Teaches About Culture – Sneak Peek Books

The Viking’s Revenge

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

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

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

Drugs and Alcohol 

During a meal, ale is served.

Language 

Several times, someone is called a coward.

Supernatural

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

Spiritual Content 

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

Salat in Secret

In this beautiful story of community, family, and acceptance, a boy named Muhammad receives a special salat rug on his seventh birthday. Seven is the age when Muslim children are encouraged to pray, and Muhammad is determined to do all five daily prayers on time. But one salat occurs during the school day—and he’s worried about being seen praying at school. His father parks his truck to worship in public places, and people stare at and mock him. Will the same thing happen to Muhammad?

In the end, with help from his teacher, he finds the perfect place to pray. Salat in Secret, created by two highly acclaimed Muslim creators, is a poignant and empowering look at an important facet of Islam that many observant children cherish but might be scared to share.

Muhammad’s story illustrates how participating in salat is difficult in the United States. Muhammad watches his father pray on a public street. “Once, some teenagers laughed. Daddy kept moving up and down, slow and brave. I watched from the truck, hands shaking.” Because of this experience, Muhammad is afraid to talk to his teacher about his desire to pray during class. In the end, Muhamad bravely talks to his teacher, and she helps him find a place where he can pray.

Muhammad’s emotions are explained in ways that children will understand. For example, “I open my mouth. I try to push my questions out, but in my head, I see people starting at Daddy. I hear rough laughs. Would Mrs. Baker think salat is funny?” The story also includes illustrations that show other people’s negative reactions when Muhammad’s father prays. One illustration shows two police officers looking confused, and another illustration shows an angry woman scowling at Muhammad and his father.

Salat in Secret uses simple language and bright illustrations to help children understand the importance of salat. Each page has one to seven sentences with basic vocabulary and a glossary defining the Arabic words. The story focuses on Muhammad’s fear of praying in public and his need for bravery in order to share his desire to pray. While Muhammad has witnessed others’ negative reactions to his father’s prayer, Muhammad also knows that prayer makes him feel “sunniness inside.”

Anyone who wants to foster acceptance and understanding of other people’s cultures will find Salat in Secret an engaging book that positively portrays the Muslim tradition of salat. In addition, the relationship Muhammad has with his father is endearing. In the end, readers will celebrate when Muhammad finds the courage to advocate for his need to pray. Readers will also learn the importance of speaking up when they need help. While Salat in Secret will resonate with Muslim children the most, the book can also teach non-Muslim children the importance of respecting other’s beliefs.

To help young readers understand the importance of accepting people of different cultures, read the picture books Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors by Hena Khan, All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, and Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

None

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

The book explains the Muslim tradition of prayer, including wudu and salat.

The Defiant

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content 

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

Violence 

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

Drugs and Alcohol 

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

Language 

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

Supernatural

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

Spiritual Content 

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

Love in English

Sixteen-year-old Ana is a poet and a lover of language. Except since she moved to New Jersey from Argentina, she can barely find the words to express how she feels.

At first, Ana just wants to return home. Then she meets Harrison, a very cute, very American boy in her math class, and discovers the universal language of racing hearts. But when she begins to spend time with Neo, the Greek Cypriot boy from ESL, Ana wonders how figuring out what her heart wants can be even more confusing than the grammar they’re both trying to master. After all, the rules of English may be confounding, but there are no rules when it comes to love.

Told from Ana’s perspective, Love in English shows Ana’s struggle with understanding both the English language and American culture. To convey Ana’s language difficulties, Ana’s family’s conversations are peppered with Spanish words. In addition, when others speak to Ana in English, she misses many of the words which are written as “####### ########.” Ana also struggles with words, such as “close,” that have two meanings and are pronounced differently. Throw in American idioms like “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush” and “a stich in time saves nine” and readers begin to understand and empathize with how hard it is to learn English.

It’s not just English that Ana struggles to understand. Ana meets Harrison and Neo at school. When Ana meets Harrison, she thinks, “There’s so much I wish I could ask him about. . . but I can’t catch any of the words needed to form those questions. They swim in my brain, some visible, some shapeless, but none want to coalesce into sentences. It’s so frustrating. It’s like someone stole all my words.” Ana struggles to understand the language of love, which often leads to misunderstandings.

Much of the plot revolves around Ana’s inner dialogue, which makes Ana feel like a new friend that you want to sit down and share coffee and a secret with. Ana is extremely likable and deals with many of the same struggles as today’s teens. However, readers who love action-packed stories full of adventure will find Love in English difficult to read. For those who love looking into a character’s heart and soul, Love in English is the perfect book. Many readers will relate to Ana, who is trying to find a place where she belongs in life and in America. Through it all, Ana learns that “The most important words are the ones we’re brave enough to share.”

Sexual Content 

While leaving the classroom, Ana bumps into Harrison. She thinks, “For a second, I want to grab his hand and hold it. Or pull him toward me, and we will have our first kiss here in our math classroom.”
One of Ana’s new friends, Altagracia says, “You like boys? Girls? Both? I like girls myself.” Later, Altagracia tells Ana that “she went on a date with another girl and they kiss[ed].”
In the cafeteria, a girl says she can’t keep lipstick on for more than twenty minutes. Her friend replies, “You should probably stop kissing so many people then.”
Ana goes to a night club to watch Harrison’s band play. Ana sees Harrison dancing with Jessica, a girl from school. Jessica “pushes onto the tiptoes of her high-tops. The lean in is slow, so slow. . . Her lips land on his. He stands there. . . She gets off her tippy toes and runs her thumb gently over his lips.”
After seeing Jessica kiss Harrison, Ana leaves but has no way to get home so she calls Neo. Instead of going home, Ana goes to Neo’s house and they watch a movie. Ana looks “up at Neo. He’s so close, a few inches away. He looks at me steadily. . . His lips look perfect, the dimple in his chin a little shadowed where he missed a spot shaving. . . “ Ana’s phone rings and she’s left to wonder if she wanted Neo to kiss her.
Ana goes to Harrison’s house and he asks Ana permission to kiss her. Ana is “looking at Harrison, and I know I want to kiss him. Instead of words, I use my lips. His lips are soft, and wonderful, but he doesn’t move them. I am self-conscious. Am I supposed to do something more? I kiss him again. He kisses too, then pulls away.”
Neo takes Ana to a poetry slam and then the Empire State Building. While at the top, he “leans in. When his lips touch mine, the moment shivers through me, his lips, warm and perfect, part mine. His hand is on the small of my back, and he pulls me in, and I can’t breathe.” The kiss is described over a paragraph.

Violence 

Several times, a boy from school makes snarky remarks about Neo being an immigrant. One day, Ana gets to school and sees Neo and the boy fighting. “One has the other in a headlock. . . It’s Neo in the headlock, swinging his arms, connecting with a thud on the other boy’s lower back. He pulls Neo tighter.” Neo has blood on his face when teachers break up the fight.

Drugs and Alcohol 

While at a night club Ana sees some girls from school and one of the girls is “flirty drunk.”

Language 

Ana overhears profanity in the hallways at school. Ana writes in her journal, “Fuckface. A face that likes to do sex? Doosh noze? Shit biscuit? Duck butter? Bananas. Like ‘crazy’?”
Profanity is used rarely. Profanity includes damn, fuck, and shit.
Oh my God is used as an exclamation.

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

None

See-Through Mummies

From the pyramids at Giza to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, mummies—those ancient and awesome figures of the dead—are among the most fascinating and surprising mysteries of the ancient world. Now you can travel back in time and look beneath the mummy’s bandages as it goes from dead to perfectly preserved, all in just a few months.

Featuring clear pages that allow the reader a glimpse beneath the surface, See-Through Mummies will show you the secrets, legends, methods, and the exact step-by-step science of the practice of creating ancient mummies. Readers will not only learn how and why mummies were made, they will also unravel the secrets of the Book of the Dead, the legend behind Egyptian gods and goddesses, the inside story of Osiris, the very first mummy, and will glimpse the riches of tombs treasures as only a see-through page can show them.

So, open your eyes and prepare to be amazed. With this book, you won’t just see mummies; you’ll see through them.

See-Through Mummies is a beautifully illustrated book that breaks the Egyptian’s beliefs and mummification process into short informational sections. Each section has a bold title that clearly labels what the text is about. Illustrations show the mummification process with captions that explain each illustration. In addition, many pages have an infographic titled “Mummy Matters.” The infographic uses a bullet point list with additional facts, such as, “The valuable heart was left in the body. The worthless brain was thrown away.”

The book gives step-by-step instructions on how to mummify a person and explains the Egyptian’s beliefs regarding the afterlife. For example, before being allowed into the afterlife, each person’s heart would be weighed. If they lead an evil life, they would be condemned to a second death. “The prospect of dying for a second time filled Egyptians with horror. It was the worst thing that could possibly happen to them.” Ammut was a monster called the “‘devourer of the dead’ because she ate the hearts of those who had led wicked lives. She was feared by all, and everyone knew that once she had eaten a person’s heart, they could never reach the afterlife.” Squamish readers may find the descriptions of the mummification process upsetting.

The book’s format will instantly engage readers with the illustrations that mimic an ancient scroll. Each page has a border with brightly colored symbols, but the illustrations use earth tones. While none of the illustrations show gory detail, several of them include blood flowing from a body. Each illustration helps the reader understand the Ancient Egyptian’s beliefs. For example, the journey to the afterlife illustrates the steps involved in the weighing of the heart ceremony, along with captions explaining the illustration. The transparent pages are strong and will not tear; plus, they give the mummification process an added element because they allow the reader to see each step.

Everyone who is interested in Ancient Egypt or mummies should read See-Through Mummies. This fascinating book breaks facts into easily manageable sections, and the illustrations help readers understand the Egyptians’ beliefs. Learn more about Ancient Egypt by reading The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, the TombQuest Series by Michael Northrop, and the Kid Detective Zet Series by Scott Peters.

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The God Osiris was married to his sister Isis. Their brother Seth was jealous of Osiris and tricked him into getting into a coffin. “Seth shut the lid and threw the coffin into the Nile River, and Osiris drowned. . .” Later, Seth found the body and “ripped his body into fourteen pieces, which he scattered across Egypt.”
Isis was sad that Osiris was scattered over Egypt, so she searched for the body parts. “She found them all save one, which a great fish had swallowed.” Osiris’s body was mummified, and Isis “blew life into Osiris, and he was reborn, not to live in this world, but to live for all time in the afterlife.”
During the embalming process, the brain was removed. “It was pulled out in bits through the left nostril or scooped through a hole in the base of the skull.”
Some people believe King Tutankhamun was murdered.

Drugs and Alcohol 

During embalming, “the body could be washed with wine made from the fruit of palm trees.”

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Supernatural

After a person “entered the afterlife, he or she was able to use supernatural powers. These powers could be put to good use, helping to solve problems for the living. However, they could also harm the living, causing them illness or trouble in the form of curses.”

Spiritual Content 

The ancient Egyptians believed in many gods. The book references the gods Horus and Thoth. “Horus, who was the son of Osiris, was the god of eternal life. Thoth was the god of wisdom and writing.”
After a person died, embalmers took away the body, and “priests attended to the body of a dead person, offering spells and prayers, and preparing it for the embalming process.”
While a person was being embalmed, “priests recited sacred words from the Book of the Dead. This was a collection of around three hundred spells, all of which were designed to help the dead person travel to the afterlife.”
When a body was wrapped in linen, “Amulets and spells were placed between the layers. . . During the wrapping, priest chanted spells each time a new piece of linen was put in place. . . the spells were also designed to protect the person’s akh, helping it on its way to the next life where it would live again.”

Who Was Julius Caesar?

He came. He saw. He conquered. Julius Caesar was a force to be reckoned with. He was a savvy politician, an impressive orator, and a brave soldier. Born in Rome in 100 BC, he quickly climbed the ladder of Roman politics, making allies and enemies along the way. His victories in battle awarded him the support of the people. However, flush from power he named himself dictator for life, and the good times would not last much longer. On the Ides of March, Caesar was brutally assassinated by a group of senators determined to end his tyranny and bring his reign to an end.

Who was Julius Caesar? focuses on Caesar’s rise to power in a time when power and wealth were the leading cause of many battles in Rome. Many powerful men were willing to fight for power, including Cinna and Marius, who were supposed to rule the Senate together. Since Caesar traveled widely, there is also a short excerpt about Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy. Readers will find Caesar’s military expertise and ability to manipulate people fascinating. However, Caesar lived in a time of bloody battles, murders, and rebellions.

The book has an easy-to-read format with a large font. Large black-and-white illustrations appear on almost every page. Many illustrations show maps, people, and objects from the time period. For example, there are illustrations of important people, Roman architecture, weapons, and maps. The wide array of illustrations and the short chapters will help keep readers interested until the end. Scattered throughout the book are one-page infographics that give more information about the time period, such as education in Ancient Rome, the Roman Forum, and Spartacus. The end of the book includes a timeline of Julius Caesar’s life and a timeline of the world during that time period.

Julius Caesar is one of the most famous Romans of all time—he was even the topic of one of Shakespeare’s plays. Everyone should learn more about Caesar and Ancient Rome because they impacted the world. Political unrest embroiled Rome in many battles, causing death and destruction. Despite this, learning about Ancient Roman history shows how Caesar’s quest for power and wealth led to his demise, and while the Ancient Roman Empire accomplished many great things, the empire eventually crumbled.

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Pirates imprisoned Caesar. After Caesar’s ransom was paid, he was released. “He took each and every one of the pirates and had them killed.”
Sulla and Marius were rivals who wanted to be the top general. When the two sides battled, “Sulla’s army burned down buildings and killed many people.”
Marius’ army returned to Rome and “began killing Sulla’s supporters. Some victims had their heads chopped off and stuck to the ends of spears.”
In Ancient Rome, many men fought for power, including Cinna and Sulla. “Wealthy citizens were being murdered by angry mobs. . . Cinna’s troops realized they were no match for Sulla’s army. . . They murdered their own commander.”
When Sulla took power, “he began clearing the city of his enemies. A list of names was posted in the Forum. Anyone who killed a man on the list could keep some of that man’s property.”
Spartacus was a slave who began a rebellion. “One night, Spartacus escaped with more than seventy other slaves. They were armed only with kitchen knives. As they fled, they came across wagons loaded with weapons.” Spartacus and his men killed many men.
When Spartacus was killed, the rebellion ended. “For daring to rise up against Rome, six thousand rebels were crucified. The crosses stood one every hundred feet for a hundred miles, all along the road to Rome.” Spartacus and his rebellion are discussed over a page.
Bibulus, a senate member, angered the people of Rome. “They threw things at him. Someone dumped a basket of animal poop on his head, and a mob chased him back to his house.”
Caesar attacked Gaul. During this time, a group of three thousand Gauls planned to move to the coast. “They had burned their villages behind them, so no one could change their mind and move back home.”
Caesar went to Egypt and the king gave him a gift, “a woven basket. . . containing Pompey’s severed head!”
Caesar became so powerful that the senate decided to kill him. “The first to stab Caesar was a senator named Casca. He was so nervous that he only grazed Caesar’s neck. Caesar attacked with the only weapon he had—a pen—and stabbed it through Casca’s arm. Twenty-two more blows descended on Caesar, one knife after another.” Caesar died.

