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The White Giraffe

The night Martine Allen turns eleven years old is the night her life changes completely. Martine’s parents are killed in a fire, so she must leave her home to live on an African wildlife reserve with a grandmother she never even knew she had. When Martine arrives, she hears tales of a mythical animal living there – a white giraffe. They say no one has ever seen the animal, but it does leave behind footprints. Her grandmother insists that the white giraffe is just a legend, but then, one stormy night, Martine looks out her bedroom window straight into the eyes of the tall, silvery animal. Could it be just Martine’s imagination, or is the white giraffe real? And if so, why is everyone keeping its existence a secret?

The White Giraffe is the perfect book for anyone who has ever dreamed of going on an African safari. After tragedy befalls Martine, she gets sent to Africa where she is overcome with a sense of wonder at the beauty of Africa’s wildlife. However, she is also frustrated because she knows the adults in her life are keeping secrets from her. St. John brings Martine’s story to life with a mix of joyous encounters with wildlife and the confusion of being surrounded by secretive adults. The blend of suspense, suspicion, and surprises will keep readers flipping the pages until the very end. 

Even though Martine isn’t necessarily a relatable character, she is interesting and likable. Like many, Martine struggles with loneliness and the desire to have friends; unfortunately, the kids in Martine’s class are bullies who harass classmates who are different. Plus, Martine’s struggle to understand her own power is made even more difficult because of her classmates’ taunting, and her grandmother’s strange silence. Despite these difficulties, Martine is willing to put her life in danger to care for injured animals. This, along with the strange prophecy about a white giraffe, highlights Martine’s love of animals. 

While the story’s pacing is fast with both action and adventure, The White Giraffe clearly shows the greedy nature of humans who poach and capture animals for material gain. In addition, the story gives a brief look at racism when Tendai, who works at the animal reserve, shares his personal experiences of police brutality. Because of this experience, Tendai realizes that “only a man can crush you inside, in your heart, for no reason other than the color of your skin.” Despite this, Tendai has forgiven his abusers because “sometimes the thing that hurts your enemies most is to see that you are not like them.”

The White Giraffe takes the reader into the African bush and leaves them with a sense of wonder. Readers will gain a new appreciation of the people who strive to save wildlife. The story also has important life lessons, including showing that no one is perfect. When Martine makes a mistake, she is not chastised, instead her friend says, “We all make mistakes, chile. That’s human. But not everybody had the courage to admit what they done and go out into the world to try to mend things.” Readers who love animals and would like more exciting stories about helping animals should add the Vet Volunteers Series by Laurie Halse Anderson and the Zoe’s Rescue Zoo Series by Amelia Cobb to their reading list.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Martine learns that her grandfather, Henry, died but “the events surrounding it were still shrouded in mystery. The police theory was that Henry had stumbled upon a gang of poachers trying to steal a couple of giraffes or maybe kill them for trophies. . . There had been a struggle. When it was over, Henry had been fatally wounded.”
  • On a field trip, Martine’s classmates chase her, intending to cause her harm. However, she is able to hide and stay safe.
  • Tendai tells of a time when he was beaten because of his skin color. Tendai’s “back and broad chest were crisscrossed with fifty or sixty thick, raised scars. It was as if someone or something had tried to cut him into a million pieces.” 
  • After Martine sees Tendai’s scars, he tells her about a police officer who “tore my shirt. . . I’m sorry to say I punched him as hard as I could. After that, Tendai remembered very little. When he regained consciousness, he was in a prison hospital covered in welts.”
  • Martine and Tendai are watching a kudu when “a bullet ripped into the tree trunk above Tendai’s head, simultaneously spraying him with splinters and terrifying Martine. . . a second bullet hit the kudu in the throat. Blood spurted from his neck in a fountain and he dropped to the ground and lay still.” 
  • Martine’s classmates torment her by writing witch “all over her books, and on another occasion she opened her pencil case to find a hairy baboon spider—an African tarantula—lurking inside.”
  • One day, the kids at school surround Ben and start saying that “he’s a waste of space,” a “runt” and a “mongrel.” One boy says, “You’re like one of those sad-looking dogs you find down at the shelter.”
  • Someone captures the white giraffe, Jemmy. When Martine finds him on a cargo ship, “Jemmy was lying on the floor, his legs at odd angles. His white and silver coat was covered in cuts and matted blood.” 
  • When Martine and Jemmy get to the deck of the cargo ship, the poacher, Alex, yells “Raise the gangplank!” Jemmy “swept across the deck, striking Alex a glancing blow with his hoof as he went. Alex dropped like a stone.” Martine and Jemmy escape.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • A woman teaches Martine how to use healing herbs. 
  • When Martine finds the giraffe on a cargo ship, she also sees two leopard cubs that “were clearly drugged.” Martine leaves them behind. 

Language 

  • Because Ben won’t talk to the other kids at school, they say he is “deaf, stupid or a nutcase.” One of the girls calls Ben “Bonkers Ben.”
  • Martine’s grandmother calls a woman a “crazy old magic woman.”

Supernatural

  • An African legend believes that “the child who can ride a white giraffe will have power over all the animals.” Martine learns that she is the child in the legend.
  • When Martine touches an injured, dying goose, her hands “heated up to the point that they were practically glowing. After a few seconds, the Egyptian goose jerked and its eyelids flickered. She loosened her palm. It shook out its wings and flew into the darkening sky.” Afterwards, Martine’s classmates think she’s a witch that used voodoo or black magic to heal the goose.
  • When a kudu is shot, Martine helps it. “Martine places her hot hands over the kudu’s dying heart and began pressing down every few seconds. Under her touch, the beat grew stronger and the kudu’s skin became warm.” A few minutes later, the kudu “gets on his feet . . . and bounded weakly away.” 
  • A woman named Grace uses bones to tell the future. Martine’s grandmother explains, “Africans with second sight throw bones the way Western fortune tellers use crystal balls and tarot cards.” The woman told Martine’s grandmother that “the bones had told her that a tragedy would bring [Martine] back to Sawubona. . . She said that if you came of your own accord, the gods might be appeased and the tragedy would be averted.” After the woman’s prediction, Martine’s parents were killed in a fire.
  • Grace takes out a pouch and dumps out “a collection of small bones, a portion of porcupine quill, a guinea fowl feather, and a couple of elephant hairs.” Then “a thin spiral of blue smoke rose from the objects on the floor. It flattened out and blurred images began to flash across it.” The vision helps Martine save the white giraffe.
  • When Jemmy is injured, Martine “put her hands on the white giraffe’s heart. Unbidden, technicolor memories of their time together came flooding into her mind. . . Martine was aware of her hands becoming hotter and hotter and a pure feeling, like love, flowing through her.” Jemmy recovers and they are able to escape.

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Ghost Boys

When twelve-year-old Jerome Rogers is shot and killed by a police officer, his ghost watches his family and the world around him shake in the wake of his death. Upset and frustrated, he doesn’t understand why this had to happen–why a police officer would confuse a kid with a toy gun for a grown man, and why no one administered any medical care at the scene. Jerome is mad that this often happens to black folks like him. Then, Jerome meets another ghost boy named Emmett Till, who teaches him about the United States’ long legacy of discrimination against black people, and especially black boys.

Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Ghost Boys is a gripping story about violence, grief, and the devastation caused by systemic racism. Jerome laments about how he’ll never get to grow old, and that he has to leave his family behind. He witnesses the court proceedings deciding the fate of the police officer, and he sees his family’s reaction when the judge decides that there is not enough evidence for a trial. It is wholly unfair, and Jerome struggles with this unfairness throughout much of the novel. It is by Emmett Till’s explanation of history that Jerome learns he can still look after kids who have been wronged and that maybe we can take steps toward change.

A couple of people can see Jerome’s ghost and interact with him. His grandmother has some inkling that he’s there, but Jerome spends most of his time speaking with Sarah, the daughter of the police officer. She grapples with internalized biases, and they help each other understand that they can still create change for the better, even though their worlds are categorically messy. It is through Sarah and Emmett Till that Jerome comes to accept his death and realizes that sharing his story will hopefully help prevent events like this in the future.

Rhodes doesn’t hold back in Ghost Boys. Although this book details violence and tragedy, she does an excellent job using these details to move the plot along and help the characters grow. Her choice to include the historical case of Emmett Till is also well done, and Emmett’s inclusion in the book helps balance out Jerome’s other primary interactions as a ghost. 

Ghost Boys is an emotionally difficult book, and the target audience should be middle-grade readers and older readers who find themselves ready for this intensity. The tragedy of this book is not that it is violent, but rather that this is our unfortunate reality. The names of real-life black people killed by the police are scattered throughout the book, reminding us that this book doesn’t exist in a vacuum. For all the gravitas that Ghost Boys brings, it is an important read for understanding grief and compassion, and by the end, there is still a glimmer of hope that maybe people can change for the better.

There are many great book options for middle-grade readers who want to explore racism in more detail including  The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine, A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée, From The Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks, and The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson.

Sexual Content 

  • Jerome dreams about what it would be like for him to be able to grow up. On his list of things he would’ve done, he mentions, “Real is me having a girlfriend. (Maybe.)”

Violence 

  • The protagonist, Jerome, is shot and killed by police officers who mistook his toy gun for a real one. As a ghost watching himself outside his body, Jerome describes his body, saying, “Laid out flat, my stomach touching ground. My right knee bent and my brand-new Nikes stained with blood. I stop and stare at my face, my right cheek flattened on concrete. My eyes are wide open.”
  • Jerome’s Ma pokes him while emphasizing that she wants him to be educated. Jerome says, “Sometimes the poke hurts a bit. But I get it.”
  • Jerome is afraid of some bullies at school because they “like to dump [his] backpack. Push [him], pull [his] pants down. Hit [him] upside the head.” This is a common occurrence when Jerome describes his time at school. 
  • Jerome notes that the new kid, Carlos, is going to get a beating from the school bullies. Jerome says, “New students are beat-down magnets.”
  • The bullies attack Carlos in the school bathroom. Jerome describes, “Mike punches Carlos. He falls backwards. Then, Mike and Snap are both kicking Carlos. In the stomach. The head.” This scene continues for two pages. 
  • Jerome stands up to the bullies on behalf of Carlos, and Carlos pulls a gun on the bullies, surprising everyone. Jerome describes, “We all turn. Carlos has a gun.” It turns out later that it’s a plastic toy, and that’s how Carlos got it past school security.
  • Jerome doesn’t like seeing his mom upset. He says, “seeing Ma crying makes me want to crush, slam something into the ground.” He does not act on these impulses.
  • Jerome’s dad is upset over his son’s death at the hands of a policeman. While speaking with the rest of the family about the injustice, Jerome describes, “Pop’s fist slams the wall. The drywall cracks. I’ve never seen Pop violent.”
  • Many references are made to slavery and violence against black people in the United States. Jerome’s dad says, “Tamir Rice, 2014. He died in Cleveland. Another boy shot just because he’s black . . . No justice. No peace. Since slavery, white men been killing blacks.”
  • Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, can see Jerome’s ghost. She tells him that she’s sorry, and Jerome thinks, “If she wasn’t a girl, I’d think about hitting her.”
  • Ever since her dad killed Jerome, Sarah’s parents have been arguing. Jerome and Sarah both hear noise coming from downstairs. “A door slams. Sarah’s mom and dad are shouting. Glass breaks.”
  • Jerome becomes angry, and in his ghost form his “hand connects. Peter Pan flies across the room. The book hits the wall, drops to the floor.”
  • Emmett Till died in 1955. He was lynched by a group of men, and the scene lasts for two pages. Jerome watches Emmett’s memories, describing, “The husband fires the gun, sparks fly. Emmett’s spirit rises. With barbed wire, the men lash Emmett’s body to a large wheel. They drag, shove the wheel into the river. Watch it sink. Blood stains the riverbank.”
  • In one of the final chapters, the reader experiences Jerome’s death in first person. Jerome says, “Pain slams me. Two fire sticks are inside me. Burning, searing my right shoulder and lower back. What happened? What happened to me?” This description goes on for a couple of pages.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Jerome says that, “I know Ma will remind [Grandma] to take her blood pressure pill.”
  • Jerome describes a lot a few blocks away from his home. He says, “A meth lab exploded there and two houses burnt.”
  • Jerome describes some drug dealers who happen to deal two blocks away from his school. He says, “drug dealers slip powder or pill packets to customers, stuffing cash into their pockets. Pop says, ‘Not enough jobs, but still it’s wrong. Drugs kill.’”
  • After killing Jerome, Sarah’s dad “drinks, stares at the TV.”

Language 

  • Mild language is used occasionally. Terms included are stupid, dumb, and crazy.

Supernatural

  • Jerome dies and becomes a ghost, watching over his family for much of the book.
  • Jerome meets Emmett Till’s ghost, who was a real-life boy who was killed in 1955.
  • From Sarah’s window, Sarah, Emmett, and Jerome can see “a shadow. Then, another. And another. Another and another. Hundreds, thousands of ghost boys standing, ever still, looking up, through the window into our souls.” It is then clarified that these are the ghosts of thousands of black boys who have been killed.

