Early Elementary – Page 28 – Sneak Peek Books

The Ironwood Tree

The entire faerie world wants Spiderwick’s Guide. Even if the Grace Children wanted to give the book away, they couldn’t because Thimbletack has hidden the guide. When Mallory disappears, Simon and Jared go in search of their sister. When the boys search the old abandoned quarry, dwarves imprison them. Is there any way for them to escape and save their sister?

Thimbletack and the griffin do not appear in the story, but new creatures are added. Although the story is entertaining, and suspenseful, some readers may wish that the different faerie creatures were incorporated into all of the books. Humor is added when neither Jared nor Simon wish to enter the girls restroom to look for Mallory. The ending takes a dark turn, and the unexpected killing of dwarves may disturb younger readers.

In the fourth installment of The Spiderwick Chronicles, Jared continues to struggle with anger and his mother’s misperception of him. Although Jared is trying to protect his family, he often falls into trouble. Jared worries that his mother will try to send him to live with his father, but his father won’t want him.

One of the best aspects of the series is the relationship between Jared and his siblings. Their realistic sibling relationship shows how each one has unique talents that can be used to defeat the faerie creatures. Although readers will be entertained by the faerie creatures, they will continue to read because they want to know what happens to the Grace children. Is there any way they can survive when the next faerie creatures come after them? The only way to find out is to pick up the fifth and last installment of the series.

Sexual Content

Mallory has a crush on a boy. To tease her, Simon sings, “Chris and Mallory sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

Violence

A shape-shifting creature appears looking like Jared. When the creature confronts Jared, Jared “pointed a knife at his double.”
Dwarfs kidnap Mallory and put her in a magical box that makes her like Sleeping Beauty. A dwarf tells the boys, “Out of this case she would be doomed to age, death, and decay—the curse of all mortals.”
Mechanical dogs chase the children. The children climb up a tree to avoid the dogs, but one of the dog’s “teeth caught hold of the end of her white dress and ripped it. The other dogs swarmed close, tearing the cloth.” Simon comes up with a way to get away from the dogs.
When Mulgarath discovers that the goblins do not have Spiderwick’s Guide, he orders the death of the dwarves. “The goblins bit, clawed, and slashed until not a single dwarf was left standing. Jared felt sick and numb. He had never seen anything be killed before. Looking down, he felt like he might throw up.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Mallory says, “Oh crap,” once.

Supernatural

A shape-shifting creature appears in the story. The creature makes himself look like Jared and other people. The creature’s body, “shrank, its dark hair paled into a sandy brown, and its now blue eyes went wide with terror.”
Dwarves live in an abandoned quarry. They have “skin as gray as stone.” The dwarves carve trees and animals out of metal. The animals are alive but must be wound up with a key.
A creature appears and helps the children escape. Jared thinks it is a “nodder or a banger.” The creature listens to the stones, which allows him to help the children.
Mulgarath is an ogre, “a massive monster with dead branches for hair.” The goblins are serving Mulgarath.

Spiritual Content

None

Lucinda’s Secret

The Grace children are surrounded by problems. Thimbletack wants revenge. A hungry griffin is hiding in the carriage house. Creatures will stop at nothing to get Arthur’s Field Guide. Giving up the Field Guide isn’t an option, so the children go to see their Aunt Lucinda. But the more they learn about the fantastical world around them, the more they are convinced that the only way to stay safe is to discover more about the creatures who want to silence them.

Lucinda’s Secret takes the reader into the past and begins to answer the question: Why do the fairies want the Field Guide? The third installment of The Spiderwick Chronicles has several scenes that may scare younger readers. The children go to visit their Aunt Lucinda in an asylum, and they see several patients in straight jackets and a man “in a bathrobe giggled over an upside-down book.” Lucinda’s story of monsters that attacked her at night may also frighten readers.

Readers will be able to relate to the realistic sibling relationships. Even though the children work together and care about each other, they still squabble, fight, and disagree. Because the siblings often have conflict, the scenes when they work together are even more enjoyable. The story shows how relationships are always changing and that people can love each other and still disagree.

The introduction of new characters and new creatures adds interest to Lucinda’s Secret. Book three focuses on advancing the plot and giving important background information. However, this book also has less action than the first two books and readers will miss Thimbletack and the griffin, who do not appear in the story. The introduction of elves and a glimpse into the elves’ world adds a new, interesting element. Readers will want to continue the series to find out how the elves and Lucinda’s secret are connected.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

When Aunt Lucinda was younger, monsters came looking for her father’s book. She shows the children her scars and says, “Late one night the monsters came. Little green things with horrible teeth held me down, while a giant one questioned me. I struggled, and their claws scraped my arms and legs . . . Before that night, my back was straight. Ever since, I have walked hunched over.”
When Mallory touches a unicorn, she sees a vision of people hunting. As the unicorn runs, “arrows fly, burying themselves in white flesh. The unicorn bellows and goes down in a cloud of leaves. Dog teeth rip skin. A man with a knife hacks the horn from the head while the unicorn is still moving.”
Elves capture Jared. With the wave of an elf hand, “dirty, hairy roots climbed Jared’s legs and held him.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

“Crappy” is used once. “Crap” is used three times.
When Jared talks about his dad leaving to take a new job, Mallory says, “You can’t really believe that load of crap.”
The Phooka tells the children he is “an ass or perhaps merely a sprite.”

