Reading Level: Elementary

Ways to Make Sunshine

Ryan’s name means “king,” and she is determined to grow into the name her parents gave her. She is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, sister, and friend. But Ryan has a lot on her mind.

For instance, Dad finally has a new job, though money is still tight. That means moving into a new house, and Dad working the night shift. Also, with the fourth-grade talent show coming up, Ryan wonders what talent she can perform on stage in front of everyone without freezing. As more changes and challenges come her way, Ryan always finds a way forward and shows that she is a girl who knows how to glow.

Ryan deals with real issues, including arguing with her brother and having stage fright. The story hits on several difficult topics such as family financial difficulties and having a best friend move away. Despite this, none of the topics are well developed. However, Ryan does tackle each obstacle and tries to see the bright side of things.

Most of the conflict comes from Ryan arguing with her brother as well as some friendship issues. While the conflicts are realistic, none of them are very exciting. The story portrays Ryan’s family in a positive manner and her parents always encourage her to do her best. Despite this, Ryan still has stage fright and is unable to say a poem during church. Ryan’s mother doesn’t reprimand her but instead encourages Ryan to try again. In the end, Ryan is able to gain confidence and overcome her stage fright.

Ways To Make Sunshine shows how Ryan uses the power of positive thinking to overcome many obstacles. Another positive lesson the book teaches, is that beauty doesn’t come from looks. Ryan’s grandmother says, “Your kindness makes you beautiful and the way you’re always willing to offer help makes you beautiful.” Another positive aspect of the story is the cute, black-and-white illustrations that appear every 4 to 11 pages.

Ryan is a relatable African-American character. However, the story is realistic fiction and does not have much action or adventure. If you like cooking disasters, sibling squabbles, and friendship drama, then Ways To Make Sunshine will entertain you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a book with similar themes but more action, take a look at The Friendship War by Andrew Clements or Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • Ryan and her brother, Ray, find a container with keepsakes inside. Ray thinks it belongs to a dead person. “Maybe the spirit of whoever lived here before is angry because we went through her things. Maybe she’ll haunt me every night till I put them back where she left them.”

Spiritual Content

  • At church, Ryan and the other children say a speech every Easter and Christmas. None of the speeches are shown in the book.
  • When Ryan is unable to say her speech, she runs off the stage and wonders “why Jesus’ love for us has to be celebrated by torturing children to memorize poems.”
  • At dinner, Ryan’s father prays. “God, we thank you for this food. Please bless it and bless the hands that prepared it.”
  • When Ryan’s father prays, Ryan wonders “if God will bless me even though I’ve made Ray’s food extra, extra, extra hot.”
  • When Ryan and Ray’s parents announce that they are having another baby girl, Ray asks why the baby isn’t a boy. Their dad says, “Because God blessed us with another girl.”

Class Act

Eighth-grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying, “You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” His grandmother has told him that his entire life. But, lately, he’s been wondering: even if he works ten times as hard, will he ever have the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the prestigious Riverdal Academy Day School take for granted?

To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it’s hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend, Jordan, doesn’t know how to keep the group together.

As the pressures mount, and he starts to feel more isolated than ever, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly see and accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself.

While the first installment focused on Jordan, Class Act focuses on Drew. Middle school readers will relate to Drew as he tries to navigate junior high and all of the pressure that comes with growing older. Going to Riverdal Academy is difficult because most of the students are white and the teachers have a difficult time discussing race. To make matters worse, the neighborhood kids tease Drew for acting as if he is better than them. In addition, Drew isn’t sure where he fits in. When discussing his confusion with a classmate, Drew’s friend asks him, “What good is having people like you if you don’t like you?”

In addition to regular middle school drama, Class Act gives many examples of classism. After Drew sees his friend Liam’s huge mansion, Drew is angry and begins avoiding Liam. Drew says, “People like him are never friends with people like us. We won’t live in the same neighborhood. We won’t eat the same food. Our kids won’t go to the same schools. So what’s the point?” In the end, Drew shows Liam his neighborhood, which helps the two understand and accept each other.

Class Act is an entertaining graphic novel that has brightly colored illustrations that are at times heartwarming and hilarious. Craft does an excellent job making the characters’ feelings clear by focusing on the character’s facial expressions. Even though the story focuses on Drew, Jordan’s artwork is still included as black and white illustrations. In the end, Class Act will entertain the reader as it touches on the difficult topics of classism and race. Readers who would like to read more about racial inequality and the Black Lives Matter movement should also read Blended by Sharon M. Draper.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Some of the neighborhood kids tease Drew. When Drew gets upset, Wendell says, “You better take your bougie butt home to your grandma.” Wendell tries to fight Drew, but the other boys hold him back. Wendell leaves and Drew starts a snowball fight. After the fight, the guys talk about their issues.

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • When Drew worried about the first day of school, his grandma says, “I’ll say a prayer for you.”

 

Emmy in the Key of Code

Twelve-year-old Emmy is the only one in her family who can’t make music to save her life. And now that her dad’s symphony job has uprooted her to a new city and school, everything seems even more off-key than usual.

Until a computer class changes her tune and Emmy discovers that her coding skills can really sing. Now life is starting to seem a little more upbeat, especially when computer wiz Abigail is around to share tips and tricks with. But can Emmy hold on to her newfound confidence with bad news and big secrets just around the corner? Or will her new life come to a screeching halt?

In Emmy in the Key of Code, Emmy’s uncertainty and her desire to belong takes center stage. Unlike her musically gifted parents, Emmy is fearful of being on stage and her singing isn’t beautiful. Even though Emmy loves music, she knows her voice isn’t stage-worthy. To make matters worse, Emmy moves to San Francisco, which is completely different than Wisconsin. Her clothes are all wrong, she’s unable to talk to others, and she goes through each school day alone. She doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere.

Emmy’s mother is an opera singer and her father plays the piano. Their musical influence on Emmy comes across both in her love of music as well as her speech. For example, Emmy describes her computer teacher as follows: “The teacher crescendos in / with a smile painted candy-apple red. / A color so joyful / so allegro / so dolce and vivace / that it spills into the rest of her face. . .” In addition, Emmy refers to musical pieces such as Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Readers who are unfamiliar with the musical terminology may become frustrated.

Emmy’s computer class and her teacher Ms. Delaney have a huge impact on Emmy’s life. To show this connection, some of the lines use coding symbols such as brackets, colons, and quotation marks. To make the coding vocabulary understandable, some pages explain what the code means. To highlight the JavaScript, the words are typed in a lighter font. Emmy also explains coding by comparing it to music.

