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Trick or Cheat?

Harris is excited about sharing the traditions of Halloween with Zeke. Zeke discovers that he can use his true form for his “costume.” Zeke wants Harris to have an amazing costume, so Zeke uses his powers to create a costume for Harris. Now Roxy feels left out because she and Harris always make their costumes together.

When Halloween finally arrives, Roxy is still upset with Harris. To make matters worse, another student is jealous of Zeke’s costume and tries to ruin it. Can Harris and Roxy keep Zeke’s costume from being destroyed? Who will win the Halloween costume contest?

Harris is the only human that knows that Zeke is an alien. When Zeke goes to school as his true self, others wonder about his “costume.” Will Zeke be able to keep his identity a secret? Readers will keep turning the pages to discover the answer. The story doesn’t just revolve around Zeke’s “costume,” but also focuses on Roxy’s hurt feelings. Even though Roxy is upset with her friends, she still helps them. Readers will learn that friends can be upset with each other and not want to talk to each other; this doesn’t mean that the friendship is over.

Readers will be drawn to the book because of the cute cover and the black and white illustrations that appear on every page. The fun illustrations will help readers recognize the characters’ emotions. The story will keep the reader engaged with its fast-paced plot, large font, simple vocabulary, and short chapters. Although Trick or Cheat? is the fourth installment of the series, the story can be enjoyed without reading the previous books. The humorous story is perfect for students who are transitioning to chapter books.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A student puts a bag of flour over a door. The student was trying to destroy Zeke’s costume, but instead, “it fell right on top of Mr. Mulvaney. A cloud of white exploded right on the gym teacher’s head, and Zeke looked over to see him covered in flour.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • Zeke is an alien who can change shape. Zeke explains, “People from Tragas have the ability to change our appearance. We can make ourselves look like the inhabitants of whatever planet we’re currently on.”
  • Zeke used his power to “redirect” a bag of flour.

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Bounce Back

Zayd has been working hard to prove that he can lead his team to the playoffs. When he injures his ankle, he’s forced to watch from the sidelines. Zayd feels as if his basketball dreams will never come true.  As Zayd watches from the bench, he struggles to figure out what his role is. Should he give his teammates advice or just cheer from the sidelines?

Zayd’s story focuses on Zayd’s basketball team as well as his Uncle Jamal’s upcoming wedding. The story shows basketball action and Zayd’s family life. Bounce Back gives readers a glimpse into the life of a large Pakistani family. Every member of Zayd’s family helps with Jamal’s wedding plans, and Zayd discovers that helping choreograph a dance is much like coaching basketball.

Bounce Back has less basketball action and focuses more on the changing dynamics of Zayd’s family. His father has a minor heart attack and has a difficult time finding the energy to exercise. Zayd and his sister think of a clever way to get their grandfather up and moving. The strong family bonds shine through and give the story more depth.

Even though Zayd cannot play, his parents make him support his team by attending practices and games. Zayd struggles with feeling jealous when he watches someone play in his position. Zayd says, “You don’t know how horrible it feels to sit there and watch and not play.” Despite the feelings of jealousy, in the end, Zayd learns the importance of helping his team despite his injury. Zayd’s coach is also portrayed in a positive light and leads his team to the playoffs without screaming or demeaning the players.

Readers can enjoy Bounce Back even if they have not read the previous books in the series. The easy-to-follow plot will engage readers. Zayd is a likable, relatable character that tells his story with humor and honesty. Bounce Back teaches the importance of helping others, even if it is from the sidelines. Some readers who enjoyed the Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream Series may also want to read The Contract Series by Derek Jeter.

Sexual Content

  • When Zayd’s uncle gets married, Zayd asks, “Dude, aren’t you supposed to, like, kiss the bride.” People laugh and then the imam says, “How about they. . . ahem. . . celebrate in private later.”

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Zayd’s mother says, “Oh thank God. Then he sees her “mouthing a prayer.”
  • When Zayd’s grandfather becomes ill, his mother asks someone to “keep my father in your prayers.”
  • Zayd sees his grandmother. “She has her scarf on her hair and is praying. A worn copy of the Quran is sitting next to her.”

Fire and Ice

Fireheart has fulfilled his heart’s desire and is now a full member of ThunderClan. Fireheart and his friend Graystripe have their paws full with being newly anointed warriors. But Fireheart cannot forget WindClan’s disappearance. Soon he and Graystripe find themselves on a mission to go find WindClan. It is a perilous journey.

Adding more weight to Fireheart’s shoulders, is Graystripe’s secret romance. The two warriors have been given apprentices, but with Graystripe constantly sneaking off to meet a she-cat from another Clan, Fireheart is forced to train Graystripe’s apprentice in addition to his own. The weight of the world is on Fireheart’s shoulders, tensions are high between the clans, and rogue cats are threatening everything. In this exciting installment of the Warriors series, Fireheart faces not only an imminent battle, but betrayal from within his own Clan.

As the second installment of the Warriors series, Fire and Ice continues from where Into the Wild ended. The book continues to take the reader into the fantasy world of the cat clans. As readers progress through the books, they will become attached to the characters. Even though the story revolves around cats, the characters are relatable and deal with many human conflicts. The cats have to tackle issues relating to loyalty to oneself as well as others. Readers will relate to the characters who feel alone and different from everyone else. Fire and Ice contains mystery, good, evil, secrets, and love.

Fire and Ice matches the previous installment of the Warriors book with action, an important mission, and secret romance, creating a high-stakes story. The plot has several surprising developments. As readers get further introduced to the warrior social hierarchy with Fireheart and Graystripe’s new apprentices, they will fall in love with the characters and identify with them. Get ready for book three, Forest of Secrets, because readers will be clamoring for more after finishing Fire and Ice.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • While traveling back home through RiverClan territory, Fireheart and Graystripe get into a fight. “The RiverClan warrior raked his side with sharp claws. Fireheart twisted and bit into the fur of his attacker. He clamped his jaws tight and heard the warrior yowl, but the other cat’s claws only raked him more fiercely.” The whole fight takes three pages. One cat dies because they fell into the gorge while fighting.
  • Brokenstar came to invade ThunderClan’s camp. The battle took five pages. “Fireheart leaped straight for Brokenstar and grasped the dark brown tabby with his claws. Life as an outlaw had treated the former Clan leader harshly-Fireheart could feel the ribs of the flea-bitten tom beneath his fur. Bur Brokenstar was still strong. He twisted around and sank his teeth into Fireheart’s hind leg. Fireheart yowled and hissed with rage, but kept his grip. Brokenstar struggled forward, scrambling with his paws on the frozen ground. Fireheart felt his claws raking along Brokenstar’s bony flanks as the rogue warrior ripped himself free. Fireheart lunged after him, but other claws were grasping at his hindlegs.”
  • ShadowClan and RiverClan attacked WindClan. ThunderClan came to help in the battle that goes on for six and a half pages. “Fireheart spotted Morningflower wrestling with a ShadowClan warrior. The WindClan queen looked exhausted and frightened, her fur standing in ragged clumps. Still, she nimbly turned and scratched her attacker, but he was much bigger and knocked her easily to the ground with a heavy blow. With a howl, Fireheart leaped and landed squarely on the shoulders of the Shadowclan tom. He clung on when the surprised warrior spun and tried to shake him loose. Morningflower raked the tom with her claws as Fireheart dragged him to the ground. The ShadowClan warrior screeched and ripped himself free. He ran into the prickly camp wall and pushed his way through.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • When angry, the cats occasionally call each other terms such as mouse dung, crowfood, furball, and mouse brain. For example, Bluestar got angry and said, “What a mouse-brained fool.”
  • Two cats were in an argument, and one said, “You’re a mouse-brained fool.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • StarClan is the heavenly tribe of dead warrior cats that watches over all the cat clans. Cats that die go to StarClan and can come back in dreams to share visions or prophecy. StarClan can help shape fate because they can see the future.
  • StarClan must accept new leaders. “Hasn’t he been accepted by StarClan yet?”
  • StarClan sends Barkface, the medicine cat, a message saying, “There is trouble ahead. This day shall bring an unnecessary death.”
  • A Clan leader gets nine lives. Bluestar lost one of her lives, and now she only has one more life left.
  • StarClan got angry that cats were fighting at a gathering, so they sent clouds to cover the moon. “StarClan sent clouds to cover the moon.”
  • A cat had to go and find a patrol and Fireheart said to him, “May StarClan go with you.”
  • When there was a warrior ceremony, Bluestar said, “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names.”
  • Spottedleaf, the dead medicine cat, came to Fireheart in a dream and said, “A battle is coming, Fireheart. Beware a warrior you cannot trust.

by Paige Michelle

 

The Wild Robot

ROZZUM unit 7134, more frequently referred to as Roz, is the sole surviving robot of a shipwreck that lost nearly two hundred other robots. The island Roz is stranded on is devoid of any human life, but there are a wide variety of wild animals who all see Roz as a monster. Eventually, Roz begins to blend in with the animals, and she even learns how to speak like them. Roz soon becomes a part of the island.

The harmony Roz and the animals enjoy does not last very long. A ship spots Roz, and three “RECO” robots are deployed to bring her back to society. The RECO units will use force to get Roz to leave, but she wants to stay with the animals she has grown so attached to. In addition to raising a gosling, surviving winter, and almost becoming an animal, Roz now has to survive an encounter with her own kind.

The Wild Robot is, at first glance, a seemingly lighthearted book about a robot learning to live alongside animals. Even though Roz has many human qualities, she is not entirely relatable due to her robotic nature. However, readers will relate to Roz being in a new environment and not knowing what to do.  Like many people, Roz must adapt and overcome obstacles. Through her struggles, Roz receives help from the animals on the island and learns the value of friendship. They endure numerous hardships together, including death and violence between animals. Death is presented in the book, but the characters die in relatively tame ways and learn to cope with the loss of their friends and even parents in a healthy way.

Even though the story focus on a robot, it provides themes that can easily be related to the real world. The Wild Robot explores the difficulties of integrating into a new setting, as well as an adopted family between a robot and a gosling. Roz and the animals have to trust each other when outsiders threaten their home, and they become closer as a result. The Wild Robot creates an environment of diverse characters that cooperate for a common good.

The Wild Robot tells its story through short chapters that describe events at a rapid pace. With short sentences, chapters, and simple vocabulary, the book is very easy to read. The pictures in the book are sprinkled throughout the chapters, and they are drawn in a cute comic style depicting the events that Roz and the animals experience.

Peter Brown has created a story of an outsider overcoming prejudice, and he has done so in both a tranquil and thrilling way. The Wild Robot introduces characters who are not humans but think and act like humans. Although the story isn’t full of excitement, Brown keeps the reader’s attention through beautiful descriptions of the island, diverse characters, and a unique plot, ultimately creating a powerful story. Instead of having a happy ending, the conclusion is open-ended which allows the reader to come to their own conclusions as to what Roz will do. Roz’s next adventure continues in the second book in the series, The Wild Robot Escapes.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • There is no violence between humans, but there are multiple instances of violence occurring with robots described in a human way. For example, during a shipwreck, “Robot limbs and torsos were flung onto ledges. A robot head splashed into a tide pool. A robot foot skittered into the waves.”
  • The protagonist of the story observes “vultures hunched over carcasses.”
  • A fox recounts his attack of a porcupine, “I didn’t think that porcupine could see me in the bushes, but when I went for his throat, suddenly there were quills in my face.”
  • The main character falls into a goose nest, leaving “two dead geese and four smashed eggs among the carnage.”
  • Again, the main character is a robot with human attributes but still faces violence. Two bears “slashed at Roz’s body” at one point.
  • In the aftermath of a harsh winter, Roz finds “A frozen mouse. A frozen bird. A frozen deer,” as well as several other animals that have frozen to death.
  • After the snow from the aforementioned winter melts away, the frozen creatures become visible, and “their corpses were slowly revealed.”
  • A farmer with a rifle shoots a goose, described from the animals’ perspective as “a bright beam of light [shooting] out from the rifle, and Longneck slumped to the floor.”
  • A goose is “plucked by her foot and flung to the ground” by a robot.
  • A rifle is pulled apart, and a “blinding explosion” results in “Roz’s arms and legs… completely blown off.”
  • Geese surround a rifle and pick it up, then use it to shoot a robot, creating “a beam of light” that left the robot’s chest “glowing brilliant orange… melting and oozing down his front.”
  • An opossum “rolled onto her back, stuck out her tongue, and died,” although it was only faking its death.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • There are numerous instances of animals defecating, such as a robin “splatter[ing] her droppings across the robot’s face.”
  • Roz is called a “monster” and a “creature” by the animals multiple times.
  • Mr. Beaver is called “rude and stubborn.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

by Dylan Chilcoat

Showtime!