Spiritual Content 

  • Grandma has “premonitions . . . worries about bad things happening.” She tells Jerome that she receives these premonitions in the form of bad dreams.
  • Grandma has superstitions, and Jerome states that she likes to do things in threes because it’s “Grandma’s special number.”
  • Grandma tells Jerome, “Three means All. Optimism. Joy . . . Heaven, Earth, Water. Three means you’re close to the angels.”
  • For Jerome’s funeral, Reverend Thornton makes an appearance. He says to Jerome’s family, “We should pray.” To this, Jerome’s dad says, “What for? Jerome’s not coming back.”
  • Grandma expresses her belief in spirits and the afterlife, saying, “Every black person in the South knows it’s true. Dead, living, no matter. Both worlds are close. Spirits aren’t gone.” Her words are dismissed by the reverend and by others as mere superstition. 
  • Emmett Till talks about his mother’s beliefs, saying, “‘Family and faith,’ that’s what mattered, she said.”
  • Jerome’s grandma has an altar to her late husband. Jerome describes, “Every Sunday, Grandma lights candles and talks to a picture of Grandpa in a sailor’s uniform.”
  • Carlos tells his dad that he “wants to honor Jerome” on Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead ceremony goes on for a chapter.

Kitty and the Treetop Chase

Girl by day. Cat by night. Ready for adventure! In the fourth book of this chapter book series, Kitty, a little girl with catlike superpowers, teams up with another superhero to save a bakery from certain disaster. 

When a new family moves into town, Kitty is excited to make another friend. But Ozzy, Kitty’s new neighbor, is quiet and seems to have nothing in common with Kitty. Then a member of Kitty’s cat crew tells Kitty about a dog causing a commotion in the bakery. Kitty decides to use her catlike superpowers to investigate, and it turns out that Ozzy has his own superpowers, too! Together, the pair sets off to track down the mischievous dog before he can cause even more damage.

With his owl superpowers, Ozzy adds an interesting and fun dynamic to Kitty and the Treetop Chase. At first, Kitty isn’t sure what to think about Ozzy, but when she’s called to solve a mystery, she welcomes Ozzy’s help. There are bumps in the road when Ozzy and Kitty don’t agree with each other, and both think that they’re right. But with the help of a friend, the two superheroes learn to work together to solve their mystery. Through their adventure, Kitty realizes “having superpowers was amazing fun, but it was going to be even better now that she had someone to share it with!”

In her quest to help animals, Kitty uses superpowers, her new friend Ozzy, and her cat crew to solve mysteries. Together, Kitty and Ozzy discover two dogs that look identical, but one of them has been naughty. Once the two superheroes discover the dogs’ plight, they jump in to help. Instead of being judgmental, Kitty listens to the naughty dog’s story and feels compassion for him. In the end, everyone gets a happily ever after.

Independent readers will fall in love with Kitty and her cat crew. Kitty is a likable and interesting protagonist who is curious, brave, and kind. The story is well-written with beautiful imagery, but readers will also appreciate the large illustrations that appear every one to three pages. Each illustration uses black, white, and orange which gives the pictures a magical quality. Since much of the action takes place at night, many of the illustrations have a black background which allows Kitty and her cat friends to pop off the pages. In addition, many of the pages include fun elements such as cat prints. However, Kitty’s willingness to help animals in need is the story’s real magic. 

While Kitty and the Treetop Chase is part of a series, the series does not need to be read in order because each story focuses on a new mystery. In addition, the beginning of the book gives a short introduction of Kitty and her cat crew. Independent readers who are ready for adventure will find Kitty and the Treetop Chase the perfect book for them. Since the story revolves around superheroes and animals, the fast-paced mystery will appeal to a wide range of readers. Readers who crave more superhero actions should also read the Princess in Black Series by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • Kitty has superpowers. “Kitty could see in the dark and hear noises from far away. She could also balance perfectly and perform amazing somersaults. Best of all, she could talk to animals!”
  • Kitty’s new friend Ozzy “is training to be a superhero, and his owl-like powers give him amazing eyesight and super hearing.” Ozzy can also talk to owls. 

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Cookie Fiasco

Four friends. Three cookies. One problem.

Hippo, Croc, and the Squirrels are determined to have equal cookies for all! But how? There are only three cookies . . . and four of them! They need to act fast before a nervous Hippo breaks all the cookies into crumbs!

For a fun-filled afternoon, grab cookies, milk, and The Cookie Fiasco! Young readers will giggle their way through the book as they learn a little about math and friendship. When Hippo and his friends argue over who will get to eat the cookies, they debate ways to fairly divide them. Hippo is so nervous that he keeps breaking the cookies and soon, his friends know they need to “solve this problem fast! Our friendship depends on it!” 

The brightly colored animal friends pop off the page and the hilarious dialogue between the friends is wonderfully silly, as are the animal’s facial expressions. Each animal’s quote boxes are drawn in different colors that match the animal; this makes it easy to distinguish which animal is talking. Some pages tell the story with only pictures while other pages have up to four short, simple sentences. Adults should get their animal voices ready because The Cookie Fiasco! is the perfect book to read aloud. 

If you’re looking for a fun book that teaches the importance of sharing, then The Cookie Fiasco! is the book for you! The lovable characters, silly banter, and relatable conflict will make The Cookie Fiasco! a book that young readers will want to read again and again. However, this book is best served with cookies and milk! Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson is another humorous book that highlights the importance of sharing that young readers will love. 

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Contingency Plan

When Sandra Sinclair, recently widowed and the mother of twelve-year-old Jane, meets wealthy lawyer Joe Gillette, he wins her over with his kind and conscientious attitude. Falling in love faster than she ever thought possible, Sandra agrees to marry him. But soon after they move into their new home, things begin to change, and Joe’s controlling behavior causes Sandra to question her decision. When her new husband becomes seriously abusive, Sandra decides she and Jane must leave.

When Joe makes it clear that he will not just let Sandra walk away, she discovers it’s quite likely Joe arranged his first wife’s death and that Sandra is now part of his “contingency plan.” She soon realizes that even the law is no defense against this meticulous and egotistical man. Fleeing to an old family cabin on a remote lake, mother and daughter prepare to live off the grid. But when Joe tracks them down, Sandra must come up with a contingency plan of her own.

Contingency Plan is part of the Orca family of Rapid Reads books which are intended for a diverse audience, including ESL students, reluctant readers, adults who struggle with literacy, and anyone who wants a high-interest quick read. Since Contingency Plan focuses on Sandra, who was recently widowed, younger readers may have a difficult time connecting to her. While readers will empathize with Sandra’s grief, she is not necessarily a dramatic character that will keep readers’ interest. Much of the story is told in the past tense, which limits the suspense, and the ending of the book is anticlimactic and unsurprising. 

Some teen readers may reach for the book because they are interested in Sandra’s daughter. However, Sandra’s daughter rarely plays an active role in the story, which makes it difficult to emotionally invest in her. Plus, Joe has very little interaction with Sandra’s daughter. 

Even though Joe is very controlling, his abusive behavior is rarely physical, which may lead some readers to wonder why Sandra feels she cannot stay with him. Unfortunately, Contingency Plan isn’t a compelling story and fails to teach any life lessons. Reluctant readers who are looking for a story that focuses on family and will appeal to teens have many good options, including In Plain Sight by Laura Langston and Tell by Nora McClintock.

Sexual Content 

  • Sandra goes on an overnight trip with Joe. While having dinner, Joe smiles at her and Sandra proclaims, “the chemistry took my breath away. But it was more than sexual attraction.” Later, his “tender mouth nuzzled my ear, sending a tingle to forgotten places. . . We wouldn’t need that second bedroom tonight.” 
  • After being married for a while, Joe says that Sandra treats sex “like a chore.”
  • Even though Sandra is beginning to hate Joe, she feels that she has to pretend like she loves him. One night, “our lovemaking earned a solid-gold Oscar for me. For him, the usual silver star for excellence. My body responded in spite of itself.”

Violence 

  • Joe gets angry at Sandra. Sandra describes, “he gave me a shake that rattled my teeth. But he didn’t slap me.”
  • A private detective investigates Joe because while backpacking in the wilderness, Joe’s first wife died. Some people believed Joe intentionally got lost and caused his wife’s death. 
  • Sandra takes her daughter and hides out in an old hunting cabin. Sandra knows Joe is in town asking questions, so she comes up with a plan to kill him. When Sandra hears Joe’s snowmobile, she jumps on her own snowmobile and drives towards a partially frozen lake. Both Sandra and Joe break the ice and fall into the freezing water, but because she is prepared, Sandra is able to make it out. “He bobbed to the top. . . Joe’s gloved hand flipped up his visor and he splashed. ‘Help me! For god’s s-sake, S-sandra,’ he splashed.” Sandra leaves him in the water and thinks, “At 15°C, it wouldn’t take long for the ice to refreeze.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Joe and Sandra drink champagne several times.
  • After getting married, Joe and Sandra have dinner with the family. One woman gets “tipsy” while “the wine and brandy were making everything a bit unreal.”
  • After their marriage, Joe often drinks alcohol. 
  • When running from Joe, Sandra stays in a cheap hotel where someone has a drunken party.
  • On a long trip, Joe takes amphetamines to keep awake.

Language 

  • Hell is used three times. For example, after looking at Sandra’s computer chat history, Joe yells, “What the hell are you doing gossiping on the computer with those bitches?”
  • Joe tells Sandra, “I have every right to know what my goddamn wife is up to.”
  • Joe calls Sandra’s car a “shitbox.”
  • Bullshit is used once.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • After getting married, Joe says, “May God hold you in the palm of his hand.”
  • After going on her honeymoon, Sandra tells her dead husband, “Thanks for your blessing, Andy.”
  • Occasionally Sandra prays simple prayers. For example, after lying to Joe, Sandra “prayed that [Joe] couldn’t feel my heart breaking out of my chest.”

Kat Wolfe Investigates

After a break-in at their London home, Kat Wolfe and her veterinarian mum decide it’s time to move to the country. Dr. Wolfe’s new job on England’s Jurassic Coast comes with a condition: They have to adopt Tiny, a huge Savannah cat who resists Kat’s best attempts at cat whispering.

Kat starts a pet-sitting agency to make pocket money, but then the owner of her first client, an Amazon parrot, vanishes from his gadget-filled mansion. Only one person shares Kat’s conviction that he’s the victim of foul play: Harper Lamb, an American girl laid up with two broken legs thanks to her racehorse.

Kat and Harper team up, but what starts out as mystery-solving fun turns deadly for the duo. When all clues point to a nearby army base, can they count on their unruly animal friends to save the day—and their lives?

Kat Wolfe Investigates is a highly entertaining story that has mystery, suspense, and many other positive aspects that make it perfect for any mystery-loving reader. Readers will fall in love with Kat, who tries to stay out of trouble but gets thrust into the middle of a deadly mystery. At first, Kat tries to do the right thing by taking her concerns to Sergeant Singh, the only policeman in town. However, the Sergeant doesn’t believe Kat. So, Kat and her friend, Harper, begin their own investigation. Even when the two realize that the investigation could be dangerous, they continue their quest to find answers and save Kat’s client.

Not only is Kat a loveable character, but she is also surrounded by a slew of interesting characters – both human and animal – of all ages. Harper is a computer whiz, Kat’s friend Edith is a retired librarian, and Kat’s mother is the town’s only veterinarian. There is also a talking parrot, a Savannah cat, and a racehorse. The animals and humans blend to make a heartwarming story of friendship that has surprising pockets of laugh-out-loud humor. In addition, Kat’s story shows that “you should never rush to judgment—particularly when it comes to people you don’t know.”