Emmy’s story is told in a combination of poetry, JavaScript, music, and narrative. Like Emmy’s emotions, some of the text’s words appear broken up, jumbled, faded, and with other graphic elements that help convey Emmy’s emotions. Emmy, who is extremely likable, has a relatable conflict of a new town and not fitting in. In the end, Emmy and her friend Abagail both learn the importance of being “a girl who today / made the decision / to listen to what she loves.”

Readers will relate to Emmy’s desire for friendship and belonging. Lucido’s beautiful writing comes alive and teaches that programming is for everyone. In the end, Emmy discovers that her love of music and coding can blend to make something truly beautiful. Readers who love books about smart girls who can code should add Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone to their reading list.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Jerk is used three times. For example, Abigail asks why Francis is “such a jerk all the time.”
  • Abigail’s friends meet her outside of the computer class. One girl says, “I hate thinking of you in a class / with all these weirdos.”
  • A student asks Mrs. Delaney, “Why did you leave your fancy job / to come teach idiots / like me: }”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Absolute Hero

A crowded new school and a crazy class schedule are enough to make Izzy dizzy.  It may be the first day of sixth grade, but as long as best friends Allie Einstein and Charlie Darwin are by her side, Izzy knows it’ll all be okay. But first–day jitters take an icy turn when Izzy’s old pal Marie Curie comes back to town and gives her former friends the cold shoulder. The problems pile up when the school’s air conditioning goes on the fritz. The temperature suddenly drops to what feels like the coldest possible, and the adults don’t seem to have a clue how to thaw out the school.

Cold temperatures and a frigid friendship? Izzy has had enough of feeling like an absolute zero. She rallies the girls to use their brainpower and science smarts to tackle the school’s chilly mystery—and hopefully fix a certain frozen friendship along the way. Will the girls succeed and become the absolute heroes of Atom Middle School?

As the girls try to discover why the air conditioner is malfunctioning, they use the scientific method, which appears as illustrations that look like binder paper. When the girls are checking out the air condition unit on the roof, the door closes and Izzy uses a hose to repel from the two-story building. When the girls tell Allie’s grandmother about their adventure, she says, “Well behaved women rarely make history. You girls go ahead and be subversive. Just be careful, too.”

The characters are a racially diverse group, who have different family dynamics. Charlie has two veterinarian moms, and she loves to eat healthy, homegrown food. Allie lives with her grandmother because her archaeologist mother works a lot. Izzy seeks out her grandfather who helps her solve problems. The S.M.A.R.T Squad is made of confident girls, who love science and are not afraid of being smart. The girls are likable because they are quirky and imperfect.

Another positive aspect of the story is that the girls are able to solve the mystery of the too-cool school, yet they keep their success a secret. Instead of being braggarts, the girls are confident enough that they don’t need to tell the whole world about their good deeds.

Valarie Tripp, the author of several American Girl stories, writes a fun story with science-loving characters. Even though the story shows smart girls using science, the science facts never feel like a lecture. Instead, science seamlessly blends into the story’s events. The end of the book includes short biographies of the scientist that the characters are named after as well as two pages that explain some great women scientists.

With themes of friendship, science, and solving problems, Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Black and white illustrations, which appear every 4 to 6 pages, show the girls’ unique personalities. Girls who want to read other stories with smart girls should check out the Girls Who Code Series by  Stacia Deutsch and Ellie, Engineer by Jackson Pearce.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Charlie tells Izzy, “Your brothers are total eye candy.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Stolen Slipper

Prince Patrick’s only clue to finding the love of his life is the glass slipper she left behind. But the special shoe has been stolen! Without it, the prince will never see his true love again. Kara and Zed will have to help the prince find the glass slipper—and the woman it belongs to—before it’s too late.

Kara and her best friend Zed join together to solve the mystery of the missing shoe. Even though the story revolves around Cinderella, the majority of the story focuses on Kara and Zed solving the mystery. Kara and Zed are likable characters and Zed’s love of food and animals adds some humor to the story. Even though Kara helps her parents in the shoe shop, she still has enough time for sleuthing. Kara is kind, curious, and capable of using her powers of observation to solve the crime.

The Stolen Slipper is part of Scholastic Branches’ early chapter books, which have easy-to-read text and illustrations on every page. Readers will laugh at Zed’s hungry goat and the prince’s puppy. The book uses short descriptions and dialogue to keep the story moving at a fast pace. Black and white illustrations appear on every page and help break the text into manageable sections. The engaging pictures will help readers follow the plot. Even though The Stolen Slipper is part of a series, each book can be read as a stand-alone.

Fairy tale fans will enjoy the interplay between Kara and Zed as they try to solve the mystery. Even though the prince’s advisor, Barth, is a predictable villain, his niece doesn’t want to get in the way of the prince and his true love. The cute conclusion shows Cinderella and the prince together and also includes some cute animal scenes that will put a simile on readers’ faces. The fast-paced story includes a page of comprehension and critical thinking questions. Readers who are transitioning to chapter books will enjoy the fun adventure. Readers who want to meet another spunky female character should add the Princess Pulverizer Series by Nancy Krulik to their reading list.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

 

Supernatural

  • Zed delivers messages; he has a magical bag that scrolls appear in.

Spiritual Content

  • None

Out of Bounds

Makena Walsh absolutely loves soccer. She knows it’s the best sport around, and she feels lucky that the teammates on her super competitive and super skilled team, the Brookville Breakers, feel the same way. The girls always have and always will be soccer sisters.

When a new person joins the Breakers, everything changes. Skyler is a great player and really cool—but she also doesn’t always play by the rules. Makena, hoping to impress Skyler, starts acting out and running wild, off and on the field.

With a huge tournament looming, Makena’s got tough choices ahead–choices that will affect her family, her friends, and the game she loves. Can she stay true to what the soccer sisters believe in and win the big game?

At first, Makena thinks Skyler’s crazy ideas are fun, but soon Skyler’s lies add up, and Makena’s guilt catches up with her. To make matters worse, sneaking out and staying up late is affecting Makena’s game. Soon, Skyler’s behavior doesn’t seem so cool, especially when Skyler uses deception to win. She tells her teammates, “Just remember, when you get hurt, even a little, roll on the ground and act as if your leg is about to fall off. That way you will get the free kick or the penalty kick. Everybody does it.”

Out of Bounds’s play-by-play action will appeal to soccer players and sports lovers. The majority of the action takes place on the field; however, readers will get a glimpse of the crazy things Skyler convinces Makena to do as well as of Makena’s home life. In one scene, the reader will learn about the dangers of smoking through Makena’s grandfather who used to smoke and now has emphysema.