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

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Supernatural

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Spiritual Content 

The Romans believed in many gods. “Caesar’s family said they were descended directly from Venus, Roman goddess of love and beauty!”
In a speech, Caesar said, “The family of my aunt Julia is descended from kings on her mother’s side and, through her father, from the gods themselves. My family therefore holds the sanctity of kings who rule among men and of gods who rule over kings.”
One page explains the religion in Ancient Rome. The Romans “worshiped Greek gods—after giving them Roman names. The most powerful Greek God, Zeus, became the Roman God Jupiter. . . Religion was part of everyday life in Rome. Almost everyone had a household shrine: a small cupboard with pictures and trinkets where they could pray and make offerings—often food and drink—to the gods.”
Romans appointed a High Priest of Jupiter. “The God Jupiter was the protector of Rome.”

The Thieves of Ostia

Flavia Gemina is a natural at solving mysteries. The daughter of a ship’s captain living in Ostia, the port of Rome, in AD79, she and her three friends, Jonathan, a Jewish boy (and secretly a Christian); Nubia, an African slave girl; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy, must work together to discover who is beheading the watchdogs that guard people’s homes, and why.

One of the best qualities of The Thieves of Ostia is the interesting and diverse characters. While Flavia is the main protagonist, the addition of Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus adds interest and allows the reader to see how people in different social groups interact. Despite coming from different backgrounds, Flavia, her father, and her friends treat Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus equally. This highlights the importance of treating all people kindly and allows the reader to see Flavia’s compassion.

When Flavia first sees Nubia, who is naked and chained, Flavia decides to purchase Nubia instead of buying an expensive book. From the start, Flavia treats Nubia like a friend instead of a servant. Likewise, when Lupus enters the scene, he’s in filthy, threadbare clothes and is unable to talk because his tongue has been cut out. Despite this, Lupus is treated with care and quickly joins Flavia’s friend group. Flavia’s friend Jonathan is also well-developed, and through him and his family, readers learn how Christian Jews are discriminated against. This topic isn’t explored in detail. Instead, the story affirms the importance of treating everyone with respect. Flavia’s father explains how Jonathan’s family has different customs that must be respected. Flavia and her father accept each other’s differences and create a welcoming atmosphere that allows friendships to bloom.

In addition to the interesting characters, The Thieves of Ostia revolves around a fast-paced mystery with Flavia and her friends roaming different parts of Rome. This gives a glimpse into the harsh realities of life, including slavery and death, which were common during this period. These scenes are often graphic and may upset some readers. One character who is especially cruel is Venalicius, a slave trader who is rumored to kidnap children to sell as slaves. In one terrifying scene, Venalicius sends his men to capture Flavia and her friends. This heart-pounding scene shows the perils of children who live in Rome.

The Thieves of Ostia has many positive aspects, including interesting characters, a compelling mystery, and several positive life lessons. Through Flavia and her friends’ adventures, readers will learn the importance of forgiveness. In addition, the story’s conclusion shows the dangers of judging people based on their appearance. One reason people did not suspect the culprit was because he was attractive. Flavia says the criminal was “polite and handsome. . . It just never occurred to me that he might be bad.” Readers who get squeamish by graphic descriptions will want to avoid reading The Thieves of Ostia. However, readers who are ready to delve into the hard topics of death and slavery will enjoy The Thieves of Ostia because of the exciting action and adventure.

Sexual Content 

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Violence 

A pack of dogs chases Flavia into a tree. While she’s trying to figure out how to move to safety, “One of the yellow dogs yelped and leaped to his feet, as if stung by a bee. Then the leader snarled and writhed in pain. A stone had struck him!” A boy slung rocks at the dogs until they “slunk off.”
When Flavia goes into town, she sees “terrifying men with broken noses, mangled ears, and meaty arms. Some had lost arms or hands or legs.” It is unclear how the men were injured.
\While by the port, Flavia hears “the crack of a whip and clink of chains. Out of the mist emerged a pitiful sight, a line of women, naked and chained at the neck. . . Some had open sores.” The women were naked and wore “wooden tags with prices scrawled on them.”
Venalicius is known to kidnap children and sell them into slavery. It was rumored “that he had kidnapped a nine-year-old girl named Sapphira and sold her to a Syrian merchant.”
Venalicius had one ear “bitten off by a slave he had afterward crucified, if the rumor was true.”
Flavia sees a young girl who is being sold by Venalicius. Flavia asks her father what will happen to the girl, and he says, “She may become a lady’s maid. Or a cook’s assistant. Or perhaps someone will buy her for a wife. . . You know that eleven or twelve is not too young for slaves to marry.”
When Shanakda, a slave girl, was too afraid to walk the gangplank, “without warning, Venalicius had furiously unlocked her collar and pushed her into the water, though her hands had still been tied. . . Nubia would never forget the sight of bitter seawater filling Shanakda’s screaming mouth and silencing her forever.”
Flavia’s family’s cook “had died shopping for leeks in the forum when a donkey kicked him in the head.”
Flavia’s neighbor, Cordius, was an officer in Germania, and “his whole family had been slaughtered by barbarians. A lovely wife, three fine young sons, and a baby girl, now all gone to the underworld. . .”
Jonathan’s family’s watchdog is killed. Jonathan tells Flavia not to look because “someone has cut off his head and taken it away.” Later, another dog is found with its head cut off.
Avita, a young girl, “died horribly, in great pain, of hydrophobia. . . The disease is also known as rabies.” Avita’s mom says, “Avita lost her appetite, and then she began to be terrified of the sight of water. She even refused to drink. Finally, she began to see things that weren’t there. But the end, when it came, was peaceful.”
Avita’s father goes to several taverns, gets drunk, then travels to a lighthouse and jumps off. “There was a cry from the onlookers as the figure struck the edge of the first tier, bounced, and tumbled like a rag doll down to the concrete below.”
A young boy climbed a tree to get away from a pack of dogs. Someone begins shooting arrows at the dogs. “One of the dogs yelped, leaped into the air, then fell back with a shaft in his gut. . . the second arrow struck the leader. . . Two dogs with arrows in them lay writhing on the ground.” Jonathan’s father, Mordecai, grabs a sword and “cut the dog’s throat with a single stroke, putting her out of her misery.”
The other dog “leapt directly at Mordecai’s face. Jonathan’s father reacted by instinct. The bloody sword flashed again, and the dog’s head and body fell in two separate places.”
Flavia befriends an orphan boy who cannot talk because “someone has cut out his tongue.” The reason for this is never stated.
Flavia’s dog begins to whine. Then, Flavia sees “a trident, the kind fishermen use to catch fish. Its base was wedged tight between paving stones, and its three prongs pointed up toward the cold stars. On each of the three points was planted a severed dog’s head.” Flavia faints.

Drugs and Alcohol 

Jonathan uses marjoram oil for his asthma.
When Flavia hurts her ankle, an adult applies ointment to help it heal.
Flavia and her father purchased a young slave. Flavia “bathed the sores on her neck with a sea sponge and applied some of Mordecai’s soothing aloe balm.”
At Flavia’s birthday dinner, the adults drink wine, and the children drink “well watered” wine. Jonathan becomes “slightly tipsy.”
Flavia lives close to the graveyard. “She often went there with her father to honor her mother and twin brothers. . . Wind could be poured into [amphora] necks to refresh the ashes of the dead below.”
A boy follows Avita’s father to several taverns, where he sees men drinking and gambling.
Flavia’s family has friends over for dinner, and they drink wine. Flavia notices that her father has drunk too much wine.

Language 

An adult exclaims, “Great Neptune’s beard!”
“By Hercules” is used as an exclamation twice.
Flavia and Jonathan both exclaim, “by Pollux” one time.

Supernatural

A boy overhears a soothsayer talking to Avita’s father. The boy “guessed the soothsayer was poking at chicken entrails or staring into a sacred bauble.” The soothsayer tells the father, “Unless you offer a sacrifice to the god Anubis, your daughter’s spirit will never be at rest. . . May the gods curse you!”

Spiritual Content 

Flavia wears an amulet. “One day, when she married, she would dedicate this bulla to the gods of the crossroad.”
When Flavia finds her father’s signet ring, she says “a silent prayer of thanks to Castor and Pollux,” who are deities and the patrons of athletes.
Jonathan’s family is Jewish. When Flavia meets his father, he is reading the Torah. Jonathan says the family moved after “our old neighbors wrote things on the wall of our house, and once they threw rotten eggs at Father.”
Jonathan’s family are Christians who aren’t allowed in the synagogue. The Rabbi tells Jonathan, “I suppose you can’t be blamed for your father’s misguided beliefs. Besides, the Master of the Universe, blessed be He, tells us to act justly and to love mercy. . .”
Flavia tells Jonathan, “I’ve heard that Christians eat their God, and my father says they burned Rome.” Jonathan defends Christianity. He says, “Christians are peaceful. We are taught to love our enemies and pray for them.”
Jonathan’s father, Mordecai, encourages the children to forgive. He says, “Our faith teaches that if you say sorry to God for the wrong things you have done, and if you forgive the people who have done wrong things to you, you will be forgiven.”
When eating at Flavia’s house, snails are served. When Jonathan asks if he can eat them, his father says, “God has made all things clean.” After a discussion that lasted a page, “Flavia closed her eyes and tried to imagine which god she was speaking to. Finally, she settled on the beardless shepherd with a lamb over his shoulder.”
While discussing the criminal who killed the dogs, Mordecai says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Flavia’s father sets off on a journey after he “visited the temple of Castor and Pollux, to make sacrifices for a good and profitable journey.”
Avita’s mom says, “I believe that after we die, we will go to a place more wonderful than we can imagine. Not the cold, dark underworld, but a sunny garden, a paradise. I trust Avita is there now. She was also a believer.” This implies that Avita’s mother is a Christian.
Flavia and her friends talk to a sea captain who sailed through a terrible story. The captain says, “All of us are thanking whatever gods we believe in that we’re alive . . .”
When the slave dealer sends his men to capture Jonathan and his friends, Jonathan prays that they reach safety.
When Emperor Vespasian dies, he says, “Oh, dear, I think I’m becoming a god.”

Danger in Ancient Rome

Ranger is a golden retriever who has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog. In this adventure, Ranger travels to the Colosseum in ancient Rome, where there are gladiator fights and wild animal hunts! Ranger befriends the young boy Marcus after saving him from a runaway lion. Ranger also befriends Quintus, a new volunteer gladiator who must prove himself in the arena. Can Ranger help Marcus and Quintus escape the brutal world of the Colosseum?

Told in third-person, Danger in Ancient Rome includes the inner thoughts of Ranger, Marcus, and Quintus. This increases the suspense by focusing on both Marcus’s and Quintus’s fear of being killed. Their point of view also allows them to explain Ancient Rome’s beliefs and practices. Since Marcus is young, he explains his master’s cruelty in kid-friendly language that is suspenseful, but not terrifying.

Adding Ranger’s point of view allows the reader to understand Ranger’s thought process, which often includes comparing a situation in Rome to something similar in his family’s situation. For example, when trying to save a boy from a burning building, Ranger barks but doesn’t leave the building. The dog thinks, “He never had to bark this long practicing with Dad and Luke. When Ranger found the person and barked, Luke came.”

Life in Ancient Rome was difficult and slaves were often treated cruelly. The descriptions are not graphic or gory, however, sensitive readers may get upset when Quintus is forced to fight in the Colosseum. The fight ends in a realistic but surprising way. Ranger and Marcus help Quintus fight and the emperor frees Marcus, Quintus, and the gladiator. A servant tells them, “But today, you and your dog gave [the audience] the one thing they love more than blood. . . You gave them a story. One they will tell for a long time to come.”

The Ranger in Time Series format will appeal to young readers. The book has large text and full-page, black-and-white illustrations that appear approximately every six pages. The author’s note includes information about the historical people and places in the book, including information about Pompeii. Plus, there is a list of resources for readers who want to learn more about Ancient Rome.

Danger in Ancient Rome is a suspenseful story that allows readers to learn about Ancient Rome. The story focuses on Marcus, a servant raised in a gladiator school. Since he has watched gladiators train, he is very knowledgeable and helps Quintus survive his first battle. The heartwarming conclusion shows Marcus and Quintus being given their freedom and becoming a family. Ranger uses his ability to smell to help others. Readers who want to learn more about amazing dogs should read The Dog That Dug for Dinosaurs by Shirley Raye Redmond, Dog Heroes by Mary Pope Osborne & Natalie Pope Boyce, and Sniffer Dogs by Nancy F. Castaldo.

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Violence 

The emperor Domitian “had a reputation for being cruel. Some people even said he had killed the former emperor, Titus, his own brother.”
A lion jumps on Marcus. “The lion knocked him to the stone floor. He hit his head on the edge of a stair. . . [the lion] pinned Marcus down with a fat, heavy paw.” Ranger helps and Marcus is uninjured. A one-page illustration shows the lion pinning Marcus to the ground.
When help arrives for Marcus, “Ranger jumped to the side just as the animal trainer jabbed the lion with his stick. The huge cat roared and reared to face him. Then, four more men came running with sticks and swords and nets. They snared the big cat and tied it tight with thick ropes.”
When a trainee disappears, Marcus’ owner tells Marcus, “You will find him. And you will bring him back. Or you will pay with your life.” Later, Marcus thinks that his owner “could have had him beaten or even killed for failing to do his job.”
Ranger goes into a fire to rescue a boy. When he finds the boy, Ranger barks until Marcus comes to help. “Pieces of ceiling fell in burning scraps around them. Marcus couldn’t see anyone. . . He could only feel the dog under his hand, leading him.”
Quintus is a “retiarius,” which means he is “the lowest of all the gladiators, that he almost always fought a heavily armored sector in the arena.” A retiarius usually dies in battle.
Quintus, a gladiator in training, tries to run away. When his owner finds him, he shackles Quintus “with a thick iron cuff around his ankle and locked him into the barracks. . .”
Men who committed crimes are “tied together with ropes and wearing nothing but rags.” They are executed, but their deaths are not described.
Quintus is forced to fight Cleto, who is much bigger than him. During the fight, “Cleto slashed with his sword. Quintus fell back, clutching his upper arm. . . Marcus could see blood seeping from between [Quintus’] fingers.”
During the fight, Quintus throws a net over Cleto. “Cleto cut through the net with his sword. He slashed at Quintus’s arm again, and this time, a bigger gash opened, spilling blood into the sand.”
Ranger jumps in to help Quintus. Ranger “tackled Cleto, the way he tackled Luke when they were roughhousing in the yard at home. . . Even through the dark holes of the metal mask, Ranger could sense the anger in [Cletos’s] eyes.”
Quintus again puts the net over Cleto. “. . . Cleto freed himself from the net. He struggled to untangle his sword and shield. . . [Cleto] rushed at Quintus, and slammed his body against him.” The emperor stops the fight and allows everyone to live. The fight is described over ten pages. There are two illustrations, but they do not show any of the wounds or actual fighting.
After the fight, Quintus’s “face is smeared with sweat and drying blood.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

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Supernatural

Ranger can time travel. When it is time for him to travel, a first-aid kit begins to hum. When Ranger picks up the first-aid kit, “Bright light spilled from the cracks in the old metal box. . . The light beamed brighter and brighter. . . Ranger’s skin prickled under his fur.” When he opens his eyes, he’s in Rome.