The King and Queen have asked Sasha to plan the Summer Solstice celebration. The celebration will bring the horses of Verdant Valley and Crystal Cove together. But Sasha has never planned a big party before. Even though she has a list to help her plan, there is a lot to be done before the party. Will Sasha be able to plan the perfect party?

Most of the conflict revolves around Sasha, who chooses her sister, Poppy, to perform in a special dance, which makes another horse angry. As Poppy prepares to dance, it becomes clear that someone is trying to sabotage her. The saboteur destroys Poppy’s property and gives Poppy food to make her sick. When the sabotage is discovered, the horse said, “I was wrong to try to stop her from being able to perform so I could get what I wanted.” Although the sabotage is revealed, the horse doesn’t receive any consequences for the bad behavior.

Younger readers will enjoy reading about flying horses and will be able to relate to the conflict between friends. Cute black and white pictures appear on every page. The simple sentence structure and vocabulary make Showtime an easy-to-read chapter book. If your little reader enjoys horse books, The Unicorn Princesses would also make a good choice.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • A horse stands on “his huge magic flying leaf” so he can go on to Mystic Mountain with the flying horses.
  • Horses who live in Crystal Cove eat food with magic in it.

Spiritual Content

  • None

Too Big to Hide

Frank and Sam spend the summers with their grandparents, who own the Dinosaur Education Center of Wyoming. They must keep Peanut, a baby dinosaur, hidden. This is made more difficult when Frank and Sam’s grandparents find a new fossil, prompting a family of scientists to show up. The scientists want to make a documentary about the new fossil. How can Frank and Sam hide Peanut from the scientists?

Readers who are new to chapter books will enjoy Too Big to Hide, with its easy vocabulary, short sentences, and black and white illustrations. The illustrations appear every 2 to 4 pages, which helps break up the text. Even though the text doesn’t indicate race, the illustrations depict the visiting scientists as African-American, adding diversity to the story.

This book teaches some new vocabulary words and also contains a glossary of dinosaur-related vocabulary at the back of the book. Readers will enjoy watching Peanut get into mischief and will like Frank’s positive interactions with his family, his dinosaur, and his cat. For readers who dream of being a paleontologist, The Dino Files has dinosaur facts scattered throughout the story. Younger readers will be able to follow the simple, suspenseful storyline and will want to read the third book in the series, It’s Not a Dinosaur.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Into the Wild

Four Clans of wild cats share the forest. Their ancestors created the Warrior Code, an unbreakable law of the forest that all warrior cats must follow. But the warrior code has been threatened, and because of it, ThunderClan cats are in danger, and warriors are dying mysterious deaths. As the division between the clans widens, Bluestar is desperate to discover the truth behind the deaths and save her clan.

As tensions rise, a new cat appears. Rusty is just a typical pet who lives with the twolegs, but he dreams about living in the forest. When he meets ThunderClan, he is eager to join them, but first, he must fight to win acceptance by a clan that doesn’t want him. Will he be allowed to join ThunderClan? Can Rusty prove himself a brave warrior, or will his kittypet origins be his downfall?

Readers that pick up Into the Wild will jump into a wild forest that is ruled by cats. The fast-paced story shows the world from the cats’ point of view and uses realistic cat terminology. The cats’ world is beautifully described and has strong male and female characters. What truly makes this book (and series) worth reading again and again, is the character development and the surrounding drama. Fluent readers will adore Into the Wild because of the exciting battles, tense drama, and wide cast of characters. The cats often battle, and although the fighting is not gory, some of the evil cats scheme to raise their status by killing, manipulating, and deceiving others. Such actions are always portrayed in a negative light.

Readers will especially fall in love with Firepaw and his friends as they watch them grow up in the beloved ThunderClan. Into the Wild is more than a fun read, it teaches lessons of love, acceptance, and the merits of hard work. Readers will see how the different clans act like people; this gives readers an opportunity to see how others react to cultural differences and prejudice. Readers will learn that you cannot judge someone by where they came from. Get ready to read the rest of the Warriors series, because there will be no turning back once Into the Wild sinks its claws into you.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • When “Rusty” (Firepaw) went to the forest, he was attacked by Graypaw for trespassing. “The creature hit him like an explosion and Rusty was thrown sideways into a clump of nettles. Twisting and yowling, he tried to throw off the attacker that had fastened itself to his back. It was gripping him with incredibly sharp claws. Rusty could feel spiked teeth pricking at his neck. He withered and squirmed from whisker to tail, but he couldn’t free himself.” They fight for a page and a half.
  • When Rusty had to prove himself to the clan, he fought Longtail. “Rusty flattened his ears, narrowed his eyes and hissing, leaped through the startled cats to fling himself onto his tormentor. Longtail was completely unprepared for Rusty’s attack. He staggered sideways, losing his footing on the hard-baked earth. Filled with rage and desperate to prove himself, Rusty dug his claws deep into the tabby cat’s fur and sank in his teeth. No subtle rituals of swiping and boxing preceded this fight. The two cats were locked in a screaming, withering tussle that flipped and somersaulted around the clearing at the heart of the camp.” The fight goes on for a page and a half.
  • Firepaw mistook Graypaw for an enemy warrior and attacked him. “Claws unsheathed, he launched himself at the enemy and landed squarely on a set of furry, muscular shoulders. He dug in hard, gripping with thorn-sharp claws, ready to deal out a powerful warning bite.” They fight for one page until everything gets sorted out.
  • Yellowfang attacked Firepaw. “Firepaw screeched in shock as the she-cat slammed into him, knocking him sideways. Two heavy paws clamped down onto his shoulders, and iron jaws closed around the back of his neck. ‘Murr-oww!, he grunted, already thinking fast.” The fighting takes place over two and a half pages.
  • Firepaw tried to chase a kittypet out of his territory for one page. “Firepaw leaped onto its back in a single bound. Firepaw could feel the cat struggling beneath him as he gripped on with all his claws. It let out a desperate and terrified yowl.”
  • Ravenpaw told a story of a previous battle. “Fur was flying everywhere. Blood spattered the leaves of the bramble bushes, bright red against green. I’d just fought off a huge warrior and sent him squealing into the bushes when the ground shook, and I heard a warrior scream. It was Oakheart! Redtail raced past me, his mouth dripping blood and his fur torn. ‘Oakheart is dead!’ he howled. Then he rushed off to help Tigerclaw as he fought another warrior.”
  • The group of cats was attacked by rats. “Ravenpaw was struggling and clawing at the earth. Something has hold of his leg and was dragging him down into the ditch.”
  • ShadowClan was attacking the ThuderClan camp. “Firepaw caught hold of a tabby warrior queen, much larger than him, and sank his teeth deep into her leg. She yowled with pain and turned on him, lashing out with sharp claws and lunging at his neck with her teeth bared. He twisted and ducked to avoid her bite. She couldn’t match his speed, and he managed to grasp her from behind and pull her down into the dirt. With his strong hind legs, he clawed at her back till she squealed and struggled away from him, running headlong into the thick undergrowth that surrounded the camp.” Rosetail and Lionheart die in the battle, and the battle goes on for four pages.
  • Spottedleaf was killed by a ShadowClan warrior named Clawface.
  • Firepaw and Graypaw attacked Yellowfang. “Then they leaped. Yellowfang yowled with surprise and the two cats landed beside her and pinned her to the ground.”
  • Firepaw attacked Brokenstar with a patrol to get rid of him as a leader. “At Whitestorm’s nodded signal, the Thunderclan cats leaped into the battle. Firepaw grasped a silver tabby with his claws, but was shaken loose. He tumbled over and the ShadowClan warrior turned on him and gripped him with claws as sharp as black thorns. Firepaw managed to twist and sink his teeth deep into the cat’s flesh. The warrior’s yowl told him he had found a tender spot, and he bit harder. The warrior screeched again ripping himself free, and ran off into the bushes.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • When angry, the cats occasionally call each other terms such as mouse dung, crowfood, furball, and mouse brain. For example, Bluestar got angry and said, “What a mouse-brained fool.”
  • When Yellowfang tries to get up and can’t, she mutters, “rat-droppings.”
  • Yellowfang got snappy and said, “Well, that’s my business mousefodder.”
  • After Firepaw made a mistake, Graypaw said, “that was a mouse-brained thing to do.”
  • When they capture a cat from another clan, Firepaw is forced to feed her. Dustpaw says, “Another day looking after that mangy old fleabag…”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • StarClan is the heavenly tribe of dead warrior cats that watches over all the cat clans. Cats that die go to StarClan and can come back in dreams to share visions or prophecy. StarClan can help shape fate because they can see the future.
  • Cats go to the moonstone, “a gleaming rock, which glittered as if it were made from countless dewdrops,” to share dreams with StarClan and gain answers.
  • StarClan shared a prophecy that said, “only fire can save the Clan.”
  • A clan leader can be granted nine lives from StarClan, and if they die, they can come back to lead their clans. “I think you ought to know that, in the battle with the rats, it was not my fifth life that I lost, but my seventh.”
  • StarClan sends dreams to Firepaw predicting the future.
  • Cats are granted their warrior name, “by the powers of StarClan.”

by Paige Michelle

The Siren

Kahlen and her parents are on a luxury ship when suddenly the passengers begin jumping overboard and the ship sinks. In a panic, Kahlen calls out—she doesn’t want to die. The Ocean itself saves Kahlen and demands that she serve as a siren for 100 years. Kahlen and the other sirens use their beauty and deadly voice to lure humans to their deaths. Kahlen mourns for the strangers that she causes to die, but she is obedient to the Ocean who spared her life.

Kahlen loves her sisters but is looking forward to being released from her siren duties. In twenty years, Kahlen will be a regular human girl. But then she meets Akinli and falls hopelessly in love. Will she risk everything to be with the boy of her dreams? Or will the Ocean kill their love forever?

The story is told from Kahlen’s point of view. Much of the conflict in the story comes from the internal struggle of the sweet, submissive siren. After one date, Kahlen is so in love with Akinli that she cannot live without him. Akinli appears so infrequently that the readers will be left wondering why Kahlen is head over heels in love with him. Although their romance drives the story, there is not enough interaction and chemistry between the two to keep readers emotionally interested in the outcome of their tragic love story.

Although the siren’s world is interesting, most of the time the girls live on land, blending in with ordinary humans. Not only is the sea world underdeveloped, but so are Kahlen’s sister sirens. However, it is clear that the sirens care for each other and will go to any lengths to help each other. Having the Ocean as a character adds interest, but unfortunately, the possessiveness of the Ocean makes the sirens go to great lengths to hide their deeds from her. In the end, the Ocean is much like a possessive, overbearing mother who only thinks of her own needs.

Similar to Cass’s Selection series, The Siren is an easy-to-read story that follows one girl’s struggle. However, The Siren lacks the action of the Selection series. The Siren is like Romeo and Juliet without the fight scenes. For readers who don’t mind spending an entire book reflecting on one character’s internal struggle, The Siren will be an enjoyable read.

Sexual Content

  • Elizabeth goes to bars to find men where she is “quietly luring boys to bed.” She goes home with the men. “Elizabeth could regularly go to a stranger’s apartment, be as intimate as two people could be. . .”
  • Elizabeth says she has “shared plenty of . . . fluids with human men.”
  • Akinli and Kahlen kiss twice. “With my face still cupped in Akinli’s hand, he kissed me. It was brief, but it was enough to send fireworks running down my veins.”