Supernatural

Sprites visit Aunt Lucinda. They are “creatures the size of walnuts, whirling in on iridescent wings. They alighted on the old woman, tangling in her white hair and crawling up the headboard.”
Sprites gave Aunt Lucinda fruit, and when she ate it, “it tasted better than any food I’d ever imagined. . . After that, human food—normal food—was like sawdust and ashes. I couldn’t make myself eat it.” She now must rely on the sprites to feed her.
The children learn that wearing their clothes inside out will allow them to find the elf world. The children meet the green-skinned elves.
The children meet a Phooka, who speaks in riddles. The Phooka “had the body of a monkey with short, blackish brown speckled fur and a long tail that curled around the branch on which it sat.” The Phooka has a face that looks like a rabbit “with long ears and whiskers.”
When Mallory touches a unicorn, she sees a vision.

Spiritual Content

None

The Seeing Stone

The mysterious field guide that their long-lost great-great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick wrote is wreaking havoc on the Grace children’s lives. In an attempt to get the book, goblins kidnap Simon and his cat. It’s up to Jared and Mallory to track down the goblins, save Simon, and make it out of the woods alive. Can Jared and Mallory save Simon before it’s too late?

Full of suspense, The Seeing Stone is more intense than the first story in the series. At the beginning of the story, the goblins are invisible to the Grace children. The fact that invisible goblins are able to kidnap Simon, put him in a cage, and may possibly want to eat him may scare younger readers. Despite the danger, Jared and Mallory learn to work together as they search for their brother. They use creative problem-solving skills to rescue Simon.

In The Field Guide, Jared is angry and only concerned about himself, but in the second book, he shows growth and proves that he is more than a troublemaker. The children learn that they must trust and rely on each other in order to defeat the goblins. Readers will relate to the realistic siblings’ relationship and the children’s struggle to get along. Although the mother cares about her children, she clearly struggles in her new role as a single parent.

Even though the children realize danger still lurks outside their home, they choose to lie to their mother because they do not think she will believe that goblins, trolls, fairies, and other creatures exist. As the children learn more about the mythical world around them, they meet Hogsqueal, a hobgoblin, who has a hilarious vocabulary and proves that not every creature is evil. When readers finish The Seeing Stone, they will want to pick up the next book in the series. The fast-paced story will end all too quickly, so you will want to have Lucinda’s Secret waiting on the shelf.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Goblins kidnap Simon and his cat; then the goblins attack Jared and Mallory. When a goblin grabs Jared by his shirt, “he went down on his stomach in the grass. . .” Mallory tries to help Jared and “he saw Mallory’s arm jerk and heard her cry out. Red lines appeared where nails scraped her.” Mallory is able to chase the goblins off when she hits them with her rapier. The attack scene takes place over six pages but is not told in gory detail.
A troll tries to grab Mallory, but he is burned by sunlight and she is able to escape.
The goblins attack a wounded griffin. When the goblins circle the griffin, “the animal couldn’t seem to raise itself very far off the ground, but it could snap at the goblins if they got too close. Then the creature’s hawk beak connected, scissoring off the goblin arm.” Simon and his siblings save the griffin.
When the goblins chase after the children, they make a deal with the troll to lead the goblins to him. The troll hides in the river, and when the goblins enter, “the troll grabbed them all, shaking and biting and dragging them down to his watery lair.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

A hobgoblin calls Jared a host of creative names. A few names he uses include candy butt, dribble-puss, and jinglebrains.

Supernatural

A brownie lives in the Grace house. When Jared grabs the brownie, “the little brownie squirmed in his grasp, abruptly changing shape into a lizard, a rat that bit Jared’s hand, then a slippery eel that flailed wetly.”
The Grace children encounter goblins, who eat small creatures such as cats. The goblins “are born without teeth and so find substitutes, such as the fangs of animals, sharp rocks, and pieces of glass.”
The Grace children put hobgoblin spit in their eyes so they will have “the Sight.”
A hobgoblin uses children’s teeth instead of glass and other items. When Jared asks if he steals children’s teeth, the hobgoblin replies, “Come on, Dumbellina, tell me you don’t believe in the tooth fairy!”

Spiritual Content

None

The Field Guide

Jared, his twin brother, Simon, and their older sister, Mallory, are not happy about moving to a new town and into their Aunt Lucy’s dilapidated mansion. When a series of pranks happen and strange bruises start appearing on Simon and Mallory, Jared is blamed.

Then Jared stumbles upon Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. He believes the creatures in the book are real and that a boggart is the one causing all of the problems. No one else in the family believes the boggart is real. How can Jared prove that he isn’t responsible for destroying the house and hurting his siblings?

The story focuses on issues that children will be able to relate to including having problems with parents and difficulty expressing emotions. The plot focuses on Jared, who is having difficulty containing his anger. As Jared learns about the boggart, Jared is able to think about the boggart’s perspective. Jared doesn’t want to help the boggart, but “he knew what it was like to be mad, and he knew how easy it was to get into a fight, even if you were really mad at someone else. And he thought that just maybe that was how the boggart felt.”