Makena is a relatable character who doesn’t like lying to others, but she struggles with the ability to say no. Because the story is told from her point of view, the reader will understand Makena’s worries. In the end, Makena grows as a character and realizes that “being a star off the field is as big a part of soccer as being a star on the field.” During the last tournament, Makena is able to stand up to Skyler and finally do what’s right, including telling her parents about her bad behavior.

The Soccer Sisters series is written by former soccer player, coach, and motivational speaker Andrea Montalbano. Out of Bounds’s high-interest topic, advanced vocabulary, and short chapters make the story accessible to advanced readers. While the story has relatable conflicts and many positive lessons, the many play-by-play soccer scenes are designed for soccer players and fans. The book ends with one suggested activity, questions, a glossary of soccer terms, and a short biography of Olympian Brandi Chastain. Those who have read Montalbano’s book, Breakaway, will see many similarities in the characters and plot. Out of Bounds is a fast-paced story that will engage soccer fans as it highlights the importance of compassion, sportsmanship, leadership, and following the rules.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Heck is used four times. For example, someone says, “Why the heck do we travel all the way to Philadelphia to play a team from nearby?”
  • “Oh my God” is used as an exclamation once.
  • Skyler asks, “Do you think those two guards are going to admit that two girls stole their golf cart and made them look like idiots?”
  • Skyler’s dad said that her old team “was a bunch of losers.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1891

Oscar Starling never wanted to come to Chicago. But then Oscar finds himself not just in the heart of the big city, but in the middle of a terrible fire! No one knows how it began, but one thing is clear: Chicago is a giant powder keg about to explode.

An army of firemen is trying to help, but this fire is a ferocious beast that wants to devour everything in its path – including Oscar! Will Oscar survive one of the most famous and devastating fires in history?

While the story’s focus is the Great Chicago Fire, Oscar is also dealing with his father’s death and his mother’s new marriage. Even though Oscar’s father has died, Oscar thinks about his father often, which helps him be brave during the fire. Oscar’s father gives the story added depth and interest. Because of his father’s stories, Oscar is able to help two parentless kids and stand up to a street gang leader.

The Great Chicago Fire, 1891 jumps straight into the action, which continues throughout the story. The compelling story focuses on the fire, but also includes information about homeless street children. The two subplots are expertly woven together to create an interesting, suspenseful story that readers will devour. Full of surprising twists and unexpected danger, The Great Chicago Fire, 1891 brings history to life.

The story is told from Oscar’s point of view, which allows the reader to understand the danger and confusion associated with being surrounded by the fire. One of the best aspects of the story is Oscar’s changing opinion of a street kid named Jennie. When Jennie helps a gang of boys steal from Oscar, he thinks she is a terrible criminal. But his opinion of Jennie changes when he learns about her circumstances. In the end, the two kids work together to survive the fire.

The story is accessible to all readers because Tarshis uses short paragraphs and simple sentences. Realistic black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the story and will help readers visualize the events. While the story weaves interesting facts throughout, the book ends with more facts about the Chicago fire. The historical information about the cause of the fire would be an excellent opportunity for parents to discuss journalists reporting “fake news” and how gossip can “harden into established fact.”

Readers who enjoy history and fast action stories will enjoy The Great Chicago Fire, 1891. If you’re looking for more historical fiction, Survival Tails by Katrina Charman takes a look at historical events from an animal’s point of view. Both series use engaging stories to teach about history.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Oscar thinks back to when his papa was a sheriff. “Papa heard that Earless Kildair was a killer. And sure enough, by morning the town’s bank had been robbed, and one of Papa’s friends was sprawled out dead in the street.”
  • Oscar’s father followed Earless to Chicago. “He finally found him in a stinking tavern near the river. Papa pulled out his gun, ready to arrest him. But Earless was too quick. He jumped behind the bar and started shooting. . . A bullet whizzed just past Papa’s head. . . The bullet hit Papa in the chest.” His father survives, but later dies.
  • Oscar gets trapped in Chicago during the fire. Burning embers “were all around him, attacking like a swarm of fiery bees. They seared his scalp, burned through the wool of his clothes, scorched his lips. Pain lashed him, and the sickening smell of his burning hair made him gag.” Oscar is injured, but otherwise okay.
  • Oscar goes into a burning house to help two kids escape. “Oscar felt as though he were being attacked by a wild animal. It grabbed him, clawed at him, and spun him around.” Oscar thinks he will not be able to escape, but “then he felt a hand on his arm, pulling him up.”
  • Otis, a gang member, tells Oscar’s friend that she can’t quit the gang. “And before he realized what he was doing, he sprang forward and gave Otis a hard push in the chest.” Otis smacks Oscar and “Oscar fell to the ground, the flash of pain in his head burning brighter than the blazing sky.”
  • As people are fleeing, they cross a bridge. The bridge catches fire and “next came splashes, and Oscar refused to think about what—or who—was falling off the bridge and into the river.”

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • A child tells Oscar, “My mama got sick. She is in heaven.” Oscar tells the boy, “my papa’s in heaven too.”

The Dinosaur Expert

Mr. Tiffin and his students are back in another picture book; this time the focus is on dinosaur-loving Kimmy. During a field trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy is thrilled to share what she knows about the Stegosaurus, the Archaeopteryx, and even the ginormous Titanosaurus. But that all changes when one of her classmates questions whether girls can be paleontologists, and Kimmy starts to feel shy. What if girls can’t be paleontologists? What if no one wants to hear what she has to say? It will take some help from Mr. Tiffin—and from a famous scientist—for Kimmy to find her voice again.

The Dinosaur Expert has many positive aspects, including Mr. Tiffin, who encourages Kimmy to share her dinosaur knowledge. Mr. Tiffin shows her an exhibit of Dr. Brandoni de Gasparini’s hunting fossils. Seeing a woman paleontologist gives Kimmy the courage to tell her classmates about dinosaurs. The end of the book includes a short biography of seven of Kimmy’s favorite women paleontologists.

Every dinosaur-loving kid should read The Dinosaur Expert, which has many fascinating facts as well as detailed illustrations of dinosaurs. Readers will enjoy seeing Kimmy’s character grow from a timid girl who doesn’t want to talk, to a confident girl who shares her knowledge.

Each page has large illustrations that show a diverse group of children. Almost every page shows an illustration of a dinosaur as well as many dinosaur facts. Each page has 1 to 5 sentences. However, readers will need help with some of the dinosaur names and advanced vocabulary.