Violence

  • When explaining the background of sirens, Kahlen thinks about a siren that “used her voice to make three girls who had teased her jump into a well . . . She’d put an entire town in an uproar, and the Ocean had silenced her to keep our secret.” Another Siren “murdered a household of people in the night, including an infant, in an outburst. . .”
  • Padma’s father tried to kill her because girls are “too expensive.” When the sirens find her in the ocean, her clothes, “Had been viciously ripped at. There were fresh bruises all over her arms and legs, but most horrifically, when we followed the trail of welts to her ankles and wrists, we saw there were cinder blocks tied to her, keeping her trapped.”
  • The sirens cause a cruise ship to crash and all the people on the ship die. “All around us, people plunged into the water, their fine dresses and slacks seeming grotesque against the backdrop of so much death. . . We sang until the last scream quieted, until the ship was resting on the Ocean floor.” The scene is described over three pages.
  • When a homeless man attacks Elizabeth, “She whispered in his ear to get him off her, and he threw himself into the Hudson.”
  • When the sirens cause a ship to crash, one man calls out to the girls until his voice was “thicker with gargled water” and then he died.
  • Padma and two others kill Padma’s parents because “none of us could allow her to live in the same world as her abusers did.” Their murder is not described.
  • The Ocean threatens to kill Padma. The Ocean “ripped Padma from Elizabeth’s arms, holding her in a vice grip of nothing but water. Padma screamed, trying to move her arms, but was completely paralyzed.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Kahlen goes out with her siren sisters and had “two drinks, hoping to take the edge off my nerves.”
  • Elizabeth goes to bars to pick up men. One evening, she chooses a boy who had “more to drink that she realized, and he passed out at their table.”
  • Akinli shows Kahlen a picture of him and another guy; the other guy “had a beer in his hand.”

Language

  • One of the characters says his roommate, “took lessons in how to be an ass.”
  • Damn is used twice.
  • Crap is used once.
  • Hell is used three times. For example, Kahlen yells at the Ocean, “Get the hell out of my head!”

Supernatural

  • The story revolves around sirens who are “servants to the Ocean” for a hundred years.
  • The Ocean is a living being that must feed on humans to survive.
  • The Ocean changes the girls into sirens. When Padma is changed, “The Ocean opened Padma’s mouth and forced a strange, dark liquid down her throat. . .” The change makes it so that the girls do not age, but their voices are deadly.
  • Akinli and Kahlen are dying from a mysterious illness. The Ocean explains, “If he hadn’t heard your voice, he’d be fine. . . Now, what happens to one body happens to the other. And since your voice has taken hold of him, killing him slowly, you fall down with him.”

Spiritual Content

  • Kahlen said a prayer.

I Hunt Killers

Jasper Francis Dent, who goes by Jazz, is the son of a famous serial killer who has been imprisoned for four years, but still has lasting effects on the boy’s life. Although Jazz is plagued by memories of the teachings his father gave to him, Jazz was almost adapting to living normally. He took care of his grandmother and had a best friend and girlfriend.

However, a serial killer imitating his father causes Jazz to change his life drastically. Instead of following in his father’s footsteps, he uses the inner workings of a serial killer’s mind to try to find out who is committing the murders. Jazz has to deal with reporters constantly hounding him, a sheriff who won’t let him look into the investigation, and a killer who is always one step ahead of everyone else.

I Hunt Killers has an exciting premise that hooks readers instantly. The story immediately throws Jazz into a crime scene surrounding a dead body. The gore and violence that the book opens up with are present throughout, but so is the thrill Jazz experiences trying to discover who committed the crime. The characters are well developed, unique, and convincing.

Jazz’s character is relatable because of his complexity and his competing desires. The reader is given a glimpse into Jazz’s thought process and is allowed to see his torment. Jazz wants to do good, but also struggles with the darker parts of himself, those parts that might be like this father. The themes in the book seem somewhat forced at times, but also provide messages related to independence, persevering through difficulty, and breaking cycles of abuse.

The book contains a somewhat predictable story, although the characters are unique and compelling. The story is written in a very approachable way, utilizing understandable language that clearly and quickly conveys Lyga’s message. At times, it seems like Jasper almost magically discovers clues to his victim. It is difficult to believe that a thirteen year old would reach the conclusions he does. This results in many of the revelations in the story feeling somewhat forced, and the twists feeling less surprising.

I Hunt Killers is a dark, disturbing, character-focused mystery in which the plot is often overlooked in favor of humor or graphic violence. Its story is predictable, but is otherwise an enticing read. The story shows the horrific nature of brutal crimes. Readers will want to take caution before picking up I Hunt Killers because of the subject matter, the graphic crime scenes, and the mind games that are played throughout the story.

Sexual Content

  • Many of the dead bodies in the book, including the first one, are found naked.
  • Jazz thinks of a time he and his girlfriend spent “tangled up” at their hideout.
  • Jazz says that another character’s reaction “felt like he’d just seen a nun do a striptease.”
  • Jazz mentions having a pistol pointed at his “thirteen-year-old junk” in a memory from when his dad was first apprehended. He is seventeen at the time the book takes place.
  • Howie wonders if the killer was just “having sex and stuff” and suggests that the killer’s girlfriend might have just hit her head and had a heart attack, resulting in him abandoning her at the scene.
  • Howie perks up at the mention of “cleavage” while a dead body is investigated.
  • Howie and Jazz contemplate whether or not the killer “did stuff” to his victim.
  • Jazz and Connie kiss several times. Their kisses range from a “quick kiss on the lips” to “kissing and groping” that includes descriptive visuals such as “the soft insistence of Connie’s plush lips, to the warm of her tongue” and “a long, lingering kiss that warmed him [Jasper] all over.”
  • Connie and Jazz spend the beginning of rehearsal “feverishly kissing and groping back in the wings.”
  • A character is suspected to have “entertained some R-rated fantasies about the girls in his class.”
  • Jazz says that “if you were in a room alone with her [Harriet Klein], you’d feel it.”
  • Gramma Dent accuses Jazz of “Putting [his] thing inside them [whores]!”
  • Jazz explains how serial killers often “jerk off” after revisiting crime scenes, which Howie says “ruined masturbation” for him.
  • Howie calls a toe ring “sexy.”
  • Jazz thinks about how he is obsessed with sex. “He was terrified of sex. Like every teenage boy, he was obsessed with it, of course, and wanted to have as much of it as humanly possible…”
  • When Connie sits on Jazz’s lap, “he felt himself respond to her weight in his lap the only way a teen boy should respond.” Then, Connie adjusts herself in Jazz’s lap and grinds “her butt into his groin in that special pleasant/painful way.”
  • Connie mentions how people dream about “having sex with a supermodel.”
  • A character whose initials are “VD” reminds Howie of “venereal disease.”
  • Jazz remembers how a female character’s breasts had pressed against him when they hugged.
  • When Howie is hospitalized, Jazz asks jokingly if he wants “a hot nurse and a stripper pole.”
  • Jazz recounts that one of Billy Dent’s victims was “sexually assaulted, invaded both vaginally and rectally.”
  • Jazz suspects that the killer used “a sex toy or something” on one of his victims.
  • Jazz says to Connie, “I bet I could warm you up,” implying sex. Connie “shifted, locking her ankles together.”
  • Jazz thinks that “any straight male snuggling with Connie would be desperate to get those jeans off.”
  • Gramma Dent, upon seeing a horde of reporters outside her home, believes they are enemy warriors and yells that “They’re gonna rape mongrel babies into me!”
  • Howie suggests to Jazz that he “stick [his] tongue down her [Connie’s] throat.”
  • Billy Dent asks if Jazz has “a little piece of tail [he] like[s] to bang,” and if “girls. . . line up for a taste of [his] dick.”
  • Billy Dent talks to his son and asks, “are you always the one buyin’ the rubbers? Hmm? Or maybe she’s on that pill? Cause you can’t always trust ‘em, Jasper. You look at them rubbers real close-like, see?”
  • Billy asks Jazz to “Tell Dear Old Dad your little pussy’s name.”
  • Billy describes a victim with “Perfect little titties.”
  • Billy says to Jazz “I’m glad you’re getting’ your dick wet.”
  • Billy is suspected to have left semen and committed rape at a murder scene.
  • G. William searched Jazz and placed a hand “uncomfortably close to the family jewels.”

Violence

  • The book opens up with a police scene surrounding a dead body, and it is made clear that this will be a common theme in the novel.
  • There are multiple instances of body bags being opened or used to store/view bodies. “Two cops approached the corpse with a body bag hanging limp between them… he focused on the struggle with the body bag.”
  • Jazz often imagines entering violent scenarios with different characters.
  • The killer’s specialty is to sever his victim’s fingers. Removed fingers are referred to as excised digits.
  • Billy Dent killed over one hundred people, whose deaths are frequently referenced.
  • Jazz experiences memories of his father describing his methods to commit murder. “Good boy. Good boy. (one cut, two cuts) Just like that.”
  • Vivid descriptions of dead bodies are provided. “Dead female Caucasian… Found at least two miles from anywhere in any direction. Naked. No apparent bruising. Missing fingers.”
  • Billy Dent kept trophies from his victims.
  • Jazz has what looks like the “biggest god-damn pistol in the entire universe [pointed] right at [his] thirteen-year-old junk.”
  • The experimentation process of serial killers is described as they try new methods of violence. “And they experiment. Cutting off the fingers…”
  • G. William threatens to shoot Jazz.
  • Jazz “was certain that the next day would have seen G. William dead by his own hand” if Billy Dent had not been found.
  • Jazz imagines cutting a finger off.
  • Jazz says that the death isn’t just “Joe-Bob McHick smacking around his girlfriend and then leaving her to die.”
  • An autopsy is performed on a corpse.
  • Jazz imagines G. William drawing his service revolver and putting “two slugs into his center of mass.”
  • A joke is made about pointing an excised finger.
  • Howie is a “type-A hemophiliac, which meant that he bled if you looked at him too hard,” and experiences large amounts of bleeding in the novel.
  • Jazz beat up Howie’s bullies.
  • Jazz experiences a bloody nose.
  • A reference is made to Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal villain.
  • Jazz thinks a crime would be easier to identify if there had been “some sort of savagery before death—torture, cutting mutilation…”
  • Victims are strangled.
  • During the investigation of a body, eyelids are peeled back.
  • Howie’s face bleeds profusely from a nosebleed.
  • Genocide and famine are referenced.
  • A body is nailed naked to a ceiling in a church. “Her head lolling downward, her limbs bearing the weight of her body. When the reverend who found the body called the police, the skin and muscle were already coming loose.”
  • An angered parent of a victim threatened to kidnap Jazz and perform his father’s crimes on him.
  • Eyes are removed from a corpse and fed to cats.
  • There are multiple references to famous serial killers.
  • Gramma Dent often threatens people with a shotgun.
  • Jazz imagines a character having a “Glock or Magnum” in their purse.
  • Jazz’s grandmother smacks him multiple times.
  • Billy Dent disjointed a corpse.
  • Billy Dent is said to have raped and abused his victims as well as killed them.“He tormented them. Tortured them. Raped them and abused them.” More details are given later on when Billy Dent’s victim is described as “Sexually assaulted, invaded both vaginally and rectally.”
  • Jazz imagines ripping out a character’s larynx.
  • Jazz wonders why Billy has not been shanked in prison, as well as why he hasn’t committed suicide.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • G. William is said to very rarely drink.
  • Jazz gives his grandmother a “poor man’s sedative” so that he can go out without her arguing.
  • Jazz also puts a “powerful tranquilizer” in his grandmother’s breakfast for a similar purpose.
  • Jazz’s grandmother is sedated and held captive by the novel’s antagonist.
  • Jazz “clambered down the fire escape like a monkey on crystal meth.”

Language

  • There is an immense amount of profanity including crap, Christ, God, Devil/Satan, Hell, idiot, moron, badass, douche, goddamn, demon, piss, whores, ho, bastard, ass, hellfire, jackass, smart-ass, butt, buttocks, damn, BS, pussy, titties, dick, bitch.
  • When Jazz tells G. William that he had been spying on the crime scene at the beginning of the book, “G. William slammed a fist on the desk and swore.”
  • A killer leaves behind his victim’s middle finger while taking other digits.
  • Doug Weathers is called a “bottom-feeding moron.”
  • Jazz and Howie say “bros before hos.”
  • Gramma Dent uses the “hellfire o’ Jesus” as an exclamation.
  • Jazz exclaims “Jesus!” at one point.
  • Connie gasps “Oh my God.”
  • Billy Dent is said to have “a real PhD in slinging high-grade horse manure.”