Spiritual Content 

When Quintus sees animals being led into the Colosseum, he whispers, “May the gods have mercy.”
When Quintus fights in the Colosseum, Marcus “clenched his hands together and prayed to the gods for help.”

The Scarab’s Secret

The tiniest of creatures can change the fate of a great Pharaoh.

The chance meeting of Khepri, the small scarab beetle, and a powerful Pharaoh turns out to be a life-altering experience for both, ultimately shaping the fate of the young leader. After Khepri uncovers a mysterious plot to murder the Pharaoh, he is determined to put an end to it. The tiny scarab with a big heart helps the Pharaoh avert danger and saves his life.

The Scarab’s Secret is a beautiful story that shows that even small things—like the scarab—can make a big impact. The scarab beetle narrates his own story to show the reader how he came to be honored. When the scarab is accidentally taken into the Pharaoh’s tomb, he learns that one of the passageways has a trap. When the Pharoah’s men try to lead him down the trap, the scarab warns the Pharoah and saves his life. The scarab’s tale shows “how even a little beetle can play its part in the life of a great prince.”

Christina Balit’s illustrations use vivid colors and geometric shapes to bring Egypt to life. The first illustration shows the Pharaoh kneeling in a field with the Nile River in the background, the prince carefully holding the scarab in his hand. This scene sets up the scarab’s importance. The other pages focus on the Pharaoh’s tomb, depicted with elaborate illustrations in predominantly gold and blue. Readers will be captivated by the detailed illustrations and will have fun finding the scarab on each page.

While The Scarab’s Secret is intended for young readers, many of the pages are text-heavy, which may make it hard for wiggly readers to sit through a reading. The complex sentence structure and advanced vocabulary make the book best read to a child rather than for the child to read it independently.

Anyone who wants to introduce Egyptian culture to a child will find The Scarab’s Secret an entertaining story. The fact that the Pharaoh takes time to notice the scarab reinforces the importance of nature and the idea that everything has a purpose, even a scarab. The author’s note gives more information about pharaohs. Young readers who would like to learn more about Egypt should also read Escape from Egypt by Wendy Mass as well as Mary Pope Osborne’s books Mummies and Pyramids and Mummies in the Morning.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

The Pharaoh’s men plan to murder him.

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

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Spiritual Content 

The god Ra is mentioned several times. “The great god Ra created all things. . . This beetle is as precious to Ra as the pharaoh himself. Ra has placed him here for a reason.”
This historical background at the end of the book discusses the Egyptians’ belief in gods.

Who Was Leif Erikson?

Hold on to your Viking helmets as you learn about the first known European to set foot in North America in this exciting addition to the Who Was? Series!

Leif Erikson was born to be an explorer. His father, Erik the Red, had established the first European settlement in present-day Greenland, and although Leif didn’t yet know it, he was destined to embark on an adventure of his own.

Leif, the wise and striking Viking, landed in the area known as Vinland almost five centuries before Christopher Columbus even set sail! “Leif the Lucky” and his fierce, sea-fearing crew were accomplished navigators who raided foreign lands for resources, hunted for their food, and passed down Old Norse myths from one generation to the next. This book gives readers a detailed account of what life was like during the time of the Vikings.

Who Was Leif Erikson? includes information about Erik the Red and other historical figures such as Harald Fairhair, the First King of Norway. To establish Leif’s background, the book also includes information about Viking culture, such as “the Thing,” which was the oldest parliament in Europe. Plus, readers will learn about Scandinavia, Greenland, and Vinland. The historical information is fascinating, but the Vikings were feared for a reason—their culture was violent and included killing and enslaving people.

One of Leif’s accomplishments was bringing Christianity to the Vikings. This section explains the Vikings’ belief in Asgard and the Norse Gods in detail. The Viking warriors “were training for the battle at Ragnarok, the end of the world—the ultimate battle between good and evil.” Anyone who has watched the Avengers movies will notice how the Viking culture inspired Stan Lee. The book ends by explaining how the Vikings are still remembered today in pop culture and the football team, the Minnesota Vikings.

Take a step back in time and learn more about the 1000s and the Vikings’ search for new lands. The book has an easy-to-read format with large font. Large black-and-white illustrations appear on almost every page. Many of the illustrations show maps, people, and objects from the time period. For example, there are illustrations of the Vikings’ longships, their longhouses, and other aspects of their daily life. The wide array of illustrations and the short chapters will help keep readers interested until the end. Scattered throughout the book are one-page infographics that give more information about the time period, such as how stories were passed down from generation to generation. The end of the book includes a timeline of the Vikings and a timeline of the world during that time period.

The fierce Viking culture and the Norse Gods still impact the world today, and readers will be fascinated to learn more facts about Erik the Red and Leif Erikson. The Vikings were brave warriors seeking adventure, and although they were known for plundering and killing Who Was Leif Erikson? explains why many people are proud of their Viking heritage. Readers who want to learn more about the Vikings should read Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering & Paul McCusker. To jump on another ship of a famous voyager, read Ice Wreck by Lucille Recht Penner and Who Was Ferdinand Magellan? by Sydelle Kramer.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

Both Leif’s grandfather and father murdered someone from their own village.
The Vikings acted like pirates. In the summer, Erik the Red and his men “sailed away in search of villages to threaten. In these violent and deadly raids, Erik and his fellow Viking warriors burned villages to the ground. . . Villagers who weren’t killed might be taken as slaves.”
A Viking raid attacked a Christian monastery. “The Viking invaders descended on the monastery ‘like stinging hornets’. . . They robbed, tore, and slaughtered everyone—priests and nuns alike. . . Monks were taken as slaves or drowned in the sea.”
The King of Norway tried to conquer England and was “killed in battle.”
The Vikings believed that storms were caused by Thor, the god of storms and thunder, who “killed giants in the sky with his massive hammer.”
While exploring North America, Thorvald, a Viking warrior, discovered it “was already someone else’s home. Immediately, Thorvald and his men attacked, killing eight of the nine native men.” The native people attacked the Vikings. “As Thorvald and his men ran back to their ship, arrows rained down on them. Thorvald was struck and later died.”
When a native was “caught stealing weapons, he was killed on the spot.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

The Vikings drank beer with meals.

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

Some people in England “wondered if these fearsome warriors [the Vikings] in their terrifying dragon ships had been sent by God to punish them.”
When some of the Vikings moved to England and Iceland, they “began converting to Christianity.”
The Vikings worshipped many different Gods, but King Olaf wanted to convert everyone in Norway to Christianity. “Leif Erikson wasn’t so sure the Greenlanders would want to leave behind all the gods they had grown up believing in . . . The Vikings believed the universe was centered around one big tree: The World Tree.” Six pages describe the Viking’s beliefs and gods, including Odin, Loki, and Freya.
To be fearless fighters, warriors wore the “skins of wolves and bears into battle. They believed the spirits of these fearsome animals possessed them, along with the spirit of their god Odin. . . They believed if they died bravely in battle, they would be taken to Valhalla.”
Lief became a Christian and “spread the word of God among the fellow Greenlanders by bringing Christian missionaries with him.”

The Valiant #1

Princess. Captive. Gladiator. Always a Warrior. 
 
Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary fighter Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed by the armies of Julius Caesar.
 
On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister’s footsteps and earn her place in her father’s war band. She never gets the chance.
 
Fallon is captured and sold to an elite training school for female gladiators—owned by none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who destroyed Fallon’s family might be her only hope of survival.
 
Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, deadly fights in and out of the arena, and perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier and her sworn enemy.  The Valiant recounts Fallon’s gripping journey from fierce Celtic princess to legendary gladiator and darling of the Roman empire.

The Valiant jumps right into the action and proceeds at a breathtaking pace until the very end. Overnight, Fallon’s dreams are obliterated, and her life falls apart. As a captive, Fallon’s fierce determination to free herself is admirable. While Fallon’s pain is understandable, her strength and bravery never falter. Fallon takes the reader on her adventure, which leads her to several eye-popping surprises and forces her to question her beliefs while retaining her strength of character.

Told in first person, The Valliant focuses on Fallon, who must learn about Rome’s culture and politics. At one point, Fallon meets both Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. This adds an extra layer of interest. As a strong woman, Cleopatra reinforces one of the book’s themes: “A woman ought to be able to chart her own course in life.” In addition to Caesar and Cleopatra, the book has many characters that play a significant role in the story but are not well developed. Despite being underdeveloped, Fallon’s romantic interest, Cai, has several swoon-worthy scenes that break up the battle scenes.

The Valiant is an entertaining book that follows a brave protagonist worthy of rooting for. However, the book deals with dark topics, including slavery, murder, and worshiping the Greek god of death. And while the gladiatrix fights bravely, war is not glorified. Cai reminds Fallon, “Honor is nothing but a dangerous lie, Fallon. In battle, there is no honor, not really. Caesar never won because he was honorable. He isn’t. He won because he was clever and tenacious and used whatever means necessary. . .” Mature readers who aren’t squeamish about violence will enjoy following Fallon’s adventure into the Roman empire. For a less bloody adventure, read the Protector of the Small Series by Tamora Pierce and The Royal Ranger Series by John Flanagan.

Sexual Content 

Fallon and Mael hope to one day get married. After practicing for battle, Mael kisses her. “His lips on mine silence my apology, muffling words with his sudden, hungry kiss. My eyes went wide. . . then drifted shut, plunging me into a red-lit darkness. . . My pulse surged loudly in my ears, and my fingers tangled in his long hair as I drew him down to me again.” The kiss is described over a page.
Fallon’s father betrothed her to Mael’s brother, Aeddan. After the announcement, Aeddan “spun me around and kissed me hard on the lips.” Fallon does not kiss him back. Later that night, he brings wine to Fallon’s house to celebrate.
When Aeddan tries to kiss Fallon again, she “jammed my knee into his groin, shoving him away as he gasped in pain and staggered back.” Before Aeddan can try to kiss her again, Mael appears and uses his sword to push Aeddan out of the house.
A Roman officer, Cai, meets Fallon, who wanders the gladiator school’s grounds. “He took me again by the shoulders, drawing me toward him. . . Cai’s hands lightly moved up my arms, over my shoulders and down my back to my waist, tracing my body through the thin material. . .” Fallon flees before Cai can kiss her.
After Fallon breaks Cai’s ribs, she goes to the infirmary to apologize. “Cai pulled me tightly to his bandaged chest and held me there. . . and he kissed me with a hungry desperation that tore the breath from my lungs. His hands tangled in my hair, and my arms tightened around him. . . he didn’t stop kissing me. Not for a long, dizzying while.”
When Fallon goes to have a slave collar removed, Cai goes with her. Afterward, “Cai reached up and ran his fingertips along my skin, and I shivered at this touch. . . his hand shifted to slide into my hair, and he brought his face down to mine and kissed me. The kiss thrilled me all the way to my toes.”
After professing his love for Fallon, Cai kisses her. “His mouth was nectar-sweet as he kissed me, and we fell back together into the soft, cool grass beside the stream.”