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide is a fantastical story that will engage even the most reluctant readers. The easy-to-read story has a fast-paced plot that deals with the difficult topic of divorce in a child-friendly manner. Black and white pictures and maps are scattered throughout the story, which will help readers picture the events in the story. When the story ends, readers will be reaching for the next book in the series.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is an excellent series; however, parents should read the reviews for all of the books before beginning the reading journey. Younger readers may not be ready for scary events that the Grace children face before their adventure comes to an end.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

While Mallory was sleeping, someone tied her hair to the bed. “Long pieces of her hair had been knotted to the brass headboard. Her face was red, but the worst part was the strange pattern of bruises that decorated her arms.”
The boggart steals Simon’s mice and tadpoles. “Each of Simon’s tadpoles was frozen into a single cube in the tray.” Later, they discover the boggart is keeping the mice as pets.
The book refers to a fight at school that Jared got into. His mother says, “I was shocked to learn that you broke a boy’s nose.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

When Mallory’s mother says the house is just like she remembered, Mallory replies, “Only crappier.”
“Crud” is said once.

Supernatural

The children learn that there is a boggart living in the house. Boggarts are “malicious. Hateful. Hard to get rid of. In their brownie form, they were helpful and nice.” The boggart causes havoc for the family.
The children meet the boggart. When they see him, he is standing on a desk in “worn overalls and a wide brimmed hat, was a little man about the size of a pencil. His eyes were as black as beetles, his nose was large and red . . .”

Spiritual Content

None

How to Rope a Giganotosaurus

Josh admires the legendary dino wrangler Terrordactyl Bill, who just captured a T. rex. Josh knows that he can be the next great dinosaur cowboy. In order to be like Terrordactyl Bill, Josh wants to capture his own giant dinosaur. Finding a T. rex can’t be done, but Josh, with the help of his friends, can nab a giganotosaurus. With a little bit of luck and a whole lot of rope, can Josh prove he has what it takes to be the best dino rider in The Lost Plains?

Whether reading this as part of the series or reading the story as a stand-alone, How to Rope a Giganotosaurus will engage younger readers with an easy-to-read story and fun illustrations. The second installment of the Dino Riders series will captivate readers because of Josh’s friendships, his daring spirit, and his desire to be great. Similar to the first book in the series, the story has several scenes that contain dino dung and dino slobber. Josh and his friends even cover themselves in dino dung and dino feathers. Although the bully is a bit stereotypical and the conclusion is far-fetched, that doesn’t take away from the book’s enjoyment. Anyone who enjoys adventure and dinosaurs will find How to Rope a Giganotosaurus fun to read.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Josh and his friends try to capture a giganotosaurus, but the snare they build does not hold. The dino charges the kids and chases Josh. “He could feel the breath of the giant on his back as he powered towards the edge of the rocky outcrop. His heart pounded. His stomach went tight.” As the dino chases Josh, it falls into a swamp and dies. “A spray of stinking swamp water was thrown high into the air over Josh’s head.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

A bully calls Josh a “little dweeb.” Later the bully says that Josh and his friends look like “idiots.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

A Sassy Surprise

Big Apple Barn hasn’t always been Happy Go Lucky’s home. Since coming to Big Apple Barn, she has learned how to make friends and how to be a school pony. When a new pony, Sassafras Surprise, comes to live at the barn, Happy has a new set of worries. Everyone seems to be interested in Sassafras Surprise. Happy worries that Ivy will want to ride Sassafras Surprise instead of her.

A Sassy Surprise jumps into the theme of friendship and how a new horse (or person) can change the dynamics of a friendship. When Sassafras Surprise moves into the barn, Roscoe begins avoiding Happy, which adds suspense to the story. In the end, Happy, Roscoe, and Sassafras Surprise learn to talk about their feelings, which allows them to become better friends.

Like the previous books in the series, A Sassy Surprise has a simple plot, which is easy to read. To help beginning readers, the author uses short sentences and dialogue that give the horses personality. Black and white illustrations help break up the text and keep readers engaged. Although A Sassy Surprise is the third book in the series, readers can understand the events without having read the first two books.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The Hide-and-Seek Ghost

Kaz is an ordinary ghost who hasn’t figured out how to glow. When the house that Kaz and his family live in is torn down, the wind scatters the ghosts and carries Kaz to a library. While at the library, Kaz meets Claire—a human who can see him. Together the two look for Kaz’s family and solve ghostly mysteries in the process.

One of Claire’s classmates, Eli, is known for his pranks. So when he asks Claire to help him rid his family home of a ghost, Claire isn’t sure if Eli really needs help or if he is just trying to pull another prank. Can Kaz and Claire discover if Eli’s home is really haunted?

The Hide-and-Seek Ghost brings Claire’s world and the ghost world to life with black-and-white illustrations that will help readers visualize the characters and actions. The plot focuses on an argument between Kaz’s parents and another ghost as well as the mystery of Eli’s haunted house. The multiple plots make the story choppy and may cause some confusion. Readers will enjoy following the clues to the mystery and looking at the many illustrations that show the characters’ emotions.