Supernatural

  • Witchcraft and witches are mentioned as a part of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in The Crucible.

Spiritual Content

  • G. William is said to have “catholic guilt.”
  • The Devil/Satan, demons, Heaven, Christ, and God are mentioned as slurs, although not in actual religious contexts.
  • Jazz describes faith as “being certain of something without any kind of evidence.”
  • Howie says that he “deftly avoids the crushing throngs of heathens.”
  • The Crucible is being performed by Jazz’s drama group, and he acts as a reverend in the play during the witch trials that were performed in Salem by the Puritans.
  • A quote from The Crucible says “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.”
  • A quote from The Crucible says “Man, remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.”
  • Gramma Dent has a collection of “religious dogma.”
  • Billy Dent says that “Cain slew Abel, all under God’s eye” as justification for his murders, specifically of Jasper’s dog Rusty.
  • Jazz asks that “God bless Ginny Davis.”
  • Billy Dent describes the sound of someone dying as “sacred an’ holy.”
  • Gramma Dent cries out “Praise God!”
  • Jasper’s grandmother recalls how she had “said all her Hail Marys” when she shifts into the persona of a young girl.
  • Billy Dent claims he is the god of his victims.
  • Jazz says Billy “had been a god” that he worshiped, although later states that Billy “had been a devil, not a god.”
  • Billy sighs “as if asking the Good Lord.”
  • A serial killer believes that Billy Dent, a serial killer, is a god, and that Jasper is a “child of divinity.”

by Dylan Chilcoat

 

No Slam Dunk

Wes Davies only cares about two things in life—his family and basketball. This year’s basketball season gives Wes the chance to be seen by college coaches. But a new teammate Dinero’s selfish play might get in the way of Wes’ goals of them becoming a real team. While Wes tries to navigate difficult teammates, he also worries about his father. Lt. Michael Davies has returned from Afghanistan with secrets and a growing drinking problem. Will Wes be able to overcome selfish teammates? Will he be able to reconnect with his distant father?

No Slam Dunk is a story that might seem very familiar to readers who are fans of Mike Lupica. This story mirrors Travel Team. Both books have the same age boys who love basketball, dads who have problems with alcohol, and a witty best friend. No Slam Dunk’s characters tend to fall flat as they are not fleshed out well. Wes’ mother and best friend are the stereotypical characters found in a book about family; a son who is passionate about a hobby or sport and wants his dad to be in his life, and a mother who loves her son and wants the best for him. While these characteristics are certainly not bad, they are not expanded in any detail, leaving the reader to see dull characters who are no different than any other character they’ve read about.

Although Mike Lupica’s talent as a sports writer is apparent, this novel’s storyline does not measure up to the reader’s expectations. The short chapters alternate between basketball and Wes’s life at home, which makes many of the book’s scenes feel rushed. Every other chapter focuses on basketball play after basketball play, which hinders character development. While Dinero and Wes’s relationship is shown as positive growth in both of their lives, it is one of the only relationships that is nurtured.

Wes’s father, Lt. Michael Davies, has just returned from Afghanistan, and he is dealing with PTSD, isolation, and alcohol abuse. Despite having a difficult time communicating with his father, Wes doesn’t seem to feel anger or any other strong emotions, which is unrealistic. The story looks at the struggle between Lt. Davies and his family superficially and does not dive deeper into how his drinking would truly affect his family.

Although the short chapters and simple vocabulary make No Slam Dunk a good choice for reluctant readers, those who do not enjoy or know about basketball will want to leave it on the shelf. Despite some superficial characters, young basketball lovers will enjoy seeing a character they can identify with.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • One of the men under Wes’s Dad’s command while they were in Afghanistan, describes the events that led to Wes’s Dad having PTSD. The scene is not graphic and lasts two pages. “He takes out the two Taliban guys operating it and climbs in back to where rocket launchers are. That was as far as he got before taking a bullet.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Wes’s dad came home from his second tour from Afghanistan and now has a problem with drinking. “He came home wounded this time, just not in the way that people think of a wounded soldier. And to make the pain go away, he drinks.”
  • After Wes’s second game, he gets home to find his dad on his doorstep. He is acting funny, and after Wes’s mom arrives, she tells him, “Don’t you ever come to this house again after you’ve been drinking.” Later Wes and his mom have a conversation about his dad. She calls him a “happy drunk.”
  • At the end of Wes’s game against the Rockets, his dad shows up extremely intoxicated and embarrasses Wes by yelling about the team’s play in front of the whole gym.

Language

  • While drunk, Wes’s dad yells at the end of a basketball game saying, “Throw my boy the damn ball!” He repeats this one more time.
  • Wes’s dad tells his mom that she makes “a damn fine cup of coffee.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Wes and Dinero are about to play a rematch one-on-one game. Wes tells Dinero that there’s no way he’ll beat him again, and Dinero says, “since it’s Sunday morning, you better say a prayer, dude.”

By Hannah Neeley

 

 

A Mysterious Egg

Frank spends his summer at his grandparents’ house in Wyoming. His grandma is a famous paleontologist. When Frank gets a sunburn, his grandma decides he needs to stay inside with his cousin, Samantha. He’s disappointed that he can’t help, but when his grandma finds a fossil of a dinosaur egg, Frank has to keep Samantha from breaking it open. As he’s watching over the egg, an amazing thing happens—a dinosaur hatches. How can Frank and Samantha keep their dinosaur a secret?

Dinosaur enthusiasts will enjoy A Mysterious Egg as it teaches about dinosaurs and the importance of keeping a scientific notebook. Taking care of a baby dinosaur takes a lot of work, and Frank uses his knowledge to create a healthy meal plan for the baby. The easy-to-read story has a simple plot that revolves around hiding the dinosaur. Frank and Samantha are afraid that if anyone finds out about the baby, the dino will be taken away from them. In the end, the adults in the story work together to do what is best for the dino.

A Mysterious Egg will engage younger readers not only because it’s about dinosaurs, but also because of the fast-paced plot and humorous scenes. Many readers will be able to relate to Frank, who is often annoyed with his cousin and doesn’t understand all of his grandmother’s rules. The story portrays a caring family, who shares a passion for dinosaurs and science (except for Samantha who would rather be famous).

Readers who are new to chapter books will enjoy A Mysterious Egg, because of its easy vocabulary, short sentences, and black and white illustrations. The illustrations appear every 2 to 4 pages, which helps break up the text. This story also contains a glossary of dinosaur-related vocabulary at the back of the book. The Dino Files have dinosaur facts scattered throughout the series. A Mysterious Egg has a simple, suspenseful storyline that will encourage readers to pick up the next book in the series, Too Big to Hide.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Samantha calls Frank a weenie.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Fangirl

Cath is the world’s biggest Simon Snow fan. Simon Snow is her everything—his magical world consumes Cath until her entire world revolves around it. Ever since she was little, she and her twin sister Wren poured over the series, continually reading and re-reading, and eventually writing. In Cath’s case, writing an extremely popular fanfiction that has hundreds of thousands of followers. Cath loves being immersed in this fictional world with her sister, but she must soon face reality.

Cath’s freshman year of college is quickly approaching, and in addition to having to pull herself out of her Simon Snow hole, she has to deal with an entirely new obstacle— her sister. As they have been best friends for the entirety of their lives, Cath is shocked when Wren suddenly decides that she does not want to be roommates for their freshman year. This causes Cath’s social anxiety to spiral as she attempts to survive in a new collegiate world without her sister.

Cath is grappling with her pressure-filled, Simon Snow fanfiction and the rough transition to college. Additionally, her emotionally fragile, single father is alone for the first time in eighteen years, and she can’t help but worry about what might happen to him in her absence. She also must confront new feelings towards a male classmate who only seems to want to talk about writing, and a wild roommate with a fascinating best friend.  Can Cath hold it all together while the world around her feels like it is all falling apart?

Fangirl is a delightful coming-of-age novel that accurately encapsulates the strong emotional response to the transition to university. Cath’s struggles with her mental health and social anxiety are relatable to modern-day teens, particularly those leaving home for the first time. Her relationship with her sister represents the drifting apart from friends and siblings that can occur as a person grows up.

Despite this novel’s enthralling story and heartfelt characters, Fangirl may not be appropriate for younger audiences. As it is set in college, there are mature events and themes. Sexuality, alcohol, and drugs are discussed often, making the story more appropriate for older readers.  Fangirl is also a long and semi-difficult book due to more advanced vocabulary and complex plot lines, making it tough for less advanced readers. For mature readers, Fangirl will be a highly enjoyable read that delves into the depths of a teen’s emotions and life.

Sexual Content

  • When Cath’s roommate has a guy waiting outside their room on move-in day, she is very uncomfortable. She tells him, “I can’t just let strange guys into my room. I don’t even know your name. This whole situation is too rapey.”
  • Cath writes fanfiction about the homosexual romance between Simon Snow and his nemesis Baz.
  • Cath had a boyfriend in high school named Abel, but they weren’t particularly serious or romantic. Wren always calls him an “end table” and accuses Cath of not liking to kiss him.
  • Wren’s high school boyfriend Jesse never seemed all that interested in her, which made her crazy for him. Cath laments, “He never had eyes only for Wren, not even after they had sex last fall. It threw off Wren’s game.”
  • Cath’s roommate Reagan asks if she has, “gay homemade Simon Snow posters.”
  • Levi wants to walk Cath to the library at night because she has a “little red riding hood vibe.” Cath responds by saying, “I don’t think rapists care about self-confidence.”
  • When writing with Nick, Cath tells him that she doesn’t want, “to write about, like, dead bodies or . . . naked bodies.”
  • Cath talks to Wren about the first time that she kissed Abel. “He kissed me that day, on our seventeenth birthday, for the first time. Or maybe I kissed him… I remember thinking… that he made me feel safe.”
  • Cath tells Wren about her writing sessions with Nick. Wren responds by asking, “Does it involve kissing?” Cath thinks to herself, “Wren wouldn’t leave the kissing thing alone. Ever since Abel had dumped Cath, Wren was on her about chasing her passions and letting loose the beast within.” After this point, Cath sees boys everywhere and as a constant distraction to her, particularly their physical qualities.
  • Cath gets a ride home with a girl named Erin who talked too much. “All she talked about was her boyfriend who still lived in Omaha and who was probably cheating on her.”
  • Cath writes Simon Snow fanfiction for her creative writing professor. A friend responds to this information by laughing and asking, “Do you really expect an elderly English professor to be down with gay Simon Snow fanfiction?”
  • Levi wants her to read fanfiction aloud to him. She searches her computer for something, “not too romantic. Or dirty.”
  • Cath describes the time after her mom left their family and says that Wren, “scratched a boy who said they were gay in the eye.”
  • There is an excerpt from Cath’s fanfiction that carries sexual innuendo. Baz asks, “Have you ever done this before?” Simon responds, “Yes. Not like this.” Baz then asks, “Not with a boy?” and Simon responds, “Not when I really wanted it.”
  • Levi leans against Cath when she is reading to him, making her nervous about what their relationship status is. This is followed by Levi sleepily kissing her. A half-page make-out scene follows.
  • When Cath tries to convince herself that she does not want romantic involvement with Levi, she says, “He’s different… He’s older. He smokes. And he drinks. And he’s probably had sex. I mean, he looks like he has.” She then proceeds to think that the last person that he slept with was Reagan.
  • When Reagan helps Cath get ready for a party, she discusses her hair, saying, “If you’re not going to blow it out… you may as well look like you’ve just been fucked.”
  • When Cath gets to a party, she sees Levi kissing a girl, “with his mouth smiling and open. He made it look so easy.”
  • Every time Cath sees Levi, she is reminded of the relationship that they almost had. “She tried not looking at him— because every time she did, she imagined him kissing someone, either her or that other girl, and both memories were equally painful.”
  • When Cath tries to tell her father that she doesn’t want to go back to school, he first asks, “Are you pregnant? Are you gay? I’d rather you were gay than pregnant. Unless you’re pregnant. Then we’ll deal.”
  • After Cath makes up with Levi, Reagan asks, “Did you sleep with him?” She proceeds to ask about their relationship, to which Cath responds, “Things you pressure me to do: one, underage drinking; two, prescription drug abuse; three, premarital sex.” Reagan then tells Cath that she lost her virginity to Levi.
  • Cath talks about her feelings towards Levi and says, “God, she wanted to tackle him and roll around in him like a cat in a field of daisies.” She also says that his eyebrows are, “pornographic.”
  • There are several make-out scenes, each lasting about a half-in page in length. They are fairly detailed.
  • Cath’s mother told her daughters about her unwanted pregnancy. Cath wonders if her mom told them as a warning to, “Stay away from men? Maybe just ‘use a condom.’ Or ‘stay away from men who don’t know how to work a condom.”
  • Levi and Cath talk about having sex, but she is not comfortable with it, so she consents to “touching.” Even in this situation, she must read fanfiction with him to feel comfortable.