Violence 

Mael and Aeddan fight over Fallon. “Suddenly, Aeddan reared back and head-butted his brother sharply. Mael reeled away in pain, blood running down his face. . .” Aeddan stabs Mael with a blade, and Mael “opened his mouth, and a dark gout of blood bubbled up and spilled down his chin. Aeddan wrenched the dagger out of his brother’s flesh, and Mael collapsed.” Fallon assumes Mael dies.
Fallon was lost in the forest at night when “a broad-shouldered man swung his fist like a mallet at my head. I fell, consumed by a dark red tide.” When Fallon wakes, she tries to scream, but the man “pressed a knife blade up under my left ear. The scream building in my throat died instantly.” Fallon is kidnapped and sold to a slave trader.
The man who kidnapped Fallon hit her. “A short, sharp jab to my stomach. . . his thick fingers fumbling at the lacing of my tunic. I kicked and swore at him, but I was chained, and he was much stronger.” The man intended to rape her, but the slave master stops him.
The Varnini are a tribe of fierce women fighters. Fallon and Varini girl are put into a wagon and chained together. They get into a fight. Fallon describes, “She lashed out at me with one long leg, the leather sole of her sandal slapped painfully against my thigh. . .” The girl hit Fallon’s face, and “pain exploded from my left cheek, and a red mist descended in front of my eyes. . . I howled in fury and swung my clenched fist in a double blow that caught the Varini on the temple and sent her reeling.” The fight is described over three pages.
Because of Fallon and the Varini’s fight, the wagon tips over. The slave driver’s “head was bent at an unnatural angle, and his mouth was frozen open in a silent cry of shock. A slick of dark blood painted the sides of his face, and his eyes were empty and staring.”
When the Varini was first captured, she attacked the slave trader. She said, “I bit off half his ear and kicked him in the balls so hard he still limps.”
Fallon and the Varini girl, Elka, run, but they are still chained together. They try to hide, but a group of men find them. “The man reared back again, and while his attention was focused on Elka, I sprang forward with a low, darting thrust that tagged him solidly on the upper thigh. . . I pulled my sword and blood spilled down the front of his leg.” The fight is described over two pages.
Charon, the slave master, finds the girls who are being attacked. “With one swift motion, Charon had grabbed the brigand by the shoulder and yanked him around. Two moves and the man lost first his sword hand. . . and then his head. . . The man’s head toppled from his neck and bounced away into the undergrowth, the whites of his eyes glittering in the moonlight.”
Pirates attack the ship that the slaves are in. The slaves are locked below deck. Fallon watched as “the body of a man fell across the grate. His mouth and eyes were frozen open in a horrible death grimace. Wind-dark blood flowed from a gaping wound to his chest. . .”
Fallon breaks out of the ship’s hold and enters the fighting. “A legionnaire gutted one of the pirates not three strides in front of me, and the man twisted in a horrid dance as his guts spilled. . . Legionnaires in their uniforms [were] hacking and slashing and killing.”
When being sold as a slave, Fallon and Elka are chained together. Two other slaves are given weapons and told they will be freed if they can kill the two women. When one of the men attacks Fallon with a pike, “with a powerful thrust of [Elka’s] long legs, Elka had launched herself toward us, howling with battle madness. The point of her sword blade disappeared up under the man’s helmet chinstrap. . . then the man’s chest bloomed suddenly with a dark crimson that flooded down over his painted skin.”
During the attack, Fallon “swung up at a sharp angle and met my attacker’s weapon, screeching up its length in a flash of sparks. . . I brought the sword back around and down in a vicious slash across the man’s extended forearm. Blood spurted, crimson, and sparkling in the sunlight.” The fight is described over three pages. One man dies.
While being trained to be a gladiatrix, a group of women attack Fallon. “Another crack of the whip and a line of fire licked across the backs of my legs. I fell to my hands and knees with a grunt. . .” When Fallon falls, “the girls kicked and punched at me in the darkness, and I curled into a ball to try to avoid the worst of it. . .”
Enraged at her attackers, Fallon grabs two torches. “I spun circles of flames in the dark air, batting the whip away from me and almost setting the retiarius net aflame. . . One girl screamed in alarm as my torch set her tunic hem smoldering.” The next day, Fallon “hobbled out to the practice yard, where the throbbing, livid bruises on my legs and arms went glaringly unremarked upon.” The attack is described over three pages.
After the swearing-in ceremony, two women were eager to use their weapons. One woman accidentally injures her sparring partner. Fallon sees “the crumpled body of a girl lying in a pool of blood, shockingly red against the white-gold sand. . .” The girl, Lion, lost her hand. Someone “was on her knees, tearing linen into strips and wrapping Lion’s arm tightly as she could while crimson spurted in time with the beating of the girl’s heart. . .” While in the infirmary, the doctor, Heron, “and his assistant worked to stanch the flow of blood. . . He returned with a bronze brazier full of angry red coals and a metal bell-shaped tool that had been heated until it glowed.” The woman survives.
Cai is angry that Fallon will not allow him to buy her. He spars with her. “He was relentless, he was humorless. . .” Fallon tricks Cai, who looks away. “I wound up with all the strength that I could muster and delivered a slashing blow to his exposed flank. I heard his rib crack like a slap of a hard-shot arrow. Cai dropped to one knee in the sand. . .” Cai’s rib is broken.
The end of the book has several gladiator tournaments described in long, bloody detail. Not all of the battles are described here. During one fight, “one gladiator’s trident had gone straight through the guts of his opponent. Two of the tines stuck out obscenely from his back, dripping wet. . .” The wounded gladiator’s “face [was] rigid with pain, and gestured for the mercy blow”. . . his opponent picked up his sword and “thrust the point through the other man’s neck.”
During Fallon’s first gladiatrix battle, she is knocked down by the Fury. Fallon is “down on all fours in an instant, sucking sand-gritty air through my teeth. . . In the very last instant before her attack, I slammed the hilts of my twin swords together and thrust them out before me. . .” The swords went into the Fury’s ribs. The Fury’s “body slammed into me, throwing me back down to the ground. . . I thrashed and struggled and heaved her off me.” Fallon watches as “blood bubbled up and spilled out the sides of her mouth, staining my fingers.” The Fury dies.
At a party, two gladiators fight. One of the men, Ajax, “looked down to see two blades protruding from his chest, the points red with his own blood.” Later, Fallon sees a group of men huddled around the body. “They had split Ajax’s torso open like the roasting carcass of a wild boar. I glimpsed the white gleam of his rib cage grasping like rigid fingers at the shadows, and I could hear the wet, gluttonous sounds of feasting.”
A fellow gladiatrix named Nyx tricks Fallon and Elka into drinking spiked wine, Elka is flogged. Afterward, Fallon finds Nyx in the laundry. Fallon “went straight for trying to drown her in the tub. I used my shoulder to hit her from behind square in the middle of her back, and she fell face-first into the water. . . I grabbed a length of sodden linen and slapped it hard across her torso, knocking her over.”
Fallon and Nyx are in a reenactment of one of Julius Caesar’s battles. However, they are on opposite sides. During the battle, Fallon attacks Aeddan. Fallon “rammed the butt of my spear into his side. The breath left his lungs in a whoof as he stumbled sideways, and I followed up with a series of swift, vicious jabs.”
Fallon gets into a chariot and demands that Aeddan drive it. “Aeddan steered so that we would pass within arm’s length of Nyx’s chariot on our right. . . Nyx’s whip cracked, and I ducked instinctively . . . The wasp-kiss of the whip left a crimson welt on my upper arm.”
After several passes, Fallon tells Elka to send a spear into Nyx’s chariot. “The chariot shot upward, arching through air like it had been unleashed from a legion catapult. . . Nyx screamed, arms and legs flailing frantically as she sailed up and over her horses’ heads.” Nyx is injured but not killed. The final battle is described over ten pages.

Drugs and Alcohol 

Every two years, the tribes come together to feast and drink alcohol, and many become drunk.
Alcohol, usually wine, is often served with dinner.
Fallon confronts her sister, Sorcha, who “strode over to a side table that held a wind jug and goblets. She sloshed a generous measure of dark red wine into one of the goblets and took a long drink.”
After drinking the spiked wine, Fallon passes out on the side of the road. A group of girls finds her and takes her to their house. When Fallon awakes, she is at “a house of whores.”

Language 

Profanity is used rarely. Profanity includes arse, bitch, damn, and bastard.
“Oh dear goddess” and “Lugh’s teeth” are used as exclamations once.
Another gladiatrix convinces Fallon and Elka to go to a party. As they walk to it, they consume wine. Fallon “took another swallow, and my urge to run faded as the liquid heat from the wine coursed through my limbs.” Later, she discovers the wine was spiked with mandragora, “a powerful intoxicant.”

Supernatural

Fallon’s tribe has both men and women warriors. “The legions thought of the Island of the Mighty were demons, aberrations whose corpses they burned in heaps after battles so that their black souls could never escape to inhabit another body.”
When Fallon’s sister, Sorcha, was alive, she spent “time with the chief druid. . .The druiddyn were sages and mystics of our tribe. They dealt with portents and prophecies. . .”
After Fallon kills a woman in battle, she is shaken. Her friend, who has killed before, tells her, “His shadow visits me almost nightly in my sleep. We’re so familiar with each other now, he’s almost a friend.” Later, Fallon “said a silent prayer for the Fury and thanked her for giving me the fight that would send me hurtling toward my destiny.”
To frighten Fallon, someone nails a raven to her door. Some think it is an omen of “ill luck.”

Spiritual Content 

Fallon often refers to Morrigan, “goddess of death and battles.” Fallon had a dream that Morrigan visited her and called her daughter.
Sorcha explains why she allowed her family to believe she was dead. Afterwards, Fallon “heard the sound of wings beating overhead. I looked up, the sky was clear. Empty. But in my mind, a throaty voice whispered, ‘Daughter’ and ‘Victory.’” Morrigan’s voice reassures Fallon.
After being taken captive, Fallon prays to Morrigan, the triple goddess of blood and battles. “Mach. Red Nemain. Badb Catha . . . hear me. Wind, carry my words. Shadows and darkness, see my plight. Let the Morrigan hear my pleas. Give me strength to vanquish my enemies and wreak my vengeance.”
After someone vandalizes Fallon’s room, “I whispered a prayer of thanks to Morrigan that I’d had the foresight to take the box of Charon’s armor directly to the quartermaster.”
A woman died in a gladiator fight. During her funeral, someone says, “Last night the goddess Nemesis, she of the midnight brow, in her great wisdom called Ismene to the realm of heroes and sent forth Mercury to guide her there. She feasts now in the halls of Dis, she spars with Minerva. . .”
When a gladiator is killed in battle, “the gladiator’s body was dragged from the arena by hook-wielding men dressed in outlandish headdresses meant to resemble long-eared desert dogs. . . the men were playing the ritual part of an Egyptian god of the dead called Anubis.”
Fallon tells her friend, “Morrigan hates me.” Her friend replies, “Your goddess has brought you this far. Maybe this is her way of telling you she thinks you’re worth the effort.”
During a battle, Fallon realizes that “The Morrigan had not forsaken me. She wasn’t against me. The true Morrigan had shown herself to lead me to victory.”

The Grimmelings

Thirteen-year-old Ella knows that words are powerful. So she should have known better than to utter a wish and a curse on the same day, even in jest. When the boy she cursed goes missing in the same way as her father several years earlier, Ella discovers that her family is living in the shadow of a vengeful kelpie, a black horse-like creature. With the help of her beloved pony Magpie, can Ella break the curse of the kelpie and save not just her family, but the whole community?

At the story’s beginning, Ella curses Josh, who disappears shortly afterward. While Josh’s disappearance is one of the main subplots of the story, The Grimmelings also focuses on Ella’s family—her grandmother, mother, and sister. The family has had their share of grief since her grandfather drowned during a terrible storm and her father disappeared without a trace. These two events caused the town to distrust Ella’s family, and some even think they are witches. Through these difficult times, Ella’s family always supports each other, proving that strong women can accomplish much.

When Ella whispers her wish, Gus—a kelpie in disguise—befriends her. While the mysterious Gus adds interest, much of the story unfolds through Ella’s grandmother, who has secrets of her own. Using Ella’s family as a backdrop, The Grimmelings takes readers on an adventure that introduces Scottish folklore about the shapeshifting kelpies that lead children to their deaths. Information about kelpies is slowly woven into the story, which builds suspense and highlights the theme that people should be careful what they wish for.

The Grimmelings will have wide appeal since the middle-grade fantasy focuses on family, the kelpie’s supernatural powers, and dealing with the death of a loved one. Rachael King begins each chapter with a definition of one or more words to reinforce the importance of words and show her appreciation of the natural world. For example, “glumfie: moody, grumpy,” and “yirdit: muddy from the earth.” Many readers may be unfamiliar with the book’s vocabulary, which includes cacophonous, malevolent, maelstrom, bairn, and swithering. However, readers should be able to decipher the words’ meanings through the provided definitions and context clues.

By reading The Grimmelings, readers will learn about Scottish and Irish kelpie folklore. Readers will connect with Ella, who wishes she had a friend to spend time with. While readers will have a more difficult time connecting with Ella’s grandmother, her grandmother is a well-developed character who sacrifices herself to end the curse. The Grimmelings is a suspenseful adventure filled with magic, horses, and plenty of twists and turns that will captivate readers.

Sexual Content 

When Ella’s grandmother was young, she dated a boy. After a date, “they kissed.” Later, Ella’s grandmother discovered that the boy was a kelpie in disguise.

Violence 

Ella’s grandfather died after he took his boat out to sea. “Ella’s granddad’s dinghy was found dancing on the lake during a Nor’wester, with nobody inside. A week went by before he washed up on the shore.” Later, Ella “had a sudden certainty that her grandfather’s drowning had not been an accident. That some malevolent force, some thing, had come up under his boat and tipped him out, held him under, and drowned him.” Ella discovers that a kelpie killed him.
While on a horse ride, Ella sees a dead sheep. “Its head had been removed and blood crisscrossed its body.” The kelpie had killed the sheep.
While reading a book, Ella discovers the kelpies live in rivers and lakes in Scottland. The kelpie “is a water sprite that takes the form of a beautiful horse on land and lures children onto its back, where they become stuck fast. The children are taken into the lake and drowned. Some say they are eaten, with only their livers washing up on the shore.”
Ella’s grandma tells her about the witch trials. “They dropped them in the loch to see if they’d float. If they did, and they didn’t drown, that proved they were witches and they burned them at the stake. And if they did drown? They were innocent. But dead.”
A kelpie in disguise tells a boy, Dominic, to ride Ella’s horse, Magpie. “Magpie reared up, snapping the twine her lead rope was tethered to. Dominic leaned forward and grabbed her mane while his friends whooped, agitating Magpie even more. . . He fell off the back of her, hitting a water trough on his way down with a resounding thud.” Dominic has a broken arm but is otherwise uninjured.
When the kelpie, disguised as a horse, tries to tempt Ella onto its back, a black magpie dive-bombs the horse. The magpie’s “beak made contact with the horse’s ears. It was soon joined by another, and the air around them was filled with squawks. . . The horse reared up onto its hind legs and then attacked. It opened its jaw wide . . . It lunged at the birds, grabbing one and crunching, before tossing aside its lifeless body. . . [the horse] went for them, and each time succeeded in ripping another bird out of the air and throwing its mangled body to where Ella sat, cowering now.” The birds knocked Ella out of her trance.
After Ella’s grandmother refused to run off with the boy, who was a kelpie in disguise, the kelpie grabbed Ella’s grandmother, and “she was stuck like glue to him. She grabbed. . . a set of old horse brasses once worn by working Clydesdales . . . and struck him across the face. . .” After Ella’s grandmother escaped, she left the country to start a new life.
When Ella calls the kelpie a monster, “his voice changed, low and gurgling, like bubbling mud. His face took on a sallow look, yellow and green.” The kelpie threatens to “take the things that matter…Then, Magpie stretched out her neck and sank her teeth into his arm.”
When the kelpie takes Ella’s sister, magpies attack. One of the birds dies as “the kelpie spat the magpie out of its mouth, and it landed, bloody, on the ground.”
The kelpie puts a spell on several children, who jump on his back. One man tries to stop the kelpie, but the kelpie “kicked out with a massive hind leg. Its hoof caught the man in the chest and he went flying. . .” Eventually, the Kelpie returns the children unharmed.

Drugs and Alcohol 

After Ella’s grandmother’s family disappears, she goes into the house and finds dinner cooking and a half-drunk beer on the table.

Language 

Ella’s horse bites Gus. Afterward, he says, “That little devil bit me.”
A group of boys are going horseback riding. The guide tells Ella, “Let’s grab the helmets for these idiots and get going.”
“Holy crivvens,” a Scottish dialect exclamation of surprise, is used once.
“Oh my God” and “oh God” are used as an exclamation several times.
When Ella’s mom sees the kelpie for the first time, she asks, “What the devil is that?”

A boy calls Ella a stupid girl.
Ella calls the kelpie a coward.
When a horse follows the kelpie into the lake and dies, Ella’s mom says, “What the hell?”

Supernatural

A boy tells Ella, “My dad says you’re a house of witches, and you can’t pay your rent.” Ella replies, “You’re cursed, Josh Underhill. Better watch out!” That day, Josh mysteriously disappears.
When Ella’s horse becomes pregnant, the family “joked that a mystery horse had flown in on wings, or that faeries had got to her. An immaculate conception.”
A young boy shows up trying to befriend Ella. The boy is a kelpie in disguise.
Ella, her sister, and several other people have the same dream about Josh. “His face was pale and stricken, pleading for help. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead water poured out in a deluge, down his clothes and onto the floor.”
The kelpie disguises himself as a black horse and appears to Ella. When Ella gets close, “her body flooded with light. She felt a force then, pulling her towards the horse’s shoulder. . . she knew that if she just touched it, if she just leaped, she would soon be sitting on top of the world.”
A kelpie bewitched Ella’s grandmother twice — “the first was when he said my name, which got me on his hook, and the second time when he asked me to wipe that tear from his cheek. It bound me to him.” The spell was broken when Ella’s grandma saw the kelpie in his horse form.
Ella’s grandma planted a rowan tree next to the house “to protect against things that want to harm us.”

