friend’s brother is arrested, and people begin losing their jobs. Using Sofiya’s point of view gives younger readers an understanding of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict without showing military conflict or violence. While most readers will not relate to the country’s conflict, they will empathize with the children and adults impacted by the annexation.  

Swimming with Spies uses a unique premise to show readers the power of communication and the importance of using one’s voice. The book poses the question—are you Russian or Ukrainian—without giving an answer. In the end, Sofiya learns that “people can only decide—in the end—what’s best for them.” In addition, the book shows the power of forgiveness and not blaming others for life’s disappointments. Swimming with Spies is a powerful story that will give readers a new understanding of what it means to be Ukrainian.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • After Ilya and his friends use racial slurs, Sofiya’s friend Cedric and Ilya fight. “Ilya is a blur, and when I turn around, he and Cedric are tumbling on the ground. . .” One of the teachers breaks up the fight. Cedric has a slit lip but is otherwise uninjured. 
  • Sofiya thinks about a Ukrainian protest where “some protesters were shot at.” 
  • Ilya, a boy in Sofiya’s class, lost his mother in a boating accident. When he was four, his family was on a boat, and Ilya fell overboard. “Ilya was in the water, with a life jacket, thank God. But. . . well, Elena—his mother—jumped in after him. There was a large wave that crashed over her. They searched and searched, but no one could find her after that.” 
  • Sofiya overhears a conversation about “peaceful protesters, with Ukrainian flags, went to the parliament building, and a swarm of ‘pro-Russian’ protesters got into a fight with them. Two people were killed. Others were arrested. Not Russians, though.” 
  • A Russian military leader, Major Chaban, wants to use the sea animals for military purposes. While at the dolphinarium, Sofiya sees “the shape of Major Chaban. Six men with rifles are marching behind him straight to our front door.” The dolphinarium’s staff is forced to get Russian passports or be fired. 
  • One of Sofiya’s friends is upset because her brother was arrested after “he posted a video of himself and his friends driving around Sevastopol the other night, singing the Ukrainian anthem.” 
  • While at school, Sofiya gets angry and takes it out on Ilya. “The next thing I know, Ilya is under me, and I scramble onto my knees, and I feel a sharp pain. But I just start pummeling. . . I hardly land a couple of punches when I’m ripped off him.” Ilya gets a black eye. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Sofiya thinks that talk shows have “a lot of older people standing around and shouting. It’s like listening to the homeless men in the park when they’ve drunk too much vodka.”

Language  

  • Sofiya refers to a group of Russian classmates as “Ilya and the Idiots.” 
  • Sofiya overhears a conversation where two men are talking about Russians who harass Ukrainians. A man said, “Rashist—a term, he said, that is cooked up from the words Russian, racist, and fascist.”  
  • In another overheard conversation, a man uses the Russian word “Russkyi mir.” Sofiya thinks, “It’s not a nice thing to say. It means violence, and blood, and criminality, and corruption. Miss Yvette once said Russkyi mir involves having our Ukrainian language, our culture, our traditions all taken away, along with our land.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Only Game

Jack Callahan is the star of his baseball team and seventh grade is supposed to be his year. Undefeated season. Records shattered. Little League World Series. The works. That is, until he up and quits.

Jack’s best friend Gus can’t understand how Jack could leave a game that means more to them than anything else. But Jack is done. It’s a year of change. Jack’s brother has passed away, and though his family and friends and the whole town of Walton think baseball is just the thing he needs to move on, Jack feels it’s anything but.

In comes Cassie Bennett, star softball player, and the only person who seems to think Jack shouldn’t play if he doesn’t want to. As Jack and Cassie’s friendship deepens, their circle expands to include Teddy, a guy who’s been bullied because of his weight.

Time spent with these new friends unlocks something within Jack, and with their help and the support of his family and his old friends, Jack discovers sometimes it’s more than just the love of the game that keeps us moving forward—and he might just be able to find his way back to The Only Game, after all. 

Readers will sympathize with Jack, who blames himself for his brother’s death. As penitence, Jack gives up baseball. However, Jack’s grief isn’t explored in depth; instead, the story focuses on Jack’s unwillingness to tell anyone why he quit the team. His friends and family are even more confused when Jack begins to help coach Cassie’s team, and teach Teddy how to play baseball. While his new friends give Jack the courage to talk to his parents about his guilt, the conflict is resolved too quickly without showing any of Jack’s grieving process. While this allows the story to focus on baseball, it minimizes the story’s emotional impact. 

When Jack quits the team, Cassie and Teddy immediately step in to take the place of Jack’s other friendships. However, the friendships don’t seem genuine. For instance, Jack soon teaches Teddy how to play baseball, even though Teddy has little interest in the game and the boys have nothing in common. In addition, Cassie is a braggart, and her arrogance may annoy some readers. Unfortunately, the supporting characters are not very likable, and their interactions with Jack do not feel authentic.  

Even though Jack quits the baseball team, The Only Game still contains enough baseball action to keep sports-loving readers entertained. The book doesn’t delve into the many emotions of the grieving process, which allows the story to focus on Jack’s friendships and the importance of supporting each other in difficult times. The Only Game’s strength lies in showcasing the joy of competition and how baseball brings people together.  

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • Some of the kids call others idiots. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • One of Jack’s friends “and their parents usually went to church at nine.” 
  • After Jack and his best friend Gus stop talking, Jack goes to Gus’s house. Gus’s mom says, “I’m going to leave you alone to talk to your friend Jack now and also pray to the Lord that you remember your manners while you do.” 

She Caught the Light: Williamina Stevens Fleming: Astronomer

Williamina Fleming changed the course of astronomy by devising the world’s first classification system of the universe. Alongside paving the pathway for future discoveries, Fleming also showcased the importance of women’s role in science and astronomy by becoming the first woman to become the curator of astronomical photographs. However, Fleming’s place in history didn’t come easy, as her success required hard work and patience.  

Williamina Fleming, affectionately known as “Mina,” was born in Dundee, Scotland on May 15, 1857. As a child, Mina showed interest in her father’s photography work and constantly asked questions about the nature of photographs, such as, “Why do the chemicals work?” or “How does the light get onto the plate?” After Mina’s father died, she became the maid for Professor Pickering, the renowned director of the Harvard College Observatory. For a while, Mina did the typical jobs of dusting, sweeping, and scrubbing, but when Professor Pickering became frustrated at his assistants with their astronomical calculations, Pickering turned to Mina for the job. Could Mina seize this opportunity to showcase her intelligence and change astronomy forever? 

The book gives a third-person narration about Mina’s life, demonstrating how her persistent determination, calm composure, and astute decisions impacted her growth from a curious child to an influential lady. The story depicts Mina as a strong, intelligent, and inquisitive person, and her ability to ask questions and learn from others makes her an aspiring and influential figure. Many readers will relate to Mina’s desire to know the secrets of the cosmos, and her slow climb to the position of curator of astronomical photographs feels realistic and genuine. 

She Caught the Light is a rousing illustrated story that exemplifies the power of hard work and patience. After all, Mina’s chance to showcase her intelligence and impact on the astronomical world took time. When her opportunity finally arose, Mina built a long-lasting career that served as a testament to seizing the opportunity. The book also encourages readers not to grow disappointed when things take time to develop. For Mina, although she started as a maid, her past gave her the foundation to eventually create “a portrait of the universe that astronomers would use for over a century.” 

She Caught the Light features simple, watercolor illustrations that aid the story’s plot with helpful character depictions and scenery. The story also contains supplementary material at the end of the book, such as a timeline, glossary, biography, and author’s note, which complements and fortifies Mina’s legacy as “a hero of the stars.” However, for an illustrated children’s book, She Caught the Light uses complex concepts, such as the inner workings of a spectroscope, and large, tricky paragraphs that may frustrate younger readers. As a result, She Caught the Light is a tale for more experienced readers. Mina’s story will leave readers more informed, inspired, and curious about the celestial objects in our skies.  

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • None

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

Unsouled

Connor and Lev are on the run after the destruction of the Graveyard, the last safe haven for AWOL unwinds. But for the first time, they’re not just running away—they’re running towards answers, in the form of a woman Proactive Citizenry has tried to erase from history itself. If they can find her and learn why the shadowy figures behind unwinding are so afraid of her, they may discover the key to ending the unwinding process forever.

Cam, the rewound boy, is plotting to take down the organization that created him. He knows that if he can bring Proactive Citizenry to its knees, it will show Risa how he truly feels about her. And without Risa, Cam is having trouble remembering what it feels like to be human.

With the Juvenile Authority and vindictive parts pirates hunting them, the group’s paths will converge explosively—and everyone will be changed. 

Unsouled focuses on human evil, and Risa wonders, “Which is crueler, man or nature? She determines it must be man. Nature has no remorse, but neither does it have malice.” As readers delve into the world of unwinds, they will most likely come to the same conclusion as Risa. The world of unwinding is paradoxical; on one hand, people with disabilities are not allowed to be unwound. However, the lucrative business of unwinding created an industry that has no bounds to its greed and many teens are legally killed. 

While changing the unwinding age to 17 was supposed to help teens, it has helped the black market become more ruthless and profitable. In addition, to get even more body parts, some politicians are encouraging people to vote for Initiative 11, which would allow criminals to be unwound. “So the question is, how do we want our violent offenders to pay their debts to society? Wasting into old age on taxpayers’ dollars—or allowing them to redeem themselves by providing much-needed tissue for society?” 

Unwinding has become so popular that politicians want to “raise the legal age of unwinding back to eighteen and possibly beyond. Removing the brains of convicted criminals and unwinding the rest of their bodies. Allowing people to voluntarily submit themselves to unwinding for cash.” While at first unwinding was supposed to help in medical emergencies, “it’s becoming more and more common for people to get vanity transplants. You want a new skill? Buy it instead of learn it. Can’t do a thing with your hair? Get a new scalp. . . NeuroWeaves instead of education. Muscle refits instead of exercise.”  

While the world is focused on the need for more human tissue, Cam—who was created by using unwinds’ body parts—questions his humanity. He wonders if he has a soul and, if so, what will happen to his soul after he dies. Cam thinks, “Certainly he exists as organic matter, but as a sentient being? As a someone rather than a something.” Cam looks to the Catholic church for answers but receives none. To add to this theme, when Connor finally meets Cam, instead of completely hating him, he recognizes Cam’s humanity. Cam’s existence forces the reader to contemplate the human soul—is it created by a “divine spark,” or can it be created by another human? Ultimately, the only answer comes from the court: Cam is legal property, not a person who can make choices for himself. 