The ghosts in the story are not scary; however, there are several scenes where ghosts are separated from family when they leave a building and the wind blows them away. The idea of being accidentally separated from family and not being able to return may frighten some readers. A glossary of ghostly terms helps readers understand those that are used in the story.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

Many of the characters are ghosts who can choose to be seen and heard by “solids” and who can glow, shrink, expand, and walk through walls.

Spiritual Content

None

Lilly and Fin: A Mermaid’s Tale

Two merpups, Lilly and Fin, love to sneak out of the mermaid city to explore caves. Adults have warned about the dangers of Two-Legs and the Kraken, but surely, they are just stories. Then one day, Lilly and Fin decide to go to their favorite cave. What they don’t know is that there is a couple of Two-Legs that are hiding in the shadows. Will Lilly and Fin fall into the humans’ trap?

Beautiful full-colored illustrations are sprinkled throughout Lilly and Fin: A Mermaid’s Tale. The illustrations of the characters, ocean creatures, and the submarine help bring the story to life. Readers will smile at the comical illustrations of the humans. Another positive aspect is that the larger illustrations have hidden pictures that give readers another fun way to interact with the story.

The easy-to-follow plot of Lilly and Fin: A Mermaid’s Tale cleverly weaves in the adults’ stories of the dangers of the Kraken and the Two-Legs. In the end, the merpups discover that the adults’ stories were not merely made up to make them behave. One negative aspect of the story is that Lilly and Fin lie to their parents on a regular basis. In order to sneak out of the city, Lilly tells her parents she is going to Fin’s, and Fin tells his parents he is going to Lilly’s. Lilly’s love for adventure shines throughout the story, but she isn’t the best friend. She completely ignores Fin when he suggests they do not go to the cave because his scales itch, which means there will be trouble. However, she does convince the Kraken to help free Fin.

The beginning of the story starts out slow, but once Lilly and Fin get out of the mermaid city, they meet interesting characters. The reader knows that Mr. and Mrs. Snorkel are on the hunt for mermaids, which adds suspense to the story. Although the book is written for younger readers, many of the pages only have text, with long paragraphs, which may intimidate some readers. Lilly and Fin: A Mermaid’s Tale would be a humorous story for confident readers of chapter books. The story would also be fun to read aloud for those who are not yet ready for chapter books.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

When Lilly and Fin tried to swim past Neptune, “the fat king grabbed them with his fingers and held them in front of his red eyes.” When the two talk disrespectfully to Neptune, “the fat man howled, shaking his fist, and the merpups with them.”
Mr. and Mrs. Snorkel capture Fin. When the submarine is close, Fin’s “wide eyes were just staring at the terrible pinchers, and before Lilly knew what was happening, one of them had sucked up her friend. It closed with a loud clang. And Fin was gone.”
In order to free Fin, the Kraken grabs the submarine, and it “began to shake as though it was in the grips of a mighty storm. Mr. Snorkel and Mr. Harkenear were rolling around the floor like marbles.” The group escapes in a pod.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

“Darn” is used twice.
The Kraken calls Lilly a “dimwit.”
Lilly refers to Neptune as “the fatso.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

CRIME BITERS! It’s a Doggy Dog World

Jimmy Bishop has a story that he doesn’t think anyone will believe, not even his best friend Irwin. Abby, Jimmy’s new dog, is a crime-fighting vampire dog. It’s true.

The other crazy things that happen to Jimmy are just as true.

Jimmy Bishop is obsessed with Stop Police—a TV show about a vampire detective. He has an older sister who teases him, two parents, and a best friend. His life appears to be pretty normal, but trouble seems to follow him.

Jimmy wakes up with a strange blotch on his face just days before school starts. Then his father has a series of job interviews and his parents hire a strange babysitter who tries to feed him fried beets in pea sauce. Then a new girl moves next door. But the most exciting and strangest event of all is when Jimmy brings home Abby, a new dog.

Crime Bitters is full of suspense, humor, and adventure. As Jimmy’s day-to-day life unfolds the reader will be captivated by the realistic characters as well as the illustrations. The story is easy to read, fun, and full of interesting facts. For example: “Fact: There are a lot of great bald people in the world. But unfortunately, none of them are in this book.”

Because Jimmy tells his own story, the reader gets a glimpse of how it feels to be bullied, how even relationships with best friends be full of strife, and how talking to a girl can be the scariest thing of all. Crime Bitters has a fast-paced plot that will keep younger readers enthralled.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

When the babysitter swats Abby on the nose, Abby goes into attack mode. “She (Abby) crouched down, like you see on one of those nature shows, where the panther suddenly spots the defenseless gazelle . . . Then Abby jumped, right onto Mrs. Cragg’s shoulder.” Jimmy’s mother appears and grabs the dog.
When a man tries to take Abby, Mrs. Cragg’s tries to stop him. “Then, without another word, Mrs. Cragg suddenly ripped her own hair off her head . . . and wrapped it around Mr. Bratford’s eyes, like a blindfold.”
When the kids discover that Mr. Bratford is a thief, he chases them. “He pinched my cheek so hard that tears came to my eyes then put one of his pimply hands on Abby and started petting her fur. . . The next thing I knew, Mr. Bratford had picked me up by the shirt and was carrying me over to Mrs. Cragg.”
Abby attacks Mrs. Bratford, “In one split second, she jumped out of my arms, bared her teeth, leaped onto Mr. Bratford, and clamped her jaws around his neck . . . Mr. Bratford screamed and feel down. Abby clamped harder, and they started rolling around on the ground.”
Jimmy hits Mr. Bratford in the knees with a cane.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

Abby is a “superhero crime-fighting vampire dog” that has fangs.