Kat Wolfe Investigates is an excellent story that has a large cast of characters and a complex plot that takes the reader on an adventure with several surprises. Middle-grade readers will find themselves admiring Kat’s determination, bravery, and kindness. However, the content may disturb younger readers since the story has a believable villain who is responsible for other people’s deaths and who tries to have Kat and Harper “exterminated.” In the end, Kat catches the culprit and the story concludes on a happy note. For more mystery fun that features a spunky heroin, check out the Friday Barnes Mystery Series by R.A. Spratt and The Curious Cat Spy Club Series by Linda Joy Singleton.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • While pet-sitting, Kat sees a man outside of the house. She thinks the man might be a burglar, so she hits a button to turn on the outside grill. “A towering inferno shot out from the barbeque on the deck. . . The soldier let out an agonized yell and reeled back, clutching his forehead.” Later, Kat finds out that the man’s “left eyebrow is now slightly shorter than the right, but otherwise he was unscathed.” 
  • Darren, an “exterminator” sneaks into Dr. Wolfe’s office. Her desk has so many files on it that all he sees are “her eyebrows.” The man doesn’t realize the eyebrows actually belong to a monkey. “The eyebrows made an excellent target. He aimed his revolver right at them. It was a starting pistol, not a real gun. . .” He threatens the doctor and then leaves. 
  • When the exterminator goes to leave, Eva, the monkey “flew at him and sank her teeth into his ear. Disorientated in the dark reception area, Darren swirled around in agony. Eva bit down harder. . .”
  • Darren breaks into Kat’s house. “As Darren padded across the tiles, starting pistol in hand, Tiny (Kat’s Savannah cat) ambushed him from the top of the kitchen cupboard, crash-landing on his back and sinking his claws and teeth into Darren’s neck.” Darren’s has several injuries, “a scratch had rendered one of his eyes useless. The other was swollen from the bite he’d incurred at the animal clinic.” 
  • While investigating Ramon, the owner of the parrot, Kat finds out that his squad was on a mission, “but someone leaked the plans and the Russians ambushed their unit. Mario was killed and the other five soldiers were killed.” Later, someone starts killing soldiers with an undetectable poison.
  • On a dark, rainy night Kat rides onto a military base. “A harsh beam swept the ground, bathing them in light. A warning shot cracked. A shrub exploded almost at their feet.” The shot scares the horse, who takes off running.
  • When Kat makes it to the gate at the base, a soldier stops her. The next thing Kat knew, “she was staring into the barrel of a rifle.” Kat is taken to the base and given a towel to dry off.
  • At the base, Kat discovers that the villain is the chef. The man captures Kat and threatens to kill her with a gun. Before the villain can kill her, Kat’s grandfather, the Dark Lord, “stepped from the shadows.” To save Kat, the Dark Lord throws his gun down. “The chef clamped an arm around her throat.” Kat reacts by pulling a martial art move. “A short, sharp tug on his chef’s jacket, a lunge, and a twist, and Chef Roley soared over the gymnasium. He crash-landed on the studio floor below and was out cold.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Harper shows Kat a picture of a group of men in a photograph. The men were on a boat with “beers in hand.”
  • After a monkey bites Darren, he takes “two painkillers with a can of soda.”

Language 

  • Ohmigod is used twice.
  • Oh Lord is used as an exclamation once.
  • Harper tells Kat that someone is a jerk.
  • A man in the military tells a man, “Damn fine job you did.”
  • A soldier says, “My God.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Odder

Meet Odder, the Queen of Play:

Nobody has her moves.

She doesn’t just swim to the bottom,

She dive-bombs.

She doesn’t just somersault,

She triple-doughnuts.

She doesn’t just ride the waves,

She makes them.

Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spending time with a good friend. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself—and the humans who hope to save her.

Humans love otters because they are adorably cute, but Odder weaves a story that gives the otters personality. Odder is an adventurous otter who readers will quickly fall in love with. Best friends Odder and Kairi are complete opposites. Cautious Kairi is always reminding Odder to be more careful, but Odder gets caught up in the excitement and often forgets.

One day, Odder is so focused on finding a tasty crab to eat that she goes too far out in the bay. A hungry shark sees the otters and takes a bite of Kairi. In order to save her friend, Odder attacks the shark. Later, humans find Odder and she’s taken to an aquarium to get medical attention. Odder is consumed with grief over the loss of her best friend. Later, she learns that Kairi survived the shark attack and she is also at the aquarium!

However, the shark attack has changed Odder, who is no longer fearless. When Odder is reunited with Kairi, she has just lost her pup and has become a surrogate mother. While Kairi has always been careful, she wants the pup to be returned to the ocean. At first, Odder thinks that keeping the pup safe is the most important job for a mother. But when Odder becomes a surrogate, she learns that “teaching and loving are different words for the same thing” and that “the world is not meant to be feared.” 

Odder is inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers. Applegate uses beautiful free verse to bring Odder’s ocean world to life as well as to teach readers interesting facts about the ocean’s biodiversity and otters’ importance in keeping the ocean healthy. The survival of otters is important because they are a “keystone species. . . they are nature’s glue, holding habitats together.” Odder will give readers a deeper appreciation for the beloved otter and for the people who are helping save the species. 

From the start, Applegate weaves a beautiful story about friendship, love, and the gift of freedom. By the story’s end, readers will be able to view the world from an otter’s point of view and will have a new appreciation of ocean life. In addition, through Odder’s experiences, readers will be reminded that all wild animals should have the chance to live in their natural habitat. While Odder is an entertaining and easy-to-read story, it is a must-read because of its educational value.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • One day, Otter and Kairi get too close to the bay and a shark sees them. “Odder sees the terror in her friend’s eyes.” The two try to swim away, but Odder “hears a strangled cry, and turns to see the shark has nipped her friend’s tail, as the awful stench of blood blooms in the water.”
  • In order to save Kairi from the shark, Odder attacks the shark. “As [the shark] moves in for the kill, he’s met with sheer movement, flipping and twisting, an eruption of bubbles, the reek of fear.” Because of Odder, the shark can’t go after Kairi, and “so he veers and there she [Odder] is and his mouth is open wide and waiting and clamp snap gnash she is trapped in his jaws.” When the shark tastes Odder’s fur, he drops Odder.
  • After the shark lets Odder go, she swims to the shore. She has a “gaping wound on her belly” and is “drained of blood and hope.” Humans find her and take her to an aquarium to be cared for. 
  • Odder tells the story of the Fifty, when “humans were killing us for our fur.” The back of the book explains the story in more detail.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Tallulah’s Tutu

Tallulah just knows she could be a great ballerina—if only she had a tutu. She signs up for ballet class with great anticipation, only to be disappointed when tutus aren’t handed out. When she learns that one must earn a tutu in dance class, she quits in a huff. But everywhere Tallulah goes, things keep reminding her of ballet. Her neighbor’s basset hound always stands in second position, and Tallulah always does a plié when patting him. And she can’t pass a store window without doing a beautiful finish, or hear music over the grocery store intercom without performing. In the end, Tallulah returns to dance lessons because she can’t stay away, and, after working hard all year . . . she gets her tutu.  

Even though Tallulah’s Tutu focuses on ballet, any child who is learning a new skill can benefit from reading Tallulah’s Tutu. Tallulah clearly loves dance and she practices at class and at home. Her little brother, Beckett, is adorably cute and often copies Tallulah’s dance poses. Readers will relate to Tallulah’s desire to earn her tutu quickly. At the end of each dance class, Tallulah imagines all the reasons that she hasn’t been given her tutu. For example, Tallulah thinks, “her tutu must be coming from Paris. They would fly it in next week.” In order to help readers understand Tallulah’s thoughts, an illustration shows a plane flying away from the Eiffel Tower.

Tallulah’s Tutu will appeal to readers who are interested in dance; in class, Tallulah learns different types of positions that are illustrated in the front and back of the book. In order to help readers distinguish the narration from Tallulah’s thoughts, her thoughts are written in large, bold letters. Since each page has two to seven sentences, parents will need to read the picture book to their little ones rather than children reading it on their own.

Tallulah’s conflict is relatable and comes to life in beautiful, pastel pictures that are adorably cute. The other students in Tallulah’s ballet class have different skin tones and one student is a boy. There is a lot to like about Tallulah’s Tutu, including a kind ballet teacher. Plus, Tallulah’s mother allows Tallulah to quit ballet and start back up when she is ready. Since Tallulah must work hard to earn her Tutu, readers will understand Tallulah’s pride when she finally wears her beautiful tutu. Readers will also love the sweet moment when Becket gives Tallulah flowers that perfectly match her tutu. To learn more about ballet, readers should pirouette to the library and also checkout Parker Shines On by Parker & Jessica Curry and A Girl Named Misty by Kelly Starling Lyons.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Beginning

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Series follows siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank, as they discover ancient scrolls that transport them back to key moments in biblical history.

In the first adventure in the series, Peter and Mary find themselves witnesses to the creation of the world just as God is speaking it into existence. Can they unlock the mystery of the scrolls and return home before they get trapped in history forever? Children will discover the answer as the two characters ride rhinos, meet the angel Michael, and talk to a certain snake in the Garden of Eden. 

For many young readers, God creating the Earth may be a difficult concept to understand. The Beginning will help readers understand how God created the earth. While the story revolves around the creation story, Peter and Mary must also discover three clues that will help them answer the secret of the scroll. If they fail to solve the secret, they will never be able to return home. Finding the clues to answer the secret adds suspense. However, Peter and Mary stumble upon the answers, which takes away some of the fun of discovering the clues. 

Readers will get caught up in Peter’s and Mary’s adventures and feel awe as God creates the world. The story includes black and white illustrations that appear every one to three pages. The illustrations will help young readers understand the plot as well as show the beauty of God’s creations. For example, when God says, “Be fruitful and multiply to fill the water and the sky,” one illustration shows birds and another illustration shows sea life.

Since Satan plays a part in the creation story, readers will also learn how Satan can deceive you. The angel Michael warns the siblings, “You can’t trust everyone or everything you may hear.” Peter and Mary are saddened when Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden. However, their uncle reminds them, “God still loved man and woman. . . God provided for their needs. Even though Satan and sin entered the world, God would forgive and fix everything someday.”

The Beginning is perfect for children who want to learn about the creation story. Peter and Mary are likable protagonists, and their dog Hank adds some humor to the story. While the story is not fast-paced, it has enough suspense to keep readers engaged. The kids’ uncle makes a brief appearance at the beginning and end of the book. While he doesn’t play a large role in the story, Peter and Mary share their adventure with their uncle and he is able to add insight into the kids’ experience. The Beginning is an entertaining story that teaches the importance of listening to God’s truth and not being tricked by Satan’s lies. For more exciting time-traveling adventures that teach biblical truth, check out the Imagination Station Series by Marianne Hering & Paul McCusker.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Satan, disguised as a snake, tries to trick Peter and Mary. When the snake’s plan does not work, “the snake wrapped himself tighter and tighter around Peter, Mary, and Hank. Peter tried to get his arms free, but they were trapped in the snake’s powerful grip. The snake was squeezing the hope out of Peter.” 
  • The snake eventually lets Peter and Mary go. In order to get the scroll back, “Mary ran straight toward the snake. She did a front flip and jumped into the air with a spinning kick to the snake’s mouth.”
  • When the kids get the scroll back, the snake “sprang toward Hank and the scroll. Mary jumped with another kick, but the snake slipped under it this time. The snake put another deadly grip around Peter, Mary, and Hank. It was much tighter this time.” 
  • The angel Michael helps the kids escape. “Michael swung his flaming sword and struck the snake’s head. . . The snake coiled tightly, showing his sharp fangs, and then darted straight at Michael. But Michael held out a large, shining shield. The snake’s head smashed into the shield and he fell to the ground with a thud.” The snake scene is described over a chapter.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • Peter and Mary transport back in time, to before God created the world, with the help of a scroll. When Peter opens the scroll’s wax seal, “the walls shook, books fell from the shelves, and the floor quaked. . . The library began to crumble around them. Then everything was dark. . . completely dark.”

Spiritual Content 

  • The story retells how God created the Earth in seven days.
  • While in the past, the angel Michael helps Peter and Mary. When Michael first meets the siblings, he explains that he is “an angel of God. I am the head of God’s angel army, and I have been sent to protect you.” 
  • Michael tells the kids to “trust God and remember what you have been taught.”
  • While enjoying the sunset, Mary says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky shows the work of his hand.” 

All My Rage

In the humble and quiet town of Juniper, California, resides two Pakistani-American teens who are not just best friends, but family as well: Salahudin Malik, an aspiring writer who struggles to take care of the family motel as his mother’s health declines and his father slowly succumbs to alcoholism, and Noor Riaz, an intelligent and logical woman who dreams of becoming a doctor, yet has to hide her ambitions from her controlling uncle, who adopted her when her parents were killed in an earthquake in Pakistan. 

However, their friendship is compromised when the Fight breaks out between them, and their individual problems gradually worsen. Sal’s desperate attempts to save the motel and Noor’s determination to go to college lead to unforeseen consequences. Sal and Noor’s friendship rises and falls with each harrowing decision, all the while fending off the monsters that live in their past and the ones that live to this day.

Narrated in dual-POV, both Sal and Noor are engaging and complex—even though they have plenty of flaws. The teens are perfectly portrayed as realistic teenagers who are withstanding difficult lives. While trying to ensure his family motel remains competent, as per his dying mother’s wishes, Sal’s desperation and lack of proper judgment lands him in deep waters; this further compromises his friendship with Noor, who is sacrificing her own happiness to appease her selfish uncle by working at his liquor store. At such a young age, both teens must not only think for themselves, but also for their guardian/family as their living conditions and financial situations are not ideal.

However, the two protagonists shed an inspiring light with their determination—and especially their deep love and care for each other. When Sal finds out a disturbing fact about Noor’s uncle, he takes her out for the evening in order to distract her and ensure she does not undergo her uncle’s wrath anymore. Sal states, “She was always ready to run. Every day, she came to school wondering if this would be the day she had to get out. . . I should have seen. Done something.” He worries for her—just like Noor does for him, as she urges him to prioritize his impressive writing skills and make something out of it, instead of striving to save the motel and sacrificing his own dreams. 