Connor, Risa, Lev, and Cam’s worlds collide, forcing them to put their personal desires aside. They hope to expose Proactive Citizenry’s insidious plan and, in the process, end unwinding. But Starkey’s violent attacks against harvest camps cause fear and chaos. In the end, the reader is left to wonder—will fear or reason prevail?  

Sexual Content  

  • While at a fancy party, Cam enters a room to be alone. A girl follows him. “She undoes his bowtie. . . He holds her in his arms, and she leans forward, kissing him. When she pulls away from the kiss, it’s only for a moment. . . She leans in for another kiss that is far more explorative than the first. The girl says, “I want to be your first.” The girl’s father finds Cam and the girl kissing, and he drags her out of the party.  
  • After speaking at a university, Cam takes three girls into a room. Cam takes off his shirt, and “one of the girls explores those seams and the varied skin tones of his chest. The other girl snuggles with him and feeds him Jordan almonds, sweet and crunchy.” Cam’s handler chases the girls away. 
  • Lev fantasizes about Miracolina, a tithe he helped. “His current fantasies put them at the same suburban school . . . Go to the movies. Make out on the couch when her parents aren’t home.” 
  • Starkey impregnates three girls. When his second in command, Bam, finds out about it she’s furious. Starkey “cranes his neck to kiss her, but their lips are still an inch away. . . he reaches behind her head, pulling her down into the kiss. That kiss is like a conjurer’s act. It’s artful, it’s worthy of applause, and it is everything Bam dreamed it might be, but nothing will change the fact that it’s only a trick.” Bam realizes that there is no meaning to the kiss. 

Violence  

  • Scattered throughout are news items that use teen violence as a reason to continue unwinding, such as a clapper blowing up a school and killing a student. These ads are not included in the violence below. 
  • While driving, Connor accidentally hits an ostrich. The creature’s body “wedges in the windshield frame, with a twisted wiper blade embedded in its slender neck. . . [Connor] screams and curses reflectively, as the creature, still clinging to life, rips at Connor’s chest with its talons, tearing fabric and flesh. . .” The Ostrich dies. Connor is wounded but recovers. 
  • Connor goes into a grocery store to buy food. After he leaves, Argent, the checker, flags Connor down and attacks him. “A kick to the groin that registers a surge of shock, followed by a building swell of excruciating pain. . . Suddenly his attacker is behind him and puts Connor in a choke hold.” Connor wakes up in a cellar, tied to a pole.  
  • To escape from Argent, Connor hits him with a glass pipe. “The pipe catches Argent just above his jaw and shatters, cutting the left side of Argent’s face in at least three places. . . His face gushes blood.” The deputy is tied to a pole but is given “a jagged piece of the broken bong from the floor and put into the deputy’s bound hands so he can eventually cut himself free.” 
  • The police arrive at Argent’s cellar, asking about Connor, who is hiding. When only one deputy is left, “Connor makes his move, lunging out of the sack he’s hiding in, grabbing him by the ankles, and pulling his feet out from under him.” 
  • Two clappers go into a gym. They split up so they can detonate themselves and kill the most people. “Suddenly an explosion rocks the gym, and the cardio desk comes crashing down upon the first floor. . .” Everyone in the gym dies. 
  • A group of teens who ran away from being unwound band together. They enter a 7-Eleven and begin stealing everything. “The night manager reaches for the shotgun, but before he can grab it, there’s a gun aimed at his face, and another, and another. The three kids hold their aim steady.” As the group disappears, the manager shoots at them, but no one is hit. 
  • As a man enters his house, “he’s hit in the head with one of his wife’s heavier knickknacks and falls to the ground. . . he looks up to see the face of his attacker. It’s just a kid of maybe sixteen.” Instead of calling the police, the man gives the boy a job.  
  • Risa falls into a parts pirate’s trap. “She reached for a bag of chips, hit a trip wire, and a spring-loaded steel cable wrapped around her wrist. She was caught like a rabbit.”  
  • When the parts pirate lunges at Risa, “he throws himself forward, Risa raises the pitchfork that she’s concealed in the hay. She doesn’t have to do any more than that: just hold the thing up. His weight and momentum do all the work.” 
  • Later that day, a “coyote dines on the man, who is already beginning to grow rancid in the summer heat.” Later, the coyote bites Risa several times. She is saved, but the coyote and the trip wire injure Risa. She is also dehydrated. Risa fully recovers. 
  • While in a state home, a girl attacks Risa. “When the girl pins her to the ground, Risa gouges the girl’s eyes, flips her, and spits in her face.” A teacher pulls them apart. 
  • Cam has nightmares that are caused by the memories of the teens who were rewound to create Cam. Cam “would scream from the terror, from the sheer helplessness one of those kids felt as the surgeons moved closer, limbs tingled and went numb, medical stasis coolers were carried away in their peripheral vision. Each sense is shutting down and each memory evaporating, always ending with a silent cry of hopeless defiance as each Unwind was shuffled into oblivion.” 
  • While Risa is looking for a place to hide, three boys surround her. One guy, Porterhouse, grabs her. “She smiles at him, lifts her foot, and jams her heel into Porterhouse’s knee instead. Porterhouse’s kneecap breaks with an audible crunch, and he goes down, screaming and writhing in pain. . .” 
  • During the confrontation, Risa elbows another boy in the nose. “She’s not sure if she’s broken it, but it does start gushing blood.” A boy brandishes a knife at Risa, but an adult pulls Risa to safety.  
  • Starkey hijacks a truck by pressing a weapon into the driver’s ribs. When he has a chance, the driver runs away.  
  • Starkey and his group of storks attack a harvest camp. “Starkey gets out of the cab in time to see some of his precious storks go down. . . a sharpshooter is taking kids out. The first couple of shots are tranqs, but the sharpshooter switches rifles. The next kid to go down, goes down for good. . .” 
  • Some of the kids “use counselors as human shields. . . The rebellion feeds itself, fueled by desperation and unexpected hope. It grows in intensity until even the guards are running, only to be tackled by dozens of kids and restrained with their own handcuffs.” The rebellion is described over two pages. It is unclear how many people are hurt or dead, but “at least a dozen kids litter the ground.” 
  • After the rebellion, the harvest camp director, Menard, is captured, and Starkey orders a boy to kill him. “The kid is clearly terrified, but all eyes are on him. . . He squints. He puts the muzzle of the gun to the back of Menard’s head and looks away. Then he pulls the trigger. . . Menard crumples, dead before he hits the ground. . . There are no exploding brain bits and pieces of skull—Starkey and the crowd seem disappointed that an execution, in the end, is far less dramatic than the buildup.” 
  • Starkey and his crew attack another harvest camp. They get the kids out safely, but then Starkey has five workers hung with a noose. “Starkey, one by one, kicks their chair out from beneath them.” He leaves one worker alive to give the authorities a message.  
  • Cam follows one of his memories to a Chancefolk [Native American] reservation, and a woman he knows, Una, takes him to an abandoned sweat lodge and knocks him unconscious. Una “tears off his jacket and shirt and uses them to string him up between two poles six feet apart. She knots the fabric so tightly only a knife could undo it. The rest of his unconscious body slumps on the ground, his arms outstretched above him in a supplicative Y.” Una uses a chainsaw to trace Cam’s seams and threatens to remove his hands.  
  • Connor finds Cam. “He’s tied to a pole, struggling to pull himself free. By the smell of the place and the look of him, he’s been here for a while, in this helpless, hopeless situation, without even the freedom to relieve himself anywhere but in his clothes.” Connor sets Cam free. 
  • When Nelson, the parts pirate, discovers that Argent has been lying to him, Nelson “flips the table. Dinnerware flies, a plate smashes against the mantel, and Nelson pounces, pinning Argent against the wall so hard Argent can feel the light switch digging into his back like a knife—but it’s nowhere near as deadly as the steak knife that Nelson now holds to his throat.” Nelson threatens Argent but doesn’t hurt him. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • At a fancy party, some of the adults drink alcohol. One lady has a “slight alcoholic slur.” 
  • Argent chokes Connor and then ties him up. While Connor is tied up, the boy forces him to smoke the liquid from a tranq gun mixed with marijuana. “Argent takes a hit from the pipe, then puts it over Connor’s mouth, holding Connor’s nose so he has no choice but to suck it in.” They both get high.  
  • A teen goes to New Orleans and drinks alcohol where “Drinking in the street is not only legal, but encouraged!” 
  • A parts pirate who is injured “sleeps off a binge of the alcohol and painkillers he doused himself with.” 
  • One of Connor’s friends “had slipped Connor some medicinal chocolate to get him to mellow out a bit,” which caused Connor to hallucinate. 
  • While celebrating, two adults have champagne.  
  • One boy’s father is a drug addict and was “offered a lot of money to sign the [unwind] papers,” which he did. 

Language  

  • Profanity is used often and includes ass, crap, damn, freaking, goddamn, hell, and piss. 
  • There is some name-calling, including bitch, bastard, moron, idiot, scumbag, wimp, and prime douche.  
  • Grace is “low-cortical” which is the term for mentally challenged people. Her brother calls her feebleminded. 
  • Native Americans are called ChanceFolk or SlotMongers, “that hideous slur put upon them by the very people who made casino gaming the only way tribes could earn back their self-reliance, self-respect, and the fortunes leeched from them over the centuries.”  
  • Oh my God and Oh Jesus are used as exclamations. 
  • Connor calls Cam “Pork-n-beans.” 
  • Starkey’s crew has a sign “like a heil Hitler thing, but with just the middle finger.” 

Supernatural 

  • When a person is given a body part from an unwound person, the body part remembers what the person learned. For example, one man received a new hand, and the hand still knew how to perform magic. 
  • Cyrus was injured and received half of Tyler Walker’s brain. Now, Tyler is in Cyrus’s head and occasionally talks through Cyrus. Cyrus and some of the other people who received parts from Tyler live in a compound, so they “feel the need to reunite the Unwind they share.” Some of the people have Tyler’s memories. 
  • Some people who receive body parts from an Unwind have “cellular memory being transferred” to them. For example, “an eight-year-old girl receives the heart of a ten-year-old girl who was murdered. The recipient begins having nightmares about the murder, remembering details that only the victim could know, such as when and how it happened and the identity of the murderer. Her entire testimony turns out to be true, and the murderer is caught.”  
  • NeuroWeaves take a part of an unwind’s brain and graph it to another person. This allows a person to acquire a skill without having to learn anything. 