Spiritual Content 

Josh’s mom shows up at Ella’s house. She tells Ella’s mom, “Nobody’s ever seen you at church on Sunday. . . If you don’t like the men in your life, you just get rid of them!” Josh’s mom thinks that Ella’s family had something to do with Josh’s disappearance.
Ella’s mom sees the kelpie walk on water while disguised as a horse. However, she thinks the horse “must have been on a sandbar of some kind underwater. It’s not Jesus, you know! It’s only a horse!”
When the kelpie takes Ella’s sister, Ella prays “she wasn’t too late” to save her.
After Ella’s grandmother dies, they have a funeral for her in a church on the hill. Ella’s grandmother wasn’t religious in the usual sense, but she had loved that old stone church.

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pyramid Builder!

You are living in Egypt around 1500 BC. When a pharaoh dies, he joins the hawk-headed sun god Ra and travels the sky in his boat. To ensure his eternal life, the pharaoh’s corpse must not decay. So, each pharaoh gets his subjects to build him a gigantic tomb—a pyramid—which will preserve his body forever. Thousands of Egyptians are forced to work on it, including you.

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pyramid Builder! immerses the reader in the story, making the interactive book fun to read. Readers will learn about the difficult work required to build a pyramid fit for a pharaoh. Much of the work was completed by unskilled workers who mined in a granite quarry or cut stone with a very hard rock. Skilled carvers and painters were also necessary to complete the inside of the pyramid. While most of the book discusses pyramid building in detail, it also incorporates the Egyptians’ belief in many gods and how the gods were vital to everyday life.

Even though building a pyramid was serious work, the book uses humor to engage and educate readers. The text and full-color illustrations give accurate technical detail and give readers a vivid understanding of what life was like as an Egyptian pyramid builder. The book’s format is perfect for reluctant readers since each page has larger and several smaller illustrations. On each two-page spread, a large paragraph explains what is happening. Along the edges, more information about a pyramid builder’s life is given. For example, “On payday, your wages come in various useful forms, such as grain, oil, or fine linen cloth.

Anyone who wants to understand how the pyramids were made will find this easy-to-read book fascinating. The nonfiction book includes informative captions, a complete glossary, and an index. While some readers may not understand all of the words, context clues and illustrations will help them decode their meaning. Readers don’t have to watch for scorpions or crocodiles to learn more about ancient Egypt. Instead, they can head to the nearest library to check out Mummies and Pyramids by Mary Pope Osborne or The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

Tax collectors “always have ways of showing how wrong you are.” The illustration shows a man on the ground being beaten with a stick.

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

When creating the decorations in a tomb, “It is very important to know the exact stance and gestures the figures should portray and what symbols and written spells should accompany them. . . If you get any of them wrong the decorations will lose their magic power of ensuring the pharaoh’s safe journey to the gods.”
To keep evil spirits away, “place the god Bes in a shire set in the wall of one of your rooms. He protects homes.”
Some days are considered unlucky, “when it is believed evil forces are particularly strong. . . On those days, it is best to avoid bathing, making a journey, killing an ox, a goat, or a duck. . . Illnesses are caused by evil spirits too, so doctors prescribe spells as well as medicine.”
It is important to carry an amulet such as the eye of the Sun God, Ra.

Spiritual Content 

The Egyptians believed in many gods and that the pharaohs were gods. “The Egyptians think the gods look after them because their rulers, the pharaohs, are gods themselves. When a pharaoh dies he joins the hawk-headed sun god Ra and travels to the sky in his boat.”
The Egyptians believed the gods controlled everything. “You must bring offerings of your best produce to the temples for them. . . when the crops fail or when the hot wind blows blinding sandstorms from the desert, the gods are angry.” An illustration gives an example that shows a man getting eaten by a crocodile.
It is important to preserve a body because “if it decays your spirit will perish. In the case of a pharaoh, these arrangements are important because the well-being of Egypt relies on his union with the gods. . . The head embalmer wears the mask of Anubis, the god of the dead, and recites appropriate spells.”
When a body is preserved, “lucky amulets are bound in wrappings and the mummy is completed by a face mask portraying the person within.”
When burying a pharaoh, “sacred rites, performed by the temple priests daily, will keep his spirit alive forever.”

Boys Don’t Fry

It’s the eve of Lunar New Year, and Jin can’t wait for the big family reunion dinner. He loves the aromas and the bubbly chatter coming from the kitchen. His grandmother, Mamah, is cooking up a storm!

As his aunties dice, slice, and chop, there’s nothing Jin wants more than to learn about the history of his family’s cooking and to lend them a helping hand. After all, no one else can tell the difference between ginger and galangal as well as he can! But his aunties shoo him away, claiming he’ll just get bored or be in the way. Luckily, Mamah steps in and asks Jin to help her prepare their special meal. Soon, Jin is squeezing, slicing, and stirring, too!

Jin is a loveable Malaysian boy who doesn’t understand why he isn’t allowed to help prepare dinner for the Lunar New Year. However, Mamah doesn’t exclude Jin just because he’s a boy. When Mamah leads him into the kitchen, Jin’s joy is palatable, and he loves the smells and colors of the food. “He watched as the fire danced in the same way his insides were leaping, the pot on the stove bubbling over like his laugh.” When the meal was served, everyone agreed that “it was the best meal they’d ever had. Mamah told them it was because they had a special ingredient this year.”

Boys Don’t Fry is a celebration of the author’s Peranakan Chinese heritage, including the food, family, and traditions. Every full-page illustration pops with vivid colors that enhance the feel of family and culture. Readers will love seeing Jin’s eyes widen in excitement and the joy on his face as he helps his Mamah cook. Each page has one to five complex sentences that are intended to be read aloud to a child rather than for a child to read independently. However, the dialogue, the onomatopoeia, and the beautiful descriptions make Boys Don’t Fry a joy to read.

The family’s love of each other shines in Boys Don’t Fry, but Jin’s family initially doesn’t understand why he wants to cook. With Mamah’s help, he is allowed to defy gender expectations and proves that boys can also cook a traditional dish, Peranakan Pongteh Chicken. Jin’s story will warm your heart and make you hungry. The author’s note includes her family’s recipe for Peranakan Pongteh Chicken so readers can savor the story and the stew. For more stories that show how food can bring people together, read Gigi and Ojiji: Food for Thought by Melissa Iwai and Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

None

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

None

Gigi and Ojiji: What’s in a Name?

Gigi wants to be called something other than her baby name of Gigi—but her full name, Geraldine, is too long to write. And Hanako, her middle name, doesn’t feel quite right. Will Gigi find the perfect name?

Throughout the day, Gigi tries using different names. Gigi’s family encourages her to try using different names and her grandfather, Ojiji, even shows her how to write Hanako in Japanese. Even though the name Hanako doesn’t feel right, Gigi thinks she needs to use the name because “Ojiji likes the name Hanako. And it’s easy for him to say.” However, Ojiji assures Gigi that she needs to choose the name that feels perfect to her.

As part of the I Can Read Level 3 Series, Gigi and Ojiji: What’s in a Name? is intended for independent readers who are ready for more complex plots and challenging vocabulary. Each page has three to six sentences and large illustrations. The cute illustrations capture Gigi’s emotions while the back of the book has a Japanese vocabulary wordlist.

Readers will enjoy watching Gigi interact with her family as she tries out different names. Gigi and Ojiji: What’s in a Name? features Gigi, a biracial six-year-old girl, and her parents. Through Gigi’s adventure, Gigi’s family uses positive communication to solve problems using everyday events that readers will relate to. The cute story and relatable conflict will have children reading it again and again. Readers who enjoy Gigi and Ojiji: What’s in a Name? can go on more adventures by reading the Katie Woo Series by Fran Manushkin.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

None

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

None

The Secret of the Kelpie

Flora is playing with her brothers and sisters by the loch when she notices a stunning white horse. While her siblings demand a chance to ride the beautiful animal, Flora is worried. Where has this strange horse come from? And why are its hoof prints wet?

Too late, Flora realizes this is no horse! It’s a kelpie: a shape-shifting water horse from Scottish folklore known to steal children. Can Flora reveal the secret of the kelpie in time to save her family?

The Secret of the Kelpie introduces young readers to the kelpie, a creature of Scottish mythology. This engaging tale shows how the shape-shifting water horse tricks kids into jumping onto its back. Once the children are on the Kelpie’s back, they become entangled in its mane. Unlike her siblings, Flora does not ride the beautiful horse because she wonders why the horse leaves watery footprints. Flora then recognizes the horse for what it is: “It’s a kelpie! Remember the old stories? It’s tricked you onto its back, now it’s taking you into the loch to drown you and eat you!”

The Scottish landscape and loch appear in stunning full-page illustrations that use muted browns, while the children’s clothes are soft blues and browns. The Kelpie grows as each child gets on its back, and the illustrations excellently show its increasing size. When the kelpie returns to the loch, Flora bravely faces the angry sky, violent waves, and the kelpie itself. The kelpie’s beauty will transfix readers; however, the ending shows the kelpie transform into a dragon-like creature that is “huge and ugly and hungry. Steam swirled from its nostrils, waves swirled round its hooves.”

The Secret of the Kelpie is not a book for the easily frightened, as the kelpie’s desire to drown the children and its dramatic change may scare some readers. Most of the book pairs one page with a picture, while the other page contains oversized text. Each page has five to 15 sentences with complex sentence structure and advanced vocabulary such as spluttering, flank, snickering, and daft. Because of this, younger readers may have difficulty sitting through a reading of the book.

The story of the kelpie reminds readers of the dangers that lurk in a loch, waiting for children to come close. However, Flora uses her power of observation to determine that the “pretty princess’s horse” is a kelpie in disguise. Flora also uses runes on a stone to discover the kelpie’s weakness. Ultimately, Flora’s curiosity and bravery help save her siblings from “the dark, cold depths of the loch.” The Secret of the Kelpie mixes a variety of Scottish traditional tales into a story that will give young children shivers of fear and delight.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

The kelpie’s secret weakness is metal. One of the children stuck on the kelpie’s back, Magnus, uses this knowledge to get free. Magnus “swung the key on its chain and hit the horse’s flank. The kelpie screamed and reared high in the air.” Magnus and two of his siblings fall off the kelpie when it rears.
Flora uses a knife to free her brother. She “jumped up and slashed at the kelpie’s mane. The horsehair sizzled when the iron blade touched it. Fergus ripped his hands free and fell into the water.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

None

Crush at First Sight

Pippa Park is no longer the new girl at Lakeview, but that doesn’t mean she can get comfortable. With Christmas approaching, Pippa’s friends – nicknamed “the Royals” – are preparing for the biggest party of the year! Pippa is determined to use the party as a chance to show that she truly belongs with the Royals. She needs a great dress and a great date (neither of which she has). Nevertheless, she’s determined: Everything about this Christmas has to be absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately, perfection is not in the cards. Literally. A tarot reading Pippa receives from her neighbor, Mrs. Lee, warns Pippa that her future holds a disaster. Pippa isn’t sure what to think about the reading until she learns that her mother, who lives in Korea, won’t be able to make it to America for Christmas. If that wasn’t bad enough, Pippa was put in charge of organizing the Royals’ Christmas party. Making the best party ever is a little difficult in a small apartment, not to mention the cost of all the food and decor. Pippa is stretched thin between babysitting gigs, tutoring sessions with her crush, Eliot, and volunteering at the church. Plus, her friends, Buddy and Helen, are too obsessed with their new relationship to offer her any support. The only escape in this growing mess is a boy named Marvel, whom Pippa meets during her volunteer work. But even things with Marvel are rocky – after all, doesn’t she have feelings for Eliot?

A week before the party, just about everything Pippa worked for has been destroyed, just like Mrs. Lee warned. Her sister Mina needs the money Pippa earned from babysitting. Then, Mrs. Lee gets in an accident and moves into the Park’s living room, robbing Pippa of a venue. Pippa snaps at Buddy and Helen, putting her friendships in jeopardy. Finally, she’s caught with Eliot when she’s supposed to meet Marvel, taking her date options for the party from two to zero. It seems like things can’t get any worse. Then, Pippa remembers Mina’s advice: “Pippa, there is only one person responsible for your future. And that’s you.”

Pippa comes clean and restores her relationships. Mrs. Lee even gives Pippa the key to her place so she can host her party there. When Pippa admits she’s struggling, the Royals don’t laugh at her like she thought; they rally behind her and help create the best party ever. Pippa learns that asking for help isn’t a bad thing – her friends and family are there to support her however they can.

Pippa is a great character for middle school girls because everything in Pippa’s life is realistic. She deals with a multitude of issues at the same time, which makes her seem more relatable. Between her home life, school life, romantic feelings, and friendships, she becomes a well-rounded individual that girls can relate to since they will often experience these same troubles in middle school — wanting to fit in, having their first romantic relationship, and struggling to manage new responsibilities. Despite all these conflicts, the plot is straightforward and easy to follow.

Crush at First Sight is a good, lighthearted read with a positive message showing the importance of relying on others. Pippa wants to seem like she can do everything herself, but in reality, when she struggles, she needs the help of others. Through Pippa’s experience, readers will learn to share their struggles with their friends and family. Instead of asking for help, Pippa says, “[I] buried my insecurities deeper and deeper until my feelings morphed into resentment. I had kept waiting for things to go back to normal, but I refused to take the initiative to make that happen.” When Pippa admits to the Royals that she’s having a hard time, they show her understanding and offer help instead of turning against her. As a further sign of their support, the book ends with Pippa getting a golden scrunchie from the Royals – a sign that they accept her, even if she isn’t perfect. For more holiday fun, grab a cup of hot cocoa and snuggle up with the Celebrate the Season Series by Taylor Garland and Hot Cocoa Hearts by Suzanne Nelson.

Sexual Content 

Buddy and Helen, two of Pippa’s friends, are dating. Pippa sees them kiss once. “I watched as Buddy stepped forward. I watched as Helen brought her face closer to his. And I watched as their lips met.”

Violence 

None

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural 

None

Spiritual Content 

Pippa volunteers at her local Korean Baptist Church. While not religious herself, the church is putting on a play about Jesus’s birth. Pippa is a shepherd.
Pippa’s family sets up a nativity scene for Christmas with wise men and camels.

Through Time: Pompeii

Follow the story of a house in the center of a famous Roman city. Illustrations retell the lost story of Pompeii―the life of its people, its conflicts and disasters, and the changing fortunes of a house at the center of it all. Beginning in the sixth century B.C., a simple hut becomes a farmhouse, and gradually, the farmhouse is swallowed up by the expanding new city of Pompeii. The house grows as the city and its inhabitants prosper. But finally, it suffers the devastating effects of the natural disaster that swallowed up the city―the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This is the story of the growth and destruction of a house, a city, and an empire. Further, it is a tale of discovery and revelation that tracks the extraordinary archaeological work involved in unearthing and interpreting Pompeii’s remains.