Violence

  • Wren’s boyfriend Alejandro punched a “drunk pervert right in the chin” when they were at a bar.
  • Cath gets hit in the ribs by the doorknob of her dorm room door when Reagan barges in. She is not injured.
  • In Cath’s fanfiction, Simon fights a rabbit with his sword. Baz later kills it. “He ran toward the rabbit, holding his sword with both hands over his head, then plunged it with all his strength into one red eye. The rabbit collapsed, utterly limp, a paw falling into the fire.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Cath discusses the observation that all of the upperclassmen and professors wear black Ray-Ban frames. “If Cath got a pair of black Ray-Bans, she could probably order a gin and tonic around here without getting carded.”
  • Cath says that Reagan smokes.
  • Cath asks if engineering fraternities, “get drunk and build bridges.”
  • Wren declares that “drinking tequila is more about the journey than the destination.”
  • Reagan asks Cath if she is on drugs. When Cath responds with no, Reagan says, “maybe you should be…” Reagan later proclaims that she is on drugs and that they are, “a beautiful thing.”
  • Cath discusses illegal drinking on campus. She said that it didn’t matter on campus as “there was booze everywhere. Wren already had a fake ID.”
  • When Cath calls her dad, he says, “Don’t hang out with frat guys, Cath, they’re terrible. All they do is get drunk and watch ”
  • On weekend mornings, Reagan always looked like a mess because she, “drank too much and slept too little… She still smelled sweat and cigarette smoke.”
  • Cath is harassed by drunk perverts in a bar. The scene lasts several pages and many characters are inebriated.
  • Cath says that she does not want to go to Levi’s party because she doesn’t want to “drink, smoke, or get high.”
  • When Cath objects to dating Levi, Reagan says, “You’re making him sound like he’s some rowdy mountain man who like, smokes cigars and has sex with prostitutes.”
  • Cath’s date struggles with mental health issues and is supposed to take medication for his problem, but it never lasts as he believes it blocks his creative process.
  • Reagan tries to quit smoking by never lighting the cigarettes that are in her mouth.
  • Wren gets alcohol poisoning and is taken to the hospital. When Cath arrives, she has to answer a list of medical questions. “Was Wren a regular drinker? Did she often drink to drunkenness? Yes. Did she black out? Yes. Did she use any other drugs? I don’t know. Was she on any medication? Birth control.”
  • Nick always writes about girls with nicotine-stained fingers.

Language

  • Profanity is used frequently throughout the novel. This includes shit, fuck, fuck off, thank god, bitch, damn, hell, crap, ass, asshole, goddamn, and horseshit.
  • During move-in day, Reagan says, “If you’ve got feng shui issues, feel free to move my shit.”
  • Simon Snow calls Baz a, “complete git.” He also later calls him a “prat.”
  • Wren’s roommate says that she is on the “skinny bitch ”
  • Levi has an, “especially shitty truck.”
  • Wren flips off a drunken pervert at a bar.
  • When Cath looks in the mirror before going to a party she thinks she, “looked like exactly who she was— an eighteen-year-old nerd who knew eff-all about boys or parties.”
  • One character is always referred to as, “fucking Kelly.”
  • God, Jesus, oh my god, godforsaken, and Jesus Christ are all used frequently.

Supernatural

  • Cath is a huge fangirl for a book series about teenage magicians. Their exploits are often described, as are their uses of magic. This series is very similar in content and tone to Harry Potter.
  • Baz, a character from Simon Snow, is revealed to be a vampire.

Spiritual

  • Reagan tells Cath, “If God put me in your life to keep you from wearing a fucking tail… I accept the assignment.”
  • Levi calls the town that he is from, “god’s country…All the gods. Brahma and Odin would love it there.”
  • When Cath wears a ponytail, Reagan asks her, “Do you have to wear your hair like that? Is it some kind of Mormon thing?” Cath is not Mormon.
  • Cath’s English professor talks about the power of writing. She says, “Think about it, Cath. That’s what makes a god—or a mother. There’s nothing more intoxicating than creating something from nothing.”
  • The English professor says, “I can do whatever I want with my student’s grades. I’m the god of this small thing.”
  • Levi’s mom is active in her Baptist church.

by Morgan Filgas

 

Night

Although news of World War II reaches Elie and his family, they feel safe. They believe the Germans will never make it to their hometown of Sighet, Transylvania. But soon, the SS are in their town, but no one believes the horror stories of torture and death. And then, Elie and his family are taken from their home.

Night is Elie’s personal story, beginning at age 12. Elie, who was a deeply observant Jew, must confront the evil he witnesses while in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. He recalls the terrifying memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and the death of his beliefs. Elie wants others to understand that the cruelty of the camps and the death of innocents must never happen again.

Night uses powerful imagery that will stay with the reader for years. Unlike the Diary of Anne Frank, Night shows the horrors that took place during World War II. Elie often recalls people’s deaths, and he does not shy away from gruesome descriptions. Even though Elie describes the murder of many people including children, the descriptions are not bloody and do not glorify the events. As Elie describes the events that he experienced, he shows how the SS soldiers as well as ordinary people were cruel.

The real-life testimony in Night gives readers insight into the minds of the Jewish people and to the suffering of those who went to the concentration camp. Although the events are not easy to read about, Night is a must-read because everyone should understand how anti-Semitism played a part in the murder of over six million people. Through Elie’s journey, he chronicles his changing relationship with his God and with his father. He describes how the concentration made people act like animals, who were willing to kill for a crust of bread. The desperation and hopelessness of those in the concentration camp is difficult to read about, however, it sheds light on the conditions of the camps. Elie’s story will help readers understand the importance of standing up for those in need and hopefully prevent another Holocaust from taking place.

Sexual Content

  • While being deported in the cattle cars, “some of the young let go of their inhibitions and, under cover of darkness, caressed one another, without any thought of others, alone in the world.”
  • While moving prisoners from one camp to another, the guards flirted with some girls. “The girls giggled. They allowed themselves to be kissed, and tickled, bursting with laughter.”
  • At the concentration camp, some of the German’s “liked children” and brought them food, but “this affection was not entirely altruistic; there existed here a variable traffic of children among homosexuals.”
  • Elie accidentally saw one of the supervisors with a girl who was “half naked, on a straw mat.”

Violence

  • Moishe the Beadle is deported. Once in Polish territory, the train is taken over by the Gestapo. The Jews “were forced to dig huge trenches. When they had finished their work, the men from the Gestapo began theirs. Without passion or haste, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks. Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns.”
  • When the Jews were being deported, “The Hungarian police used their rifle butts, their clubs to indiscriminately strike old men and women, children and cripples.”
  • When Elie’s family was being deported, “the police were lashing out with their clubs.” The police also yelled at the Jews, “Move, you lazy good-for-nothings!”
  • While being deported in the cattle cars, a woman kept screaming. When she would not be quiet, “the young men bound and gagged her. When they actually struck her, people shouted their approval. . . She received several blows to the head, blows that could have been lethal.”
  • When Elie and his family got to Auschwitz, “strange-looking creatures, dressed in striped jackets and black pants, jumped into the wagon. Holding flashlights and sticks, they began to strike at us left and right. . .” As others were getting out of the train car, “an old man fell to the ground. Nearby, an SS man replaced his revolver in its holster.”
  • At Auschwitz, Elie saw, “flames, huge flames, were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there. A truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes. . . children thrown into the flames.”
  • While at the concentration camp, men were beaten often. Eliezer sees, “So many crazed men, so much shouting, so much brutality. Dozens of inmates were there to receive us, sticks in hand, striking anywhere, anyone, without reasons.”
  • When Eliezer’s father asks for the restroom, a Gypsy, “slapped my father with such force that he fell down and then crawled back to his place on all fours.”
  • When Elie and another man crossed paths, “he threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with even more silent blows, until I was covered in blood. . . Abruptly, he calmed down and sent me to work like nothing had happened. . .I was aching all over.”
  • A supervisor beat Elie’s father “with an iron bar. At first, my father simply doubled over under the blows, but then he seemed to break in two like an old tree struck by lightning.”
  • A supervisor had Elie lie down on a crate. Elie was then lashed with a whip. Elie “no longer felt anything except the lashes of the whip. . . It was over. I had not realized it, but I had fainted.”
  • During an air raid, a prisoner sneaks out to try to eat soup from a cauldron. The man, “thrust his head toward the still steaming liquid. We jumped at the sound of the shot. Falling to the ground, his face stained by the soup, the man writhed a few seconds at the base of the cauldron, and then he was still.”
  • After a prisoner stole food, he was hung. “The entire camp, block after block, filed past the hanged boy and stared at his extinguished eyes, the tongue hanging from his gaping mouth.”
  • Another time, three prisoners including a “little pipel, a sad-eyed angel” were hung. The other prisoners were forced to walk by them. When Elie walked by the dead, “The two men were no longer alive, but the third rope was still moving; the child, too light, was still breathing. And so he remained for more than half an hour, lingering between life and death, writhing before our eyes. . . His tongue was still red, his eyes not yet extinguished.”
  • As the SS was evacuating the camp, “From time to time, a shot exploded in the darkness. . . Their fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of the pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog.”
  • Someone tried to strangle Elie.
  • A man’s son kills him for a piece of bread. The son tries to eat the bread, but “two men had been watching him. They jumped him. Others joined in. When they withdrew, there were two dead bodies next to me, the father and son.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • At Auschwitz, someone yells at the inmates, “Sons of bitches, why have you come here?”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Eliezer describes his spiritual relationship with God throughout the book. Not all quotes are included in the review because a main theme through the book is Elie’s changing relationship with God.
  • Moishe the Beadle is guiding Elie’s studies of Kabbalah. Moishe the Beadle says, “Man comes closer to God through the questions he asks Him, he liked to say. Therein lies true dialogue. Man asks and God replies. But we don’t understand His replies. We cannot understand them. Because they dwell in the depths of our souls and remain there until we die. The real answers, Eliezer, you will find only within yourself.”
  • While being deported, someone said, “Oh God, Master of the Universe, in your infinite compassion, have mercy on us. . .”
  • Some evenings, the men would try to sing, and “some of the men spoke of God: His mysterious ways, the sins of the Jewish people, and the redemption to come. . . I was not denying his existence, but I doubted His absolute justice. . .” One of the men said, “God is testing us. He wants to see if we are capable of overcoming our base instincts, of killing the Satan within ourselves. . . And if He punishes us mercilessly, it is a sign that He loves us all that much more.”
  • On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jews gathered for prayer, and Elie wonders, “What are You, my God. . . How do you compare to this stricken mass gathered to affirm to You their faith, their anger, their defiance? What does Your grandeur mean, Master of the Universe, in the face of all this cowardice, this decay, and this misery? Why do you go on troubling these poor people’s wounded mind, their ailing bodies?”
  • During prayer, Elie wonders why he should bless God’s name. “Why, but why would I bless him. . . Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves? Because he kept six crematoria working day and night, including Sabbath and the Holy Days? . . . How could I say to Him: Blessed be Though, Almighty, Master of the Universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night, to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our brothers end up in the furnaces?”
  • During a prayer service, Elie thinks, “Man is stronger, greater than God. . .” Since God has not stopped the killing, Elie thinks God has betrayed them by “allowing them to be tortured, slaughtered, gassed, and burned.”