Spiritual Content

None

Voyage with the Vikings

Mr. Whittaker uses the Imagination Station to send cousins Patrick and Beth back to the time of the Vikings. Mr. Whittaker asks the cousins to bring back a sunstone, but they don’t know what a sunstone looks like. Even if the two knew what they were looking for, finding the sunstone would be difficult. Once they arrive in Greenland, Erik the Red accuses them of being spies and threatens to enslave them. Patrick and Beth wonder if they can complete their mission and find the sunstone without angering Erik the Red and becoming his slaves.

Full of action, Voyage with the Vikings introduces young readers to the life of a Viking. Although the reader gets a glimpse at Erik the Red’s violent temperament, there is no actual fighting. Part of the storyline shows the difference between Vikings and Christian beliefs.

This story gives the reader a view into another time period and creates suspense that will keep the reader wanting to know what happens next. Voyage with the Vikings is easy to read with kid-friendly language. The end of the book will leave even the most reluctant reader wanting to pick up the next in the series.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Erik the Red threatens to kill Patrick. When Erik the Red goes to throw his spear, a polar bear roars, and he is thrown from his horse.
Erik tells Patrick, “I would kill you if I could.”

Drugs and Alcohol

The Vikings throw beer onto the fire as a sacrifice to a Norse god.

Language

None

Supernatural

Patrick and Beth use the Imagination Station to travel back in time.

Spiritual Content

Leif’s father, Erik the Red, is angry that his son went to trade and brought back, “a new God. The God of the Cross.”
Leif explains that the Vikings worship the Norse gods and offer sacrifices to them.

Roland Wright: Future Knight

Roland Wright dreams of being a knight, but he knows that dream will never come true. Only sons of noblemen become knights, and his dad is not noble. Then a series of unexpected events happen that bring excitement and hope to Roland. A knight, with a head stuck in his helmet, shows up at his father’s blacksmith shop. The knight has exciting news. Roland’s father’s famous armor saves the king’s life, and then the king offers to take either Roland or Roland’s brother Shelby to the castle to train as a page.

Roland’s father, a quiet and skillful man, must decide which son will become a future knight and which son will become an armor maker. In order to determine which path in life is best for his sons, Mr. Wright comes up with a contest to judge the boy’s skills. In an attempt to win the contest, Roland seeks out the advice of an experienced knight.

Young readers will be instantly captivated by a view of life in the Middle Ages through Roland’s eyes. Not only is Roland humorous, but he also is just like a typical boy—he spends much of his time day-dreaming and he doesn’t have much use for girls. Adding a mouse as a pet, a gallant knight, and a wise and insightful father to the mix makes Roland Wright Future Knight an entertaining story. An added bonus is that the story teaches that winning isn’t the most important part of being a knight (or a young boy).

Sexual Content

None

Violence

When Roland thinks about the neighbor girl, he knows she’s wrong but, “he didn’t grab his big, spiky steel mace and hit her over the head so hard that her brain shot out her earholes like lengths of rope.”
Several times Roland and his brother fight with wooden swords. One time as they are playing, Roland, “lunged and swiped, hitting Shelby’s sword so hard it flew out of his hands.”
The boys have a contest where they fight with wooden swords and shields. Shelby hits Roland across his unprotected back. “It felt like a red hot strip of steel had been pressed against Roland’s skin. He fell to the ground face-first in agony. He rolled onto his back, hoping the softness of the grass would stop the pain.” When his father tries to stop the fight, Roland says he can continue, but he ends up yielding to his brother.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Roland Wright: Brand-New Page

As a page, Roland expected to learn how to smite the enemy. However, he didn’t expect his enemy to be another page. But when Hector decides that Roland is a smelly peasant who doesn’t deserve to be trained as a page, Roland soon learns that not all pages fight fair.

When an elephant escapes from his pen, no one seems to know what to do, so Roland and Nudge, his pet mouse, jump to the rescue. However, instead of being praised, Roland finds himself thrown in a cell. Roland now wonders if his chance of becoming a knight is already over, or if there is something he can do to save himself from being sent home.

The second book in the Roland Wright series is just as entertaining as the first book, Roland Wright Future Knight. Although Nudge plays a smaller role in the story, the addition of new characters and an elephant keep the reader interested. Throughout the story, Roland is never mean-spirited. Even when provoked, he strives to behave like a good knight. Roland Wright Brand-New Page will entertain young readers as well as teach that honesty always wins out in the end.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Roland tells Nudge what he thinks they will see when they get to the King’s castle: “Hundreds of archers shooting arrows from the battlements down onto the attackers . . . and soldiers pouring boiling oil on men charging at the drawbridge with a battering ram . . . and gallant knights swinging broadswords atop warhorses covered with shining armor.”
One of the pages is upset that Roland, a “smelly and stupid” peasant, is at the castle. They fight with wooden swords and shields. Roland is whacked in the face. As they continue fighting the other page said, “I’ll have you chopped into little pieces.” Roland is able to hold his own until the other boy tires and leaves.
An elephant escapes and smashes into the wall that people are hiding behind. As the elephant continues to push its tusks against the wall, someone calls for the royal archers. The King commands them to stop in order to make sure the elephant is not harmed.
The elephant, “squashed the squire in armor against a stone wall. It made a horrible sound, like a bug being crushed.”
Hector is punished. “. . . Hector was already in the stocks, his head and hands clamped in tightly, the sun beating down on his face.”