Spiritual Content  

  • Cam wrestles with his thoughts. “He begins to scour his memory, seeking out moments that ring with a spiritual connection. He had First Communion, a Bar Mitzvah, and a Bismillah ceremony. He saw a brother baptized in a Greek Orthodox church, and a grandmother cremated in a traditional Buddhist funeral. Just about every faith is represented in his memories. . .”  
  • Cam goes to a Catholic church for confession. Cam asks the priest if he “qualifies as a human.” The priest tells him, “How can I speak to whether or not you carry a divine spark?” 
  • While looking for answers, Cam “prays in nine languages, to a dozen deities—to Jesus, to Yahweh, to Allah, to Vishnu, to the ‘I’ of the universe, and even to a great godless void. Please, he begs. Please, give me a single reason why I shouldn’t hurl myself beneath the wheels of the bus.” 
  • Before the harvest camp director is executed, he prays. “A man who kills for a living praying for deliverance.” 
  • Starkey’s second in command is Bam. After the harvest camp is attacked, “she knows she mustn’t steal Starkey’s thunder. She’s Bam the Baptist, preparing the way for the Savior of Storks.” Later, the media refers to Starkey as “the Stork Lord.”  
  • Deuteronomy 21:18-21 was used to convince the public to allow unwinding. According to a legislative candidate, unwinding “would be a tremendous incentive for children to give proper respect to their parents.”  

Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball

Baseball, America’s pastime, is a sport of moments that stand the test of time. It is equally a sport of a new generation of heroes, whose exploits inspire today’s young fans. This combination makes for a winning debut in Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball.

This is no traditional almanac of mundane statistics but rather a storyteller’s journey through baseball’s storied game. Told in short chapters and accompanied by iconic photos, a slew of “Top Ten” lists for kids to chew on and debate, and a timeline of the “40 Most Important Moments in Baseball History,” this collection covers some of the greatest players from Babe Ruth to Hank Aaron; the greatest teams to take the field and swing the bats; the greatest social triggers, such as Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier; the greatest playoff rivalries, including the 2004 showdown between the Red Sox and Yankees that turned into an instant classic; and, of course, the edge-of-your-seat World Series moments that left some cheering while others wept.  

The book begins with a note from the author encouraging people to read his book and “disagree with it, debate it, change it, have fun with it, decide for yourself” who is the greatest player and the greatest team. Bryant gives statistics and stories to help readers understand each player’s contribution to the sport. “Spring,” the book’s first section, discusses the greatest players, starting with Babe Ruth. This section is entertaining enough to keep all readers engaged. However, this changes in the book’s next two sections, which focus on specific teams such as the Yankees and the Red Socks.  

The last two sections of the book include exciting play-by-play actions of specific games that will entertain baseball fans. Readers will feel the disappointment when a team loses a game and the excitement for the winning teams. In addition, Bryant helps readers understand how baseball changed through the years, as well as how baseball changed society.   

Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball highlights all the reasons that baseball is our national pastime and why people still debate who is the greatest. Bryant uses interesting facts, anecdotes, and play-by-play baseball action that will thrill baseball fans. However, the pages use advanced vocabulary, and all the pictures are at the back of the book. Even though the chapters are short, the text-heavy pages may overwhelm struggling readers. However, baseball fans will find Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball enjoyable because it is packed with baseball history that will help them understand the sport and the players that shaped it. 

For readers who want to learn more about baseball, Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball knocks it out of the park. Readers who want to delve deeper into baseball’s greatest legend should read Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse by David A. Kelly and Babe & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman. Readers looking for a fiction book that revolves around baseball should read The Batboy by Mike Lupica or the Baseball Genius Series by Tim Green & Derek Jeter. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Henry Aaron was a child, his mother would hide him and his siblings under the bed whenever she heard the Klu Klux Klan outside her window. “It was the 1940s, and the Klan targeted Catholics, Jews, and especially African Americans, intent on scaring them and often killing the ones who did not fear them, to keep them in their place.”  
  • While playing in the major leagues, Henry Aaron received “terrible letters, the ones in which anonymous people threatened to kill him or members of his family. . . One letter was so serious that the FBI removed his daughter from college for her protection.” Aaron had to hire a security guard to protect him. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Sandy Koufax had severe pain in his left elbow and was given cortisone shots. The drug “eased some of the hurt, but left Sandy feeling uncomfortable.” Koufax decided to put his health first and retired from baseball. 
  • Mark McGwire was being interviewed when a reporter “noticed a bottle of pills in McGwire’s locker. . . The pills were called androstenedione, and they were considered to have similar effects to steroids.” Later, it was discovered that Sammy Sosa and other players were also taking the pills. The scandal marred both McGwire’s and Sosa’s careers. 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Despite anti-Semitism, Sandy Koufax “was true to his Jewish faith . . . Koufax was proud of his heritage. He did not hide from it.” When his team played in the World Series, one game was on Yom Kippur, “the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.” Koufax “refused to pitch.”

Rascally Rabbits: And More True Stories of Animals Behaving Badly

“Sniffles and Babbity: Rascally Rabbits”: Babbity lived alone in a cage and looked sad and lonely, so Finley asked the neighbors if she could have the rabbit. When they said yes, Finley was super excited and created a home for Babbity in a rabbit hutch. But when Finley saw how much Babbity loved being outside, she made a hole so the bunny could come and go. But when the rabbit left its cage, he fought with the goats. Will this fuzzy bunny find a new home where she can roam? 

“Yellow-Yellow: Bandit Bear”: Many people called Ben, a wildlife biologist, to complain about Yellow-Yellow, who kept stealing human food. To find out more about Yellow-Yellow, Ben began studying her travels. Ben wanted to teach Yellow-Yellow and campers how to stay safe. When campers began using bear boxes to store their food, Yellow-Yellow learned how to open them. Would Ben be able to teach the bear to stay away from humans?  

“Moose: Problem Pup”: Aline and Neil found a puppy alone in the woods. They took the puppy home, but when they couldn’t find its owner, they kept him and named him Moose. Aline and Neil would put Moose in the backyard and connect his leash to a cable. But Moose kept getting loose. One time, Moose even followed Aline and Neil into the grocery store. Aline and Neil had a huge problem—how could they give Moose freedom without him causing problems? 

Based on the hit feature in National Geographic Kids magazine, National Geographic Chapter Series features three true stories about animals causing mischief. Each story is divided into three short chapters. The book is packed with full-color photography, lists, and infographics. Some pages also include orange boxes that contain additional facts about the animals. For example, “Black bears love sweets and sometimes get cavities.”  

While reading each story, readers will learn more about the mischief animals get into and teach how to care for animals properly. For example, one page explains how to hold a rabbit properly. “Yellow-Yellow” also educates readers on staying safe from bears in the forest. The interesting facts, dialogue, and short sentences make the stories easy to read. Despite this, emerging readers may need help pronouncing difficult words like scruff, sensitive, and platform. And while the stories are easy to understand, adults will need to read the book to beginning readers. 

Rascally Rabbits: And More True Stories of Animals Behaving Badly will have readers at the edge of their seats, waiting to find out what the adventurous animals will do next. Each animal will capture readers’ hearts, making learning about animal safety fun. The full-colored pictures add more fun to the book and will help keep readers engaged. Anyone who loves animals will enjoy the National Geographic Chapters Series, which educates as well as entertains. Read more true stories about amazing animals by reading Pets to the Rescue Series by Andrew Clements. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Babbity the rabbit got into the goats’ pen, “the angry goat charged. She flung her head. Bam! The battered bunny flew through the air. Thump! He crash-landed in the dirt.” Babbity wasn’t injured.  
  • Callie was cleaning the goat pen when “she saw Buddy the rooster—with its claws raised. Callie staggered backward. . . Callie had to kick Buddy to drive him away. And the minute she did, Flopsy [the goat] came running. Bam! She head-butted Callie’s other leg.” 
  • After tranquilizing Yellow-Yellow and putting a GPS tag on her, Ben waited until she could run again, and “he shot her in the behind with rubber pellets. Ouch! It didn’t harm her, but Ben hoped that little ‘spanking’ would make her want to avoid people.”  
  • Once Yellow-Yellow “surprised some hunters. . . They threw things [at the bear]. She didn’t leave. At last, they swatted him with their hiking sticks. That finally drove him away.”  
  • Red-Green, a bear who roamed the area, kept getting into people’s food, so “the rangers had to put Red-Green down so he couldn’t be a danger to humans.” 

 Drugs and Alcohol  

  • A wildlife biologist wanted to keep track of Yellow-Yellow, a bear, so he trapped her and put a GPS collar on the bear. To do this, he “shot a drug-filled dart into her. The drug made her unable to move for a while, but she could hear and see. Ben blindfolded her to keep her calm.”  
  • When Yellow-Yellow lost her collar, Ben “fitted a drug-filled syringe into the end of a long pole. Then he poked the pole through the trap window and stuck the doughnut thief in the rump. Yellow-Yellow slumped over, unable to move.”

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

 Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Viking’s Revenge

Travel back to the days of Vikings with time-traveling brothers Arthur and Finn to retrieve the stolen sword called Blood Hunter and rewrite the past. The two brothers plan to help the Viking leader Hallvard and his village from being killed by raiders. However, Arthur and Finn are accused of being spies. Some of the villagers want to kill the two boys immediately, while Hallvard wants to give the boys a chance to prove themselves. Will the boys escape the grip of the powerful Vikings and succeed in changing the course of history?  

Arthur’s impulsive behavior led to his capture twice. Luckily, Finn is an intelligent, quick thinker who pays attention to history and is used to getting Arthur out of difficult situations. The two brothers are forced apart when Viking raiders take Arthur and Hallvard’s son prisoner. Arthur is absent for much of the action, which allows Finn’s loyalty and bravery to shine. Despite the risk, Finn doesn’t hesitate to fearlessly fight with the Vikings. While readers won’t relate to Finn’s dilemma, they will cheer when he frees his brother and helps return Blood Hunter to its rightful owner. 