Young readers will enjoy going on a field trip with Mr. Tiffin’s class and will relate to Kimmy’s fear of speaking up. The story blends Kimmy’s conflict and dinosaur facts, which will keep readers interested in the story. Plus, girls will love seeing real women scientists who have made contributions to the study of dinosaurs. One of the best parts of The Dinosaur Expert is that it shows that anyone can become a scientist. Readers who can’t get enough of dinosaurs should add The Dino Files Series by Stacy McAnulty to their reading list.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Not-So-Great Presidents: Commanders In Chief

From heroic George Washington to the dastardly Richard Nixon, the oval office has been occupied by larger-than-life personalities since 1789. The position comes with enormous power and responsibility, and every American president thus far has managed to achieve great things. However, each president of the United States is only human—and oftentimes far from perfect. While some men suffered through only minor mishaps during their time in office, others are famously remembered for leaving behind bigger messes.

Take a trip through the history of the presidents and discover each man’s contribution. Historical artwork, photographs, and black and white illustrations appear every 1 to 3 pages. Many of the illustrations are comical caricatures of presidents. The short chapters, large text, and illustrations make the book accessible to readers. The book incorporates some definitions into the text. For example, some politicians start “attacking their opponents—explaining why people shouldn’t vote for the other guy, instead of why people should vote for them. This is called mudslinging.” Even though some of the vocabulary is explained, readers may still struggle with the difficult vocabulary.

Not-So-Great Presidents: Commanders In Chief uses a conversational tone that makes learning about history fun. The book uses many references to popular culture such as the Marvel Universe. For example, President Franklin Pierce “also has one of the most tragic backstories since the Punisher first showed up in Marvel comics.” While the vast amount of historical facts will not be retained, Not-So-Great Presidents: Commanders In Chief introduces history in an educational and fun way, which will keep readers interested until the very end. One of the best parts of the book is that it shows that everyone—even heroic presidents—makes mistakes. The history of the presidents shows that to be a respected leader, one does not need to be perfect.

Sexual Content

  • Bill Clinton was accused of “lying under oath when asked about an inappropriate relationship he had with one of his White House Interns.”

Violence

  • The book talks about different wars and sometimes includes the death count. For example, “The year was 1776, and the bloody fighting of the American Revolution was in full swing.”
  • Several presidents were assassinated, but the men’s deaths are not described in detail. For example, “On July 2, 1881, he [James A. Garfield] was shot at a train station by Charles J. Guiteau, once in the back and once in the arm.”
  • “On September 6, 1901, President McKinley was shot by a deranged anarchist (Leon Czolgosz) while shaking hands with supporters at the international Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.”
  • Andrew Jackson was “notorious for fighting in more than a hundred duels throughout his life—including one where he still managed to kill his opponent moments after taking a bullet to the chest!”
  • President Franklin Pierce “was once arrested, as president, for running over a woman with his horse.”
  • During World War II, America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. “More people died in a split second than there were soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg from both Northern and Southern armies combined. Most of those people were civilians.”

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • After George Washington served for two terms, “he returned to his farm in Mount Vernon, where he focused on his real passion: brewing moonshine (no joke)!”
  • During the last days in office, President John Tyler threw a party at the White House, and “over three thousand people showed up. Several barrels of wine and eight dozen bottles of champagne” were served.
  • Andrew Johnson was “a reported alcoholic.”
  • Hiram Ulysses Grant became “one of the most famous generals in American history, despite his notorious reputation as an alcoholic. . . Abraham Lincoln even said, ‘I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.’”
  • President Franklin Pierce “could best be described as charming, indecisive, and alcoholic.” When he left the White House, he said, “There’s nothing left to do but get drunk. . . After his wife passed away, he took up binge drinking as a full-time gig and became a hermit. He died of cirrhosis of the liver because of the copious amounts of alcohol he consumed toward the end of his life.”
  • Woodrow Wilson passed prohibition, “which made it illegal to buy alcohol, which a lot of people really hated.”

Language

  • Heck is used four times. For example, to coordinate D-Day, Eisenhower used “his guts, brains, and a heck of a lot of patience.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Star Wolf

Emma lives in a forest full of magical creatures, including star wolves! The wolves’ special song makes the stars appear in the sky every night. When Emma rescues a baby star wolf from a trap, she knows she must return the pup to his family. Will she be brave enough to go on a nighttime adventure and help keep the stars shining?

The Star Wolf brings back Lord Hector, who is determined to silence the star wolves’ song. This time, Lord Hector’s servants make failed attempts to catch Teo, the baby star wolf. The servants add non-scary suspense to the story.

Unlike previous books, Sophy plays a large role in the story. Sophy and Emma work together to defeat Lord Hector’s schemes. Both girls are sweet, helpful, and kind to others. Despite being frightened, the girls help Teo find his wolf family. The girls also put others’ needs before their own. For example, when the star wolves invite the girls to listen to their magical song, Emma says, “Lord Hector’s still out there. And his servants still have that little bottle of potion. We’d love to stay and listen to the Sky Song, but there’s one more thing we have to do.”

A diamond owl named Kellan adds another wonderful element to the story. This skeptical, magical owl helps Sophy and Emma. Despite being reluctant to help the girls, he discovers that “silly humans” can be brave. Keelan also adds some humor when he scares Lord Hector’s servants.

The Star Wolf will entertain readers with a fast-paced plot and non-scary suspense. The adorable animals and sweet characters will appeal to both readers and parents. Both girls are polite, helpful, and brave. When Emma makes desserts for her family’s booth, she doesn’t complain. Instead, she happily helps and cleans up the kitchen when she is finished.

The first book in the series, The Sky Unicorn, introduces Sophy and the magical stones. Even though Sophy makes an appearance in all of the books, readers do not need to read the stories in order. Each book focuses on a new main character, which adds interest to the series. The story uses easy vocabulary, simple sentence structure, and black and white illustrations to make The Star Wolf accessible to readers. Illustrations appear every 2-4 pages and help readers understand the plot.

The Star Wolf is an engaging story that shows the importance of kindness and bravery. Readers who enjoy magical animals should check out The Enchanted Pony Academy series by Lisa Ann Scott.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A star wolf gets stuck in a trap, but Emma saves the animal.
  • A man and a woman chase Emma while trying to get the star wolf. A huge dragon appears. “Landing with a thump that shook the ground, the leathery-skinned creature swung to face the trappers. . . The woman shrieked and ran away. The man bolted after her.”
  • A man “darted forward, grabbed hold of Teo [the star wolf], and stuffed him under her arm. The wolf pup gave a terrified whimper.”
  • As Emma tries to find the star wolf, “there was a snap as her foot hit the ground and something closed around her ankle. She lost her balance and fell over.” Someone helps Emma out of the trap.
  • A man and a woman accidentally start a fire in the forest. “The candle flame spread, burning the twigs and dead leaves on the ground. A tiny fire began to grow.” Sophy and Emma are able to put the fire out.