Drugs and Alcohol

At dinner the pages drink “watery ale.”

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

A boy tells Roland, “It’s God who looks after the King.”

Roland Wright: At The Joust

Roland is excited to attend his first joust and watch the knights crashing and smashing. However, he soon learns that jousting isn’t just fun and games. When Roland unexpectedly faces Little Douglas, a page from another castle, Roland must fight his fear and stay on his feet.

Roland Wright: At the Joust has the same loveable characters as the first two books; however, the story focuses less on character development. It mostly revolves around a tournament, so there is more violence than in the previous books. Even though the jousting is described in kid-friendly language, the descriptions are long and show the danger of being a knight.

In the end, Roland is victorious, but he realizes that being hurt or watching your friends hurt is a high price to pay for being a knight. Roland also learns that true friendship is the most important thing of all.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

To practice, Roland fights a knight. During the fight there was, “crashing, banging smashing and walloping.” The fight goes on for several pages, but language is kid-friendly, “Roland was hit yet again with the pommel-doinggg!—and found himself lying on the ground. . .”
One of the knights describes being unhorsed. “The first thing you feel is an enormous thump, like you’ve been hit by a rock thrown from a catapult. You see nothing through your visor but blue sky.”
There is a tournament where knights joust. During one joust, a knight is injured. “Sir Lucas was thrown up and backward . . . he slowly rolled and twisted a full three yards above the grass. He began to fall, headfirst, crashing his helmet against the tiltline.” Later in the story, it is revealed that Sir Lucas might not live.
Roland participates in a joust. “He turned to see Little Douglas lying flat on his back with the broken end of Roland’s lance sticking out of the shoulder joint in his armor.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Dino-Mike and The Dinosaur Doomsday

When Dino-Mike’s father goes on an expedition to Antarctica, Dino-Mike doesn’t expect much to happen. But when the Bones siblings unexpectedly arrive, they bring danger with them. The Bones siblings wake up a Doomsday Dinosaur who could easily crush Dino-Mike, Shannon, and Jurassic Jeff. The three think that the Doomsday Dinosaur is their worst nightmare, but there is more danger lurking beneath the Antarctic ice.

Dino-Mike and The Dinosaur Doomsday is an action-packed story that has Dino-Mike and his friends battling both the Bones siblings and ancient dinosaurs that come to life. Although the majority of the story is fictional, the story contains some facts about Antarctica and the dinosaurs that roamed. However, readers should not pick up the Dino-Mike series if their sole intention is to learn factual information about dinosaurs.

The series will appeal to younger readers because it is written with imagination and action. Scattered throughout the text are onomatopoeias that help create suspense. The story is easy to read and is a good series to pick up to interest beginning readers. Although Dino-Mike and the Dinosaur Doomsday is the seventh book in the series, the plot can be understood without reading the previous books.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

The Bones siblings cause an avalanche that “poured down on the base, covering it completely.” Dino-Mike’s father is trapped inside.
The Bones siblings wake up a Doomsday Dinosaur that breaks through the ice. “The ground beneath their feet opens up. CRUNNNCH! A geyser of ice thrust them thirty feet into the air.” Shannon almost falls into the crack in the ice, but Dino-Mike is able to save her.
The Bones siblings wake up burrowing dinosaurs that attack a group of people. “Jeff leaped backward just as one of the burrowing dinos burst through the ice, snapping its jaws. It was a narrow miss!” Dino-Mike is able to anticipate where the dinosaurs will pop out of the ice and keep the group safe.
A giant water dinosaur “chomped down on Dino-Mike” and “leaped into the air, and then arched its long body and dove back toward the water below.” The dinosaur tries to eat Dino-Mike, but he gets stuck in the dino’s throat and is sneezed out.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

The Bones siblings have a device that allows them to wake-up dinosaur fossils and control the dinosaurs. They also have a controller that allows them to open an “interdimensional portal.”

Spiritual Content

None

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate

The fifth installment of the Princess in Black series is just as fun as the previous books. When Princess Magnolia heads into the city for a playdate, a monster follows the princess because she smells like a goat. As the two princesses play, the monster tries to eat someone’s pet kitty. Princess Magnolia jumps in to help, but when she arrives, the monster has disappeared. Will a new hero be able to help Princess Magnolia find the monster?

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate takes a humorous look at what it takes to be a hero, “Step 1: Wear a disguise. Step 2: Ride a brave, masked beast. 3. Do lots of cool ninja moves.” Readers will enjoy seeing the princess in blankets, Princess Sneezewort, figure out if she can be a hero princess. As the princesses look for the monster, the monster finds creative hiding places that make looking for him a fun part of the story. The Goat Avenger has very little action in the story and his presence is missed.