Furthermore, Tahir perfectly exacerbates the problems delineated in this novel, such as racism, familial issues, the oppression of religion, and, of course, inner rage—specifically directed toward the unfair circumstances Noor and Sal are both placed in. Their character development is phenomenal, with them being naive and unsure in the beginning, and in the end, they’ve indubitably matured after undergoing numerous ups and downs in their personal and social lives. The plot development is extraordinary because the slow build-up to the climax, which hits the reader hard, perfectly exhibits how one really does not see the worst situation coming. It also depicts the true feeling of rage, and how—sometimes—the universe will compile loads of problems upon someone to no end. 

The story is more than enjoyable, what with Tahir’s effective storytelling and proper characterization of the two protagonists and the people they were surrounded by. The underlying message in this story is that home can only feel like home once you fit in. In this case, the two characters struggle indefinitely to do so — undergoing an infinite amount of distress and, eventually, rage as well. From there, the novel covers topics such as drug and alcohol addiction, Islamophobia, mentioning of repressed sexual assault, and death.

This awe-inspiring novel’s message is about the identity crisis that comes with belonging to two different cultures, especially for South Asian teenagers, as they often struggle with balancing their ethnic and nationalistic backgrounds. Someone from a background different from the characters’, or even the same, will learn that there are drawbacks, but also beauties involved in South Asian culture. They’ll also learn just how much these teenagers had to fight—just so they can feel like they belonged somewhere. Not only is this book adorned with a meaningful and captivating premise, but it has an impactful and emotional conclusion that will leave readers, especially those with a South Asian background, with a newfound understanding of young love, forgiveness, and inner growth. There is no doubt that Tahir’s razor-sharp writing and remarkable story will reside in all readers’ hearts from the first line. Readers who want to read another excellent book about teens with complicated family lives should read The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan.

Sexual Content 

  • Noor is at Sal’s house, and he becomes enamored in her presence, thinking about the way she smells, “and the way her body curves beneath her worn The Cure t-shirt…” He also thinks that his “skin is tingling in a good way for once.”
  • Sal picks up Noor from school and thinks about how, last night on the phone, she made a “comment about impure thoughts . . . which made [him] wonder if she had impure thoughts. About [him].”
  • Sal takes Noor to the outskirts of Juniper, and she settles herself between his legs, her back against his chest. He thinks: “Too many synapses are firing. Too much of her is touching too much of me. My whole body prickles.” They kiss passionately two times after that, and she “makes a funny sound, between a gasp and a moan.” He also thinks: “Suddenly, I need her, all of her. I need her to be close to me.” This whole interaction lasts about three pages.

Violence 

  • When Sal visits his dying mother in the hospital, his drunk father is there. The police are called because his father was causing a commotion in the waiting room. As Sal pleads for his father to let him take him home, he jerks away from Sal, thus “windmilling” him and smacking him in the face.
  • Jamie, a bully, yells racist remarks at Noor. Then, Jamie grabs Noor’s arm, but Noor rips away from her grip and swings, meeting “her face with a dense thump” she “knows too well… [Jamie] falls back, screams, grabs her nose.”
  • Noor has been physically abused by her uncle, but it worsens when he finds out that she has been applying to colleges. He yells at her—right before he kicks her, and she is on the ground, and she curls up and waits “for it to be over.” He continues to kick her, “his tennis shoe [slamming] into [her] ribs.” From there, she pulls herself up to her feet and throws a brass sculpture at him, and he screams at her right before she runs away.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Drugs and alcohol are one of the few prominent themes in the story, as Sal’s father is an alcoholic and Sal becomes involved with drug dealing to keep his family’s motel running. 
  • In the very beginning of the book, Sal states, “It’s 6:37 a.m. and my father doesn’t want me to know how drunk he is.” Shortly after, Sal runs into Art, his then-girlfriend’s cousin, who is a drug dealer and deals with someone in the bathroom. He states: “Even though [Art] hangs out with the white-power kids, he gets along with everyone. Probably because he supplies most of Juniper High with narcotics.”
  • Sal and his alcoholic father share a heart-to-heart about Sal’s mother. Just when Sal thinks of consoling his father, Sal states, “His plate clatters in the sink. A cupboard opens. A glass clinks. I smell it, that sharp stink I’ll never get used to, and his sigh of relief, as his memories slide away, a quiet, merciful forgetting.”

Language 

  • The words bitch, shit, asshole, ass, dumbass, and dick are all used several times. The most common is shit.
  • The word “fuck” is used very rarely. For example, when Sal’s mother is dying, he recollects himself by thinking, “Not now. I’m not going to fucking weep.” 
  • Sal’s father curses in Punjabi once: “Haramzada kutta!” which directly translates to: Dog of a bastard. 

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Most of the characters are religious, especially Sal’s mother, who commonly makes references to God to get through tough times. For instance, when Sal, as a young child, gets hurt by a stranger, she prays to God, “Do not let him remember. Punish he who did this. Punish him with pain, God. Punish him as only you can.”
  • Noor’s uncle refers to God negatively as he looks down upon the practice of Islam in general. For example, he says to Noor, “Do you even understand what they’re saying in Arabic? It’s backward and illogical, Noor .  . . ‘Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature. It is the opium of the people.’ Karl Marx.”

The Door in the Dragon’s Throat

A mystery as old as the desert sands . . . 

When teenagers Jay and Lila Cooper and their archaeologist father travel to Nepur, an uninviting land of deserts and danger, they must search to uncover the truth behind an ancient legend. Locals claim that inside a dark cavern called the Dragon’s Throat is a forbidden Door that brings certain death to anyone who tries to open it.

Armed with the knowledge that God is more powerful than any legend or curse, Jay and Lila plunge into the Dragon’s Throat, determined to find what awaits them on the other side of the door. However, danger awaits in unexpected places. Will the Dragon’s Throat claim Jay’s and Lila’s life or will God keep them safe?

The Door in the Dragon’s Throat delivers an exciting, action-packed story that shows the fear that legends and superstitions can cause. As soon as the Coopers arrive at the Dragon’s Throat, strange and frightening things begin to happen. Despite this, the family is positive that God will keep them safe and reveal the secrets of the Dragon’s Throat. This fast-paced story will keep readers guessing what strange event will happen next. Since the story’s focus is the mystery behind the Dragon’s Throat, the characters are not well developed. However, one thing is made clear—the Coopers put their trust in God, even in difficult situations.

The mystery of the Dragon’s Throat is paired with strange events that give the story an eerie tone. Even though several of the characters are terrified of the Dragon’s Throat, the story isn’t frightening. Instead, the events give the story plenty of suspense that will keep readers engaged. The story’s conclusion revolves around the book of Revelations; however, the explanation is so short that it is slightly confusing. Despite this, the story reinforces the importance of trusting God in every aspect of your life.

Readers who want an action-packed book that teaches Biblical principles will enjoy The Door in the Dragon’s Throat. The Coopers’ belief in God helps them navigate difficult situations and leads them to share God’s word. One of the recurring themes is that God is more powerful than any other god. In addition, the story also shows the destructive nature of greed. Readers who enjoy discovering ancient secrets should also read the Secrets of the Seven Series by Sarah L. Thomson or the Pride Wars Series by Matt Laney.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Jay and Lila accidentally disturb a king cobra. “The snake’s head was only a few inches from the sand when a pebble fell. The head came up again, and the same hawking sound spewed out of the snake’s gaping white mouth. Suddenly the snake’s head disappeared in a spurt of blood.” Dr. Cooper shoots the snake.
  • When opening a shed, an old man grabs Lila. “The old man grabbed her up violently and with powerful strides began to run across the barren circle, his hot breath chugging into her face, his grip strong and steady.” When Lila’s brother and another run towards them, the old man drops Lila. 
  • The old man kidnaps Jay and Lila. “Jay and Lila were huddled on a floor against a very small, dark, musty bungalow hidden deep within the intricate maze of winding streets.” The kids learn that the old man doesn’t want to hurt them, but he wants them to help him get rid of a curse.
  • Gozan, an employee of the country’s president, believes there is a treasure in the Dragon’s Throat and he is convinced the treasure should be his. Gozan pulls a gun on Dr. Cooper and his children. He forces the family to go to the Dragon’s Throat.
  • While in the Dragon’s Throat, a terrible earthquake begins. The Coopers see the country’s president on a ledge. “There was a long, terrible scream, and Jay looked just in time to see the president go tumbling off the ledge, tumbling over and over until he disappeared into a deep crevasse.” The president is presumed dead.
  • Jay runs to lock the door of the Dragon’s Throat. “The Door seemed to know what he was doing. It shot, it heaved, it quaked, and Jay’s body was tossed and whipped about as he hung onto the key. . . His legs and chest slapped against the hot bronze metal of the Door, and he could feel the searing heat scorch his clothes and singe his skin. Terrible pain poured over his body and shot through his aching arms.” Jay locks the door before he is injured.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • When Gozan sees an old man, he says the man is, “The Shaman! A magician! Immortal! He is part of the legend surrounding the Door. It is said he guards it, and that he has great power to destroy anyone who dares to violate the ancient curse.”

Spiritual Content 

  • Dr. Cooper, his two kids, and the other members of his group are Christians. Throughout the book there are many references to God and the characters pray often. Since the book is Christian fiction, not all the references are mentioned below.
  • The president of a middle eastern country invites Dr. Cooper to investigate the Dragon’s Throat, which has been cursed. However, Dr. Cooper is not afraid of the curse because his group serves “a mighty God who is greater than any curse, and His son died to free us from all curses.”
  • When Dr. Cooper’s kids are in danger of being bitten by a deadly snake, Dr. Cooper prays, “Lord God, grant to me the lives of my two children!” The Cooper kids are unharmed.
  • When Dr. Cooper and his group are overtaken by a strange fear of the Dragon’s Throat, they overcome their fear by remembering that they are God’s children and that, “Greater is HE who is in us than he who is in the world.” The group’s fear dissipates, and they continue their exploration. 
  • Gozan is terrified of the Dragon’s Throat. While following Dr. Cooper’s group into the cavern, Gozan prays, “May the gods protect me. May the spirits of my ancestors protect me.” 
  • An old man has a chest that has been handed down through his family. The man believes that “only Shandago, God of the Earth, can open the chest, and only at the proper time.” The old man says he is a “Chaldean sorcerer, a wizard. All my ancestors and family were Chaldeans and magicians, well-versed in the ancient mystery religions of Babylon. For centuries we have worshiped the spirits of nature, the moon, the stars. . . and Shandago, the God of the Earth.”
  • Jay and Lila tell the old man how to accept Jesus into his life and “be set free from any lying, evil gods that might be controlling your life.”
  • While some believe the Door in the Dragon’s Throat leads to the treasure, it doesn’t. Dr. Cooper explains, “There are demons behind that Door, Gozan, countless demons specially appointed to torture and destroy mankind.” The book connects the demons to Revelations, chapter 9.

Good Girl, Bad Blood

After unearthing her town’s secrets and investigating and solving the murder of Andie Bell and Sal Singh, Pip Fitz-Amobi swears she is not a detective anymore.

Even though Pip has released a viral podcast about her investigation, with the help of her boyfriend Ravi Singh, she has put her investigating days behind her. Pip is still haunted by her past involvement in solving the case. “I almost lost everything,” she explains, “I ended up in the hospital, got my dog killed, put my family in danger, [and] destroyed my best friend’s life.” After seeing the lengths she went to investigate Andie’s and Sal’s murders, the obsessive, reckless, almost selfish person she became, and the damage it caused her and the people she loves, Pip never wants to be pulled back into investigating.

But the morning after the six-year anniversary of the deaths of Sal and Andie, the brother of Pip’s friend Connor, has gone missing. She feels she has no choice but to help find him. This time as Pip looks for Connor’s brother Jamie, she uncovers more of her town’s secrets, and now everyone is listening.

Good Girl, Bad Blood is a fantastic sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Like its predecessor, this book has fantastic twists and turns. Similar to the first book, Good Girl, Bad Blood has an interesting use of storytelling, combining the more traditional third-person narration with interview transcripts, Pip’s notes, images, maps, newspaper clippings, and more.

Picking up where A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder left off, Good Girl, Bad Blood deals directly with the events of the last book. Unlike other books in the murder mystery genre, this book examines the impact of traumatizing events on Pip and her friends and family. After Pip’s world has been turned upside down by uncovering the secrets surrounding Andie and Sal’s deaths, Pip is a changed person. She is more protective of those she loves and more careful with her actions. But Pip is also traumatized and scared, and she is haunted by the events she witnessed. Pip tries to make it seem like she is fine so she can support those around her, but in reality, Pip is lost. She is unsure of who she is and who she is becoming.

In the end, while Pip and her friends rescue Jamie and uncover a larger, more sinister plot in the process, Pip comes to terms with many of her flaws. She is not a “good” girl. “Maybe I’m selfish,” Pip says, “maybe I’m reckless and obsessive and I’m OK with doing bad things when it’s me doing them and maybe I’m a hypocrite, and maybe none of that is good, but it feels good. It feels like me . . .” Pip also recognizes that she needs more time to heal. She accepts that it’s okay to be angry at the injustices in the world, and it’s okay to not have a perfect answer to every problem. As Pip comes to terms with who she is, she is also shattered from witnessing violence and death as she watches someone get shot and then, unfortunately, fails to save them. Although Pip is forced to accept the cruelty of the world and the people in it, she is still traumatized and terrified by her experiences.