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • Lord Hector has a potion that will take away the sky wolves’ voices. Emma accidentally spills a drop into the juice that Lord Hector and his servants are drinking. When they lose their voices, “Lord Hector turned bright red. Shaking his fist, he chased his servants out of the clearing.”

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • The sky wolves’ music “brought out the evening stars. Without them the night sky would be dark with no starlight at all.”
  • Sophy gives Emma a speaking stone. “Slowly, the rock grew warmer. Emma’s hand tingled as the stone changed from dull gray to bright orange, like a flame springing to life. . . The stone split in half.” The stone gives Emma the ability to talk to animals.
  • A diamond owl helps find the missing star wolf. The owl has “magical eyes that can see right through things—branches, tree trunks, anything! We also have the speed of the wind!”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Enter Stage Left

Sassy and Waldo love their boy Stewart, so every day they put on a trench coat and go to school with him. Everyone thinks they’re a student named Salty, though Stewart knows the truth.

The whole class is putting on a play based on The Wizard of Oz. Sassy and Waldo are excited about the play, but they don’t understand acting. Stewart is playing the part of the wicked dog trainer witch. Now Stewart is acting like a different person—an evil person. Sassy and Waldo want to make sure that Stewart doesn’t stay evil all of the time.

Similar to the previous books in the series, Sassy and Waldo are still obsessed with food. However, the story’s premise revolves around the far-fetched idea that the two dogs don’t understand what acting is. Sassy and Waldo pretend to be Salty every day, so it’s hard to believe that they don’t understand acting and are worried about Stewart turning evil.

Another area that the humor falls flat is the introduction of the drama teacher, Mr. Rollins. Throughout the book, Mr. Rollins acts like a piece of furniture, and then jumps out and surprises the students. The first couple of times, his actions are funny, but after a while, readers will wonder why Mr. Rollins doesn’t actually help the students perform their play.

Sassy and Waldo are admirable for their loyalty and love, and seeing the world from their point of view is entertaining. However, the fourth installment of Two Dogs in a Trench Coat is not as entertaining as the others and has no educational value. Despite this, fans of Sassy and Waldo will still enjoy the dogs’ silly antics and the sweet conclusion.

Every page has large black and white illustrations that add humor to the story. The illustrations show a cast of diverse characters, including a girl in a wheelchair. The font changes each time Sassy and Waldo talk, making it easy for readers to follow along with the conversation. Many of the words appear in large, bolded font, which adds interest to the pages and highlights the dog’s love of food. Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Enter Stage Left uses an easy-to-follow plot and a unique concept that will engage even the most reluctant readers. Readers who love the humor of the Two Dogs and a Trench Coat Series should also check out the Mac B. Kid Spy Series by Mac Barnett.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • A teacher uses “Holy chalkboard erasers” as an exclamation.
  • A teacher uses “Holy refrain and choruses” as an exclamation.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Rescue

12-year old Emily has dreams of drowning. She’s being sucked under once, twice . . . until the third night, she realizes it’s not just a dream. It’s really happening to someone. On the rocky shore outside her house, Emily finds a large dog. He’s barely alive, but she’s determined to save him. She can feel his pain—and his determination to live. The dog is brought to the vet and with Emily’s help, he starts to improve.

But is the bond between the girl and the dog, Zack, something more? She can see what he sees and feel what he feels. And Zack seems to be able to read her mind, too. Is it possible that together, Emily and Zack can do more than read each other’s minds? Can they use their powers to help people?

The suspenseful story will pull readers in from the very first word. While the story focuses on the dog’s struggle to heal, it also has enough of Emily’s home life to keep the story interesting. The Rescue gives the reader insight into animal abuse without going into details that may frighten younger readers. In the end, readers will cheer when multiple characters come to Zack’s defense and save him from his cruel owners.

Emily is an extremely likable, biracial character who was adopted by a white family. The story has several examples of racism, such as when a white tourist talks to Emily and the lady assumes that if Emily is “in Maine, that must mean that some nice country family took me in for the summer. You know, to get me out of my deprived, inner-city neighborhood.” All of the examples of racism are kid-friendly and highlight Emily’s feelings. She wishes people didn’t see her “as African-American first, instead of a person named Emily.”

The Rescue will appeal to many readers because it is a suspenseful story about friendship, family, and helping a dog in need. While Emily is the only character that is well developed, the supporting characters have enough depth to be believable. Another positive aspect of the story is her family’s healthy dynamic and her supportive best friend. The Rescue is an excellent story that teaches the importance of not making assumptions about other people. Emily’s emotional journey will leave a deep impression on the reader. Readers will be eager to see how Emily and Zack use their unique powers to communicate in the next book in the series, Storm Warning.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • There is a rumor that one of Emily’s neighbors “killed her husband.” Later, Emily finds out that the woman was driving when the car crashed, and her husband died.
  • Zack’s owners go to the vet’s office to get Zack. When the owners find out that Zack isn’t there, they become violent. The violence is not described, but, “One of the men even had a baseball bat, and he had just broken the screen on one of the computers with it. . . Dr. Kasanofsky’s shirt was ripped, and it looked like his glasses might be broken, too.” The police escort the men to the police station.

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • When Zack is injured, the vet gives him “medicine to help him sleep, and to make sure he isn’t in any pain.”

Language

  • Cyril, a shopkeeper, calls a man “that lousy roughneck punk” because as a boy, “he had stolen—and promptly eaten—a piece of red licorice from the penny candy section.”
  • While talking to her neighbor, Emily stutters. The neighbor tells her, “Don’t ramble like a ninny.”

Supernatural

  • Emily was having a bad dream and realizes, “it wasn’t a bad dream of hers. She had just been having Zach’s nightmare!”
  • Somehow Emily can read Zack’s thoughts. At one point Emily thinks, “Either she was reading her dog’s mind—or she was crazy.”

Spiritual Content

  • While the vet is treating Zack, Emily’s mother says, “We’ll just have to pray that this is a temporary setback.”

Dragons vs. Unicorns

Kate the Chemist is a ten-year-old science problem solver. There’s no problem Kate can’t fix. When her best friend, Birdie, is cast as the lead unicorn in their school’s musical, Dragons vs. Unicorns, and Kate is chosen to be the assistant director, they agree this is going to be the best musical EVER! Kate is a natural assistant director; like all good scientists, she’s smart and organized, but she also comes up with great ideas. But when everything starts going wrong with the musical and Kate realizes someone is sabotaging the show, will her special science sleuthing skills help save the day—and the show?