 

 

 

 

The Goat Who Chewed Too Much

Inspector Flytrap, a world-class detective, relies on Nina the goat to push him around on a skateboard. When a string of robberies occurs, Nina becomes the prime suspect. While investigating, Inspector Flytrap must sort the clues that the robbery victims give him. He also must sneak into a dog show. Can Inspector Flytrap solve the mystery without Nina? Will the missing items ever be found?

The third installment of the Inspector Flytrap series has some of the same wacky characters as the previous books. Nina the goat eats her way into and out of jail. Younger readers will have fun guessing what the goat will eat next. The story contains plenty of puns, onomatopoeias, and repetitive quotes that will engage readers.

Inspector Flytrap is full of illustrations that bring the animal characters to life. The simple, silly storyline and funny antics of Inspector Flytrap and his assistant will engage readers. Although Inspector Flytrap does very little to solve the mystery, he does discover the unlikely criminal. The Goat Who Chewed Too Much is a fast-paced, funny story that will keep younger readers turning the pages. Pick up Inspector Flytrap if you’re looking for a goofy story that will leave readers giggling.

Sexual Content

  • Wanda the rose gives Inspector Flytrap “a big kiss.”

Violence

  • The criminal strikes Inspector Flytrap. “As fast as a striking snake, he swung one of his big slothy claws at my flowerpot. Crack! The pot split in half, and all the dirt—and all of me—spilled to the ground.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

How to Be Popular

Steph has been a social outcast for the past five years because she accidentally spilled a cherry Big Gulp on a popular girl. This year, Steph’s determined to step out of her comfort zone and join the popular crowd. In order to change her social standing, Steph plans to follow the book How to Be Popular.

In the process of gaining the friendship of the popular crowd, Steph must decide if she’s ready to get rid of her nerdy best friends Becca and Jason. Will Steph throw away her old friends in order to party with the popular kids and hang out with the school quarterback?

Steph is a relatable character who, like many, struggles with the desire to be part of the popular group. Steph’s character is well developed, and her point of view is endearing. Steph’s family relationships add an interesting and often comic element to the story. The book revolves around the usual cast of stereotypical high school characters—the mean girl, the cute high school quarterback, and the nerdy friends.

How to Be Popular is an easy-to-read story that follows a familiar, predictable plot. Although the story contains few surprises, Steph’s journey will entertain those looking for a romance appropriate for middle school readers. If you’re looking for a fun story to take to the beach, How to Be Popular would make a good choice.

Sexual Content

  • Steph finds a “steamy romance novel from the eighties. . . the heroine in one of them turned out to like having sex ‘Turkish-style,’ which in the book did NOT mean ‘while wearing a fez.’”
  • Steph thinks about Mark and Lauren who, “were totally canoodling” and how her friends, “don’t like seeing people putting their tongues in other people’s mouths, on account of the grossness factor.”
  • If Steph looks through her bathroom window, she can see into her neighbor’s window. She likes to watch him undress. She thinks, “my interest in seeing Jason undressed is purely scientific. Which is why I use the binoculars. . .”
  • Darlene has a large bust and Steph thinks boys “flock to her in hopes of someday being able to sink into her soft good-smellingness.” When Steph sits next to Darlene, “all eight of the guys at Darlene’s table yanked their gazes off the front of her chest and looked at me. Or the area just above the sticky part of my thigh-highs, to be more exact.”
  • Someone says that Steph’s grandpa is “warm for your form.”
  • Steph’s grandpa tries to explain how he got his fiancée. He says, “Well, the fact is, Steph, we Kazoulises, well, we’re a passionate bunch, and we know how to please a woman. . . Kitty’s a woman with needs, you know. . .”
  • Steph’s mom thinks Mark is going out with Lauren because Lauren “puts out.” Steph thinks her mom is “out of touch with reality” because “if I were going out with Mark Finley, I would totally put out, too. Even Father Chuck would understand that.”
  • When Steph is looking through her neighbor’s window, she sees him kissing a girl. “BAM!!! They were smashing their lips up together.”
  • In order to manipulate Steph, Mark kisses her. “. . . Mark had leaned down and put his mouth over mine. . . I have no idea whether or not I kissed him back. I was so surprised, I didn’t know what to do. . . I think I just stood there, letting him kiss me. . .” While kissing she “tried really hard to see the fireworks and hear the choir and the birds. . . And I saw them. And heard them. Did I ever.”
  • Steph kisses a boy “so much, in fact, my lips feel a little chapped. But in a good way.”

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • While watching teens cruise up and down the street, Steph sees a girl “barf up all the Mike’s Hard Lemonade she ingested while sunning herself over at the lake that afternoon.”
  • During an assembly, Steph describes the convocation, “when we all gather in the auditorium to listen to ex-drug addicts and people who killed their friends in drunk driving accidents talk about their experiences.”
  • Several times Steph’s mom says, “God, I need a drink.”
  • A boy from school is planning a party where everyone will get drunk. Someone brings a keg to the party.

Language

  • Damn, dang, and beeyotch are used once.
  • God and oh my God are occasionally used as exclamations.
  • Steph thinks she is a moron.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Steph is Catholic and thinks about going to confession. “I am fully going to ask God for forgiveness about this during Communion in church tomorrow. Since I can’t ask Father Chuck. Might as well go straight to the top.”
  • Steph’s “Grandpa stopped going to church after Grandma died. . . But Grandpa says he can worship God just as well on the ninth hole as he can in the church—if not better; since he’s closer to nature, and therefore, God, on the golf course than he is in our pew at St. Charles. I fear for his immortal soul. . . but I figure if God really is all-forgiving . . . Gramps will be all right.”
  • Steph thinks that Darlene is nice because when the mean girls “were in line to get meanness from God, Darlene must have seen a butterfly and gone running after it, or something, since she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

Bloom’s Ball

Princess Bloom isn’t very good about planning ahead. This year, she has decided to have a surprise birthday party for herself. She made all the plans for her Magic Garden birthday ball. When her human friend Cressida arrives to help with the finishing touches, they find a flock of hungry quails. The quails are eating all of the food and destroying the decorations. Is Princess Bloom going to have to cancel her garden ball? Can Cressida find a way to save the party?

The third installment of the Unicorn Princesses series, Bloom’s Ball has several interesting new characters. There are slow snails that deliver the mail and gnomes and sleepy dragons that work in the garden and love to build. The wonderful wizard lizard also makes an appearance and is the cause of many of the story’s conflicts. Despite his lack of magical ability, the wizard lizard brings a sparkle to the story. Younger readers will love his funny spells and find humor in his magical mishaps.

Although the story revolves around Princess Bloom, Cressida is the real star of the show. Cressida uses creative problem-solving skills that allow her to find a way to safely remove the quails from the garden. However, to make her plan work, she must enlist the help of others. In order to help her friend, Cressida gives up something that is important to her. Cressida “didn’t want to give away Daphne’s present. But saving the Enchanted Garden was more important than her unicorn charm.” Through her actions, readers will learn the importance of selflessness.

One drawback of the story is that there are many characters that appear in the beginning. Even though most of the characters are in previous books, readers may have a difficult time keeping track of all six princesses. Although the plot of Bloom’s Ball is choppy, younger readers will relate to Bloom’s desire to have the perfect party. The happy ending is predictable but heartwarming.

Like the previous books in the series, beginning readers may struggle with the amount of text on the page and the long descriptive passages. The pictures scattered throughout are cute but infrequent. For independent readers who want to add a little sparkle to their reading list, Bloom’s Ball is a good choice.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • A wizard lizard casts several magic spells. The first spell is supposed to make an invitation. The wizard chants, “Happity Bappety Birthday Bloom! Wingety Swingerty Fluttery Sloom! Glittery Flittery Slittery sail! Prettily Flittery Slittery Quail!” Most of the wizard’s spells do not work out as intended.
  • The wizard lizard casts a spell to give Cressida a party dress. “Wind swirled around Cressida. Then, suddenly, she was wearing a bright pink dress with white polka dots and the puffiest skirt she had ever seen. On her feet were black, shiny Mary Jane shoes.”
  • Cressida has a magical key that glows bright pink when the unicorns want to invite her into their realm. When Cressida is in the unicorn realm, time in the human world stands still.

Spiritual Content

  • None

Iggy Peck, Architect

Iggy Peck has always loved to build things. When he was two, he used dirty diapers to erect a tall tower. His parents don’t forbid him from building, but they certainly don’t appreciate the architectural wonders that he builds. When Iggy enters second grade, his teacher forbids him from building. Instead of using tools, his teacher demands that he uses crayons. When the class goes on a field trip, a bridge collapses, trapping them on an island. Can Iggy use his building skills to prove that studying architecture can be a worthwhile, wonderful endeavor?

The full color, creative illustrations show Iggy’s imaginative inventions and the wonderfully expressive reactions of Iggy’s parents and teacher. Each page has fun illustrations and short rhyming lines. Parents will want to read the story aloud since it is not intended to be read for the first time independently.

Readers will enjoy the illustrations because they show Iggy’s inventions. The teacher is portrayed in a negative light because she not only sends Iggy to the principal for building an amazing chalk castle, but she also kills his interest in school. However, when Iggy uses his architectural skills to save the day, the teacher decides, “There are worse things to do when you’re in grade two, than to spend your time building a dream.”

The picture book Iggy Peck, Architect has creative illustrations, interesting characters, and teaches the importance of dreaming big. The ending of the book has the same classroom teacher and diverse students as Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Ada Twist, Scientist. Readers may enjoy comparing the pictures in all three books. Iggy Peck, Architect will delight younger children who are interested in building their dreams.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Showing Off

Nory and the other students who have upside down magic struggle with fitting in. Some people, including Nory’s father, don’t think upside magic should be used. But with the school’s big show coming up, each class must prepare a program.

Nory isn’t sure she should use her magic at all. She’s thinking about sitting on the sidelines. Her friend Pepper is worried that her talent—scaring animals—will cause problems. With the help of a talking rabbit and a caring teacher, can the kids in the upside magic classroom figure out how to use their wacky magic to show others their abilities?

Showing Off has relatable characters who struggle with learning to accept their differences. Many readers will relate to Nory, who wants her father’s love and acceptance. Even though Nory wants to use her upside down magic to impress her father, she is willing to put her friends’ needs above her own.

Nory and her classmates end up in hilarious situations because of their magic. Even though the story revolves around each character’s magical talents, the story does not contain spells or portray magic in a realistic way. Instead, the story focuses on how many of the characters feel like misfits. In the end, several of the characters realize that their magic can be used in positive ways.

The long passages of text and the lack of illustrations may discourage some readers. However, the story will engage readers with the unique characters, the hilarious mishaps, and the struggle to fit. Showing Off also uses fun made-up words such as zamboozle and zwingo. Readers will learn that friends don’t make friends feel stupid as well as the importance of apologizing.

Even though Showing Off is the third installment of the Upside Magic Series, readers do not have to read previous books. For proficient readers looking for a dose of magic and silly disasters, Showing Off would make a good addition to the reading list.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • When Pepper enters a room with teachers and students who have fluexed into animals, the animals get scared. “Chimp-Hamil threw a jar of paint at Pepper. He had lost his human mind, but he appeared to be trying to protect his students as best he could.” No one is injured.
  • In the past, one of the characters was mean. “Nory still has a burn scar from the flaming tennis balls you threw at her. You helped melt my bike tires. . . You let Lacey burn Andres’s leash.”
  • While using her powers, a character accidentally catches a piano on fire. “The piano burst into flames. Wood crackled. Wires popped. Black and white keys flew into the air like scattered decks of cards.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • Each person has some type of magical power, such as “turning into ordinary animals like cats, dogs, cows, and goats.” When Nori tries to change into an animal she, “lost all control of her human mind” and she turns into a combination of animals such as a cat and a dragon.
  • Some people can fly, talk to animals, or had other abilities like fire magic.
  • Pepper’s magic makes animals scared. When she uses her magic, Pepper, “felt scared and slippery inside. . . When her magic turned on, something shifted within her. Her stomach turned to Jell-O. Her skin felt slick. Her thoughts flew every which way.”
  • One of the characters has a power that “enables animals to speak our language.”
  • Because the entire book focuses on the characters’ magic, not all magical events are described.