Overall, Good Girl, Bad Blood is a great sequel, with a dark, suspenseful story full of twists and turns and a fantastic cast of characters. Pip is strong-minded, courageous, and independent, but she is also flawed and broken. She continues to show readers that one does not have to fit into the perfect model society expects from you. It is okay to be angry at the world and its injustices and to grieve the loss of others, and to also grieve who you once were. 

Sexual Content 

  • Ravi picks Pip up for dinner. Ravi is dressed nicely, and Pip “could smell aftershave too, as he stepped towards her, but he stopped short, didn’t kiss her on the forehead nor run a hand through her hair.” The pair begin to talk, and Ravi “[places] one hand on her waist, his warm fingers dancing up her ribs.” The scene cuts out before anything else happens between the two. 
  • The night of Ravi’s brother’s memorial, Ravi greets Pip and “[presses his] words into her forehead with his lips.”
  • After an argument, Pip confronts Ravi about her feelings, explaining why she has been so distant lately. “She had barely finished speaking, but Ravi’s hand was against her face, cupped around her cheek, his thumb rubbing the rain from her bottom lip. He moved his fingers down to lift her chin and then he kissed her. Long and hard, their faces wet against each other, both trying to fight a smile.”

Violence 

  • Picking up where the first book in the series left off, Good Girl, Bad Blood, references much of the violence of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder including the disappearance and death of Andie Bell, the murder of Sal Singh, and the kidnapping of Isla Jordan. Andie Bell was having an affair with her history teacher Elliot Ward, and when she went over to his house to talk one night, “an argument ensued. Andie tripped, hitting her head against his desk. But as Ward rushed to get a first aid kit, Andie disappeared into the night” and was declared missing. 
  • Thinking Andie must have died from her head injury, Ward killed Sal, Andie’s boyfriend, making “it look like suicide and planted evidence so police would think Sal killed his girlfriend then himself.” Months after this, Elliot Ward found who he thought was Andie on the side of the road, disheveled and incoherent. Ward kidnapped Isla, who he thought was Andie, for five years to continue to cover up his crimes. 
  • Andie was actually not killed directly by Ward, in fact, she was able to make it home that night, only to be confronted by her sister, Becca Bell. Becca had been drugged and sexually assaulted by Max Hastings (who is revealed to be a serial rapist), and later finds out that the drugs Max used were sold to him by her sister. The two “started arguing, pushing, until Andie ended up on the floor, unconscious and vomiting. . . Becca froze . . . watching Andie die, too shocked, too angry to save her sister’s life.” Becca hides Andie’s body “because she was scared no one would believe it was an accident.” 
  • After Pip tells the police about how important it is to look into Jamie’s disappearance, the police say, “We’ve got an actual high-risk case: an eight-year-old abducted from her backyard.” It is later revealed that the abduction was only a domestic dispute. 
  • After publishing the podcast, Pip’s life changed. “The anonymous death and rape threats still came in weekly, comments and tweets calling her an ugly, hateful bitch.” Pip explains internet trolls comment on almost everything Pip posts. These hateful comments continue after she posts about Jamie. Pip gets comments saying “I killed Jamie Reynolds,” “Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?” and “I killed Jamie and I’ll kill you too, Pip.”
  • As Pip goes to the old, abandoned farmhouse on the edge of town in search of Jamie, she remembers this is “the place where Becca Bell had hidden her sister’s body for five and a half years. Andie had been right here all along, decomposing in the septic tank.”
  • As the investigation into Jamie’s disappearance continues, theories pop up online about what happened. Connor angrily tells Pip about what he is reading. “They think my dad killed Jamie . . . They’re saying [Connor’s dad] took the knife from our house and followed Jamie down Weevil Road. Killed him, cleaned and dumped the knife, and hid his body temporarily. That he was still out when I got home around midnight because I didn’t ‘actually see’ my dad when I got in. And then he was absent last weekend because he was out disposing of Jamie’s body. Motive: my dad hates Jamie because he’s ‘such a fucking disappointment.’”
  • Six days after Jamie goes missing “a dog walker discovered [a] body at about six a.m. . . . in the trees beside I-95, between Fairview and Stamford.” The radio reports “Officers are still at the scene. The deceased is as yet unidentified but has been described as a white male in his early twenties.” Worried, Pip rushes to Connor’s house to see if the body is Jamie’s, but they find out it is not. 
  • It is revealed that Jamie was kidnapped by Stanley Forbes, who is in the witness protection program because his father was a “serial killer. He killed children. And he made his young son, Child Brunswick [Stanley], help him lure out the victims.” Over the years “six children disappear . . . Their burned remains were later discovered buried along the shore of Lake Ontario, all within one mile of each other. The cause of death in each case was blunt force trauma.” 
  • As Pip questions him, Stanley explains that Jamie confronted him about his identity. Stanley explains, “the next thing I know, Jamie lunges at me with a knife. I managed to get out of the way and knock the knife out of his hands. And then we were fighting, out by those trees beside the house . . . I push Jamie off, into one of the trees, and he hits his head, falls to the ground. I think he lost consciousness for a few seconds and after that he seemed a little dazed, concussed.” Not wanting to have to move again, Stanley kidnapped Jamie because he “just needed time to think about what to do. I was never going to hurt him.”
  • Charlie, the brother of one of the victims who was killed by Stanley’s father, tricked Jamie into helping him. Charlie made Jamie believe he was a girl who had a stalker “threatening to kill her.” In reality, Charlie is trying to have Jamie kill Child Brunswick (Stanley) for him. 
  • Charlie finds Pip and Stanley talking in the old barn and Charlie pulls a gun on Stanley. Three months after his sister was found, Charlie explains how his “dad hanged himself. I was the one who found him, after school. My mother couldn’t cope and turned to alcohol and drugs to numb everything out. I almost starved. Within a year I was removed from her care and sent from foster family to foster family . . . By seventeen, I was living on the streets.” 
  • As Charlie holds Stanley at gunpoint, Pip steps in front of Stanley, pleading to Charlie, “Please don’t shoot.” To protect Pip, Stanley pushes her away. Pip pleads with Charlie more, but he does not budge. “Charlie looked at [Pip], watched her crying. And then he lowered the gun. [Charlie] took two heavy breaths. . . then Charlie fired. The sound ripped the earth out from under Pip. . .  He fired again. And again. And again. Again. Again. Until they were just empty clicks. Pip screamed, watching Stanley stagger back off his feet, falling hard against the floor.” Pip tries to save Stanley by performing CPR and placing pressure on the wounds. As she tries to help him, the building bursts into flames and smoke fills the room. “The smoke was getting lower and darker . . . Pip coughed with every breath. But she didn’t let go of him. She held on and she pulled” Stanley out of the burned building. Outside, on the grass, she continues to perform CPR, trying to save Stanley, but unfortunately, Stanley dies. This scene is rather vivid and lasts over a few pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • On her podcast, Pip recounts the trial of Max Hastings and how he drugged his victims. An “expert witness . . . [talked] about the effects of benzodiazepines like Rohypnol . . . The drug acts like a sedative and can have a depressant effect on the body’s central nervous system . . . It feels almost like being separated from your own body, like it just won’t listen to you, your limbs aren’t connected anymore.” Two women who were assaulted by Max, explained they “both only had one or two alcoholic drinks the nights of the” attacks.
  • The night after the memorial, Cara, Pip’s best friend, went to a party and “was so drunk she couldn’t speak in full sentences, not even half sentence, or quarter, broken up by cries or hiccups.” Pip picked up a “drunken, sobbing Cara.” The next morning, Cara texts Pip: “Urgh, been throwing up literally all day.” 
  • The night he went missing at a party, Jamie “went outside to have a cigarette.” 
  • People send Pip videos of the party Jamie went to. One video showed two of Pip’s classmates “downing two bottles of beer” and later playing beer pong. 
  • When Pip tells her parents she is investigating Jamie’s disappearance, they are angry. Pip’s mom reminds her, “you ended up in the hospital, Pippa, with an overdose. They had to pump your stomach.” 
  • Another witness tells Pip they saw Jamie after they “went to [their] buddy’s house on Weevil Road for some takeout and beers.”
  • As Pip stakes out the abandoned barnyard, she encounters three teenagers who regularly hang out there. Pip recognizes one who was “buying drugs from Howie Bowers last year.” She sees all three of them smoking cigarettes. After questioning them, Pip learns that they “carry drugs across state lines” for a local drug dealer and in return get “weed for free.” 

Language   

  • Profanity is used often throughout this book. Profanity includes shit, fuck, bitch, and ass.

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Secret of the Prince’s Tomb

The hot sun and sand of ancient Egypt await Patrick and Beth in their next Imagination Station adventure. The cousins are caught between a terrible ruler and a nation bound for slavery. To help their new friend Tabitha, the cousins must seek out a great secret—one that will give hope to her family and future generations. Their search takes them to an ancient burial vault and . . . a mummy! But the vault is a confusing maze, filled with traps and mysterious symbols. Will the cousins ever get out again to share a life-changing hope? 

Secret of the Prince’s Tomb introduces readers to the time period after Joseph saved the Hebrews from famine. Patrick and Beth “met the Hebrews when everything was about to go all wrong. They were about to spend a long time in slavery. But God still wanted them to keep their hope in him.” Despite the harsh treatment that Hebrews faced, the cousins remind the Hebrews that “even though things are hard now, God is looking out for his people.” 

When Patrick and Beth go back in time, they witness the Egyptian’s harsh treatment of the Hebrew slaves. While the treatment is cruel, the descriptions are not graphic. However, some readers will still be upset by the Egyptian’s treatment of the Hebrew people. Unlike many stories, Secret of the Prince’s Tomb does not have a hopeful conclusion. Instead, the Hebrews will remain in slavery for a long time. Despite this, there is hope because God is still caring for his people.  

The story uses easy vocabulary; however, some readers may have difficulty understanding the complicated plot and how all the pieces fit together. While readers may not understand some of the story’s connections, they will still be entertained by the suspenseful story. Most of the suspense is built by Patrick and Beth running from trouble. However, each time they go into a new situation, they learn more about the time period. They also go inside a pyramid, which adds interest to the story. To help readers understand the time period, black and white illustrations appear every five to fifteen pages. 

Readers interested in history, especially biblical history, will find Secret of the Prince’s Tomb an entertaining book that reinforces biblical principles. While Patrick and Beth are not well-developed characters, the story connects the cousins’ everyday problems to the difficulties of the Hebrew people. Through their experiences, the cousins learn that “God wants me to have hope in Him, not in what happens to me.” Readers interested in learning more about Egypt can jump into the past by reading Escape from Egypt by Wendy Mass.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • The Hebrew people are being discriminated against and forced into slavery. A Hebrew errand boy was “lashed” with a “long, thin rope.” Afterward, the boy “could barely stand.” 
  • While working in the heat, one slave “doubled over and fell to his knees.” When the man is too weak to work, an Egyptian guard “hit the man in the back with the staff.” 
  • Patrick and Beth try to help their friend Tabitha escape slavery. After being caught, Patrick and Beth are arrested. An Egyptian “grabbed a rope from inside the cart. He tied the cousins’ wrists together.” Then, the Egyptian tied them to a cart and took them to a prison cell. The pharaoh’s son, Lateef, later releases them. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • The Imagination Station takes Patrick and Beth back in time. While going back in time, “The clothes you’re wearing will change. They will look right for the time. And you’ll have a few other things you’ll need.”   
  • The Egyptians believed that “whoever opens a tomb will be cursed.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • Patrick and Beth are Christians who “believed in only one God.” 
  • The Egyptians believe in “hundreds of gods,” including the god of the sun and the goddess of the Nile. The pharaoh’s son, Lateef, and others believe that the gods are angry with them, which is the reason they have not had enough rain. Lateef explains, “If the people bring enough sacrifices, the gods will be happy. Then, if the gods choose, they will raise the waters. . . They might send rain.” 
  • Lateef believes that there are “many things” that make the gods unhappy and that “only one thing pleases them: sacrifices.” 
  • Tabitha’s family are Christians. When Patrick and Beth were taken to prison, Tabitha worried about them. When she sees that they are saved, Tabitha says, “God be praised. My family has been praying for you.”  
  • Patrick and Beth sneak into a tomb. When an Egyptian guard chases them, Patrick and Beth blow out their lamp. Then, Beth “said a small prayer asking God to help Patrick’s memory” so they could get out of the pyramid.  
  • While looking at Joseph’s tomb, Beth and Patrick discuss the biblical story. Beth says that Joseph’s “m

Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely

Kara Hendricks and Jordan Ferguson have been best friends since kindergarten. By now—sophomore year—they’re more like sisters, really. Jordan has always been the leader in the friendship, but still she’s the perfect friend. That is until Jordan started hanging out with a new “cool” crowd and decided Kara was a popularity liability. 