Dragons vs. Unicorns blends chemistry with a drama production. The story is told from Kate’s point of view, which allows readers to understand Kate’s emotions as well as her love of chemistry. While Kate has interests besides chemistry, she compares everything to science, which may frustrate readers who don’t love science.

Readers who were expecting a book about dragons and unicorns will be disappointed because the mythological creatures never appear in the book. Instead, some of the characters will be dragons or unicorns in the school play. However, the play allows Kate to use science to make it appear as if the dragons are breathing fire. The story focuses on science and also incorporates life lessons about getting along with others and the importance of listening. At one point, Kate’s best friend is honest with her and tells her, “you do get stuck in your own head and don’t pay attention to what’s going on around you.”

The short chapters all begin with definitions of science words such as thermal shocks, vapor, and protocol. Simple black and white illustrations appear every 1 to 3 pages. While the illustrations help break up the text, they will not help readers understand the plot or visualize the characters. The book ends with instructions on how to make unicorn glue. Even though the book includes some other experiments, Biberdorf warns readers not to perform them without adult supervision.

Readers who love all things science will enjoy Dragons vs. Unicorns. However, readers who are not interested in science might find the focus on science a little overwhelming. Dragons vs. Unicorns highlights the importance of trying new things and listening to others. However, the only character that is developed is Kate. The story would have benefited from having Kate interact with her peers more.  Dragons vs. Unicorns is an entertaining book that will get readers thinking about how science is used in their daily lives. Readers who would like to mix a little fantasy and science will also enjoy the Zoey and Sassafras Series by Asia Citro.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • “Holy jeans” is used as an exclamation one time.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Criminal Destiny

The clones of project Osiris are now free – but they’re being hunted. After their narrow escape from their “perfect” hometown, Eli, Tori, Amber, and Malik are finally in the real world and are determined to expose the leaders of the other world, Serenity. They decide to track down Tamara Dunleavy, the mysterious billionaire and founder of Project Osiris. Evading capture by breaking laws and sneaking into houses, hotels, buses, and cars—are they becoming the criminals they were destined to be?

What they learn will change everything and lead them straight back into the Plastic Works and the heart of the experiment in order to uncover the deadly criminals they’re cloned from—and find evidence that will convince the outside world to believe the truth. But the outside world isn’t exactly what they expected. Strangers aren’t just unfriendly, they’re dangerous. The wrong move could send them right back into the arms of Dr. Hammerstrom and leave them trapped in Serenity for good.

The story revolves around five characters—Eli, Malik, Hector, Tori, and Amber—and each chapter changes between these characters’ points of view. This allows the reader to understand each character’s thought process, which helps build their character. Each person struggles with the knowledge of being cloned from a criminal, but each one reacts to it differently and sometimes in surprising ways.

The story Criminal Intent has non-stop action as the kids discover how the real world works. As the kids try to navigate the real world, their misunderstandings lead to some hilarious comments. The kids truly believe that they need to break Rackoff, one of the criminals a kid is cloned from, out of prison in order to have a future. His escape is “a ticket for eleven clones to be able to prove who they are, and what’s been done to them. And maybe, just maybe, have a future.” Because of this belief, the kids are willing to commit crimes in exchange for his help.

While the conclusion is somewhat far-fetched, it also has several surprises and ends with a cliff-hanger. The kids are so busy evading the Purples, the police, and other people, that they do not have time to learn anything about Project Osiris. Unfortunately, the kids’ only plan is to find help from one of the criminals that they were cloned from. While Criminal Intent has humor and action, the kids have no real idea how they are going to have a future separate from the scientists from Project Osiris, which includes their parents. Instead of solving any problems, this action-packed story sets up an exciting third book, Payback.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • The Purple People Eaters try to capture the kids. When a Purple tries to grab Tori, Malik “barrels out from a group of students and makes a bull run at him. Malik crashes headfirst into the Purple’s midsection. . . the element of surprise knocks him on his butt.”
  • As the kids try to escape, a Purple grabs Malik. “Secret Agent Man gets Malik in a headlock. And the next thing he knows, his own car is coming at him, chewing up turf. The rear door swings open, catching him in the side of the head.” The kids escape without seriously injuring anyone. The scene is described over three pages.
  • While in Denver, the kids see a man being mugged in an alleyway. “Scruffy has the suit guy up against the wall and is holding the knife to his back. . .” Amber jumps in to help. “Scruffy wheels and now the knife is pointing at Amber. . . She starts lecturing the crook in what sounds eerily like her mother’s teacher voice.” The confused crook runs off.
  • The kids see a man digging through their backpacks. Amber goes after the guy. She jumps over a table and her “front foot gets tangled with his two fleeing ones. We both go down . . . there’s a thwack as his head hits the base of the tree.” The man is knocked unconscious and the kids take off.
  • A group of teens is lounging around the kids’ car. “Amber reaches out, grabs the leader’s leg just above the boot, and gives a mighty yank. He comes flying off the hood and lands in a heap on the pavement on the parking lot.” When a teen tries to grab Amber, “Malik’s fist shoots out like a battering ram, catching the kid full in the nose.” The teenagers back off and leave. The scene is described over two pages.
  • The kids’ research who they were cloned from. One of the men was sentenced to “over three hundred years behind bars. . . He was stabbed to death by another inmate last year.”
  • Late at night, Tori sees a man enter the hotel room. She grabs a metal wastebasket. “I’m out of bed, across the room, and swinging my weapon at the shadowy figure.” The person turns out to be her friend, Eli. His head is bleeding, but not hurt badly.
  • While trying to help someone escape from prison, the kids steal a postal service truck. Malik threatens the driver with a crowbar. “Malik drops the crowbar and enfolds the postal worker in a wrestling hug. George struggles against him, but Malik is just as big as he is, and strong. . .” Eli uses a maneuver he learned on the internet to make George pass out.
  • When the Purples find the kids, someone grabs Eli “strangling [him] with [his] own collar.” Eli gets the syringe and “wielding it like a knife, I get to my knees and stab it into my enemy’s thigh. He stops dead, letting out a gasp of pain that’s instantly familiar.” The man “collapses to the ground out cold.”
  • Bryan, a Purple, grabs  Tori and Eli rushes to help. “I come up behind him and stab the needle into the back of his shoulder. . . Bryan drops like a stone.”
  • Eli threatens a pilot with the syringe, so the pilot flies Eli and Tori away. When they get to their destination, Eli pricks the pilot “with the needle, careful to inject a small amount of tranquilizer into the back of his neck.” The escape scene is described over seven pages.

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • When the Purples find the kids, a doctor tries to tranquilize the kids with a “syringe filled with some kind of cloudy liquid.” Eli is able to get the syringe and he uses it on several people.