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Storm Runner

Zane keeps to himself because other kids tend to tease him about his limp and because he walks with a cane. But he doesn’t mind, because he spends his days exploring a nearby sleeping volcano with his dog. One evening, as Zane is exploring the volcano, a plane with twin engines crashes. Even stranger, as the plane was going down, Zane thought he saw a monster in the cockpit.

Things get more complicated when a girl named Brooks shows up demanding that Zane meet her at the volcano. Zane follows the beautiful girl who leads Zane down a twisted path. Soon Zane is running from monsters controlled by the Maya god of death. According to an ancient prophecy, Zane’s decisions may allow the god of death to escape a prison that is centuries old.

Zane soon realizes that magic, monsters, and Maya gods are more than just fables. In a web of secrets, the Gods are trying to manipulate Zane to their own advantage. Zane tries to do what is right, but what does a flawed eleven-year-old boy know about stopping the destruction of the world? In a battle against good and evil, is there any way Zane can win against a Maya god?

The Storm Runner brings the magic of Maya mythology to life in a fast-paced, action-packed story that will leave readers wondering who can be trusted. Despite being self-conscious about it, Zane doesn’t let his disability deter him from trying to save the world. Although some of Zane’s decisions are questionable, his imperfections make him a truly relatable character.

Zane is not the only well-developed character; the story contains a cast of interesting characters including giants, demi-gods, and even an overprotective mother. The Storm Runner is perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson series or Aru Shah and the End of Time. However, Zane’s story takes a more serious tone and lacks the humor of the other series.

 The Storm Runner contains elements common to other mythological fantasy books—for instance, a boy discovers that his father is a god and must travel to strange places in order to save the world. Despite these similarities, this story effectively brings Maya mythology to life through an exciting series of events.

The length of the story, the complicated plot, and the extensive cast of characters may be overwhelming for some readers. The first third of the story introduces a lot of people, gods, and situations that cause the pace to drag. Despite a slow start, the monsters, the magical creatures, and the relationship between the characters make The Storm Runner an exciting adventure well worth reading. Readers will root for Zane as he fights evil, and they will pull their hair in frustration as Zane makes well-intentioned, but stupid decisions. In the end, readers come away with the powerful message that a person’s flaws don’t define them.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A demon attacks and kills Zane’s dog and then attacks Zane. The demon, “grabbed me by the arms, sinking its long claws into my flesh. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground . . . Slime sizzled through my shirt sleeve, burning my skin like acid.”
  • Zane finally stabs the demon with his cane. “It sank right into the creature’s gel-like body, and there was a disgusting sucking sound as the cane disappeared inside. . . I blinked as the monster dissolved into a dark pool of thick mucus. . .” The scene is described over four pages.
  • A creature tries to kidnap Zane. “While my uncle tussled with the alux, she hauled me back through the bank and out the front doors, then stuffed me in the car.” The creature “jerked Mom’s head back by her hair and mimicked her desperate voice.” Brooks turns into a hawk and picked, “up the monster by the back of its neck. . . Brooks shook it hard like it was her mouse prey and she was trying to break its neck.” The scene is described over three pages.
  • Ah-Puch eats a creature. He “scrambled to clutch the thing. Bones snapped. Then he brought it to his mouth, bit its neck, and sucked all the blood from it before tossing the drained corpse to the cave floor below. . . “
  • Demon runners attack Zane and Brooks. When Zane tries to escape, “The hair reached me, climbed my body, and wrapped itself around my neck, covering my mouth and pinning me to the asphalt.” Zane is able to jerk “my guy’s neck back” and “his thick-skinned neck ripped open easily.” Hondo threw a screwdriver that wedged into the demon’s skull. The demon’s “face began to crack like dried mud, crumbling to the ground to reveal. . . a blue-skinned monster head. Green veins throbbed and budged.” The fight takes place over six pages.
  • Twins who were fathered by a god are grabbed by creatures. “The creatures holding Bird and Jordan folded their wings tighter and tighter. Each of the twins’ faces puckered like their heads were being sucked dry. Their skin turned gray, and purplish veins spread beneath. Their eyeballs bugged out and turned dark red.” The creatures take the twins away.
  • Zane throws a spear at Ah-Puch’s bird. “Muwan released a terrible scream and started tumbling through the air. I watched in horror as she crashed into the bare trees below. They shook on impact, their sharp branches splitting her open.”
  • The final battle takes place over several chapters. Ah-Puch and his demons attack Zane and his group. Demon runners attack Ah-Puch’s army. “They shrieked, leaping onto the back of Ah-Puch’s little army with amazing force. Teeth gnashed. Claws ripped. Hair chocked.” Finally, Zane turns into a jaguar and Ah-Puch turns into a snake. Zane attacks, “launching myself onto his neck as we hurtled over the step’s edge, down, down, down. . . As I sank my teeth into his slimy scales, I prayed that he didn’t bleed maggots. He did. They poured into my mouth as he screamed.”

 

Drugs and Alcohol

  • One night, Zane’s uncle Hondo drinks beer and smokes cigars.

Language

  • Crap and heck are used often. One example is when Brooks shows up at Zane’s house, he wonders, “How the heck had she found me?”
  • “Oh God” is used as an exclamation a few times.
  • A monster attacks Zane and his uncle. His uncle asks, “What the hell was that little thing?”
  • Someone tells Zane, “Believe me, when I catch the idiot bonehead who let Ah-Puch out, I’m going to send him spinning into the center of the Milky Way.”

Supernatural

  • Gods and monsters from Maya mythology are real. Brooks explains, “Myths are real, Zane. Well, most are. And gods are very real—an important part of the universe and its balance.”
  • The first creature, a demon, has “pasty bluish gray” skin. “Its bloated body was covered in patches of dark hair. Cauliflower-like ears drooped down to its bulging neck.”
  • Brooks is a nawal (a shapeshifter) who can turn into a hawk.
  • Ah-Puch, the Maya god of death, disaster, and darkness, is trapped in a magical artifact until Zane lets him out. Ah-Puch “looked like a bloated zombie with decomposing gray skin with nasty black spots, and he had a dark, twisted smile. He wore this weird helmet that had eyes hanging off it, the eyes of the people he’d recently killed.”
  • Ms. Cab works as a psychic and is a Maya seer. A god later turns all seers into chickens.
  • Zane discovers that he is the son of a Maya God. He can spirit jump, which allows him to leave his body and appear in another realm.
  • Pacific, the keeper of time, helps Zane.
  • When going to a party, Zane and his friends wear enchanted clothes that “fix all imperfections.” When they get to the party, a “gray-bearded skeleton materialized. . . Eyeballs floated in his eye sockets, and he wore a long white tuxedo jacket with a dead red rose pinned to one of his silk lapels.”

Spiritual Content

  • Zane gets a scholarship to attend a Catholic school. When Zane gets into trouble at school, his punishment is “ten rosaries, detention for a week, a call to Mom, and an apology to the jerk I’d torpedoed with my cane.”
  • After an explosion, Zane’s mom says, “Thank the saints, he’s safe now.”
  • Zane sent “a prayer up to the saints and anyone else listening.” Later in the story, he says a couple of Hail Mary’s.
  • Zane splashes holy water on a picture of a demon.

The Nature of Jade

After moving and starting at a new high school, Jade begins having panic attacks. Jade is trying her best to stay calm and focus on her senior year of high school. One thing that calms her down is watching the elephants at a nearby zoo on her webcam. That’s how she sees Sebastian for the first time.

Even before they meet, Jade feels drawn towards Sebastian, a twenty-year-old who has a baby. When she finally meets him, she quickly falls in love with him. She begins spending her free time with Sebastian, his son, and his grandmother. Even though Sebastian’s life is complicated, getting to know him has helped alleviate Jade’s panic attacks. Then Jade discovers that Sebastian has been hiding a terrible secret. Will their new love be able to survive?

Jade’s work at the zoo gives an interesting aspect to their romance. Jade compares the animal world to the human world and her insights can be interesting. Working with the elephants helps Jade deal with her anxiety disorder. Her inner reflection illuminates her thought process and shows how a random thought can lead her down a spiral of fear. However, too much of the story is told through Jude’s inner dialogue, which makes the story drag. Although many teens may be able to relate to Jude’s anxiety, others will find her constant inner dialogue difficult to wade through.

Jade’s story bounces from her family life, her school life, her zoo life, and finally her relationship with Sebastian. Each aspect of her life seems completely separated. This separation doesn’t allow the author to fully develop the other characters in the story. Even though Jude has come to realize that many of her high school relationships are based on familiarity and habit instead of true connections, the reader is left wondering why they should care.

Jade, her parents, and her boyfriend all have destructive secrets. Jade comes to realize that lives are complicated and messy. She discovers that not all actions can be labeled as good or bad. Sebastian and his grandmother both wonder if they are doing the right thing when they hide their whereabouts, which allows the reader to reflect on what they would do in a similar situation. As Jade grows, she learns that people cannot be seen as just a stereotype, because all people are more complicated than that.

Readers who want to look at the complicated workings of the inner mind will enjoy The Nature of Jade. However, the majority of readers may struggle due to the lack of character development, absence of action, and slow pacing of the story.

Sexual Content

  • Jade’s friend has become boy crazy. Jade thinks, “God, sorry if this is crude, but she had begun to remind me of those baboons that flaunt their red butts around when they’re in heat.”
  • Jade’s friend thinks a boy has “the sweetest ass.”
  • Michael tells his friends, “Some of us want to go to med school and become doctors and not just meet some guy and have sex.” His friend replies, “Some of us want to have a social life. You’ve been more intimate with your laptop than an actual female.”
  • Jade thinks that fathers don’t show compassion when their kids are hurt because of a fear that “compassion equals homosexuality.”
  • Someone teases a boy saying he might be gay.
  • When Sebastian found out his girlfriend was pregnant, he would have considered other options, but she hid the pregnancy from him.
  • A girl doesn’t think her friend can have fun at a Christian school. She wants to go to a college that has “Guy fun. Party fun. Drinking fun.
  • Jade and Sebastian kiss several times. The first time they kiss “for a while, not long enough. His mouth is chili-warm. . . He puts his hand behind my neck, pulls me to him and kisses my forehead.”
  • Jade and Sebastian have sex. “Sabastian strokes my hair. We start to kiss. We kiss for a long while. His hands are gentle. I guess that’s the only thing that is necessary to know about Sebastian and me on that hard dock, the blanket around us. He is careful, so very careful with me.”
  • While in the high school library, someone sees Jade’s mother kiss the librarian. The girl tells Jade, “Someone had their tongue down someone’s throat, is what I heard.” When Jade confronts her mother, she doesn’t deny it.

Violence

  • During a football game, Jade’s brother is hurt. He tells Jade, “Number forty-six. Jeez, he just bashed his shoulder into my chest, and when I was on the ground, he steps on my leg with his cleat.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Michael went to a party that had “more booze than a liquor store convention.” While there he “had half a beer and I could barely talk.”

Language

  • Profanity is used often when the teens talk. Profanity includes ass, bastard, bitch, crappy, damn, goddamn, fuck, and shit.
  • Jesus, God, oh my God, and for God’s sake are frequently used as exclamations.
  • When Jade hears baboons scream, it frightens her. When her dad shows up, he says, “God, Jade. Zoo animals! Baboons, for Christ sake.”
  • Jade tells her counselor that she feels “like shit.”
  • Jade tells her brother that the guy that tackled him in football is a “bastard. The minute he gets off the field I’m going to kick him in the balls.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Jade’s friend Jenna has begun going to church. Jenna gets upset when some of her friends “take the Lord’s name in vain.”
  • A couple of Jade’s friends think it would be fun to be the Pope for a day.
  • While watching the webcam, Jade sees Sebastian praying.
  • Jade lights candles to different patron saints and prays to them. “There’s a saint for everything . . . They got these cool candles for each different one, a column of tall glass with a picture of the saint on the front, and a matching prayer on the back, one in English and one in Spanish.” Jade says several of the prayers.