Short sections are interspersed throughout the book, giving more historical information, such as how Viking longships were used, the Vikings’ belief in many gods, the types of Viking weapons, and how raiders and berserkers fought. The detailed information explains the Vikings’ views of crime and punishment. If you stole from someone, “the person you had stolen from had every right to kill you.” The Vikings often trafficked slaves, who they called thralls. “They captured thralls in battles, kidnapped them on raids, or created them by condemning criminals to slavery . . . If you escape and get caught, you’ll be killed instantly.” While historically accurate, the descriptions of battles and death may upset younger readers. 

Even though The Viking’s Revenge is part of a series, the books do not have to be read in order because each book focuses on Arthur and Finn going back to a different time period and each book wraps up the storyline. 

In The Viking’s Revenge, danger in the first chapter and the non-stop action makes the book impossible to put down. Readers will instantly be drawn into the Viking’s world, where they will learn many interesting facts about the time period. Even though the focus is on Finn, he is surrounded by fascinating characters, including a Viking leader and a slave girl. The combination of diverse characters, fierce battles, and nail-biting danger make The Viking’s Revenge perfect for readers who hunger for adventure.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Arthur travels back in time, he appears in the woods. Brand, a Viking boy, decides to capture Arthur and turn him into a slave. Brand shoots arrows at Arthur.   
  • Brand’s friend, Olaf, tries to grab Arthur. Olaf “clenched his fists and pulled his arm back to punch Arthur in the stomach. . . Arthur stepped back, and Olaf staggered forward with the force of the punch. . . Arthur dropped his shoulders and crunched it into Olaf’s chest driving him back.” 
  • Brand shoots another arrow at Arthur, but it hits Olaf instead. “Olaf screamed in pain and stumbled backwards clutching at the arrow that was now lodged in his arm, spilling blood onto the forest floor.”
  • Brand and Arthur begin to circle each other, “and then Arthur felt an explosion of pain in the back of his head. The world tipped over as his head erupted into tiny points of light and his legs gave way from beneath him.” Arthur wakes up locked in a room. 
  • A warrior’s ghost appears and tells his story. The warrior says, “They came in the night. They killed us and they took Blood Hunter. My sword . . .” The warrior needs help returning Blood Hunter to his family. 
  • Finn opens the shed that Arthur is locked in. “Without warning, a fist connected with [Finn’s] chin, and he fell to the ground. Somebody jumped on him and grabbed his throat.” 
  • When the Vikings find Arthur and Finn, some want to kill them, and others want to wait. The boys are tied to a tree. A Viking says, “Well, you have a dangerous night ahead of you boys. You will need Odin’s protection from the bears and wolves tonight. . .” 
  • In the middle of the night, Viking raiders crept closer to the longhouse. “Two of the men at the back of the group fell to the ground with arrows sticking out of their necks. Finn fired his first arrow and a third raider went down.” 
  • The Viking leader Hallvard “smashed the edge of a shield into the raider’s face and lunged forward with his sword, burying it in the man and then kicking him backward. . .” 
  • To save Hallvard, Finn “fired another arrow, and it whistled past Hallvard and into the chest of one of his attackers, who fell to the ground.”  
  • A raider throws an ax at Finn but misses. As the raider advances, “his body slapped face first into the ground once again just as the raider reached him. . . the huge man tripped and fell directly on top of Finn. . . Just as the raider began to lift his weight off Finn he grunted and collapsed back on top of the boy. Finn felt a warm liquid flowing down his neck.” Two of Hallvard’s men die. The battle is described over five pages. 
  • Thorfinna, a teenage girl, tells the story of how she became a slave. A man who wanted power, Moldof, murdered one of her kinsmen. “Moldof stabbed the man in the back—it was no honorable fight—it was murder.” 
  • When Thorfinna’s father sent men to arrest Moldof, “Moldof overpowered them. He bound their hands and feet and tortured them horribly. . . their bodies were unrecognizable.” 
  • Later that night, Moldof and his men attack Thorfinna’s village. “They killed everyone except for those they could sell as slaves. . . I saw the men kill my father and mother. . .” 
  • Hallvard takes a group of Vikings, Thorfinna, and Finn, to attack the raider’s village. While looking for movement in the village, Moldof captures Finn. “a cloth was stuffed into Finn’s mouth to gag him, his hands were tied behind his back, and a rope was looped around his waist.” 
  • Finn is forced to watch the battle in the village. “There were . . . huge warriors slaughtering and being slaughtered. . . Men that Finn did not recognize began to turn and run, pursued by men he did recognize from the ship.”   
  • When Hallvard sees his son in Moldof’s grasp, he cries out. “As he stood staring up at his son, his axe and shield fell from his hands. His legs crumbled and he fell to his knees. He did not see the injured man beside him bring out the knife. He did not feel it as it slid into his back. . .” Hallvard eventually dies from his wound. 
  • Finn sees Maldof “grinning insanely as he put his hands around Brand’s neck and lifted him off his feet to dangle over the drop. Brand kicked frantically. . .” Brand is not injured. 
  • One of Maldof’s men, “Ulf staggered forward and toppled over the edge of the cliff with an axe protruding from his back.” 
  • Thorfinna surprises Moldof when she attacks him. He drops his sword. “Thorfinna drove her sword into Moldof’s chest and let go. With a look of shock, Moldof fell backwards off the cliff and plunged down to the rocks below.” 
  • After Hallvard’s men win the battle, “Moldof’s men had either fled or been killed, while several of Hallvard’s men lay dead also.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • During a meal, ale is served. 

Language  

  • Several times, someone is called a coward. 

Supernatural 

  • Arthur and Finn’s grandfather created a museum about warriors throughout history. The museum is haunted, and when the grandfather died, “he started haunting the place too. He felt guilty about the trapped ghost warriors and vowed he would not rest in peace until all the other ghosts were laid to rest first.” 
  • When one of the ghost warriors touches the boys, “we get transported to the time and place where the ghost lived and died. And we can’t get back until we’ve fixed whatever it is that keeps the ghost from resting in peace.” 
  • The ghost of a Viking warrior appears, and he “will only be laid to rest when his sword is returned to him or his son. Find the sword, and he will find peace.”

Spiritual Content  

  • When Arthur hears a noise in the forest, he prays “that he will see Finn.”  
  • To explain how he knows a raid will happen, Finn tells the Vikings, “Odin is our mater. He shows me things—he showed me your sword, Blood Hunter, and he showed me the raid that is coming.” 
  • Two and a half pages explain the Vikings’ belief in gods and goddesses, but the passage mainly focuses on Odin, the God of magic, poetry, and war, and his son Thor, the god of thunder. 
  • After the raiders attack, Hallvard tells Finn, “Odin gave an eye to gain knowledge and see the truth. Maybe if his boy gives an eye he too will see the truth. Call to Odin. Speak to him. Do whatever it is you have to do, and tell me who these men are!” Luckily, someone else recognizes the raider’s leader. 
  • Hallvard tells someone, “None of us know what the Gods have in store for us.” 
  • When Hallvard goes to save his son, Hallvard’s wife says, “May Thor give you strength in battle. And may Odin guide you to victory.”   
  • The Vikings believed anyone who died in battle would “be taken by the Valkyries to feast in Valhalla.” 
  • After his father is fatally wounded, Hallvard’s son prays, “Odin, hear me! Give me the strength to wield his sword and bring these men victory in his name and yours. Give me the wisdom to lead as he did.”  
  • Some believed that Viking warriors known as berserkers were “Odin’s own warriors and that he gives them this superhuman strength.” 

Fox Has a Problem

Fox has a problem: His kite is stuck in a tree! But every clever plan creates even more problems for him, and for all his friends. Can they work together to fix things before it’s too late? 

Fox doesn’t mean to cause his friends problems, but when he tries to get his kite down, his plan inadvertently causes issues. For example, Fox uses a big fan to try to blow his kite out of the tree. The only problem is the fan blows all of the tree’s leaves into Bear’s den instead of getting his kite down.  Readers will eagerly look forward to turning each page and seeing what Fox does next. In the end, it is only with the help of Fox’s friends that he solves his kite problem.  

Fox’s story uses simple, colorful illustrations that add to its humor. Each page has one simple sentence that includes word repetition. As a My First I Can Read Book, Fox Has a Problem is perfect for new readers because it uses basic language, word repetition, and large illustrations on each page.  

Fox Has a Problem will entertain young readers through its humorous story and fun illustrations. Because it’s so short, it’s the perfect bedtime story. Readers can follow Fox’s adventures by reading Fox at Night, Fox versus Winter, Fox the Tiger, Fox is Late, Fox and the Jumping Contest, and Fox and the Bike Ride.   

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Stay

Piper’s life is turned upside down when her family moves into a shelter in a whole new city. She misses her house, her friends, and her privacy—and she hates being labeled the homeless girl at her new school.  

But while Hope House offers her new challenges, it also brings new friendships, like the girls in Firefly Girls Troop 423 and a sweet street dog named Baby. So when Baby’s person goes missing, Piper knows she has to help. But helping means finding the courage to trust herself and her new friends – no matter what anyone says about them—before Baby gets taken away for good.  

Stay is written in alternating perspectives, with each chapter switching between Piper’s and Baby’s point of view. Piper often reflects on life before her family became homeless. She misses her friends, her Firefly group, and her grandmother, who died. As Piper meets more homeless people, she learns to look past their appearance and circumstances and see their value. However, this causes conflict between others who only see the homeless as problems.  

Piper meets Jewel and her dog, Baby. Jewel suffers from a mental illness and has stopped taking her medication. Her mental illness skews her perspective of everything and makes her dependent on Baby. The little dog and homeless woman have become a “pack of two” and are utterly devoted to each other. When Jewel gets pneumonia and is hospitalized, Baby is sent to an animal shelter. The separation leaves both Jewel and Baby lost and confused.  

When Piper hears about Jewel’s hospitalization, Piper and her friends jump in to learn more about Jewel so they can help her. Through this experience, Piper has to overcome her embarrassment of being homeless. Piper and her friends’ willingness to help motivates others in the community to come together and help Jewel as well. Even though Piper loves Baby and wishes he was her dog, Piper does what is best for Jewel and finds a way to reunite them. Through these experiences, Piper learns the power of friendship and community. 