Language

  • Malik thinks about his friend Hector. “Poor stupid, pain-in-the-butt little Hector, who died during our escape from Happy Valley.” Later when Malik discovers Hector is alive, he says, “I wasted a lot of sad on your unworthy butt.”
  • There is some name calling, including pinheads, dimwit, moron, idiot, jerk, and stupid
  • While trying to steal a truck, the victim tells Malik, “you’re bat-poop crazy.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Skunked!

When softhearted Travis discovers an abandoned baby skunk, he can’t help but bring it home and take care of it. Stinky, as Travis names him, settles in pretty well. But when Travis discovers Stinky’s littermate, Winky, who is in need of some help, things get complicated around the Tate house. One skunk might skate by under the radar, but two is just asking for trouble. Will Travis and Callie be able to keep the critters away from their mother’s careful eyes and nose?

Travis has a kind heart and wants to help animals, and Callie just can’t say no to her younger brother. As the two siblings take care of two orphaned skunks, they have to deceive their parents, who wouldn’t approve of caring for skunks because they are a pest. Callie seeks out help from the local veterinarian who tells her how to nurse a “kitten” back to health. Having a hidden skunk causes some silly scenes. Since Skunked! is set in 1901, it has an old-fashioned feel in both the language and the illustrations.

Skunked! has black and white illustrations that show the siblings and many farm animals. The large illustrations appear every 1 to 4 pages and will help readers understand the story’s plot. The surprising conclusion will leave readers with a smile and a lesson on why skunks should not be treated as pets.

Skunked! is told from Callie’s point of view. Callie’s scientific mind, curiosity, and caring nature make her an extremely likable character. Even though she is not completely honest, her deception is to help her brother care for the two skunks. Because of the advanced vocabulary, younger readers will need help. However, the large text and short chapters make Skunked! a good book to read aloud to younger readers. Proficient readers will enjoy the animal action, the sibling relationship, and the surprising conclusion.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Several times Callie thinks her brother Travis is an idiot. Callie thinks, “If Travis was an idiot to adopt two skunks, I, being one year older and so much wiser, was an even bigger idiot for going along with him, right?”
  • Drat is used once.
  • At one point, Callie wonders if her brother is insane.

Supernatural

  • Callie sees a heron and she “froze in place and prayed that Travis would stay still.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

11 before 12

Kaylan and her BFF, Arianna, have a foolproof plan for surviving middle school: 1. Make a list of eleven things they need to do to become amazing before they turn twelve and 2. Show off their brand-new selves with the best joint birthday party in the history of West Brookside Middle School.

But between cafeteria drama, crushes gone wrong, and some major misunderstandings, Kaylan and Ari lose sight of the one thing they forgot to put on their list: “Keep our friendship strong.” As their party grows nearer, they’re both left listing the ways their friendship is falling apart.

Told from Kaylan’s point of view, 11 before 12 is a one-sided story told by a self-centered, manipulative preteen. Unfortunately, Kaylan is hard to sympathize with for a variety of reasons. She is only nice to her mother when she wants something. Both Kaylan and her brother yell at each other and their mother. Kaylan wants to be treated like a mature grownup, but she acts like a brat and doesn’t take anyone else’s feelings into consideration—not even her best friend’s.

For the majority of the book, Kaylan and her BFF, Arianna, aren’t talking to each other because of a fight. However, they are both “loyal to the list” and continue working on checking everything off the list, including a first kiss. The story has plenty of awkward boy moments and silly conversations that will appeal to preteens. One positive aspect of the story is that Kaylan learns that “there’s really no purpose in dwelling on the past or mistakes or regrets. The only thing we can do is try and learn something and then move on.”

In the end, Kaylan and Arianna repair their relationship. However, the happy ending feels unrealistic and, unfortunately, the reader may wonder why Arianna would want to be friends with Kaylan. While the topics of first kisses and new friends will appeal to tweens, Kaylan’s selfish behavior dominates the story. Pugs and Kisses by J.J. Howard has similar tween-friendly themes with a more relatable main character.

Sexual Content

  • Ari’s mom says, “I think my first kiss was when I was eleven. I was at camp.
  • At lunch, a girl tells her friends about her first kiss. She mets a boy at camp and, “We kissed on the last night.”
  • At a party, Kaylan thinks Tyler “want to kiss me. I really do. Too bad for him I don’t kiss doofus boys like him, especially doofus boys who taunt my brother.”
  • Kaylan’s friend Saara, had a “first kiss miss.” Saara was at a party playing mancala when, “out of nowhere, he leaned in and kissed me.” Saara said she “backed away” because “it was too weird! I didn’t even know him!”
  • Instead of going to class, Jason and Kaylan go outside. Jason asks her a strange question. Then when Kaylan is distracted, he “kisses me. . . Well, it’s kind of a kiss. Our teeth crash. Part of his lip ends up on my nose. . . His lips are on my lips, kind of. My lips are on his lips, kind of.” Kaylan gets upset because she thinks the kiss was a “pity kiss.”
  • Arianna meets a boy at Hebrew school. Arianna says, “So anyway, we went to get some of the gummy snacks out of the vending machine, and we were standing side-by-side, and he just kissed me! Right there!”
  • At a party, Kaylan takes Jason into the laundry room so they can have a “redo” kiss. “We both lean in a little, and then Jason’s lips are on my lips. This is the redo. And it’s going really well. We’re kissing. We really are.” They both decide that the redo went “really well” and then return to the party.

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • At a party, a group of boys try to get Kaylan’s brother, Ryan, to drink out of a baby bottle. Kaylan wonders, “what if it’s laced with something? Some kind of poison?” When Ryan refuses, “people start saying, ‘What are you, chicken?’ and ‘He really is a baby!’ and ‘Scaredy-cat.’”

Language

  • Some of the teens occasionally call each other names such as jerk, doofus, dimwit, losers, imbecile, and flea brain. For example, when Tyler asks Kaylan if she likes him, she replies, “how can I like you if you’re that big of a jerk to my brother?. . . Do you even know what it means to be a good person and not a complete turd?”
  • God, “Oh my God” and OMG are used as exclamations frequently.
  • Freakin’ and darn are both used once.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Occasionally Kaylan says a silent prayer. For example, Kaylan’s brother, Ryan, grabs a list out of her hands. Kaylan thinks, “Thank god he didn’t see the sabotage Ryan part.”
  • Kaylan’s mom starts crying and Kaylan “prays that my mom stops crying.”

The Seals That Wouldn’t Swim

Catalina “Cat” Duran and her friends thought they were on a field trip to see the seals at the aquarium. So why has the seal show been canceled?