Through Time: Pompeii uses full-colored illustrations to recreate Roman life and the fall of the great empire. By focusing on one house, readers can see how history shaped Pompeii and its people. Each page has one to three short paragraphs in addition to labels that explain the illustration. The labels also give information about life in Pompeii. For instance, two men are building a wall, and the caption reads: “Laborers rebuild the city wall, replacing soft lava blocks with sturdy limestone.”

Readers will want to study each detailed illustration and track the changes that take place, such as a family “adding new rooms to the house.” In addition, the book explains how Pompeii flourished, allowing new businesses. For example, in 300 B.C., there was a “store selling luxury fabrics imported from Egypt, in Africa, and from Phoenicia and Syria to the east of the Mediterranean lands.” Through Time: Pompeii concludes with an illustration of Pompeii’s ruins and the tourists who visit it every year.

Since each page uses so little text, some descriptions are not well-developed, leaving the reader with questions to ponder. For example, when showing a classroom, the description reads: “Slaves do the hardest work in Pompeii. Some of them are foreigners who have been captured in wars. Many of them are slaves because their parents were. Slaves are expensive to buy, so their masters take care of them as well as they would care for a valuable horse. The servants in the house are treated like a part of the family.”

Even though Through Time: Pompeii may interest young readers, they will not be able to read the book independently because of the difficult vocabulary. Even though a glossary appears at the back of the book, some readers will have difficulty understanding words such as ballista, cenacula, cistern, and hypocaust. Sensitive readers may find the volcano’s eruption upsetting since people die. While excavating the ruins, archaeologists find the bodies of the dead. “The body casts show where people fell as they tried to escape or protect themselves.” There are several illustrations of the body casts.

Through Time: Pompeii will appeal to anyone interested in history, archeology, or survival stories. Readers will truly feel as if they have stepped back in time to when Pompeii was a prospering city. The unique format blends illustrations with facts in a way that makes learning fun. Anyone who wants to research Pompeii will find Through Time: Pompeii a compelling book to use as a starting point to learn more about history.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

In 100 B.C., children were taught by slaves. “Misbehaving children are hit with canes across the hands or whipped over the back.” According to Aristotle, “all learning is painful.”
In 89 B.C., “the Roman army is well trained, with the best weapon and equipment. They soon surrounded Pompeii and demanded that the citizens surrender. Their catapults smash buildings; flaming missiles start fires.” Families flee the city.
When the volcano erupted, “people take cover inside of the closest building, hoping that they will be safe . . . By dawn they are dead, killed by falling roofs, poisonous gas from the mountain, or the fiery cloud that rolls over the city.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

At a banquet, there was “free-flowing wine [that] has made the guests very relaxed.”

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

In 10 A.D., the Romans brought their religion and added “new temples dedicated to their gods and goddesses.”
Some families have shrines. “Home shrines have paintings and statues of the gods and plates to hold offerings.”
When Pompeii was rediscovered, “the salvage workers find the bones inside of body-shaped hollows at the bottom of the ash. They shudder and offer a quick prayer to Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.”

Mexican WhiteBoy

Danny is tall and skinny. Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. He’s got a ninety-five mile an hour fastball, but the boy’s not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound, he loses it.

But at his private school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny is brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged. But it works the other way too. And Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico.

That’s why he’s spending the summer with his dad’s family. But to find himself, he may just have to face the demons he refuses to see—the demons that are right in front of his face. He may also have to open up to a friendship he never saw coming.

Danny and his rival-turned-friend Uno become almost inseparable, which allows the reader to see how each teen deals with similar situations. Since they are both biracial, Danny and Uno struggle to fit in. Unlike his Mexican relatives, Danny doesn’t speak Spanish, making him feel as if “he’s not really Mexican. His skin is dark like his grandma’s sweet coffee, but his insides are as pale as the cream she mixes in.” Likewise, Uno struggles with his identity because his mom is Mexican and his dad is Black. Uno feels as if he’s “stuck in the middle.” His parents fight, and “one is pulling his left arm, the other pulling his right. Like it’s some kind of tug-of-war between black and Mexican, and he’s the rope.” The struggle to understand their place in the world is one that many teens will be able to relate to, especially those of mixed race.

Mexican WhiteBoy also shows the difficulties Danny and Uno have because of their absent fathers. Danny hasn’t seen his father in three years and thinks his father is in Mexico. Danny’s emotional trauma is shown when Danny ruminates on his father’s absence. Danny also writes fictitious letters to his father. While the letters aren’t based on reality, they show Danny’s dream life. Unlike Danny, Uno sees his father once a month. Uno’s domineering father, who’s gotten off drugs and out of trouble, often lectures Uno about how finding God has made him a better person. The father-son relationships add to the story’s emotional depth.

Matt de la Peña integrates Danny’s love of baseball and pitching into the story. Despite this, Mexican WhiteBoy is not a typical sports story since no baseball games are ever played. However, readers will empathize with Danny, who is trying to answer the questions: Who am I? Where do I belong? At the beginning of summer, he lacks confidence, is depressed, and self-harms. Danny’s relationship with Uno helps Danny find his footing in life and take his place on the baseball diamond. Danny and Uno’s friendship transforms both boys, and they help each other find hope for the future. Mexican WhiteBoy shines a light on the realities of life for many inner-city teens. The gritty scenes don’t sugarcoat the teens’ struggles. Instead, Mexican WhiteBoy conveys the importance of believing in yourself and shaping your own future. For those who’d like to explore another book that shines a light on the issue of self-acceptance, check out Bruiser by Neal Shusterman. Readers who want a book that focuses more on the game of baseball should read Heat by Mike Lupica and Fast Pitch by Nic Stone.

Sexual Content 

Danny’s cousin Sophia introduces him to her friends. When the girls flirt with Danny, Sophia says, “I see my homegirls gonna try and corrupt you, cuz. Better watch it, though, these heinas got mad STDs.”
Danny has a crush on Liberty. Danny’s cousin and her friends gossip about Liberty. Someone says the girl is “sixteen and already droppin’ her drawers for billetes.”
A man keeps showing up to watch Danny pitch. Uno says, “I thought homey was a molester or some shit.”
Danny’s aunt and uncle come home after a night on the town. “Uncle Tommy and Cecilia stumble in reeking of cigarettes and tequila. . . [Cecilia] extends her neck, but when Tommy’s lips get close she pulls back, giggling some more . . . He kisses her neck, reaches a hand up for his wife’s chest.” They disappear into the bedroom.
Uno, Danny and a group of other teens play truth or dare. Danny “watches Flaca, on a dare. . . saunter over to Raquel, take her face in her hands and kiss her while all the guys cheer and the girls laugh. He watches Sofia, on a dare . . . pull up Uno’s black Dickies shirt and leave a dark brown hickey on his already dark stomach.” On another dare, Danny’s cousin, Sofia, and Uno disappear into the bedroom and don’t return.
Danny comes out of the bathroom half-dressed. His cousin, Sofia, asks, “What were you doing in there so long, beating off?. . . It’s perfectly normal you know. I heard ninety-five percent of guys beat off and the other five percent are lyin’.”
Uno kisses Sofia “on the lips.”
After spending time with his crush, Danny gets up to leave. “She grabs Danny’s face in her hands and kisses him on the lips real quick. When they separate, she stands there giggling. Then Danny takes her face in his hands and kisses her.”

Violence 

During a stickball game, Uno throws the ball at another player, Raul, who has just finished batting. “The ball smacks him right in the ass. Raul trips and falls to the ground, clutching the back of his jeans.”
Danny accidentally hits Uno’s brother, Manny, with a bat. Uno “rushes Danny, shoves him with both hands. . . Danny backs up a couple of steps, surprised.” Danny’s cousin, Sofia, tries to stop the fight. “Uno shoves Sofia out of the way and gets in Danny’s face again, pokes a finger into his forehead.”
Before Danny can try to defend himself, Uno is “already stepping forward with all his weight, delivering an overhead right that smashes flush into Danny’s face. Snaps his head back. Buckles his knees.” When Danny falls, he “knows there was a loud crashing sound in his brain.” There is “warm liquid running down his neck. . . Running into his mouth. . . Salty. Smell of copper.”
Danny goes to the hospital because he has “a nasty gash under his left eye” and a dislocated jaw. He needs “five stitches under his left eye, ten to the back of his head. . .”
Danny and Uno are scamming people out of money. After one incident, three guys, including one named Carmelo, attack Uno. “One of the other guys slugs him in the back of the head. Uno spins around, narrowly avoids a wild right from another kid and punches the kid who hit him in the jaw. . . Uno breaks free and pounces on Carmelo. He gets him in a tight headlock, tries to choke the life off of him. But the other guys pull Uno off, hold his arms while Carmelo punches him twice in the stomach . . .”
Danny jumps into the fight to help Uno, who watches Carmelo “rear back and throw a punch right at [Danny’s] face, but he ducks it and the punch grazes the face of Carmelo’s own guy. . . [Danny] swings a vicious right and hits him on the side of the face, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Blood starts coming from the guy’s nose.” Danny and Uno have bruises but no serious injuries. The fight scene is described over two pages.
While at the beach, a man whistles at Danny’s mom. Her husband gets mad and attacks the man. Danny hears “the sound of punches landing and shouting and then sirens and cops shouting. . . the cops handcuffed his dad and pushed him into the back of their squad car. By his face.” Afterward, his father leaves for Mexico and doesn’t come back.
Uno’s stepdad, Ernesto, comes home smelling of tequila. He yells at Uno. “When Ernesto’s been drinking tequila he’s liable to swing an open hand. ‘Course it ain’t the open hand he’s scared of, it’s what he might do in response to the open hand. So instead of killing this man and getting locked up for real, he nods and nods and nods and nods.”
When a girl starts talking to Danny, her boyfriend, Marzel, gets mad. Marzel “rears back to throw a punch, but out of nowhere Uno steps in and blasts the guy from the side. Puts him flat on his back and then stands over him, glaring down. . . Marzel looks up at Uno, touches his bloody lip and holds his fingers in front of his eyes. He stands up slow, swings wildly at Uno, but Uno ducks it, lands two quick and powerful body blows, doubles Marzel over.” A couple guys break up the fight.
Danny’s parents separated when his father hit his mother, but there are no other details.
Danny, his uncle Ray, and other men were driving when a “big hippie guy came walking down the middle of the road . . . Ray hit the gas and ran smack into the guy, a nasty thumping sound against the hood. The guy’s head whipped all forward, and when Ray hit the brakes, he flew from the Bronco like a rag doll.”
The guy got up and “threw a right at Uncle Ray through the open window, but Uncle Ray ducked it, grabbed the guy by the arm and pulled him halfway into the cab and his boys started whaling on him. . . Rico smacked him in the same part of the face so many times, the sound of the blow actually changed. They became muted. Tim delivered blow after blow to the guy’s ribs and stomach.”
When the guy became limp, “Blood was all over the place, on Danny’s face. . . Uncle Ray flipped the Bronco into reverse and backed up. He turned the wheel slightly and pulled forward, ran over both the guy’s legs. Danny could actually hear and feel the bones crush and snap under the tires. . .” Uncle Ray races away when the “guy was completely still and covered in red.” The scene is described over three pages.
While in prison, “the scout” meets Danny’s dad. The scout tells Danny, “One day I got jumped by a bunch of black guys. . . They tried to kill me. Your dad was the only one who stepped in. He beat two of them real bad and the others backed away . . . And me and your dad turned into friends.”
Danny self-harms when he is upset. He digs “into the inside of his forearm with his nails to remind him he’s a real person.” He “holds his left arm against the sink and runs the sharp part of the tweezers across the inside. Goes back and forth in a straight line. Back and forth again. A thin trickle of blood starts creeping out. . . He drops the tweezers in the sink and turns on the water full blast. Washes the blood off. . . But the line of blood comes back even thicker. It’s all over the sink now, too.”
While at Danny’s school, Barker, a rich white kid, insults Uno. Danny “punches Barker in the face. Spins the kid around. . . He takes a step toward Danny and throws a wild right, but Danny ducks it, hits the kid again. Harder this time, in the eye.” A senior breaks up the fight, which is described over a page.

Drugs and Alcohol 

Both the adults and the teens drink often; thus, not all of the drinking is described below.
A girl tells Danny they can hang out and drink “a little white Zin and shit.”
During stickball, there are some “young bucks, los ratas, hanging out on stolen bikes, pulling drags off stolen cigarettes.”
As Uno is walking, he sees “a broken forty bottle lying at the mouth of the gutter. . . Wonders how much alcohol must be flowing through National City’s gutters after an average Friday night.”
Uno’s father goes on a rant about drugs such as Ritalin, Vicodin, and Zoloft. His father says, “Who benefits more from all these prescriptions? The patient or the doctor?”
Uno’s father used to “smoke anything I could roll up in a Zig-Zag.”
While planning a trip, Sofia asks her friends who will be “sneakin’ in the thermos of jungle juice?”
The last time Danny saw his dad, they were sitting together, and his dad had a “beer dangling” in his hand.
Danny’s mom invites a man to have dinner with her and Danny. The man brings a bottle of champagne.
When Danny goes to family events, the adults “are drinking homemade horchata and Pacifico and Bud Light and tequila with lime—always tequila.”
Several of the teens smoke cigarettes.
Danny gets drunk for the first time. “He learns that jungle juice makes him feel light as a feather. That it makes him feel ten feet tall. . . Makes him feel like smiling and talking to anybody and everybody, at any time—though he hasn’t.”
When Danny was little, he was sick. His father stayed home to take care of Danny. However, his dad spent most of the time watching TV and smoking pot. Danny “remembers thinking [the smoke] looked like a magic carpet. And because he was a little high, took from the secondhand, he started wondering what it would be like to ride a magic carpet?”
Uno gives Danny a beer. “Danny cringes as the cold beer washes past his tastebuds, down his throat. It’s only his third time drinking beer—all summer—and he doubts he’ll ever like the taste.”
At a party, “Lolo puts a shot of tequila into Raquel’s belly button, [a guy] slurps it out and bites into a wedge of lime.”
A girl’s “real mom” died of a supposed overdose.
One of Danny’s uncles “breaks up a bud, rolls the weed in a Zig-Zag and licks. He pulls a lighter from his pocket and, out of pure habit, cups a hand over the fire.”