Piper’s experiences reinforce many positive lessons, including not judging people by their appearance or life circumstances. The book allows people to step into a homeless person’s world and see their struggles with finances, mental illness, and drug abuse. Each person became homeless for different reasons, which puts a spotlight on the person and allows the reader to feel empathy for them. When Piper jumps in to help Jewel, she shows others the power of words and storytelling.  

The chapters told from Baby’s point of view are short and written in free verse, which allows Baby’s emotions to take center stage. Baby often uses his sense of smell and touch to explain his emotions. When separated from Jewel, Baby’s confusion and fear are obvious. However, these chapters slow down the plot, and the descriptions of Baby’s emotions may confuse younger readers.  

Readers who have lost a loved one or have experienced homelessness will instantly connect with Piper and Baby. Throughout the story, Piper is reminded to look at the doughnut rather than the hole; this helps Piper see the good in small things—the sun on your skin, time with your family, and the kindness of others. Even though Stay has a powerful message about hope and the meaning of home, some readers may struggle to complete the book because of its slow pace. If you’re looking for another book on homelessness, consider reading How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor, Almost Home by Joan Bauer, and Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Baby’s owner, Jewel, gets sick, paramedics load her into the ambulance. She gets upset and starts crying for Baby. “Baby hurls himself toward his name. A man kicks the little dog away. Baby yelps in pain and frustration.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Jewel stopped taking her meds. Piper finds a bag with Jewel’s meds: “Lithium. Zyprexa. Klonopin.” These are used to treat mental illness. 
  • A homeless woman “goes to the clinic to get her meds.” 
  • Noah lives with his brother because his “mom’s in jail for possession.” 
  • A homeless woman smokes cigarettes. “The woman tosses her cigarette to the ground and stubs it out with the toe of her boot.” 
  • A homeless person is an ex-drug addict. 

Language  

  • Crud and holey moly are used once. 
  • Dang is used twice.

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Jewel, a homeless woman with a mental illness, refers to people who help as “angels,” and she sees wings on them. When the people give the homeless blankets, gloves, and hats, she says they are “Warm. Like God’s love.” 
  • Jewel wrote in a notebook, “God is everywhere and in everyone.” 
  • Jewel says, “God bless you.” 

Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon

If you’re brave, follow cousins Beth and Patrick to Libya in the 13th century. The town of Silene is being terrorized by a vicious animal that is eating livestock. The townspeople believe it’s a dragon sent by the devil. In order to appease the beast, the people believe they must offer a human sacrifice—a young girl named Sabra. When Beth tries to help Sabra escape, she too is tied up as an offering for the dragon. Meanwhile, Patrick and a new friend named Hazi join Georgius, a Roman knight who is serving in Africa to keep peace. Georgius decides to find the dragon and kill it. Georgius’s plans go awry when Beth and Sabra beg him not to kill the dragon. The girls know the true secret of Silene—the dragon isn’t its worst enemy. 

Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon begins with Beth being afraid to stand up for a friend wrongly accused of cheating on a test. Beth says, “I should have done something to stick up for Rachel. But I didn’t. I was . . . afraid.” This conflict shapes the rest of the book. Unlike Beth, the Roman Knight Georgius does what is right even when it is difficult. Georgius relies on God to help him in dangerous times. When Beth goes back in time, Georgius’ example gives Beth the strength to stand up for her new friend, Sabra, even though it means facing a dragon. Beth’s experiences with the dragon are tied back into her daily life. Beth had “trusted God and tried to defend Sabra. That decision almost cost her life. But God had taken care of her. He even used a dragon to save her!” 

Beth’s and Patrick’s adventures are full of suspense and high-action scenes. The story has a surprising twist because, in the end, the dragon isn’t a bloodthirsty beast but a mother defending her children. Some readers will find the scenes with the dragon frightening, but they will cheer when the dragon is safe. However, readers may be terrified at the idea of adults being willing to sacrifice children to appease the beast. In the end, several people are injured, but no one dies, which allows the book to reinforce the idea of trusting God. 

In Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon, Georgius bravely faces danger because he trusts God. Georgius does what is right because he believes God will protect him. He is even willing to fight a dragon and a saber-tooth cat! Intermixed with the action are lessons about trusting God, even when it is difficult. The conclusion reinforces the message when Beth discusses standing up to bullies. She says, “We don’t have to stand alone. Georgius helped me remember that God is my help when I face trouble.”   

The Imagination Station Series books can be read as individual stories because each book focuses on a new adventure. Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon has many characters and a complicated plot that may confuse younger readers. However, black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout the book to help readers visualize the events.  

Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon is an exciting book that will engage readers and teach biblical principles that can be applied to children’s daily lives. The story focuses on Beth, a likable protagonist and a good friend. Whit, the man who sends the children on their time-traveling adventure, helps Beth connect her experiences in the past with her daily life. This helps reinforce the message and allows Beth to discuss how she will treat the bullies when she returns to school. For more exciting time-traveling adventures that teach biblical truth, check out The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Series by M.J. Thomas. Readers longing for adventure should also read the Dragon Slayers’ Academy Series by Kate McMullan and the Time Jumpers Series by Wendy Mass. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • A young shepherd disappears, and the villagers believe a dragon has killed him. To appease the dragon, “The village people are upset. They are demanding more sacrifices.” The village had been sacrificing sheep, but now they want to sacrifice human children. 
  • The villagers decide to sacrifice Tarek’s daughter, Sabra. “Tarek leaped in front of his daughter. But his efforts failed. Three strong men held him off.” Sabra is captured and Tarek is thrown in a jail cell. 
  • Beth jumps in and tries to help Sabra. “Sabra screamed and kicked at the men. Beth hurled herself toward Sabra. But her foot caught a tone. And she tripped. She tumbled headfirst into the stomach of one of the men. He gasped, and he fell down.” Sabra and Beth are tied together and left for the dragon to eat. 
  • When Beth and Sabra are tied to a post, a saber-toothed cat “roars in [Beth’s] face. The beast opened its mouth wide. Its fangs were as long as her forearm.” A dragon appears and fights the cat. 
  • When the dragon appears, the saber-toothed cat “sprang at the dragon’s neck. The dragon swung its head like a hammer. The blow knocked the saber-tooth cat into the air. It hit the ground with a hard thud. . . The dragon opened its mouth wide and let out a loud cough. Once, twice. . . and then a burst of flames shot forward.” The cat runs away, leaving the dragon with three bold streaks across its snout. 
  • Beth and Sabra break their bonds and hide in the dragon’s cave. Georgius arrives and believes the girls are in mortal danger. “Georgius stood in battle position. His sword and spear were ready. The dragon charged forward. It swiped at Georgius. The soldier knocked away its sharp claws with his spear. . . Georgius raised his sword and faked to one side. Then he jabbed at the dragon’s neck.”  
  • During the fight, Georgius’s blade slices sales off the dragon. “The dragon spun violently. Its mighty tail whipped around. It slammed into Georgius. The soldier was thrown like a rag doll.” The battle is described over five pages and ends when Beth and Sabra intervene on the dragon’s behalf. 
  • Lucius, a soldier, tricks others into believing Georgius left his post without permission. Lucius, along with other soldiers, travels to the village to kill Georgius. “One moment, Prefect Lucius was about to charge at Georgius again. The next moment his saddle was empty . . .” The saber-tooth cat had knocked Lucius off his horse, and “the beast raked its claws across Lucius’s shoulder. It tore his armor free.” 
  • When it becomes clear that Lucius will lose the fight against the saber-tooth cat, Georgius “threw himself forward. He trusts his sword in front of him. He reached down and grabbed Lucius’ sword . . . Georgius thrust the swords at the animal. . . he lost his balance. The saber-tooth slashed its claws across Georgius’s upper arm. . .” Georgius eventually kills the cat. The fight is described over three pages.

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • A soldier calls Beth and Patrick “castoffs, throwaways, dogs.”  
  • A man calls his horses cowards because they ran away from the saber-toothed cat.  
  • A soldier calls his horse a stupid animal.

Supernatural 

  • With Whit’s help, Beth and Patrick use the imagination station to travel back in time. “The red button on the dashboard began to blink. Beth pushed it. The machine began to shake. There was a loud hum. Then everything went black.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Since the book is Christian fiction, not all references to God are listed below.  
  • There is a contrast between two soldiers—one who is a Christian and one who is not. 
  • Georgius, a Christian soldier, says, “Christos [Jesus] showed me mercy. He paid my debt of sin. So I show mercy by paying the debts of others. . . You have the means to pay your debts. These children don’t. Just as we can’t pay our debt to God. Only Christos can—”  
  • Georgius tells Beth and Patrick that he does not fear others because “Christos told us not to fear those who can kill our bodies. Instead, we’re to fear those who can destroy our souls.” 
  • The villagers believe a dragon has been killing people. One man says, “The dragon is from the devil.”  
  • When Beth’s friend Sabra is taken captive, Beth prays, “God, please help me and Sabra.” Later, when Beth and Sabra are tied up as a sacrifice, Beth whispers, “My help comes from the Lord.” 
  • When Georgius finds out that Tarek is in danger, he goes to help without anyone else. Georgius says, “I’m not alone. Christos goes with me.” 
  • When Beth thinks she is about to die, she reminds herself Jesus “promised Christians life after death.” 
  • A soldier Lucius prepares to fight Georgius, but Georgius refuses to draw his sword, saying, “My God will be my protector.” 

The Defiant

Be brave, gladiatrix. . .And be wary. Once you win Caesar’s love, you’ll earn his enemies’ hate. Fallon was warned. Now she is about to pay the price for winning the love of the Roman people as Caesar’s victorious gladiatrix.

In this sequel to The Valiant, Fallon and her warrior sisters find themselves thrust into a vicious conflict with a rival gladiator academy, one that will threaten not only Fallon’s heart—and her love for Roman soldier Cai—but the very heart of the ancient Roman Empire.

When dark treachery and vicious power struggles threaten her hard-won freedom, the only thing that might help the girl known as Victrix save herself and her sisters is a tribe of long-forgotten mythic Amazon warriors. The only trouble is, they might just kill her themselves first. 