Devastated, Kara feels betrayed and abandoned by everyone—even God. How could Jordan do this? Why did God let this happen? Yet for all the hurt and insecurity, these dark blue days contain a life-changing secret. Now that Jordan is gone, Kara has the chance to discover something about herself that she never knew before. But first, she must learn to trust again. It won’t be easy.

Kara’s story deals with universal themes of self-worth, identity, and loneliness that anyone who has suffered a loss will relate to. However, readers may find it difficult to sympathize with Kara because of her self-pitying attitude. When Jordan starts hanging out with the cheerleaders, she tries to include Kara in her new friend group. However, Kara is so uncomfortable that she begins to avoid Jordan. Since Kara’s insecurities drive much of her action, when the friendship finally ends, Kara turns to daydreaming about scenarios that would hurt Jordan. From the start, the girls’ unhealthy relationship is portrayed in a negative manner, so when the friendship ends there is little emotional impact.

Unfortunately, there is nothing unique about Dark Blue’s plot. Instead, it revolves around the typical stereotypes – a goth girl, a nerd, and an academic high achiever. None of the supporting characters are well developed and Kara begins spending time with some of her new friends, not because she truly likes them, but because she’s so desperate not to be alone. The connection between Kara and her new friends feels forced and unauthentic, especially since so many of their conversations are about their belief in God. But through these lunch time discussions, Kara begins to realize that God is the only best friend she needs.

Another negative aspect of Dark Blue is Kara’s long and tedious inner musings. Most of Kara’s interactions with others are short and do little to develop Kara’s personality. Instead, the story has long passages that focus on Kara’s thought process. Because Kara is so caught up in her misery, it is difficult to relate to her. 

Dark Blue reminds readers that God is with us even during difficult times. While it is important to connect with others, only God can fill the emptiness that is inside of us. Once Kara accepts God’s love, she is finally able to look at life in a more positive light. While Dark Blue’s message will resonate with readers, the lack of character development and the typical plot structure are not very memorable. However, readers who are dealing with loss and loneliness will find comfort in the book’s message.

Sexual Content 

  • At school, Kara sees some “couples hanging onto each other like they can’t bear to let go, a few even making out.” 

Violence 

  • Edgar’s mom was up for parole, but it was denied so “she hung herself.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Kara’s friend, Amy, smokes cigarettes and is part of the “pot-smoking Goth group.”
  • When Amy and her friends show up at a school dance, Kara thinks “Some of them are high or drunk or both. Including Amy.” Later, Amy pukes. 
  • Kara’s friend, Edgar, has a father who is a recovering alcoholic and a mother who is in jail for drugs.
  • While talking about Edgar’s home life, Amy says that she’s “used all kinds of lame excuses to get drunk.” 

Language 

  • Freaking, crappy, and crud are used rarely. 

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • When Jordan becomes part of the cheerleading squad, Kara thinks, “Maybe it’s because I prayed that Jordan did so well. Maybe her success was God’s way of getting even with me for being so hopelessly selfish.” 
  • Kara and her friends often discuss their belief in God. For example, during lunch, some of the kids talk about freedom of religion. A girl says, “I don’t think our government should tell us to pray either. But I don’t think they should tell us that we can’t.” The conversation lasts for a page. 
  • Kara asks her friends, “I mean do you think it’s true that you can really have a close relationship with God?” Two kids in the group discuss their beliefs. A boy who goes to church three days a week says, “God made us all unique people. . . I need to go to church a lot and read a lot and pray a lot.” The conversation lasts for three pages. 
  • Because of Kara’s depression, she thinks about giving “this God-thing a shot.” However, she feels like she wants to make a deal with God so her life will go back to the way it was before Jordan dumped her as a friend. Kara thinks, “And I’ve got to wonder whether it’s worth the risk of blowing it with God just because I think I might be able to swing some sort of deal. . . my life is cruddy enough without going and making it worse by messing with someone like God.” Kara’s inner musings last for a page.
  • One of Kara’s friends, Edgar, says, “I think God is calling me to be a missionary.” He then explains why he believes this. The conversation lasts for about a page. 
  • When Amy offers to give Edgar a makeover, he says, “I’ve been asking God to do something to change me. I’ve been praying to become the kind of guy that other people will listen to.” 
  • Edgar considers Jesus his best friend. 
  • Kara goes to church with Edgar. The youth pastor discusses how “God designed us to feel lonely” and only God can fill the lonely ache inside of us. 
  • After the pastor speaks, Kara isn’t sure how to ask Jesus into her heart. The pastor explains how she needs to “invite Jesus to come inside of you. And once you’ve done that, your life will never be the same.” The church scene is described over five pages.
  • Edgar tells Kara that “God wants us to make good choices. . .But most of all I think he just wants us to love him and to let him into all the ordinary and sometimes gory details of our daily life.”

David and the Giant

David and the Giant tells the Bible story in a fun way that is perfect for younger readers. David cares for his father’s sheep. One day, David is given a basket of food to take to his brothers, who are fighting in a war. Goliath demands that the King choose one man to fight him, but all the men are afraid. David, though he is small, will face Goliath.  

David and the Giant is part of the Step into Reading Level Two series, which targets readers in preschool through first grade. Each page features one to three short sentences in large font, making it an easy read. The full-page illustrations use muted colors to bring David’s story to life. Even though David kills Goliath, the illustrations are somewhat comical. However, the pictures do include Goliath being stoned in the head and falling down—dead. 

Parents who want to teach their children Biblical stories will enjoy reading David and the Giant to their children as it teaches that God looks out for his people. The story highlights David’s courage and bravery and shows that God looked after David. Even though David faced many threats, he was without fear because he trusted God. David and the Giant retells David’s story with a simple plot and child-friendly illustrations that children will love. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When a lion tries to eat a sheep, David “killed the lion all by himself.” The illustration shows David using a sling and the rock hitting the lion in the head. 
  • When David went to fight Goliath, Goliath laughed and said, “Let me turn you into food for the birds.” David uses his sling to kill Goliath. The illustration shows David using a sling and the rock hitting Goliath in the head. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language    

  • None

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • David takes care of his father’s sheep and “God looked after David.” 

The Longest Storm

Like many children’s book authors, Dan Yaccarino uses exaggerated characters and situations to show a problem that most young readers can relate to. His story Morris Mole uses a mole in a nice suit to teach readers the importance of embracing their uniqueness. His story Boy + Bot focuses on a boy’s unexpected bond with a robot to show the value of accepting and embracing differences in friendships. In The Longest Storm, Yaccarino uses a violent, persistent storm to educate today’s young readers on an issue unique to their generation – the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Short, heartfelt, and relatable, The Longest Storm follows a nameless family learning to coexist with one another after a sudden storm forces them to stay in their house for an indefinite amount of time. At first, their time inside makes them hopelessly bored. As the storm continues, and the family repeatedly gets in each other’s way, the boredom shifts to irritation.  After the family’s patience with each other finally snaps, each member of the family has a deep desire to be away from one another despite having nowhere to go. In The Longest Storm, readers will find a thoughtful lesson about navigating and communicating their feelings to loved ones at times when words fail, and emotions overwhelm them. 

The book is narrated by an unspecified family member, using simple vocabulary that is easily accessible to new readers. Each page is carefully composed, combining several individual illustrations to show the family’s growing division, and using double-page spreads when the family has finally come to an understanding. The narration is short and concise, using only one to four sentences on each page and relying just as much on the illustrations to tell the story. As the family becomes more and more annoyed with each other, the pages are drawn in progressively brighter shades of red. As the family isolates themselves in their rooms, they are each portrayed in dark, lonely blue hues. 

If you are looking for a book to help your young reader understand the complicated and continuing issue of the pandemic, or if you are simply looking for a book that shows healthy communication, The Longest Storm should satisfy. It is a thinly disguised allegory that will connect with older and younger readers alike and will undoubtedly serve as a helpful lesson to anyone who picks it up.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Star Dunes

A major discovery forces the Explorer Academy into the limelight in The Star Dunes, but Cruz has much more on his mind than fifteen minutes of fame. A new face on board the ship makes Cruz’s worlds collide. On route to Africa, Team Cousteau is now down a major player, and Cruz can’t help but be preoccupied by the hole in his life. The discovery of his mom’s next clue leads him to the most exotic location yet – a vast desert. With no other information to lead the way, an unlikely ally helps Cruz pursue another piece of the puzzle. Then just as things seem like they might turn out alright, Dr. Fanchon Quills has a technological breakthrough that gives Cruz a glimpse into the past and reveals more about his future than he really may want to know. 

In this adventure, Cruz and several other explorers go to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where they learn about how humans have put gorillas in danger. “Habitat loss, war, hunting, disease—they have reduced the entire population of mountain gorillas to two protected areas.” The mission also allows the students to learn about African elephants that are endangered because of. Through the explorers’ experiences, readers will learn about the animals’ loss of habitat and about conservation efforts.  

Cruz’s quest to follow his mother’s clues and find the formula for a lifesaving drug is admirable. However, his single-minded focus and risky behavior continually puts others in danger. In addition, readers may find it difficult to understand Cruz’s unwillingness to be honest about Nebula’s attempt to end his life. Even though Nebula kidnapped Cruz’s father and poisoned Cruz’s friend, Cruz still keeps secrets that could help keep himself and others safe. To make matters worse, none of the adults punish Cruz for repeatedly sneaking off to search for clues. Instead, the adults only focus on Cruz’s positive attributes despite his bad behavior. 

While The Star Dunes is action-packed and the mystery intensifies, this installment of Explorer Academy has many events that are difficult to believe. Nebula has shown that they are smart enough to infiltrate the Academy and repeatedly get access to Cruz’s room, which makes their inability to capture or kill him implausible. In addition, the Academy faculty continually choose Cruz for missions over the other explorers which is unbelievable, especially since Cruz continually breaks the rules.  

Despite The Star Dunes flaws, Cruz’s fast-paced adventure allows readers to experience other cultures as they learn about the importance of wildlife conservation. The well-written story includes illustrations that appear every two to twelve pages. Many of the illustrations are a mix of photographs and drawings, which gives the pictures a touch of realism. The story will appeal to many readers because it includes a diverse cast, interesting technology, and teaches about wildlife. The Star Dunes concludes with Cruz reading a cryptic letter from his mother that will have readers reaching for the next book in the series, The Tiger’s Nest. 

Sexual Content  

  • Before leaving for a mission, Bryndis goes to tell Cruz goodbye. “Cruz found himself looking into her eyes. . . He felt cool lips brush his cheek, and then she was scurrying back down the hall in her polar bear slippers.” 

Violence  

  • While following his mother’s clue, Cruz takes a self-driving car. While on a deserted road, another truck hits them. “They were accelerating, but so was the truck behind them. Cruz could only dig his fingernails into his seat and watch the speedometer rise. . . Suddenly, everything was a blur. Cruz saw white lights and red dust and Dugan’s face and white lights and red rocks and Dugan’s face. . .” After Cruz’s car crashes, the truck takes off. The scene is described over three pages. 
  • While in the desert, two men chase Cruz and Dugan. “Cruz felt a jerk. Someone had a hold of his pack. He tried to pull away but couldn’t. . . Suddenly, his feet were out from under him. He was on his stomach being dragged backward. Cruz was trying not to choke on sand. . .” Both Cruz and Dugan escape. 
  • While on a mission, Cruz and his team see poachers aiming at a pangolin and its pangopups. Cruz “could see the hunter bring the weapon to his shoulder. . . The hunter was lining up the animal in his scope. . .” Cruz orders his mechanical bee, Mell, to attack. Then “the hunters were running in circles, wildly swatting the air around them. . . Mell was still stinging, zipping this way and that to strike her targets. Cruz sprayed the hunters with his octopod. Both cried out, fell to their knees, and threw their hands over their eyes.” The poachers are arrested. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Someone put a deadly toxin in Cruz’s duffle bag, but it was “Bryndis [who] was exposed to the deadly toxin. The poison was absorbed through her skin.” Bryndis is given an antidote, but she is still extremely sick. 

Language    

  • Darn is used once. 
  • After a truck knocks them off the road, Dugan says, “Nothing like some idiot who thinks it’s funny to go around frightening people.”  

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner

Considered the fastest woman of all time, Florence Griffith Joyner, also known as Flo Jo, set two world records in 1988 that still stand today. But getting there wasn’t easy, and Flo Jo had to overcome many challenges along the way. The book begins with Florence’s early childhood when she raced her siblings and the jackrabbits that lived in the Mojave Desert. As she raced the jackrabbits, she “got faster and faster. Then one day she caught a jackrabbit.”

Florence loved running and she loved fashion. When Florence began school, the other kids teased her about her clothes, but Florence’s mother taught her to “just move on.” This mantra served Florence throughout her life. Florence persisted in reaching her goals even when circumstances were unfair. When others doubted her, Florence just worked harder.