Language 

Both English and Spanish profanity are used often. Profanity includes ass, bitch, chingado, damn, goddamn, fuck, motherfucker, piss, puta, and shit.
Uno’s parents yell at each other. Uno’s mom calls his father “a good-for-nothing black bastard.” In return, his father says, “Bitch, if I didn’t have the Holy Ghost. . . I swear to God.”
When Uno was young, he got hurt during a baseball game. His father began yelling, “Get up, you little punk-ass bitch! Get your ass up! Ain’t no son of mine gonna lay there crying!”
Jesus, Jesus Christ, God, and oh my God are occasionally used as exclamations.
A rich white kid calls Danny a “wetback.”
When Uno and Danny go to Danny’s school, a rich white boy says, “Now get your black ass outta here.” When Uno threatens him, the boy says, “Bring it, dude! I ain’t afraid of no blacky!”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

Sofia’s aunt goes to church. One of Sofia’s friends says, “That old broad is too fat to go to church.”
Uno’s father was a gangster and drug addict before he found Jesus. His father says, “I love you! Just like I love Jesus! He felt powerless, too, you know. Like you and me. When he took the most messed-up suckers and died for them, he died for us!”
Uno’s father said that “studying the Bible taught him to love himself. Taught him to look inward for companionship. Taught him to actually look forward to spending time alone with himself.”
Uno’s father says that suicide is “a deadly sin in two books. God’s and mine.”
Uno tells Danny about his father’s religion. “But sometimes I think maybe God’s down here. In regular everyday stuff. Like the power of a train.”
Uno‘s father says that everyone has “a little piece of God.”

Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth

Gareth is definitely not an ordinary cat. For one thing, he can talk. For another, he’s got the power to travel through time. The instant he tells Jason this, the two of them are in ancient Egypt, on the first of nine amazing adventures that Jason will never forget!

From ancient Egypt to Rome, from Japan to the American Revolution, Jason is taken on a whirlwind adventure with Gareth. Together, they meet friends, escape enemies, and learn how different cultures view cats. Some, like Egypt, worshiped cats. Others thought cats were magic creatures and either praised or feared them. But everywhere they go, one thing is the same: Jason and Gareth always discover an adventure.

Time Cat takes readers on a brief yet lively journey through nine different cultures. The book is exciting and fun because it features fights, kings, witch burnings, and revolutions. While each culture is explored over two short chapters, Lloyd Alexander creates such a vivid picture of each place that readers will feel as if they’ve traveled to these time periods alongside Jason and Gareth.

Jason is a likable protagonist whom readers will enjoy getting to know. He isn’t perfect and sometimes gets into trouble, but he is earnest and always willing to help others. The author portrays Jason’s cat, Gareth, in a realistic way that captures cats’ behavior. Gareth is amusing and aloof, as cats usually are, and will steal readers’ hearts away.

Each time period and place are given equal coverage—two chapters. Jason and Gareth start their travels in ancient Egypt and go on to meet many interesting people, such as King Miliuc of Ireland, the Old Cats of Caesar, and German witch hunters. While readers may not understand all the historical references, this does not make the book less enjoyable. Along the journey, Jason teaches others about cats, and people learn life lessons such as the importance of curiosity and confidence. Time Cat is perfect for anyone who enjoys action and adventure sprinkled with humor. And, of course, it will appeal to all cat lovers, young and old. If you want to snuggle up with additional books featuring cats, check out the Warriors Series by Erin Hunter, Random Acts of Kittens by Yamile Saied Méndez, and Storm Rescue by Laurie Halse Anderson. 

Sexual Content 

When Jason leaves Ireland, “the princess hastily kissed him on the cheek.”

Violence 

While on the march with the Romans, there is a battle between the Romans and the Britons. “Arrows sang through the air. The legionaries hurled their spears. Howling and shrieking, the Britons poured across the beach.” Jason and Gareth run away before they see any more of the battle.
A wildcat attacks Gareth. “The animal began a long whine, ending with a snarling, toothy kind of cough. Then it leaped. Gareth grappled with the animal in mid-air. Two bodies thrashed on the ground and turned into a spinning, spitting ball. One screamed—Jason could not tell which.” Gareth gets a few scratches but ends up okay.
A man holds “a long, ugly spear pointed at Jason’s throat” and forces Jason to come to his village. He does not hurt Jason.
Gareth kills a snake before it can strike. “Gareth caught it behind its flat skull. The serpent’s tail lashed out and wound around Gareth’s body. Over and over, the fighters rolled across the floor. Gareth was on his back now, his hind paws furiously kicking.” The fight is described over a page.
A woman warns Jason about witch hunters, who think “[cats are] poor little things. They say devils hide in them. Two days ago, the witch hunters drowned fifty—and burned another fifty. Poor suffering animals. My little tabby was with them.”
Jason and his cat are accused of being demons in disguise, and a judge declares, “You will be burned at the stake in the morning.” They escape.
In America, Jason sees the British fight the Minutemen. “The sword of a British officer flashed downward; the snick of flintlocks rattled along the scarlet line. Jason saw the flash and then heard the musketry crack like a giant whip. The Minutemen raced through the drifting smoke toward the Regulars, firing, reloading, crouching behind hillocks and large clumps of grass.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural 

Gareth is a cat who can talk to Jason.
Gareth does not have nine lives, but he can travel to nine different historical places. “I’ll tell you a secret. I only have one life. With a difference: I can visit . . . I can visit nine different lives. Anywhere, anytime, any country, any century.”
In Ireland, they think Jason and his cat are magicians. King Miliuc says, “That’s what we need. Some new magic from afar.” He says the spells of his court magician “are a little worn at the edges.”
The Irish think “spirits live under the hills. They call them the Little People.”
Jason meets the man who will become Saint Patrick. The man says, “We have the Christian faith in my land . . . but there is none of that in Erin, only magic and superstition and the Little People under every blade of grass.”
In old Germany, Jason sees a man trying to summon a spirit. “‘By the spirit of Zazamonkh!’ the man exclaimed, picking up a long rod and tracing a circle at his feet. He went tramping around the circle . . . ‘Asmodeus! Ahriman! Beelzebub!’ the man cried. ‘Appear! I command you!’”
The witch hunters in old Germany think that “cats bring on hail storms, they say, and winds. Cats have the evil eye, to bewitch whatever they look at. They can turn themselves invisible or fly through the air. They take the shape of a witch and a witch takes the shape of a cat.”

Spiritual Content 

When Gareth and Jason travel to ancient Egypt, Gareth says, “The Egyptians worship us, you know . . . They have all kinds of sacred animals, but the cat—ah, the cat is most important. We’re sacred to the great goddess Ubaste of the Sun and Moon.”
The Pharoah Neter-Khet of Egypt is a young boy. He tells Jason, “All my subjects worship me—I’m a god, you know—my slaves are building the finest pyramid in Egypt, so things will be comfortable for me in the Other World.”
A Roman soldier asks for an omen. “O Mars, god of battles, mighty Jupiter, father of the gods, or whatever it is the regimental augur says. Shall this boy and this cat march with us?”
Gareth meets some druids who believe in spirits. One man says that they “pray to the spirit of the catamountain.”

Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper

Jasmine’s best friend, Linnie, has just gotten a puppy. And now Jasmine wants a pet of her own—a flamingo! So, when her grandmother sends Jasmine a daruma wishing doll as a surprise gift, Jasmine colors in one doll eye and wishes for a flamingo to keep.

Next, Jasmine tries to convince her parents that she’s responsible enough for a pet. She cleans her room, brushes her teeth, takes out the trash, and, most importantly, researches everything she can about flamingos. But soon it becomes clear that her wish may never come true! Will Jasmine’s Daruma doll ever get its second eye? Luckily her big sister, Sophie, has a surprise planned that fulfills Jasmine’s wish beyond her wildest dreams.

When Jasmine, the spunky protagonist, receives a daruma—a wishing doll—she thinks her wish of a pet flamingo might come true. But Jasmine’s grandmother tells her that in order to make the wish come true, Jasmine has to work hard. At first, Jasmine is disappointed, but then she realizes that she has worked hard to make other wishes come true. For example, “For our school talent show, I wished to have a great talent to show off and I learned how to play the taiko drum.”

After this realization, Jasmine does extra chores to show that she is responsible enough for a pet and researches how to care for a flamingo. However, she soon realizes that her backyard wouldn’t make a good home for a flamingo. In the end, Jasmine’s mom helps her finds a unique solution that allows Jasmine’s wish to come true. While Jasmine doesn’t get a pet flamingo, her sister gives her a sweet surprise that gives the story a realistic and happy conclusion.

The story is accessible to fluent readers who are ready for a book with multiple plots. Black and white illustrations appear every two to three pages and show Jasmine’s daily life. Many of the illustrations show the characters’ facial expressions, which will help readers understand the characters’ emotions. For more fun, the back of the book has directions on how to make a Daruma doll craft. Even though Jasmine Toguchi is a series, the books do not need to be read in order because each book focuses on a new storyline.

Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper will appeal to a wide range of readers because of the relatable conflicts and likable characters. While the story revolves around Jasmine’s wish to have a pet flamingo, the story also showcases Jasmine’s traditional two-parent family. Jasmine’s family has healthy communication skills and positive interactions. Readers will also learn the importance of having a “thinking spot” where they can go and quietly sit as they try to sort through their emotions. Overall, Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper teaches positive life lessons with an engaging story that young readers will love. If you’d like to meet another kind protagonist with an interesting story to tell, check out the Diary of an Ice Princess Series by Christina Soontornvat.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

None

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

Jasmine’s grandmother sends wishing dolls called darumas. Mom explains, “You make a wish and color in one eye. When the wish is fulfilled, you color in the other eye.”
Jasmine wishes for a flamingo and then wonders, “Was the daruma like Santa Claus, and he would bring the flamingo to me down the chimney? Or was it magical like wishing on birthday candles?”

Spiritual Content 

The back of the book explains the tradition behind the daruma doll. “The daruma doll is based on a real person, a Buddhist monk who sat in meditation for many years. It is his perseverance that is embodied in the daruma doll.”

And Break the Pretty Kings

Princess Mirae is destined to inherit a dark legacy: Her mother, Queen of the magical city of Seolla, is succumbing to madness, which has stemmed from her connection to the Inconstant Son, a mysterious entity trapped beneath Seolla who threatens to destroy the world. Now, with her mother’s health failing, Mirae must face a trial of the gods, who will decide if she’s worthy to follow in her mother’s footsteps as Queen.

On the night of her trial, disaster strikes. When Mirae obtains the power of horomancy – controlling time – she unwittingly is trapped in a vision of the future. The Inconstant Son attacks the city during the chaos and kidnaps her brother, Minho, to turn him into a slave to govern his army of brainwashed soldiers. Mirae must save her brother, despite the premonition that she must let Minho die. Nevertheless, Mirae sets out on a journey with an unlikely group of companions while her unpredictable magic gives her terrifying visions of a future she must stop at any cost.

After multiple meetings with the Inconstant Son, Mirae learns that Seolla – which only allows women to practice magic – has built their monarchy by branding the men who can do magic with a mark that represses their abilities. The man trapped beneath Seolla is not the Inconstant Son but instead his descendant, who has been trapped for centuries. This man – called the Netherking – wants to use Mirae’s brother to start a male-led revolution. In particular, he wants revenge on Mirae’s mother, who abandoned the Netherking’s beloved wife and daughter to an awful fate. As the story progresses, Mirae’s loyalties are tested as she finds it necessary to ally with the Netherking to get her brother back while also wanting to prevent him from destroying her kingdom. However, she tries to treat her enemies with grace. After stopping the Netherking’s plans, she gives his allies a new chance at life in Seolla despite their past wrongs.

Mirae is a talented and promising young woman who always tries to find the bright side. For example, she professes, “There are two sides to every moon. . . depending on where you’re standing.” Even when she can’t see the path ahead, Mirae boldly forges her own. She is not solely good nor evil but understands both are part of life.

Mirae, the rest of the supporting characters, and the story’s multiple villains all get their time to shine. The villains feature prominently in the story and have well-developed backstories, making the whole cast of characters seem less like villains and heroes and more like individuals trying to do what they think is right. This allows all of the characters to be compelling.

From the beginning, many things are fated to be: The queens of Seolla go mad, men can’t practice magic, the kingdom of Josan is evil, and the Inconstant Son will ruin the world. However, the story’s events slowly convince Mirae that the destiny of her kingdom is not set in stone. She makes her own way forward, offering forgiveness to the misguided and defying the long-standing rivalry between Seolla and Josan. Her main concern is protecting those she loves, but she begins to see merit in uncovering the truth behind the Inconstant Son if it means bringing peace to both kingdoms.

And Break the Pretty Kings is a very difficult read due to the intricate worldbuilding and endless unfamiliar terms. Almost every page references types of magic, types of people, and creatures of legend. Because of its complexities, the book is almost inaccessible to the average reader without a base knowledge of Korean folklore and culture. However, if you already have some knowledge, this book could be an enjoyable challenge as it blends fantasy with history in a unique way. Those who enjoy high fantasy stories with cultural ties and intricate worldbuilding will enjoy reading Mirae’s journey as she tries to change her fate.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

Mirae’s mother is afflicted with madness, which causes her to attack her children. “Mirae lowered her damp palms, bidding the elements under her control to disperse. But they didn’t obey. Instead, the water roiled into a whirlpool of rage. . . As the droplets churned each other into chaos, Minho became nothing more than a flailing blur, fast running out of air. . . Mirae whirled towards the palanquin and saw a pale, skeletal arm reaching through the beaded curtains, stretching in Minho’s direction. A second later, her mother’s face pushed past the beads. . .The madness. It had taken hold of her mother, filling her mind with delusions once again. Turning her magic against those she loved. . . Mirae fell to her knees, gasping for air as her mother’s magic crushed her head and neck.” Mirae dispels the magic before she goes unconscious.
Mirae hears the oracles that attended her trial being murdered. “The sound of something whipping through the air, trailing a series of clacking noises behind it. Chattering teeth or guttural clicks deep in the throat. More wet slices. Chokes and gurgles. Then the screams of oracles being murdered.”
Mirae’s mother goes insane and attacks her husband. “Mirae shot one last look at her father. Her mother was sending more violet fireballs at him. . .” Mirae watched as “her father grabbed her face and kissed her, just as her clawlike hands raked red lines down his back, bloodying his blue robe like a smear of a sunset against a perfectly calm sky.”
Minho is kidnapped and drowned in a tub of magical water. “A wide stone room [was] lined with deep basins. Each was filled to the brim with black water. . . The guards lifted [Minho], fighting futilely against them, into one of the tubs. They submerged all but his head, which he kept above the water with all his strength. [They] grabbed Minho’s hair and shoved his head under. Mirae watched, horrified, as the dark water bubbled with air her brother could no longer breathe. Once the ripples stopped altogether and the black water fell still, Minho floated to the surface face-down.” Minho is unconscious until his rescue.
Mirae kills the Netherqueen. “Mirae lifted the sword over her head and struck the Netherqueen’s body with everything she had. As soon as the sword hit flesh, it glowed, slicing through the Netherqueen’s shoulder and lodging in her heart. Sparking, searing, smoking everything it touched except for Mirae’s hand.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural 

Three types of magic exist and are mentioned frequently. They are known as Sacred Bone Magic. Sacred Bone Daughters are women in Seolla who are blessed by a magical lineage.
The first type of magic is the ability to control the elements (earth, air, fire, and water). This magic is called Jade Witchery, which can be used to summon fire or manipulate the earth. For example, Mirae throws a fireball while training. “Mirae raised a hand to the heavens. . . A small, white-hot orb appeared in her palm; before its sharp heat could blister her skin, Mirae lobbed it with all her strength at her opponent.”
Mirae witnesses someone using Jade Witchery to repair destruction in the palace’s courtyard. “Mirae heard the sound of the grass rustling as it righted itself and the ground rumbling as it stitched itself back together. It would be long before the field looked exactly as it had before, heeding the will of a powerful Jade Witch.”