Fallon’s story continues in The Defiant, but the setting is given more scope as Fallon and her companions rush to save Fallon’s sister, Sorcha, from being sacrificed by the Amazon warriors. When the gladiatrices are given a chance to choose their fate, many follow Fallon because of her bravery and fierce dedication to returning to Rome to save the gladiatrices who were taken prisoner. During the journey, Fallon must grapple with the fact that she cannot save everyone—some will be taken prisoner, some will change sides, and some will lose their lives.  

The Defiant does an excellent job of recapping the main events from the first book in the series; however, the series is best read in order. The Defiant features many of the same characters as The Valiant and introduces several new characters. Even though Fallon is surrounded by her sister gladiatrices and several Roman soldiers, she is the leader who makes decisions for everyone. Fallon’s inability to trust others leads to a lack of teamwork, which takes away some of the enjoyment of each battle won. In addition, focusing solely on Fallon keeps the other characters stagnant. Readers who love character-driven stories may be disappointed with the lack of character development.  

Like the first book in the series, The Defiant includes adventure, action, and several surprises. However, some of the story drags because Fallon and her companions travel a long distance. Despite this, Fallon’s adventure is both entertaining and exciting. Readers who get squeamish during bloody battles should avoid reading The Valiant Series because each battle ends in bloodshed, and Fallon’s enemies include a group of men who eat people’s hearts. The Defiant is best suited for mature readers who enjoy political intrigue, bloody battles, and the fight against evil.  

Sexual Content  

  • Fallon and Cai kiss occasionally. However, only some of them are described. For instance, Cai returns to Rome after being in a battle. When Fallon sees him, “It took every last infinitesimal amount of self-control I could muster not to throw myself into Cai’s arms and devour him with kisses, right there in front of the whole academy. . .” 
  • Later, when they are alone, Fallon “lunged at him, reaching up to pull his head down toward me, and silencing him with the kiss I’d been waiting on for months. . . his mouth opened hungrily on mine. His arms wrapped around me and he lifted me off the ground.” 
  • In the evening, Fallon and Cai go to the garden. “Cai lowered his face to mine and kissed me on the mouth. I felt myself melting into his embrace as my arms circled around his neck. . .[they] sank slowly to the soft grass. . .”  
  • Later that night, they show each other their battle scars and kiss them. Cai kisses her again. “A long, slow, teasing kiss that made my lips tingle and turned my skin to fireflies and feathers.” At this time, Fallon wished she was still a princess who should “be sleeping where—and with whom—she damned well pleased.” 
  • While in a Roman bath, Cai and Fallon kiss. Fallon “lost myself to the sensation of his skin sliding against mine as he stopped swimming and, together, we sank beneath the surface of the water, breathing only each other’s air.” 
  • Before a battle, one of the gladiatrices “leaned in and kissed [a Roman soldier], full on his open, astonished mouth.” 

Violence  

  • One night, the Amazona, a rival gladiatrix academy, attacks Fallon’s academy, the Ludus Achillea. First, they kill the guards and set the barn on fire. As the Ludus Achillea women are being rounded up, a Roman soldier “lunged for one of the guard’s weapons. . . an archer up on the sentry walk spun and aimed, loosing an arrow. . . [the arrow] lodged in the breast of legionnaire Tullis . . . he sank to his knees and toppled forward motionless onto the ground.”  
  • During the attack, the Amazona leader, Nyx, uses her whip to attack one of the Ludus Achillea girls, Lydian. “The crack of leather echoed across the yard. Lydia screamed and dropped to the ground a Nyx’s whip caught her on the side of her face, and blood poured onto the sand from between her fingers. . . the whip cracked again as it sliced across Lydian’s shoulder. . . drawing an arch of bright blood. She shrieked again in agony. . .” Later, Lydia is in the infirmary, and “the skin on the right side of her face, where the lash of Nyx’s whip had scored, was split to the bone.” 
  • To stop the abuse, Fallon attacks Nyx. Nyx “brandished the heavy butt end of the whip like a club and caught me on the side of the head with it. Stars burst in front of my eyes. . . Nyx slammed the whip across my back like a truncheon. Then again. And again. . . A kick from her hobnailed boot lifted me off the ground.” Nyx stabs Fallon and then puts her in a dark cell. 
  • To escape Nyx, Fallon has to kill Ixion (an Amazon warrior) from behind. “Ixion’s heavy dead body sagged away from me. . .Never mind that my hands were shaking as I wiped clean my blade on the dead man’s tunic.” 
  • When Fallon and her companions are escaping from Nyx, a guard is killed. “The blade sliced through the rain, spinning end over end, and the man toppled soundlessly over the Ludus wall.”  
  • One of Fallon’s friends tells her a story. “When I was a girl, I came across what was left of one of those captives. . . He’d been blood-eagled. Split open and strung up between the branches of a tree as an offering to our god and a warning to our enemies.” 
  • Fallon and her companions flee from Rome. While sneaking onto a ship, guards called vigiles see Fallon and her fellow gladiatrix, Meriel. The girls attack the guards. “And two of them went down like sacks of grain the instant they attacked. I didn’t have time to think about how it felt to have to wrench my sword out of human flesh again, twisting as I did to avoid slipping in the hot, red rush of blood. . .”  
  • A guard attacks, and Fallon “raised an axe over his head, screaming as he swung the weapon back for a killing blow. He screamed louder when he realized that he no longer had an axe—or an arm—to swing.” Fallon escapes, but Meriel doesn’t. It is unclear what Meriel’s fate is. 
  • One of Fallon’s friends questions the goddess Morrigan’s kindness. He says, “Your fearsome war goddess. She who—as I’ve been led to understand—bathes in the blood of her enemies and feasts on their eyes after the battle’s done. She would not be so cruel?” 
  • To free Fallon’s sister, Sorcha, some of the gladiatrices from the Ludus Achillea go to the island the Amazons inhabit. When they get there, Thalestris—who had kidnapped Sorcha—was to sacrifice Socha. Thalestris tied Sorcha to a menhir and called out to her god. “Cybele! Black stone mother! Guardian of the boundaries between the living and the dead! Accept this blood sacrifice that we may wash the shame of our sister Orithyia’s disgrace and defeat from our skins and our souls.” 
  • Fallon and her group attack the Amazons. “The flaming iron cage balls soared out of the darkness like stones hurled from catapults, slamming into the protective shell made from our wall of shields, and the darkness exploded knot showers of sparks. . . Our blades darted out like serpents’ tongues, sometimes tagging flesh.”  
  • An older Amazon woman “swung an oak staff at [Fallon’s] head. . .and I caught the blow at an angle.” Fallon head-butted the woman in the face. “I felt her nose break. Blood gushed and she reeled backward, pain-blind . . .” The fight ends when Fallon repeatedly yells stop. Fallon gives the Amazons a speech, and both sides put down their weapons.  
  • As the Ludus Achillea leaves the island, Thalestris throws a fishing spear, killing a man. “His body stiffened and jerked, chest thrust forward, and the glistening red tip of a spear blade appeared as if by some evil magic, sticking out of the center of his tunic. . . When he opened his mouth to say something, all that came out was a gout of bright blood.” 
  • While at Cai’s father’s home, the guards try to attack Fallon and her friends. When the guard tries to punch Fallon, she “blocked the blow with my sword. He didn’t have time to scream in pain before I circled my blade through the air and lunged forward, burying the point in his chest.” 
  • When all the guards are dead, “the blood pooled beneath our feet, seeping from the mortal wounds of the seven dead vigils.” 
  • Cai’s father, Varro, attacks Fallon, who “took the length of a pitchfork shaft in the stomach. I dropped to the ground, wheezing, and my sword fell from my hands. . . Varro turned and threw me through the air. . . It felt as though my head had been torn half off.” 
  • To protect Fallon, “without the slightest hesitation, Cai thrust the blade between his father’s ribs. Right to the hilt.” As Varro took his last breaths, Cai said, “I renounce you, and your name, and your blood. I will not perform the rites for you, old man. I will not put coins for the Ferryman on your eyes. You go to Hades with no issue, no legacy, and no hope to ever walk the fields of Elysium beside my mother’s shade.” 
  • The Amazon and the Achillea gladiatrices battle. Sorcha fights Nyx. As Thalestris goes to kill Fallon, Sorcha “brought her blade up and around. . . and thrust into the space beneath Thalestris’s arm as she tore my sword out of my grasp. . . Thalestris was dead before she hit the ground.” 
  • Nyx joins the fight, wielding a fire chain. Nyx “swung the thing back and attacked again. And again. . . In her enthusiasm to spill my brains, it seemed she’d forgotten that I had a second sword. And she’d left herself wide open. . . I buried it between her ribs.” 
  • From the stands, someone shot an arrow at Fallon. “It dented on impact, and I felt like I’d been hit by a catapult stone, but I was alive.” 
  • Another arrow was let loose, but “Aeddan leaped in front . . .taking the second arrow that was meant for [Fallon] square in the chest. . . He spun around in a grotesque dance. . . toppled off the wall and hit the ground below.” The Achillea gladiatrices win the battle, but there are many deaths.

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Often, Fallon and other adults drink wine. For example, after a practice battle, a drunk man asks Fallon for a kiss. She “snatched the cup from his hands and drank the wine in one gulp.” She left without kissing him. 
  • At night, Fallon and the other gladiatrices sit around the fire with “mugs of beer.” Some of the girls get drunk. 
  • When injured, Fallon is given a “potion” to stop the pain. Another gladiatrix is given “poppy draughts” when injured in a battle. 
  • Fallon’s sister is rescued and given a sleeping draught. 
  • To give Fallon and Cai time alone, Cai’s friend gets the guards drunk. 
  • Fallon thinks a “potent soporific” made her have bad dreams. 
  • One of the Sons of Dis put hemlock, a sedative, in Fallon’s wine. However, Fallon says, “The senator’s physician sent a cup of wine to my room every night to help me sleep. But I had such terrible dreams the first night; I just kept pouring the stuff out the window.”

Language  

  • Profanity is used occasionally. Profanity includes arse, ass, bloody, damn, and hell. 
  • There is some name-calling, including bitch, bastard and whore. 
  • “Lugh’s teeth” is used as an exclamation several times. 
  • “Morrigan’s bloody teeth” and “sweet Juno” are used as exclamations once. 