After overcoming many obstacles, Florence won silver at the 1984 Olympics for the 200-meter race. Despite medaling, Florence was disappointed in herself. “She did not want to be remembered as being second best,” and she vowed to do better in the next Olympics. Throughout her running career, Florence still had many other interests, including fashion. Florence continued to embrace bright colors and she even “found ways to stand out in her colorfully self-styled track outfits.” In the end, Florence embraced both her love of fashion and her love of running.

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner introduces young readers to an Olympian who was known as the fastest runner in the world. The chapter book gives glimpses of Florence’s early years, her family life, as well as the racial and economic obstacles that she overcame. Through her can-do attitude and her ability to move past hardship, Florence trained and pushed herself until she reached her goals. However, Florence also continued expressing her artistic side through her fashion and by painting, writing, and even acting. In 1993, Florence was named as co-chair to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness; she used this platform to help “educate children about the importance of exercise, healthy eating and excelling.”

Despite those who doubted Florence’s ability, she never gave up. She said, “when anyone tells me I can’t do something. . . I’m just not listening anymore.” Florence’s story will encourage readers to work hard and persevere through difficult situations. Her encouraging story highlights the importance of staying true to yourself. While educating children, Florence said, “I always encourage kids to reach beyond their dreams. Don’t try to be like me. Be better than me.” 

Florence’s story includes fun anecdotes from her childhood that will pull children into the book. To help keep readers engaged, the book has short chapters and black-and-white illustrations that appear every three to five pages. The book is packed full of information about Florence’s life, and while younger readers may not understand the significance of some of the events, they will be inspired by Florence’s attitude and accomplishments. The book ends with advice on how readers can be like Florence.

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner is the perfect book for adults to read to a child. The encouraging book reinforces the importance of persistence as well as teaching other important life lessons. For more inspiring biographies, add these picture books to your list: Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh and Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Joyner’s family moved to the same neighborhood where the Watts Rebellion took place. The rebellion began when “white police officers attempted to arrest a Black motorist who was suspected of drunk driving. A scuffle ensued between the man and the police. . . the scuffle had turned quickly into police brutality.”
  • One of Florence’s competitors, Valerie Brisco, dedicated her races to her brother, who was “a track star who had been killed by a stray bullet while he worked out.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • When Florence won multiple gold medals during the Olympics, “murmurs and whispers spread rapidly. Many believed Florene cheated by using illegal drugs to make her stronger, increase her stamina and allow her to run faster.” Even though all the drug tests came back negative, rumors still spread.

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • When having a difficult time, Florence’s “mother reminded Florence to keep God near, while her father reminded her that she could face any challenge.”
  • For a time, Florence doubted herself which caused her to pray daily. 

Don’t Throw it to Mo!

Mo is the youngest and smallest person on his football team. Most of the time, Mo sits on the bench with Coach Steve. In order to teach Mo how to keep ahold of a slippery ball, Coach Steve spreads butter on a football and has Mo catch it. While watching Mo, some of the players laugh at him, but Mo doesn’t give up.   

During a game, Coach Steve puts Mo into the game but tells the players, “Mo will go deep, but don’t throw to Mo.” The other team doesn’t think they need to cover Mo. One player says, “I’ll wait here. No one would throw to a small butterfingers.”  

When the coach then tells his team to throw the ball to Mo, the other team laughs. They are confident that Mo can’t catch the ball because he’s too small. But Mo does catch the ball and he runs past the goal line. Coach Steve tells Mo, “You won the game. You are the one who caught the ball.” 

Any young child who loves football will want to read Don’t Throw it to Mo! Even though Mo spends most of his time sitting on the bench, Mo has a positive attitude and keeps practicing. When Mo is finally put into a game, readers will wonder why the coach doesn’t let anyone throw to Mo. But when the coach’s plan is finally revealed, readers will cheer for Mo as he makes the winning catch. 

Don’t Throw it to Mo! is for progressive readers who are ready for longer sentences and more in-depth plot development. The story is told with one to five sentences on each page. Each page has a large, colored picture and many of the pictures show how small Mo is compared to the other boys on the team. The pictures show the football action as well as help readers follow the story’s plot. 

This Level 2 reader, about a little black boy with a big passion for sports, is the winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. Sports-loving readers will love the football action, the surprise ending, and the boy who refuses to give up. For more fun sports action, pair Don’t Throw it to Mo! with Pedro’s Big Goal by Fran Manushkin. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Only the Good Spy Young

After the events of last semester, Cammie could use more normal in her life. Well, as normal as the life of a spy-in-training can be. But people are still after Cammie, and she is no closer to finding out why. Even worse, the CIA seems to think Mr. Solomon is working on the side of the enemy. Cammie and her friends struggle to believe it, but true or not, they know it’s long past time for them to find some answers of their own.  

With her mother keeping secrets, an unlikeable new teacher, and Mr. Solomon in question, Cammie doesn’t know who to trust. But she has her roommates, Macey, Bex, and Liz, and the four of them will have to be enough. The stakes are higher than ever as the four friends hack into the booby-trapped sublevels, decode a secret journal, and break into the infamous Blackthorne Institute. There is no room for mistakes. At this level, mistakes are deadly.  

Only the Good Spy Young ramps up the action in an exciting story packed with twists and turns. This installment deepens the mystery and leaves readers wondering why the Circle is trying to kidnap Cammie, if Mr. Solomon is a friend or a foe, and why Zach keeps appearing every time Cammie is in trouble. Cammie feels as if her world is turned upside down and isn’t sure who can be trusted. While the mystery adds suspense, the highlight of Only the Good Spy Young is the relationship between Cammie and her friends—who always have her back. 

Through first-person narration, Carter creates a fun story full of relatable characters and explores teen romance in a wholesome way that is perfect for teens. While the beloved cast is back, this installment gives Zach a prominent role which will leave readers swooning. The moments between Zach and Cammie are adorable. Adding Zach to the spying, action, and danger makes Only the Good Spy Young one of the best books in the series.  

With a strong cast of smart girls, a relatable protagonist, and the perfect blend of humor and suspense, Only the Good Spy Young will keep readers flipping the pages until the very end. Make sure you have the next book, Out of Sight, Out of Time, on hand, because this installment ends on a tantalizing cliffhanger.  

Sexual Content  

  • A teacher “accidentally spilled his latest invisibility concoction over Madame Dabney, and her white blouse was becoming more and more invisible by the second . . . At the front of the room, Madame Dabney (who, by the way, wears way sexier bras than anyone would have guessed) started dabbing at the front of her blouse with an antique tablecloth.”  
  • Zach keeps tabs on Cammie, watching her to make sure she is okay. One time he visits her while ice skating and “pressed his lips hard against my forehead for a split second—nothing more—and when he finally let me go and disappeared back into the trees, I thought that I might fall.”  
  • Before a dangerous mission, Cammie and Zach kiss. Cammie “kissed him—longer and deeper than I ever had before . . . we were just two people kissing as if for the first time, as if it might be the last.”  
  • Zach kisses Cammie goodbye at the start of summer vacation. “And then his arms were around me. When he kissed me it was hungrier somehow, as if this moment was all we had, and we had to taste it, drink it, savor it, and not waste a single drop.” 

Violence  

  • When Cammie finds a stranger in her room, she goes on the defense. Cammie “stepped back and grabbed the arm that grabbed at me, spinning, using my attacker’s own momentum to fling him through the open bathroom door and to the other side of our room. He smashed into a dresser and sent a lamp crashing to the floor . . . before he could say a word, a Louis Vuitton suitcase came flying into our room, struck the man squarely on his face, and dropped him to the floor like a stone.” Macey heard the struggle and threw her suitcase at the man, who turns out to be a new teacher at the school. His face is bruised, but he is okay.  
  • When Cammie meets the man responsible for her father’s death, she “brought my hand up along the side of his face—hard. It was just a slap—nothing special. Hardly something they would ever teach in P&E. And yet I felt like doing it again.” 
  • A member of the Circle interrogates Mr. Solomon. “The woman struck Mr. Solomon’s face so hard that blood sprayed across the room.”  
  • Cammie and Zach fight Zach’s mother, the leader of a splinter group of the Circle, and her henchmen. Their struggle takes place over three pages. Cammie describes, “I parried away another of [Zach’s mother’s] blows, and when I countered, I landed a swift punch to her kidney and another to her face . . . Across the room, Zach had taken an old sword from the wall and was fighting two men at once.” Both Zach and Cammie eventually get away, and are okay.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Cammie and her roommates drug an apple with truth serum, then interrogate their teacher/suspect. “It took four seconds for Liz to take the syringe from her bag. Her hands were shaking as I pulled the apple from my tray and held it beneath the table.” After their teacher eats the apple, they ask him some questions.  

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Okay Witch

Thirteen-year-old Moth loves everything witchy. She spends much of her time watching shows and reading books about witches, but she soon discovers that witches are not the stuff of spooky stories, movies, and fantasy. 

After a run-in with some eighth-grade bullies, something strange happens. Moth soon discovers she is a witch and her town, Founder’s Bluff, has a centuries-long drama with witches. If that’s not surprising enough, her family is at the center of it all. When Moth’s powers show up, things get strange. She finds a magic diary, meets a talking cat, and discovers a hidden witch world. Through these, Moth unravels more secrets from generations past, learning more about the town, her family’s history, and herself. 

The graphic novel The Okay Witch focuses on Moth, allowing the readers insight into Founder’s Bluff, the history of the witches, and how Moth acclimates to being a witch. Readers will relate to the seemingly fast and strange changes in Moth’s life. Moth is excitable, passionate, and stubborn. She butts heads with her mother occasionally. Moth’s mother doesn’t want her to get involved with “witch-stuff” because Moth’s mother thinks that “witch-stuff” is dangerous. However, by listening to her mother and her grandmother, Moth realizes her mother was trying to make her more aware of the attention her powers will bring and the weight of the responsibility in learning the history of the witches.

The drawings in this graphic novel are colorful and do an excellent job of portraying the characters’ emotions through their facial expressions. Reluctant readers may like that most pages do not have words but instead tell the story through drawings. Readers will love the switches from soft pastels to saturated colors, which not only makes the characters pop off the page but also makes it easier to tell the difference between the diary entries and the real world. 

Moth learns about her family history, her grandmother’s cohort of witches, and how Moth herself fits into it. Her grandmother and mother have figured out where they feel they belong in terms of being with or without their kind; now Moth gets to find the answer for herself. When Moth’s grandmother tells her about finding solidarity with the witches, Moth decides to watch and think about what she wants to do with her magic. Through this interaction between Moth and her grandmother, The Okay Witch shows the importance of family and legacy as well as the personal choice each person must make in order to make life fulfilling. 

Though many readers will enjoy reading the graphic novel The Okay Witch, the plot is not unique and there is too much focus on Moth’s understanding of the past and not enough focus on the present consequences of being a modern-day witch. While not unique, The Okay Witch is a good story for readers who like stories about the everyday lives of fictional witches. Readers who enjoy graphic novels about friendship should also read Stargazing by Jen Wang. Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly tells a unique story involving a witch, and readers who want to know more about historical witches should read What Were the Salem Witch Trials by Joan Holub.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Mayor Kramer kidnapped Moth’s mother. Moth goes to the Kramer residence to get her mother back. However, she badmouths Mayor Kramer’s family’s ancestors and ends up angering the ghosts living in the paintings. The ghosts are depicted grabbing Moth and holding her up against a pillar. 
  • To help her daughter, Moth’s mother distracts the ghosts and is seen whacking them with several objects, including a potted plant and a sword, to no avail. Moth and her mother use magic to eradicate the ghosts. The ghosts are seen disintegrating into tiny, green pieces that eventually disappear. This scene occurs over seven pages.
  • To attempt to defeat Moth and her mother, the ghosts try to possess Moth’s friend but fail. However, they succeed in possessing the mayor. The possessed mayor lifts Moth’s mother up to a broken window to throw her out of it, but Moth, in desperation, uses magic to get rid of the ghosts. The ghosts are seen going up in green smoke. This scene lasts for two pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • Two students call Moth “Mothball.” 
  • A bully calls Moth and her friend “mutants.”
  • A girl says “OMG.”
  • Judge Nathaniel Kramer, one of the mayor’s ancestors, calls the witches “she-devils.”

Supernatural 

  • Moth Hush is a witch, like her mother and grandmother. She spends a lot of time around her mother, who doesn’t want her to practice magic. However, Moth learns a lot of spells when her mother isn’t looking. Throughout the course of the story, she uses a lot of charms and spells. In short, she involves herself with magic whenever she can. As such, not all instances of magic will be listed here. 
  • Witches cast magic spells in many ways. The magic can be done non-verbally with intent behind the spell, incantations, gestures, or a mix of the three. For example, Moth’s grandmother levitates a few photographs by lifting her hand. 
  • There is a realm called Hecate where the witches from Moth’s grandmother’s cohort live. The witches offered a piece of themselves to Hecate, the goddess of magic, in order to seek refuge from the regular humans that were trying to hurt them. 
  • When someone dies, “their spirit may still hang around if they have unfinished business. . . Some ghosts possess bodies and objects and buildings.” For example, Mr. Laszlo is a ghost because he wanted to help Moth be the best witch she can be. He possesses a black cat and shares the body of the cat.   