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate is an excellent book for beginning readers. Fun illustrations appear on almost every page to help readers visualize the story’s actions. The chapters are short with easy-to-understand language. The monster in the story is more humorous than scary. If you’re looking for a high-energy, enjoyable book with strong girl characters, then The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate should be added to your reading list.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A hungry monster wants to eat goats but cannot find any. Instead, he tries to get a pet kitten. “EAT PETS!” the monster said. The princess tells him he cannot eat pets, so he asks “EAT YOU?” When the monster pounces, “the monster got tangled in one of her (the princess’s) blankets.” The princess in black shows up and helps take down the monster with a “playtime romp, karaoke jam, and snack-time stomp, and a unicorn ram.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation

After a night of keeping goats safe from monsters, the Princess in Black is exhausted. All she wants to do is take a nap. Then a new hero, the Goat Avenger, offers to watch over the goats so the Princess in Black can take a vacation. With the Goat Avenger keeping the goats safe, Princess Magnolia goes to the seaside, hoping to get some much-needed sleep. Just when Princess Magnolia curls up in her hammock, she hears a “Roar.” Soon people are running from a giant sea monster. Will Princess Magnolia ever get the sleep she needs?

Even though the story revolves around the Princess in Black needing a nap, the storyline is fast-paced and engaging. The story goes back and forth between the Princess in Black’s experience and the Goat Avenger, which adds interest and humor. The battles are reminiscent of the classic Batman and Robin comics with onomatopoeias that make the story even more fun.

The Princess in Black Takes A Vacation is an excellent book for beginning readers. Fun illustrations appear on almost every page to help readers visualize the story’s actions. The chapters are short with easy to understand language. If you’re looking for a high-energy, enjoyable book with a strong female character, then The Princess in Black Takes A Vacation should be added to your reading list.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

The Princess in Black “wages battle” against a “toothy monster” that wants to eat goats. The pictures show the action, “Sluggish swing! Double Dozy, Doozy Fling!”
A sea monster appears at a beach and wants to eat people. “People dropped ice pops in the sand . . . ‘EAT PEOPLE!’ roared the sea monster. “PEOPLE YUM!” Princess Magnolia climbs onto the sea monster and tells him “Sea Monster, you may not eat people.” After a short battle, she convinces him to eat fish instead.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

A Case of the Clones

When Dr. Bunsen overhears the kids complaining about all of their chores and homework, he decides to help. He creates a set of clones to help the kids with their work. The only trouble is, he didn’t tell the kids what he had done. When the clones start causing problems, the kids aren’t sure they can keep the clones from creating more trouble.

A seriously entertaining book with a diverse cast of characters, A Case of the Clones is a perfect book for beginning readers. The story features a crazy scientist and a group of girls and boys who are not afraid to be smart. Although the parents are only shown briefly, they are portrayed in a positive light. Gabe’s mother speaks a couple sentences of Spanish. With easy to read vocabulary, short sentences, and illustrations on almost every page, the story will build a reader’s confidence.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

My Family Adventure

Sofia Martinez is a seven-year-old girl who wants to be noticed. My Family Adventure contains three short stories about Sofia’s daily life. In the first story, she tries to gain her family’s attention through a photo swap. In story two, Sofia and her cousins want to make a surprise gift for their abuela’s, or grandma’s, birthday. In the third, a class pet goes missing and Sofia needs to figure out how to get the pet back into its box.

Sofia Martinez: My Family Adventure is written for beginning readers. Each story contains three easy-to-read chapters. Beginning readers will appreciate the many pictures that are scattered throughout the story and the large print. Readers will be able to relate to the topics in each story. Spanish words and phrases are printed in pink and appear throughout the text. Although many of the words are understandable because of their context, a glossary is included at the end of the book.

Sofia’s story shows her cultural heritage through her stories. In each of her stories, her large family is portrayed as a positive influence. Sofia often relies on her family members to solve her problems. In one story, her father lovingly tells her, “There are a lot of people here. Not everyone can pay attention to you.” The illustrations are another positive aspect of the book. The illustrations are full of color and portray Sofia and her family as warm and stylish. The character’s facial expressions will help younger readers decipher the emotions of the characters.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The Fenway Foul-Up

Mike Walsh knows everything about baseball. His cousin Kate Hopkins knows a little about everything. When the two get tickets to the Boston Red Sox game and all-access passes to Fenway Park, they will have to put all their knowledge together to solve the mystery of Big D’s missing bat.

Big D’s lucky bat is stolen during batting practice. Without his bat, will Big D be able to hit a much-needed home run and lead his team to victory? Can Mike and Kate solve the mystery and return Big D’s bat to him?

Baseball fans and mystery fans will enjoy The Fenway Foul-Up. Readers will be engrossed in the story as Mike and Kate follow the clues and eliminate suspects. The story is easy to read, but will also capture the attention of older readers because of the storyline. To help break up the text, black and white pictures appear every two to five pages. The book ends with a satisfying conclusion and fun facts about Fenway Park. This book will be a hit for reluctant and more advanced readers.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The Pinstripe Ghost

Mike and Kate get to spend three whole days at Yankee Stadium. The excitement of being at the most famous ballpark in America gets even better when Mike and Kate hear the rumor that Babe Ruth’s ghost is haunting the new stadium.