The second type of magic is illusory, called Ma-eum Magic. Mirae describes it as “the ability to trick an opponent into sensing something that wasn’t actually there.” Mirae uses this magic to change her appearance when she’s in the Josan kingdom so she can’t be recognized. It is used many times in the story to alter a character’s physical appearance, such as making them smell like perfume or altering their facial features.
A general enchantment type of magic is also mentioned frequently, such as when Mirae enchanted a turtle to fly and talk, but the incident is not described.
The third type of magic is called Horomancy, the ability to manipulate time. Mirae describes it: “Of the three magic systems, which exemplified the virtues of cunning, craftsmanship, and foresight, horomancy was the most enigmatic power. Mirae had never seen it used, though she knew that was for good reason. The rules of time were rigid, dangerous things to manipulate.”
Hongbin, Mirae’s younger brother, thinks a visitor to the palace is a “gumiho,” a Korean creature of legend similar to a nine-tailed fox. He previously thought the visitor was a dokkaebi, the Korean name for demons.
There are three powerful relics called the Sacred Bone Relics that correspond to the ancestors of the different branches of magic. They are the dagger of the Silver Star (representing Ma-eum magic), the seong-suk – a stone – of the Deep Deceiver (representing Jade Witchery), and the black bell of the Unnamed Dragon (representing Horomancy). Mirae chooses the black bell to guard her reign.
After picking the bell, Mirae switches to another time period where she sees her brother, whose face looks “like he’d battled monsters and knew that the world held many, many things to fear.” She realizes she has used Horomancy to travel into the future. Several times, she switches time periods, which works like visions of the future that guide her on her journey.
Mirae switches time and sees a festival in the spirit world where people dance and sing in animal masks.
Mirae’s mother gifts a magical necklace with 12 beads depicting the 12 horoscope animals. Each bead contains a different power, which Mirae uses. For example, she uses an ox bead to gain strength. “She picked up the ox bead and put it on her tongue. The powers of the bead made her stumble back almost immediately with vertigo, trembles, goosebumps, and a crashing headache all at once. But the symptoms faded in seconds. As the bead warmed on her tongue, Mirae felt its power swell within her, roping around her muscles and making them bulge. Just then, the door to the room she was hiding in flew open, and Mirae reacted on instinct; she punched her opponent right in the chest with all the strength of an ox, throwing him through the door and into the wall behind him.”
Mirae and her companions encounter a gwisin, the evil spirit of a woman who has suffered. This gwisin, the haggard moon gwisin, is described as having “hair dark and long enough to blend in with the spaces between trees. There was a starry paleness to her sleeveless knee-length dress, which wasn’t long enough to hide the fact that she didn’t have any legs – nor did she have a face. . . Gwisin lingered because they, or someone they loved, had been wronged. . . according to legend, the haggard moon gwisin [was] abandoned by a friend, left to die alone and in pain, and subsequently drowned anyone who showed her any kindness, before they had the chance to betray her too.”
Mirae summons a dragon with Sacred Bone Magic.

Spiritual Content 

The book frequently references mudang, the name for Korean shamans. These women are known for performing rituals in which gods possess them. When Mirae and her companions are traveling, she pretends to be one of these shamans, triggering her “switching” power instead of actually becoming possessed.
The book also references “gods” or praying to the gods, but no gods are named in particular.
Mirae’s family are known as the “gods-touched” guardians of Seolla. The gods are beings that are respected, and are often mentioned in the context of fate and destiny, such as “I could only do something like that with permission from the gods” or “I hope the gods are on our side.”

The Trail of Tears

In 1838, settlers moving west forced the great Cherokee Nation, and their chief John Ross, to leave their home land and travel 1,200 miles to Oklahoma. This book introduces the Cherokee’s creation story, how their communities were formed, as well as how they were displaced several times. Each time, the Cherokee were forced to move, the white settlers took the Cherokee’s houses, businesses, farm animals, and other personal belongings.

The Cherokee Nation had a written language and many of their towns had a Cherokee newspaper. However, when the Cherokees became successful, many white settlers “did not want them around. President Thomas Jefferson believed in a policy called Indian Removal. This meant moving all Indians to Indian Territory. . . Jefferson thought this policy would protect the Indians from dishonest white people who might trick them or kill them for their land.” Many of the Cherokee disagreed on whether they should move or not. In the hope of creating peace, some people moved further west. Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem because the whites continued to move west and continued to take the Cherokee’s land.

Written by Joseph Bruchac, who is of Abenaki, Slovak, and English descent, The Trail of Tears explains how the Cherokee people lived and worked. Many people may be surprised that the Cherokee towns were very successful and required schoolchildren to learn Latin, algebra, botany, grammar, and geography. Despite the Cherokee’s success, the white settlers and the government broke treaty after treaty and cruelly forced the Indians off their own land. Despite this, the Cherokee Nation continues to thrive today.

As part of the Step Into Reading 5 Series, The Trail of Tears is intended for readers in grades 2 – 4 who are proficient readers. The book includes large, colored pictures of historical events and several pictures of the Cherokee being mistreated. For example, one illustration shows a woman being separated from her child and the soldiers with guns. Another picture shows people falling off a boat and drowning. Illustrations appear on every page, and some pictures fill an entire page. The book’s oversized text, large illustrations, and short chapters will appeal to younger readers.  

The Trail of Tears presents historical events from the perspective of the Cherokee people and introduces several brave Cherokee leaders who fought for their people. Readers will see how various United States presidents’ policies affected the Cherokee, as well as how the whites betrayed them. The book is written similarly to a history text, describing events in a factual tone. Bruchac leaves the reader with the message: “Lessons can be learned from the bitter journey called the Trail of Tears. One is that when promises are broken, many people may suffer.” Readers interested in United States history or Indigenous people will find The Trail of Tears interesting. To learn more, read Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story by Andrea L. Rogers.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

After the American Revolution, “American settlers wanted the land owned by Cherokees. There was more fighting, this time against the Cherokees. A thousand Cherokee towns were destroyed.”
Some white settlers killed Indians in order to take their land.
At one point, the Cherokee were taken captive. “They were locked up in stockade forts. They had to leave behind everything except for the clothes they wore and what little they could carry. Groups of white men, following the soldiers, quickly took over the Cherokee homes. . . Many died while being held captive.”
When the soldiers forced the Cherokee off their land, “People were loaded onto large flatboats guarded by troops. . . Some [Cherokee] fell into the water and drowned.”
Some Cherokee resisted being moved off their land. “Two white soldiers were killed. One of the Cherokees, an old man named Tsali, was sentenced to death after he and two of his sons killed a soldier trying to capture them. He was killed by a firing squad of his own people. They knew that they would be shot if they didn’t obey.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

Many Cherokees believed that their trip would be a hard one because there was a roll of thunder and black clouds appeared before they left.
According to legend, “It is said that each drop of blood that fell from the Cherokees turned into a stone rose. Those red stone crystals can still be found along the Arkansas River.”

Spiritual Content 

When the Cherokee Nation was forced to leave Tennessee, John Ross said a prayer. “We ask for God’s guidance on our journey, Amen.”

Rez Ball

These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident.

When Jaxon’s former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.

But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with. After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon’s dreams, their story isn’t over yet. 

Anyone who feels as if their siblings overshadow them will relate to Tre, who often feels like he is walking in his brother’s shadow, even after his brother dies. As a sophomore, Tre is excited when he’s called up to the varsity team, hoping to prove his worth, but he struggles to fit in with Jaxon’s old teammates. In addition, the team likes to party with drugs and alcohol. Tre jumps into the party scene because he wants his teammates to think he is cool. Even though Tre’s parents know he is partying, they ignore the behavior. When Tre’s drinking begins to affect his basketball-playing ability, he finally confronts his teammates and asks them to make a pact to stop drinking until after the playoffs.

Tre is a well-rounded person who loves basketball, superheroes, and hanging out with his best friend. Readers will relate to Tre’s struggle to fit in with his teammates and his desire to prove his worth on the basketball court. Tre exercises and practices during the summer to prepare for the basketball season. His motivation and determination are admirable qualities. Tre’s struggle to adjust to playing varsity and to fit in with his teammates is realistic and authentic. Through Tre’s experiences, readers will see the importance of friendship and forgiveness.

Rez Ball shows the unique challenges that come with growing up on an Ojibwe reservation. Tre and his friends experience discrimination and police harassment. In addition, Tre must overcome the belief that, as an Indian, he isn’t capable of making it to the NBA. Rez Ball is first and foremost a book about basketball and there are many play-by-play basketball scenes. Yet, Tre’s family and school life is interspersed throughout the book, allowing the reader to understand how all aspects of Tre’s life affect him. Readers will also appreciate the references to comic books, superheroes, and Star Wars.

By writing Rez Ball, Graves wanted to encourage other Native athletes to “Keep your heads up; keep your dreams alive. Have fun. Be grateful for what we do have, but don’t be afraid to go after more.” Ultimately, Tre’s team doesn’t win state, but their winning streak helps bring their community together. In addition, the story ends on a hopeful note—Tre gets his first recruitment letter from a university and his future looks bright. Sports enthusiasts should also read the true story Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin. To learn more about the conflicts unique to indigenous people, read Powwow Summer by Nahanni Shingoose.

Sexual Content 

Tre and his friend Khiana are standing by Tre’s locker. When Tre’s friends sees them, he asks, “Are you two banging now or what?” They are interrupted before Tre or Khiana has time to answer.
Khiana tells Tre about a past relationship with another girl. Khiana says, “I’m two-spirit, which among other things means I date boys and girls.”
Tre is getting ready to leave to pick up Khiana. His uncle “Ricky reaches for his wallet in his pocket. ‘You need protection. I might have some in my wallet.’” Tre’s dad gets upset and replies, “He’s not a hornball like you were in high school.”
Khiana shows up at Tre’s house wearing pajamas, which “turns on” Tre. Later, when Khiana sees Tre’s expressions, she says, “I know that look. . . The doe-eyed, falling-in-love look.” She tells Tre that she only likes him as a friend.

Violence 

Tre tells a new girl about the gangs by the reservation. “They’re here. Once in a while something messed up happens. Someone will get stabbed or shot. But I think they mainly sell drugs.”
At a party, Tre gets drunk and starts yelling at his best friend, Wes. Tre says, “What the fuck ever. Fuck you, Wes. Fake-ass friend. Get the fuck out of here.” The partygoers encourage Tre and Wes to fight. Tre describes, “I finish my beer, crush it in one hand, then throw it at Wes. It smacks his forehead. He punches me. I grab my lower jaw; the pain is instant and sharp. . . I shove him down, jump on top of him, and throw wild punches at his face. People try to pull me off, but I keep slipping free to punch again. . .” Someone finally pulls Tre off of Wes.

Drugs and Alcohol 

Tre’s dad smokes cigarettes and drinks beer often. In addition, when Tre’s uncles come over, they also drink beer.
Tre and the other basketball players often party where there is alcohol and weed. For example, Tre and his friend go to a party at a basketball player’s house where there is alcohol and a “cloud of weed.” Tre takes a drink of vodka. “I almost die coughing it up.” Tre doesn’t drink anymore.
At one party, Tre worries about what his teammate, Mason, will do. “I worry that he’s drunk and going to be even more ballsy than normal.” To look cool, Tre drinks beer and tequila shots. “I lose track of how many drinks I’ve had. But my lips feel numb, and I’m no longer steady on my feet.” Most of the people get drunk.
At one party, Tre gets really drunk. “The next morning, I struggle to walk, still feeling dizzy and a little drunk.” Another time, Tre gets so drunk that he goes home and “collapse onto my bed. . . When I close my eyes, the room spins. My tongue feels sandy. I’m dying for water or Gatorade, but if I drink anything, it’s coming right back up.”
One of the basketball player’s dads is known as “the guy who brings the drugs in.”
When Tre goes to his friend’s house, the basement smells like weed.
Tre goes to a school dance and one of his friends takes out a flask. Tre and a few other guys take a swig and then chew gum to cover the smell. Later, two of the guys get suspended from basketball because they got caught drinking.
One of the basketball players tells Tre that after high school, they will “go to work at the casino, or sling weed, or end up alcoholics, hooked on drugs, or dead.”
Tre and his teammates often party and get drunk. Tre’s friend, Dallas, often drives Tre to the parties. Even though Dallas drinks and drives, Tre doesn’t say anything because he’s “trying to be cool.”
When Tre’s dad was in high school, his team spent days “partying nonstop. They were so hungover that they got their asses handed to them in the regional tournament.”

Language 

Profanity is used excessively among teens and adults. Profanity includes ass, bitch, damn, fuck, goddamn, hell, pissed, and shit.
Christ, Jesus Christ, oh my God, holy and holy shit are used as exclamations frequently.
During a game, Tre’s basketball coach yells at him. “You’re running around out there like a goddamn crackhead on the first of the month.”
Infrequently, there is name calling such as bastard, bitch, and dick.

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

At a tournament game, “some of the older white fans have their hands clasped in nervous prayer as they stare up at the scoreboard.” When a player sees the fans, he says, “Jesus was Black.”
At dinner, Tre’s parents often talk about his brother Jaxon. “I swear to the Creator, almost every dinner, he’s all they talk about.”
Tre isn’t sure what to do at a game until Dallas, one of the basketball players, waves Tre over. Tre thinks, “Thank the Creator for Dallas.”
While at a party, Tre gets drunk and still drinks Jose Cuervo. “I throw back my shot and almost put it up. . . I’m holding a balled fist up to my mouth, praying to the Creator I don’t hurl all over the table.”
After getting into a fight and getting a black eye, Tre prays “to the Creator that my mom can do something” to help cover his bruise.
After Tre gets into a fight with his best friend, Tre’s mom says, “We need to smudge you down before you leave.” Then she takes a “shell with sage burning in it [and]. . . waves the smoke around me, I close my eyes, instantly feeling a bit better about everything.” Afterward, his mom says, “There’s a pouch of tobacco on the kitchen table. You need to put some out before you leave. Talk to the Creator. Thank him for today, for everything you have, and ask him to give you the courage to make things right.”
Before a tournament game, the coach smudges the team. “Coach comes out from a back office with sage burning in a shell. We stand as he walks by us, one by one. We wave the smoke closer, carrying it up and over the back of our heads.” Afterward, the coach shows the guys footage of the team they are about to play.