Supernatural 

  • When Fallon is delirious with fever, she’s forced to flee the Ludus Achillea; she prays to her goddess. Afterward, she sees a vision of a warrior she knows. She follows the warrior, who leads her to safety. Fallon believes, “The Morrigan had sent his shade back from the Lands of the Blessed Dead to lead my friends and me.”

Spiritual Content  

  • The conflict revolves around “the Sons of Dis, a depraved and cultish secret society dedicated to the sacrificial worship of a god of the Underworld.” Fallon saw a group of men “in feathered masks crowding around [a gladiator’s] split-open carcass, greedily devouring the heart that had beat so strongly within his chest only a handful of moments earlier.”  
  • Dis is “the dark incarnation of the Roman god Saturn—ruler of the Underworld, a pitiless deity who could grant his worshippers strength and power but would only be placated with blood.”
  • The Egyptians believed that “when we die, Anubis, the god of the dead, carves out our heart and weighs it against Ma’at, the feather of truth.” 
  • Fallon often refers to her goddess. Her father promised her hand in marriage to a man Fallon didn’t love. After a time, Fallon wonders, “if my father’s decision hadn’t been a part of the goddess Morrigan’s plan for me all along.” 
  • Before the gladiatrices are attacked, Fallon dreams of Morrigan appearing. “Her cloak was made of dagger blades. . .” Morrigan whispers the word “vengeance,” and Fallon wakes to find the stables on fire. Later, Morrigan tells Fallon to “Run! Live! Return to fight another day!” 
  • When Fallon is seriously injured, she wonders, “Had the Morrigan forsaken me because I’d pledged my warrior’s gifts in service to Caesar?” 
  • When Fallon’s enemy has captured her, he says, “Don’t you see, Fallon. Your goddess has laid out your fate’s path to lead right to the doorstep of my god. Dis and Morrigan are kindred.” 
  • When Fallon is in danger, she prays to Morrigan. Later, she believes “the Morrigan had heard my prayers and given me this chance.” When Fallon is finally safe, she offers “a silent prayer of gratitude to the Morrigan.”  
  • When Fallon’s sister, Sorcha, is kidnapped, a friend “made sacrifices to the goddess for her safe journey.” 
  • Sorcha was kidnapped so she could be sacrificed “to the goddess of the Amazons under the light of the Huntress Moon. How spilling of her blood would make their tribe mighty again.”  
  • Fallon’s tribe believes that after a person dies, they go to the Blessed Isles of the afterlife. 
  • When a man in Fallon’s group dies, she “whispered a prayer for the Morrigan to guide his soul’s flight.” 
  • Cleopatra tells Fallon that she can’t join the fight because “I am the daughter of the gods and, as such, should probably leave such robust bloodshed to you who are trained in those arts.”  
  • For protection, Cleopatra gives Fallon a pendant with Sekhmet on it. “One of the goddesses, and much like—if I understand what your sister has told me—your goddess, the Morrigan.” 

The Serpent’s Shadow

Following the events of Book Two of The Kane Chronicles: The Throne of Fire, Carter and Sadie prepare to face the Serpent of Chaos, Apophis. “It had been six months since the Chaos snake Apophis had escaped from his Underworld prison, but he still hadn’t launched a large-scale invasion of the mortal world as we’d expected.” Apophis has attacked several Nomes—organized groups of magicians—but Apophis seems to be waiting for the perfect time to launch a destructive attack on the entire mortal world. As Apophis’ attacks on groups of magicians continue, Carter and Sadie are determined to find a way to defeat Apophis, before he can reach his goal of overrunning the mortal world with chaos.  

In this book, Carter and Sadie reflect on and experience a lot of loss, which some readers may be able to empathize with. Carter explains, “I’d already lost so many people. My mom had died when I was seven. My dad sacrificed himself to become the host of Osiris [Egyptian god of the dead] last year. Over the summer, many of our allies had fallen to Apophis.” Having lost so many people that they love, Carter and Sadie have grown closer, and they recognize how important it is that they support each other. As Carter explains, “I needed [Sadie].”  

An important theme in The Serpent’s Shadow is Sadie’s evolving relationships with Anubis, the Egyptian god of funerals, and Walt, her friend and fellow magician. Middle-grade readers will likely sympathize with Sadie as she struggles to understand her emotions. Sadie explains that she does not really know what she wants and feels conflicted. “My heart had been torn between [Walt] and Anubis for months now, and it just wasn’t fair of Anubis to pop into my dreams, looking all hot and immortal, when poor Walt was risking his life to protect me.”  

Things take a dramatic turn for Sadie when Walt, who has been dying of an incurable curse, is able to live—but only by becoming the mortal host of Anubis. At first, Sadie is mortified and does not know how to handle both Anubis and Walt being in one body, but she is ultimately able to accept this. Sadie “saw [Walt] smiling down at me. Anubis, too. I could see them both, and I realized I didn’t have to pick.” Sadie ultimately decides to pursue a relationship with Walt even after he becomes Anubis’ host, saying, “This was a new boy in front of me, and he was everything I liked.”  

Ultimately, to defeat the Serpent of Chaos, Apophis, the gods and goddesses must work together with the mortal magicians. While the gods and goddesses keep the serpent at bay, Carter and Sadie are able to perform a spell and defeat Apophis by destroying his shadow, or his sheut. Carter and Sadie visit their parents in the underworld, where their mom emphasizes the importance of magicians working in tandem with the gods to create harmony. Carter and Sadie’s mom says, “Keep teaching the path of the gods. Bring the House of Life [the organization of the magicians] back to its former glory. [Sadie] and Carter will make Egyptian magic stronger than ever. And that’s good . . . because your challenges are not over.”  

Readers who enjoy mythology, action, and magic will love this series, which is an absolute must-read because of its message of working together to make the world a better place, or in Carter and Sadie’s case, to defeat the Serpent of Chaos.  

Sexual Content  

  • While running from an angry goddess, Walt, Sadie’s friend and fellow magician, kisses Sadie. “He nodded, then gave me a hasty kiss. ‘Good luck.’”  
  • After successfully performing a spell to avoid being captured, Sadie kisses Walt. “I kissed him properly—or as properly as possible given our situation.”  
  • Carter and Zia, Carter’s friend from the first two books and fellow magician, kiss. “She leaned over and kissed me. I’d imagined this many times, but I was so unprepared, I didn’t act very cool about it. . . I said something like ‘Hum-uh-huh.’” 
  • Carter and Zia kiss while on a date in the mall’s food court. “She leaned over and kissed me.”  
  • After Walt explains to Sadie how he agreed to become Anubis’ mortal host so that he could stay alive in spite of his curse, Walt and Sadie kiss. “[Walt] leaned down and kissed me.”  

Violence  

  • Carter and Sadie fight alongside a group of magicians from another Nome, or magician group, from Texas. However, in the course of the battle, the demons sent by Apophis kill all the magicians that came to help Carter and Sadie. Sadie says, “The Texas magicians had welcomed us and supported us . . . ’They’re dead,’ [Sadie] said. ‘All of them.’” The killings aren’t described, but Carter and Sadie find remnants of some belt buckles worn by the magicians that passed away.  
  • A rebel magician leader, Sarah Jacobi, has gathered a group of supporters who believe that Carter, Sadie, and their relatives are dangerous and that Carter and Sadie, not Apophis, have caused the many deaths of other magicians. Jacobi threatens Carter and Sadie, “The Kanes are a plague . . . you must be destroyed. Surrender yourself and your family for execution.” Carter and Sadie do not surrender to Jacobi, knowing that she is wrong, and that Apophis is the threat to magicians and to the mortal world at large.  
  • A river monster attacks Carter and his friend, Zia, and Carter changes into a falcon so that he can get a better view of the monster during the fight. Carter says, “I dove at the monster’s eye, raking it with my claws . . . but I could tell that I hadn’t done any real damage.” Carter and Zia are saved by a giant who appears in the river and defeats the monster.  
  • When Carter and Sadie cast a spell to destroy Apophis’ shadow and defeat him, the Chaos serpent explodes. “His head exploded. Yes, it was just as gross as it sounds. Flaming bits of reptile flew everywhere.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Characters occasionally say stupid and shut up.  

Supernatural 

  • Carter and Sadie discuss the various parts of the soul. Carter and Sadie’s friend and the goddess of cats, Bast, explains the shadow part of the soul. “You can never be free of your shadow—your sheut. All living beings have them…The sheut is not just a physical shadow. It’s a magical projection—the silhouette of the soul.”  
  • Carter is able to channel the power of Horus, a god, since they worked together in the past two books. Because of this, Carter is able to use Horus’ power to change into a falcon if he needs to. “I changed into a falcon . . . it was fairly easy magic for me, since the falcon was Horus’ sacred animal.”  
  • While the gods fight off Apophis, Sadie and Carter are able to combat Apophis with a spell. Sadie explains how she uses the magic. “I faced down my own chaos. I accepted my jumbled emotions about whether I belonged in London or New York, whether I was a magician or a schoolgirl. I was Sadie Kane, and if I survived today, I could bloody well balance it all . . . I stilled my restlessness and let go of my doubts. ‘Ma’at [order]’ I said.”

Spiritual Content  

  • Like in the other Kane Chronicles books, Carter and Sadie encounter the gods and goddesses of Egyptian mythology throughout this book and often fight Apophis, the Serpent of Chaos, alongside the gods. The Egyptian gods in this series are not really worshipped in a traditional sense, but rather are given human characteristics—anger, revenge, love, and jealousy.  
  • Sadie explains of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, “the gods are not human. They have trouble thinking of us [humans] as more than useful tools or cute pets. To gods, a human life span doesn’t seem much longer than that of the average gerbil.”  
  • Characters rarely exclaim “gods of Egypt” when frustrated or surprised.  

Holes

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.

It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption. 

Stanley is an interesting character who has been bullied his entire life but has never fought back. When he’s sent to Camp Green Lake, his life takes a turn for the worse. There is trouble between Stanley and his cabinmates when, unbeknownst to them, Stanley agrees to teach Zero to read in exchange for Zero’s help digging Stanley’s hole. Even though Stanley doesn’t feel like the trade is fair, like everything else in his life, he goes along with it because it was Zero’s idea. Similarly, when Stanley’s cabinmates begin to beat him up, Stanley takes the punches without fighting back. Readers will empathize with Stanley’s insecurities and inability to voice his opinions even though they may not relate to his struggles.  