Spiritual Content 

  • Moth’s grandmother tells a story about how the Sun became good. “Once the Moon was the only light in the world, and there was only night. Until the Moon was called away on business by our dear Hecate. So Moon said to her daughter Sun, ‘Keep watch over the world. Be a good girl and go around the whole thing. But forget not that you are precious, bright and fearful hot. If you get too close to the things below, you’ll burn them up in your fire.’”  

A Dandelion Wish

Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Gabby are special girls. They know how to travel between their hometown and Never Land—through a broken slat in a backyard fence. But what happens when the fence is repaired . . . with one of the girls stuck on the Never Land side?  

Mia sneaks out to Never Land and brings a fairy home. When Gabby finds out, the two girls get into a fight and Gabby decides to go to Never Land alone. When Mia’s father fixes the fence, she calls on her friends—and the fairy—to help. Determined to keep Gabby’s disappearance from her parents, Mia and her friends sneak around, sabotage a lawn mower, and eventually find a new way into Never Land. 

While Mia is trying to find a way to rescue her sister, Gabby is having an adventure with the fairy Iridessa. Many readers will relate to Iridessa, who gets flustered when things don’t go according to plan. When Iridessa is put in charge of watching Gabby, the fairy is surprised at how the girl keeps disappearing. Iridessa is upset that her plans have been interrupted because “planning was how you went about making sure things turned out as you wanted.” However, because of Gabby’s inquisitive nature, Iridessa isn’t able to follow her plan. Eventually, Iridessa realizes, “If it weren’t for Gabby, she never would have seen the dancing fireflies or the trail of wishes. Those things hadn’t been part of her plan, but Iridessa wouldn’t have wanted to miss them for the world.”  

The chapter book has ten short chapters. While the short chapters and illustrations make the story accessible to readers, younger readers may need help with the vocabulary. Cute black and white illustrations appear every one to four pages, which helps bring the fairy magic to life. The illustrations will help readers visualize the story’s plot. 

Young readers will enjoy A Dandelion Wish because of its fun cast of characters that include both clumsys and fairies. Gabby’s adventure into Never Land is full of wonder and her sister’s search for a way into Never Land adds suspense. In the end, Gabby and Mia get over their argument and learn to appreciate each other. However, parents may not like all of Mia’s sneaking around and her desire to keep her parents unaware of Gabby’s disappearance. Despite this, A Dandelion Wish’s high-interest topic, relatable conflict, and friendship among the girls will keep young readers entertained until the end. Readers who would enjoy another entertaining series focused on friendship should check out Purrmaids by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language    

  • Lainey and her friends think an elderly neighbor is a witch. 

Supernatural 

  • Never Land is “an island that has a mind of its own.”  
  • There is a hole in a fence that can be used to travel to Never Land. “No one knew how the passage between the two worlds had come to be—not even the fairies. . .” 
  • The fairy Rosetta is a garden fairy who “can make any flower bloom [and] hear the secrets inside a seed.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Tea Dragon Festival

A worthy sequel to the debut graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society, The Tea Dragon Festival immerses readers in a charming fantasy realm where humans and dragons dwell in harmony. Readers may recognize cheerful bounty hunters, Hese and Erik, from the previous installment in the series, but the couple appears noticeably younger and are able-bodied, as this story takes place before Erik’s debilitating injury in battle. 

New characters include Rinn, a young chef learning to use natural ingredients in their recipes with the help of their grandmother, Gramman. While foraging in the woods outside of Silverleaf Village, Rinn stumbles upon a shapeshifting creature named Aedhan who has been asleep for eighty years. Aedhan belongs to the Shining Wing clan of dragons, whose duty it is to oversee the Tea Dragon Festival and protect Silverleaf Village. 

Soon Hese and Erik arrive from their bounty hunting escapades and reveal that they have been tracking a forest spirit that has the power to make its victims sleep for decades without aging. They follow clues to a magical glade and tell the spirit that if it wants to share memories of its flourishing species from thousands of years ago, it should make people dream for a matter of hours rather than decades. The creature bows its head and leaves peacefully. 

When it is time for the Tea Dragon Festival to begin, the village sets up decorations and shares a bounteous feast of home-cooked recipes made from foraged ingredients and tea leaves that will allow Aedhan to glimpse the memories and events during the eighty years he was asleep. Rinn and Aedhan share this meaningful meal and notice their new feelings for one another. Rinn decides that they would rather enjoy cooking as a hobby than as a vocation. Hese and Erik set out on new adventures hinting at the events of the other two books in this lovable trilogy. 

Nonbinary readers will likely identify with Rinn, as well as Aedhan, who remarks that dragons are capable of shifting between male and female forms. Queerness is not called into question or judged in their world. The Tea Dragon Festival also provides positive representation for disabled people, especially the deaf or hard-of-hearing and users of sign language. 

Like in The Tea Dragon Society, O’Neill’s endearing artistic style continues to immerse readers in a flourishing realm that values family, traditions, nature, and following one’s heart. The story is introduced with an author’s note about the depiction of sign language in italicized captions, to distinguish it from verbal dialogue without diminishing its value as a form of communication. 

The Tea Dragon Festival is an adorable companion to its precedent and fluently builds readers’ curiosity about the third installment in the trilogy. Although the premise of making peace with the forest spirit rather than slaying it is appealing, its execution is anticlimactic. The story does not explain how Hese and Erik avoid succumbing to slumber in their encounter with the creature, nor how they manage to communicate with it. Other than this oversight, this graphic novel shows an impressive capacity for storytelling, art, and positive representation. 

Sexual content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • Aedhan fights off a large griffin to protect Rinn and their little sibling, drawing blood from a painful gash. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • When brewed into tea, leaves harvested from the small household pets known as tea dragons have the power to send the drinker into a trance and glimpse their own memories or past events experienced by those around them. 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • The book includes multiple fantasy creatures, such as shape-shifting dragons, anthropomorphic birds, and humans with features like tails, horns, furred ears, or goat legs. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

What We Saw

When best friends Abbi and Skylar witness a clandestine meeting between a mysterious woman and someone in a dark van, they’re thrilled. Finally, a mystery to spice up the summer!

Who could these people be? Why are they meeting? Are they spies? Criminals? The two girls are determined to find out. But then a local woman goes missing and is found dead in the woods. And Abbi and Skylar realize that their detective work could hold the keys to solving her murder. Suddenly, sleuthing isn’t so fun anymore.

As tensions rise and their friendship frays, the girls find themselves in increasing danger, and must choose between keeping a secret or exposing a life-altering truth.

What We Saw is told from Abbi’s point of view and her best friend, Skylar, also plays a significant role. Nevertheless, readers may have a difficult time relating to either of the girls. Of the two, Skylar is more adventurous, but she is also jaded because her father is a “cheater.” On the other hand, Abbi is more fearful and often follows Skylar’s lead, even when she knows she shouldn’t. Both girls are secretive and hide things from their mothers because they don’t want to get into trouble. Even when the girls realize they have information about the missing woman, the girls don’t come forward at first. Both girls are immature and self-absorbed which makes it difficult to connect with them.

When Abbi discovers who killed her teacher, Ms. Sullivan, Abbi’s only concern is not letting her mom find out what she’s been up to. Instead of telling her mother the truth, she keeps quiet because “right now, I need a mom who loves me, not one who’s too mad at me to care if I go to jail. I’ll lie my head off to keep her on my side as long as I can.” First of all, Abbi isn’t thinking clearly since she has done nothing illegal. Secondly, Abbi’s mother is portrayed as a reasonable, caring parent who isn’t going to hate her daughter. In fact, when Abbi’s mother finds out part of the truth, she tells Abbi that she will never hate her.

While What We Saw is supposed to be a thriller, there is very little suspense besides the description of the creepy woods that is close to the girls’ treehouse. Instead, Abbi focuses on the typical boring events of the summer—going to the pool, going to the mall, and hanging out with Skylar. In addition, the story often goes off on an unnecessary tangent such as Abbi thinking about the books she’s reading. Another example is when Abbi sees her art teacher leaving Victoria’s Secret and thinks, “She’s my teacher. I don’t want to know she wears lacy bras or sexy lingerie.” These events slow down the pace and do little to advance the plot. 

To make matters worse, the story’s conclusion doesn’t show any personal growth in Abbi. When Abbi goes to Ms. Sullivan’s funeral, Abbi still focuses on herself. Abbi misses her teacher and thinks about Ms. Sullivan’s paintings, but she’s not concerned about the other people who are affected by her death. After the funeral, Abbi thinks of “Skylar and me and the strange distance that’s opened between us. . . I wonder what eighth grade will be like.” Unfortunately, What We Saw lacks the suspense and mystery that is typical in Mary Downing Hahn’s stories. Mystery-loving fans will want to skip What We Saw and instead explore a book with more depth and insight. For a mystery wrapped up in suspense, you can read The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel by Sheela Chari or Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter by Beth Fantaskey.

Sexual Content 

  • As the girls are biking through town, a “beat-up red pickup slows down long enough for the driver to bang on his door and yell something gross at us.” Skylar says the person is “a perv.”
  • Skylar’s father is a “cheater” who ran off with a woman. Skylar brings this up often.
  • Skylar and Abbi are in a tree house when they see two cars stop at the end of a dead-end road. Skylar says, “Maybe the woman is married and she’s meeting the man in secret. Or maybe he’s the one who’s married. Or they both could be married—to other people.”
  • Abbi watches a news report on her teacher’s death. “Ms. Sullivan was assaulted and killed in the woods near Marie Drive. A thirteen-year-old boy found her body under a pile of branches and trash near the train tracks.” 
  • Skyler thinks that two of her teachers, Ms. Sullivan and Mr. Boyce, were having an affair. She says, “Ms. Sullivan was a cheater, too. She knew he was married, she knew he had a kid, but all she cared about was breaking up his marriage so he could be with her. In some ways, she’s worse than he is.”

Violence 

  • Two mean boys from Skylar’s school, Carter and Jason, see the girls on their bikes. “Jason tightens his grip on Skylar’s handlebars, and Carter blocks me. . . Carter makes a move to grab my [Abbi’s] backpack, and I duck away. My feet tangle in the pedals and the bike and I topple over.” Abbi has blood “running down my leg from a cut.” 
  • Skylar finds her brother smoking pot with some of his friends. Her brother says, “Calm down, Skylar, it’s just pot. It’s legal in some places now.”
  • While at Dairy Queen, a man named Paul “grabs Jason by the shirt and says, ‘Keep it up and I’ll punch your face in.’” Abbi’s mom’s boyfriend jumps in and calms Paul down. The boyfriend says that Paul “has issues…Drugs and stuff.”
  • Carter and Jason see Skylar and Abbi coming down the treehouse ladder. As Jason goes up the ladder, he grabs Abbi’s backpack and she falls “not far enough to kill me, but it hurt when I landed hard on my butt.”
  • Carter and Jason get into a fight. “Jason punches Carter, and Carter punches him back. They grab each other like wrestlers and grunt and strain and struggle until Jason’s face turns so red I think he’s dying of heatstroke.” Abbi breaks up the fight.
  • Skylar and Abbi follow Carter and Jason into the woods where they see an old trailer house. A drug dealer, Paul, and his dog Diablo appear and when Diablo smells the kids, they all run. Paul shoots at them as they leave. Skylar, Abbi and Jason stay together, but Carter runs off in another direction.
  • Jason tells the girls how Ms. Sullivan died. After Ms. Sullivan wanders into the woods, she finds Paul’s old trailer. Then, Paul sees her. “He must’ve been out of his mind on drugs. . . He accused her of being after his drug money. . . he hit her. And he hit her, and he hit her again, and he just kept hitting her. And she was yelling, fighting back, but, but—”
  • A police officer tells Abbi that Paul is in jail. When the police went to arrest Paul, they found Carter “badly beaten. He’s in the hospital being treated for severe dog bites and fractures.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • A boy at school smokes cigarettes.
  • Skylar found pot in her brother’s bedroom. Later, Skylar’s brother tells her, “Buying that stuff was a once-in-a-lifetime mistake.”
  • Twice during dinner, Abbi’s mom and her boyfriend have a beer.
  • Skylar and Abbi go to their teacher’s house to get advice. In his kitchen, “the recycling bin overflows with beer cans.” Later, when they go back to his house, Abbi notices that he “smells like beer and coffee.”
  • Carter and Jason were selling drugs for Paul. 

Language   

  • The kids in the story occasionally call other people names such as moron, jerk, druggie, and idiot.
  • Carter blows cigarette smoke in Abbi’s face and says “Bowwow, ugly dog.” 
  • Hell is used once.
  • Jason says that Paul is a “freaking crazy man. A psycho.” 
  • Oh my God is used as an exclamation twice.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • When Abbi finds out her teacher was murdered, she asks, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to people like her? I don’t understand.”
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