As Mike and Kate investigate the ghost sightings, they feel a chilly blast of air and hear strange sounds. Is Babe Ruth really looking for his missing locker or is something else going on at Yankee Stadium?

Black and white pictures appear every 2 to 5 pages and will help readers visualize the action. Even though Capital Catch is the #13 book in the series, the books do not build on each other, so they can be read out of order. The book ends with fun facts about New York’s Yankee Stadium.

Mystery fans and sports fans will both enjoy solving the mystery in The Pinstripe Ghost. The Pinstripe Ghost is another fun mystery for early readers. Although the story revolves around a ghost, there are no scary parts. Readers will have fun putting together the clues in this easy-to-read, engaging story.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The San Francisco Splash

Sitting on a kayak in the San Francisco bay, Mike and Kate watch as balls soar over the wall of the ballpark and fall into the water. Both Mike and Kate hope to catch one of these splash balls. When a man falls overboard, Mike catches a big surprise—the man is an old-time baseball player. When the man is pulled from the water, his World Series ring is missing. As Mike and Kate search for clues, they learn about San Francisco and the ballpark.

The San Francisco Splash is an easy-to-read story that has a simple plot. Black and white illustrations appear every 2 to 5 pages. Most of the illustrations are a full page and they help readers visualize the characters as well as help them understand the plot. The book ends with Dugout Notes that teach fun facts about the recently built ballpark. The Ballpark Mysteries do not need to be read in sequence to be enjoyed.

The San Francisco Splash will hit a home run with young fans of mysteries and sports.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Kate calls her cousin a “dope.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Stranger Things

Ed’s parents have always encouraged him and his siblings to be unique, but when Ed finds a strange coin, his life becomes wacky. Ed’s sister’s food begins to move, his brother becomes a pool toy, and a bedtime story comes to life. After all the strange occurrences, Ed’s friends want him to be a little less strange. In an effort to stop the strangeness, Ed tries to get rid of the coin, but it won’t let him give it away. Can Ed find the coin’s true home before he loses his friends?

Newly independent readers will love the silly events that happen to Ed. Looniverse: Stranger Things has easy-to-read text and fun illustrations that will teach the importance of problem-solving. Through the wacky events in Ed’s life, the reader will learn that having others consider you strange is not necessarily a bad thing. The story points out that Albert Einstein and artist Pablo Picasso were both considered strange, but “Our greatest artworks and inventions happened because someone had a strange idea or saw a strange sight. Without strangeness, the world would be terribly dull.” In the end, Ed and his friends both realize that being different is part of what makes Ed such a fun friend.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

When Ed finds a coin with the words “Strange, stranger” on it, odd things begin to happen. One example is when the story The Pied Piper comes to life and his sister leads rodents around the house.
When Ed tries to give the coin away, it becomes hot to the touch and the boy gives it back. Later Ed throws the coin in a bush; someone sees him drop the coin and gives it back to Ed.

Spiritual Content

None

Ghost Attack

When Alex and his cousin Sarah visit their grandparents, they don’t expect to find a ghost. Alex gets terrible red hives every time a mysterious ghost is near. Even though Alex screams every time the ghost appears, the ghost persists in showing up. Alex and Sarah decide to delve into Thistle’s Fall’s history to find out who the persistent ghost is and how they can help him.

Full of humor, Ghost Attack has a suspenseful plot that will keep readers interested. The easy-to-read story has many good aspects—a loving family, a lesson about making assumptions, and lively squirrels. David Lubar weaves mystery and ghosts into a non-scary story that is fun to read. Readers will be eager to pick up the next book in the series—Monster Itch #2: Vampire Trouble.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

Ghosts haunt Thistle’s Falls. “There were railroad brakeman ghosts, tragic romance ghosts, stranded pioneer ghosts, and pretty much every other kind of ghost you could imagine.”

Spiritual Content

None

Vampire Trouble

Alex hopes to win the kickball home-run record. When a new playground monitor appears, Alex begins to sneeze—great, big sneezes that make it impossible to kick the ball. Alex realizes that he’s allergic to the new playground monitor. Alex and his cousin Sara set out to discover what type of monster the new monitor is and how they can make her go away.

Although Vampire Trouble is not as suspenseful or humorous as the first book in the series, there is still a lot to like about the story. The plot is interesting and revolves around kickball. In the end, Alex learns that sportsmanship is more important than winning. Another positive aspect of the story is how the cousins in Vampire Trouble work together to find a solution to Alex’s monster allergy problem. In order to uncover the truth about vampires, they think like scientists, and through their search, readers will learn that not everything that is on the internet is true.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A boy hits Alex with a ball. “As I walked away, the ball smacked the back of my head with a loud POING!”
The vampire, who has rats that hang around her, threatens Alex and Sara. She tells them, “They will chase you off. And then a picture burst into my mind. I could see the rats leaping towards me.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

A vampire is a playground monitor at Alex’s school. Rats hang around the vampire.
The vampire can communicate by talking into people’s minds. When she communicates with Alex, “The words drifted into my mind, echoing like it had been spoken in a tomb.”

Spiritual Content