 

 

 

Ana María Reyes Does Not Live in a Castle

Ana María Reyes’s last name means “kings,” but she doesn’t live in a castle. Instead, she lives in a two-room apartment with too many people—her parents and her three sisters. When her parents tell the family that a new baby is on the way, Ana María isn’t thrilled. With so many people in the house, Ana María wonders why her parents would want another child.

To make matters worse, Ana María is given a chance to earn a scholarship for the Eleanor School, New York City’s best private academy. She is excited at the prospect, but in order to earn the scholarship, she has to amaze the judges at her piano showcase. Every time she tries to practice, something or someone gets in the way!

Then the family takes a trip to the Dominican Republic, and Ana María realizes that while she may not live in a castle, she isn’t as poor as she thought. When disaster strikes her family, Ana María must figure out what’s most important to her. Will following her dreams conflict with doing what’s best for others?

Ana María Reyes does not Live in a Castle follows the struggle of a large first-generation Dominican family living in New York City. Despite having a loving family, Ana María wants more—more space, more attention, and more nice things. She struggles with how her parents always help those in the community, even if it means putting Ana María’s needs aside. When she sees others struggle, Ana María thinks, “other people’s problems weren’t my responsibility. We should take care of ourselves.” However, in the end, she realizes the importance of helping those in need. Unlike many stories, Ana María does not Live in a Castle highlights the fact that giving to others doesn’t always make a person feel good. Sometimes helping others means making painful sacrifices.

Ana María’s story is realistic fiction that deals with the hard topics of substance abuse, child labor, and complicated family relationships. Because the story is written from Ana María’s viewpoint, the topics are covered in child-friendly terms. Ana María feels ignored, but later realizes that she has misinterpreted her mother’s actions. She thinks, “Maybe instead of being mad at Mami for hanging out with my sisters, I should have been thanking her for helping me concentrate on my practicing.”

Despite the fun cover, Ana María Reyes does not Live in a Castle is not a lighthearted children’s story. The number of characters, the tough topics, and the length of the story will be difficult for many readers. The story has some Spanish words, which also may confuse readers. Ana María’s story is interesting, but readers who are still used to illustrated children’s books may have a difficult time finishing Ana María does not Live in a Castle.

 The themes of hard work, supporting your family, and giving to others are reinforced throughout the book. In the end, the reader will come away knowing, “That’s one of the great things about family. Nobody’s perfect, but we still love and support each other.” Ana María is a relatable character who learns some valuable lessons. The positive messages in Ana María Reyes does not Live in a Castle make it well worth the read.

Sexual Content

  • One of the teen characters is pregnant and unmarried.
  • Gracie went to the apartment’s lobby to meet a boy. When she went, Gracie “was wearing lipstick and a white tank top, and she had rolled up the elastic waistband on her red shorts to make them even shorter.” When Ana María says she is going to the apartment lobby to meet Pedro, her little sister “made kissing noises.”
  • On Halloween, Gracie’s friends dress up. “Vicky was dressed as a ‘sexy cat,’ and Rebecca was a ‘sexy nurse.’”

Violence

  • When Ana María says something mean, her mother slaps her. Later her mother apologizes and says, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”
  • While driving drunk, Ana María’s uncle hits someone with his car. “The car slammed into Rosie and sent her flying up in the air. . . The car rammed into the streetlight, which tumbled to the ground with a vibrating clash. . . But Rosie was lying completely still in her ripped tutu on the edge of the sidewalk.” Rosie has a “concussion, a broken leg, and two fractured ribs.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Ana María’s uncle likes “to have a little drink ‘every now and then.’”
  • At a graduation party, Ana María’s uncle was “swinging around a beer.” Later in the story, he hugs Ana María and “he smelled like beer.”
  • Ana María’s father says that her uncle “drinks too much, and driving drunk is illegal and dangerous. It’s only a matter of time before he kills someone.”
  • When Rosie is injured, the doctors give her painkillers.
  • A mother of one of the characters is “addicted to drugs.” The mother “came home one day and the house was empty. She had sold everything for drug money. Even my little brothers’ shoes.”

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Ana María’s family attends mass. The services are not described.
  • When Ana María’s aunt gets engaged, the aunt’s mother “looked at the ceiling in thanks to God.”
  • When Ana María gives a poor man some food, he says, “God bless you.”
  • When Rosie is injured, her Abuelita says, “God will protect her.” Later Abuelita “took her rosary out of her purse. Then she closed her eyes and prayed.”
  • Abuelita says that “God knows how to take care of us.”

Monsters on the Run

Vanessa, the Loch Ness monster, doesn’t like being alone. In the lake where she lives, everyone seems to have another friend just like them—the turtles, the fish, the frogs, and even the seaweed. Vanessa wants a friend just like her. When Vanessa calls on Blizz Richards, he’s willing to help out. His team travels 65 million years into the past to find another sea monster. But when they get there, they realize there are other jagged-toothed creatures that want to snap them up.

Monsters on the Run has a variety of interesting characters including a bigfoot, goblins, leprechauns, arctic foxes, and more. All of the creatures work together to help Vanessa find a friend that looks like her. The story is a bit random and jumps from topic to topic, but is still enjoyable.

Each page has black and white illustrations with googly-eyed monsters and cartoonish dinosaur predators. Most pages have one to two sentences, while a few pages have up to six sentences. This is a fast-paced, silly story that will engage readers who are just beginning to pick up chapter books.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • After someone accidentally sits on a dinosaur’s tail, the dinosaur chases him.
  • While swimming, a predator tries to eat Nessie.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • To time travel, a leprechaun takes “strands of the rainbow and separates them, picking out two colors to combine.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

 

 

Big Trouble

Friday has found a home at her exclusive boarding school, but she’s unprepared for her father being a guest professor. However, her father isn’t the only new arrival. A Norwegian princess has just arrived, just when a thief called the Pimpernel is causing chaos across campus. Can Friday avoid her father, rein in a royal brat, and discover who the Pimpernel is?

The third installment of the Friday Barnes Mystery Series will entertain readers with its page-turning mystery and the reappearance of some lovable characters. Although Melanie’s best friend and possible love interest Ian reappears, new and interesting characters are added. Many of the characters are portrayed in an exaggerated, stereotypical way, which adds to the story’s humor. For example, when Friday catches a girl eavesdropping, the girl replies, “. . .we’re preteen girls. We’re supposed to have a cavalier disregard for the sensitivities of our peers.”

Melanie’s brother, Binky, makes an appearance and wants to know how to attract a girl. His interactions with Friday are heartfelt. Middle school readers will relate to his dilemma. Binky adds a welcome dose of romance to the story.

Like the previous books, Friday focuses on several smaller mysteries that end up all coming together for a big reveal at the end. Even though the story’s ending is mostly predictable, readers will still enjoy discovering how Friday used her power of observation to solve the mysteries. Friday doesn’t shy away from using large vocabulary words or feel like she needs to hide the fact that she is smart.

Black and white illustrations appear every 4 to 8 pages. The illustrations help bring the quirky characters to life and show some of the story’s action. Although the Friday Barns Series does not need illustrations to get readers to turn the pages, they add a nice touch and are often humorous.

Although Big Trouble can be read as a stand-alone book, readers will enjoy the story more if the previous books in the series have been read. Big Trouble will keep readers entertained with new mysteries and new characters. Friday’s curious personality and search for the truth will captivate readers and keep them turning the pages.

Sexual Content

  • When Friday says she doesn’t think Ian is a thief, Melanie asks, “Because you love him even more than you love Marie Curie?”
  • A magazine prints a picture with the heading, “Secret Smooching at Swanky School’ and a grainy black-and-white photograph of Princess Ingrid kissing a boy. Melanie is upset that the boy was Ian and yells, “How dare he kiss another girl just because she’s beautiful, rich, and royal.”
  • While looking at the picture of the princess and Ian kissing, Friday notices his messed up hair. “Maybe Ingrid ran her hand through his hair,” said Friday. “That is something kissing people are known to do.”
  • When Ian tries to explain that he wasn’t kissing the princess, Friday doesn’t believe his story. Ian replies, “What interest would I have in being chivalrous? It would be more to my advantage if everyone thought I was the type of guy who made out with European royalty on a polo field.”
  • One of the boys decides to wear clothes to show off his muscles. He hopes to attract a girl by being “eye candy.”

Violence

  • Friday’s uncle, “accidentally hit the lady who sang the national anthem.” He says the lady, “burst onto the ice with a bunch of spectators to try to punch our goalkeeper . . . He’d just let in a home goal, so they were feeling emotional. Fists started flying, and my fist just happened to connect with her nose.”
  • A dog “launched himself at Uncle Bernie’s bottom.” He is not seriously hurt by the resulting bite.
  • One of the characters talked about how during a race someone tried to stop people from winning by putting down banana peels. It didn’t work, and “the winner punched Rajiv in the nose and kept running.”
  • During the race, a boy “whipped off his size 14 shoe and threw it at Patel. It hit him neatly on the ankle, causing him to trip and slam into a vending machine.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Friday’s father calls someone a buffoon.
  • Melanie calls Ian a rat.
  • Friday says that a thief is “an idiot with a get-rich-quick scheme.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

 

Ghosts

Caterina doesn’t want to move. But moving to the coastal town Bahia de la Luna, with its cool, salty air, will help her little sister Maya’s cystic fibrosis. When the two sisters start exploring their new home, they meet their neighbor, Carlos. According to Carlos, Maya isn’t the only one that likes the cool, salty air—so do the ghosts who visit Bahia de la Luna.

As the town prepares for El Día De Los Muertos, Maya is determined to meet a ghost. But Cat doesn’t want to have anything to do with the celebration, and she certainly doesn’t want to meet a ghost. Will Cat be able to put aside her fears? Will Maya fulfill her dream of a ghostly encounter?

Ghost focus on Cat’s fear of losing her sick sister, who has cystic fibrosis. The story shows Maya’s treatments in a fun, illustrated format. Even though Maya is sick, she remains adventurous and inquisitive. Maya is curious about what will happen to her after death.

The beautiful color pictures help tell Cat’s story. Cat is also fearful of the ghost and wants them to leave her family alone. Cat doesn’t want to learn about the Día De Los Muertos or think about her sister’s illness. The illustrations portray Cat’s varied emotions—fear, worry, embarrassment, and love. Even though Cat’s fear is a central part of the story, the ghosts are not portrayed in a frightening manner.

This easy-to-read story gives readers a glimpse into the life of someone with cystic fibrosis. The traditions of Día De Los Muertos come alive through the illustrations. For readers who want to learn more, the end of the book contains more information about Día De Los Muertos and cystic fibrosis.

Ghost is a simple story told through both illustrations and text. Each page contains seven or fewer sentences. The easy vocabulary, simple sentences, and fun pictures make Ghost accessible to all readers. The story contains some Spanish words, but most readers will be able to understand the meaning through context clues. The message and the plot will be interesting for readers in elementary and junior high.

Sexual Content

  • Cat kisses a boy on the cheek.

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • “Oh my gosh” is used several times.

Supernatural

  • The story focuses on the Day of the Dead. “It’s a day to welcome back the spirits of the loved ones we’ve lost.”
  • The town’s mission is “a doorway to the spirit world.” Later in the story, someone takes Maya and her sister to the mission because “It’s where the ghosts’ world and ours most closely overlap. . . so heading up there is our best chance of making contact.”
  • When Cat and Maya see a ghost, the ghost hurts Maya because “ghosts just get a little overly excited by kids. Their energy is like a breath of fresh air.”
  • On the day of the dead, ghosts come to the town and interact with the living. “Some of them can speak, and some of them can’t.” One of the ghosts grabs Cat’s hand and flies her home.
  • A character thinks that “keeping seashells in your house is bad luck. . . unless you want to lure the discontented dead.”
  • At the end of the story, traditional Mexican foods magically appear on Cat’s family’s table.

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

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