Stanley’s tale follows two storylines—his current struggles at Camp Green Lake and those of his ancestors, beginning with his “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.” Stanley’s unlucky ancestors face discrimination and hardships, but it’s up to the reader to decide if their downfall was due to fate or their decisions. While his ancestor’s hardships don’t coincide with Stanley’s struggles, the conclusion explains how each storyline connects. The ancestors’ storyline is interesting, but some readers may find the back-and-forth between plots confusing. 

Holes uses an interesting premise to create a story with unique characters who show how a person’s ancestors’ decisions can impact generations. At first, Stanley feels he’s destined to have bad luck, but when his friend Zero disappears into the desert, Stanley finally steps out of his comfort zone to help his friend. The story’s conclusion gives both Stanley and Zero a happy ending, but readers are left to question whether Stanley has changed and is willing to stand up to others and let his voice be heard.  

Most of the story’s action comes from the characters’ interactions and from Stanley’s difficulties digging holes. Some readers may struggle with the story’s slow pace and the constantly shifting perspectives. However, Holes is worth reading because it explores real-world issues such as justice, friendship, cruelty’s destructive nature, and history’s importance in everyday life. Readers who enjoy Holes should also read the Alabama Moon Series by Watt Key and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. 

Sexual Content  

  • In the past, someone saw Kate Barlow kissing a black man. 

Violence  

  • Stanley calls a boy by his given name instead of his nickname. The boy “threw Stanley to the ground. Stanley stared up at him, terrified.”  
  • Armpit, one of Camp Green Lake’s inmates, questions the Warden. “The Warden jabbed at Armpit with the pitchfork, knocking him backward into the big hole. The pitchfork left three holes in the front of his shirt and three tiny spots of blood.” 
  • Zigzag and Stanley were digging in a hole when “Zigzag’s shovel caught him in the side of the head. He collapsed. . . Stanley brought his fingers up the side of his neck. He felt his wet blood and a pretty big gash right below his ear. . . Mr. Sir made a bandage out of a piece of his sack of sunflower seeds and taped it over Stanley’s ear.” Stanley has “throbbing pain,” and the wound is “considerably swollen.” 
  • The Warden mixes rattlesnake venom with her nail polish. When Mr. Sir annoys the Warden, she scratches his face. “He had three long red marks slanting across the left side of his face. Stanley didn’t know if the redness was caused by her nail polish or his blood. . . Mr. Sir screamed and clutched his face with both hands. He let himself fall over . . . Then his head jerked violently, and he let out a shrill scream, worse than the one before.” Mr. Sir’s face swells “to the size of a cantaloupe” and has “three dark-purple jagged lines running down his cheek.” 
  • When a boy asks Mr. Sir about his wound, “there was a crash [and] Mr. Sir holding the boy’s head against the oatmeal pot. . . Mr. Sir had the boy by his throat.” Mr. Sir choked the boy and then let him go. 
  • Some of the inmates get angry at Stanley. Zigzag began pushing Stanley “hard,” but Stanley wouldn’t hit back. “Stanley made a feeble attempt to punch Zigzag; then he felt a flurry of fists against his head and neck. Zigzag had hold of his collar with one hand and was hitting him with the other.” The supervising adult, Mr. Pendanski, encourages Stanley to fight back. 
  • When Stanley still refused to fight back, Zigzag jumped on Stanley. “The side of Stanley’s face was pressed flat against the dirt. . . Zigzag’s fist slammed off his arms and pounded his face into the ground.” The supervising adult does nothing to stop the fight. 
  • Zero helps Stanley. “Zero had his arm around Zigzag’s long neck. Zigzag made a gagging sound, as he desperately tried to pry Zero’s arm off him. . . Armpit charged into them, freezing Zigzag from Zero’s choke hold.” Finally, the supervising adult shoots a pistol in the air, stopping the fight. 
  • After the supervising adult, Mr. Pendanski, berates Zero, “Zero took the shovel. Then swung it like a baseball bat. The metal blade smashed across Mr. Pendanski’s face. His knees crumpled beneath him. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.” Mr. Pendanski “had two black eyes and a bandage over his nose.” 
  • Zero walks off into the desert. “The counselors all drew their guns.” The Warden tells the counselors to let Zero leave because he’ll either come back to camp or die in the desert. 
  • Stanley’s great-grandfather was robbed by “Kissin’’ Kate Barlow. “Kate Barlow didn’t actually kiss Stanley’s great-grandfather. . . She only kissed the men she killed. Instead, she robbed him and left him stranded in the middle of the desert.” 
  • Kate Barlow was a school teacher who fell in love with Sam, a Black man. When someone sees them kissing, they destroy the school. Kate goes to the sheriff (who is drunk) for help, but he will only help Kate if she kisses him. “She slapped him across the face. . . She tried to slap him again, but he caught her by the hand.” 
  • The sheriff planned to hang the man Kate loved because “it’s against the law for a Negro to kiss a white woman.” 
  • Kate Barlow and her love try to escape on a boat, but a man named Trout Walker finds them. “The Walker boat smashed into Sam’s boat. Sam was shot and killed.”  
  • Kate Barlow survived. “Three days after Sam’s death, Miss Katherine shot the sheriff while he was sitting in his chair drinking a cup of coffee. Then she carefully applied a fresh coat of red lipstick and gave him the kiss he asked for.” Kate turned into an outlaw. 
  • During Kate Barlow’s bandit days, she went to a cabin to rest. “She was awakened one morning by someone kicking open the cabin door. She opened her eyes to see the blurry end of a rifle, two inches from her nose.” Trout Walker and his wife, Linda, wanted Kate’s loot. When Kate refused to give it to them, they forced her to walk on the hot sand “until her feet were black and blistered. Whenever she stopped, Linda whacked her with the shovel.”  
  • A lizard with “sharp black teeth bit into her leg. Its white tongue lapped up the droplets of blood that leaked out of the wound.” The bite killed Kate. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • A camp counselor is trying to stop smoking. In a stressful moment, he “lit a cigarette.” 

Language  

  • Hell is used once. 
  • “Oh my God” is used twice. 

Supernatural 

  • According to family legend, Stanley’s family is cursed. Stanley’s great-great-grandfather “had stolen a pig from a one-legged Gypsy, and she put a curse on him and all of his descendants. Stanley’s parents didn’t believe in curses, of course, but whenever anything went wrong, it felt good to be able to blame someone.” 
  • According to legend, after Kate’s love was killed, the town was cursed. “That all happened one hundred and ten years ago. Since then, not one drop of rain has fallen on Green Lake.” The narrator asks the reader, “You make the decision: Whom did God punish?” 

Spiritual Content  

  • When Kate Barlow kisses Sam, a Black man, a woman tells her, “God will punish you!” In addition, someone calls her “the Devil Woman.” 
  • When the sheriff refuses to help Kate Barlow, she says, “We’re all equal under the eyes of God.” 
  • In Kate Barlow’s time, Mrs. Tennyson’s daughter becomes sick. Mrs. Tennyson gave her daughter Sam’s onion tonic, which healed her. When Mrs. Tennyson thanks Sam, he says, “I’m sure the good Lord and Doc Hawthorn deserve most of the credit.” 
  • Stanley disturbs a yellow spotted lizard nest. When he safely exits the hole, the warden says, “Thank God.” 

Jane Goodall: Groundbreaking Primatologist

In Jane Goodall: Groundbreaking Primatologist, early fluent readers will learn about the life, accomplishments, and contributions of primatologist Jane Goodall. “Take a Look”! infographics explain STEM concepts, sidebars present interesting, supplementary information, and an activity offers readers an opportunity to extend learning. Children can learn more about Jane Goodall using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites. Jane Goodall also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, a glossary, and an index. Jane Goodall is part of Jump!’s Women in STEM Series. 

Young readers will learn about Jane Goodall in three easy-to-read chapters written in oversized text with brightly colored backgrounds. Each page has one to seven simple sentences that use basic vocabulary. Scientific words such as primatologist and groundbreaking appear in bold font, and their definitions appear in the book’s glossary. In addition, one page explains how readers can study animal behavior by watching a video. In addition, each page has a large illustration of Goodall and/or the chimpanzees she loves.  

Any reader interested in animals will enjoy reading Jane Goodall: Groundbreaking Primatologist. The book shows how Jane Goodall overcame hardships to become a primatologist, how she’s impacted the scientific world, and how she continues to advocate for animals. The words and pictures blend to make an entertaining and educational book that young readers will love. To learn more about Jane Goodall and women scientists, read She Persisted in Science by Chelsea Clinton. To instill a love of science in a child, add Cece Loves Science by Kimberly Derting & Shelli R. Johannes , and Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished by Camille Andros to your little one’s reading list. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

What If You Had Animal Eyes!?

What if you woke up one morning to find that you had a completely different pair of eyes? What if you now had chameleon eyes and were able to look in two directions at once? What if you had the glowing eyes of a colossal squid and were able to shine light in a dark room?  These are some of the many examples explored in What If You Had Animal Eyes!? 

In this entry of the series, author Sandra Markle asks the reader to imagine their life with several different pairs of animal eyes, from an eagle’s to a dragonfly’s. Each page of the book describes the eyes of a different animal, listing their unique abilities and showing how these abilities could be used in your life. For example, eagle eyes can see up to eight times better than the human eye, with a field of vision that stretches as far as two miles. While eagles use these abilities to catch prey, the reader could use them to have the best view of the football game despite sitting in the very back of the stadium! Each description is concise and never overwhelms the reader with excessive information; each page has one to seven sentences per page.  

The book is brought to life by illustrator Howard McWilliam, who visualizes each scenario with funny, exaggerated drawings of children making the most of their new animal eyes. While one child uses her leopard eyes to see in the dark, another uses his yellow mongoose eyes to help him win a game of laser tag. These illustrations match Markle’s clear, engaging writing to create a book that manages to educate readers through its content while also encouraging their imagination with the question of how these eyes would play into their daily lives.  

The story’s illustrations are an excellent companion to the book’s educational content, creating a unique nonfiction book that will educate and engage the reader’s imagination. What If You Had Animal Eyes!? is an excellent book for those looking for a book that educates young readers while still providing a charming and pleasant read.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • None 
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