Cat and her friends are determined to find who seal-napped Polhaus and Dundy. They wonder if it is one of the chaperones on the field trip, an aquarium worker, or someone on the outside. The kids spy on the adults to find important clues. In the end, the kids discover the culprit and race to tell the security guard. Soon, Polhaus and Dundy are safely back in the aquarium.

The Seals That Wouldn’t Swim has beautiful full-colored illustrations that show Cat and her friends interacting with the suspects. The illustrations appear every 3 to 7 pages. In addition, some of the story quotes appear in oversized white letters on a black background. The graphic elements, large text, and illustrations break up the text into manageable parts. The book also includes A Detective’s Dictionary of some of the words used in the story. Despite this, readers may have difficulty remembering the large cast of culprits.

Even though the missing seals make an interesting mystery, the story doesn’t have much action. Cat and her friends spend most of their time eavesdropping. In the end, they are able to solve the mystery by rummaging through someone’s purse. Unfortunately, the seals only make a small appearance at the very end of the book. However, the story tackles the topic of animal cruelty in a child-friendly manner. The story ends with an essay that Cat wrote on animal rights, which introduces “the most famous and largest animal rights group,” PETA.

Mystery-loving readers will be pulled into The Seals That Wouldn’t Swim by the beautiful illustrations. They will also enjoy seeing a group of kids work together to help the seals. However, readers who expected to see some animal action will be disappointed. The easy-to-read format and easy vocabulary make The Seals That Wouldn’t Swim accessible to proficient readers who are ready for chapter books. For more mystery-solving fun, readers should check out the Hilde Cracks the Case Series by Hilde Lysiak.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • When Cat and her friends overhear the aquarium workers talking about someone giving the seals a tranquilizer, Sam says, “So, someone slipped the seals a mickey.” One of the kids doesn’t understand what the phrase means, so someone explains, “Slipped them a mickey. I’m pretty sure she means someone gave them a drug to make them sleep.”

Language

  • An adult says, “Darn it.”
  • When Cat and her friends sit down at a table, one of their classmates says, “We’re sitting with the dorks.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Lily to the Rescue #1

Lily lives with her girl, Maggie Rose. Once a stray, Lily was rescued by the kind people at the animal shelter run by Maggie Rose’s mom. Now she has a very important purpose: to rescue other animals.

Lily helps other animals in the shelter and even helps a kitten who is stuck in a tree. When Lily meets a crow with a broken wing, she and Maggie Rose take the crow home to Mom. But when the crow, named Casey, starts to become too tame, some unexpected problems arise. Soon, Maggie is surrounded by crows who want to exchange pieces of shiny metal for peanuts!

Lily to the Rescue is told from Lily’s point of view, which allows the reader to see the world from a dog’s perspective. However, the story has some long paragraphs that focus on Lily’s thought process. While this may appeal to some readers, others may find Lily’s musing to be a bit boring. Lily’s thoughts are occasionally funny, but they always focus on being kind to other animals. This first installment of the series revolves around Casey, an injured crow, who learns how to open his cage, ride on Lily’s back, and bring trinkets in exchange for peanuts.

Readers also get a peek inside Maggie Rose’s home life, which shows a healthy family unit. Like most siblings, she doesn’t always agree with her brothers and they occasionally bicker. However, when Maggie Rose’s brother calls her a “runt,” he is appropriately punished and reminded of the importance of being kind.

Animal lovers ready for chapter books will enjoy Lily to the Rescue. Realistic black and white illustrations that have splashes of blue appear every 1 to 3 pages. The short chapters and illustrations of the animals will appeal to a wide range of readers. The story has many crow facts throughout and the end of the book has more interesting information about crows

Lily is admirable because of her kind nature and willingness to help other animals. There are several tender moments between Lily and other animals that will warm readers’ hearts. Another positive attribute of the story is that it teaches the importance of not feeding wild animals. Lily to the Rescue doesn’t have action, adventure, or magic, but Lily’s story has enough interesting events to entertain readers.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A murder of crows attacks a hawk. “They were swooping down and trying to grab the hawk with their beaks. . . The hawk swooped and dove and changed directions, but there were so many crows pestering it, it finally gave up and flew away!”

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Maggie’s brothers call her a “runt” a few times.

Supernatural

  • “A group of crows is called a murder of crows. No one’s sure why. Maybe because they’ll surround a dead animal to eat it. But there are people who think that crows are evil and bring death.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Eruption At Krakatoa

Parakeet Melati lives with the rest of her bird friends and family on the beautiful slopes of the Indonesian island of Krakatoa. But one morning Melati’s peaceful home is shaken by tremors stronger than she’s ever felt before—her sleeping island volcano has awoken!

Across a narrow stretch of water lives Budi, a rhinoceros, with his old friend, Raja, a tiger and the king of the jungle. They are blissfully unaware of the vibrations on Krakatoa until Melati arrives with a warning that they must flee. Raja believes the animals will be safe in the jungle, but Budi worries something terrible is about to happen, and he urges Raja to take action.

As ash rains down on the island and the rumblings worsen, Raja must put aside his fears and trust Budi’s instincts if they are to have any chance at surviving the mighty eruption of Krakatoa . . . and saving the one place they call home.

Told from the animals’ point of view, Eruption At Krakatoa shows the historical events of the 1883 volcanic eruption. However, the story doesn’t just show the devastation of the animal’s habitat. The story also includes information on how the eruption caused devastation on human villages as well as a resulting tsunami that killed many on land and at sea.

While most of the intense action comes from the exploding volcano and the tsunami, Raja’s story adds an interesting element. As king of the jungle, Raja is afraid of humans and lacks leadership skills. Even though the animal kingdom looks to him for guidance, Raja runs from the responsibility and allows fear to control him. Raja’s personal growth and his friendship with Budi are inspiring. Raja learns that not all humans are to be feared because not all humans are bad.

Eruption At Krakatoa is a tale of bravery and friendship. This action-packed story will keep readers flipping the pages until the very end. Readers will relate to the animals, who must overcome fear, injury, and exhaustion in order to survive. The surprising and heartwarming conclusion ends on a hopeful note. The end of the book has historical background, a timeline, and animal facts. The author’s notes tell about Charman’s research and artist William Ashcroft, who painted over five hundred canvases of the atmospheric changes that the eruption caused. Readers should take time to research his paintings.

Both history buffs and animal lovers will enjoy Eruption At Krakatoa. Five black and white pictures are scattered throughout the book and help bring the scenes into sharper focus. Although this story is the fourth book in the Survival Tails Series, each book is an independent story. Readers interested in seeing history through a dog’s eye should add the G.I. Dogs Series by Laurie Calkhoven to their reading list.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Raja is afraid of humans. When he was a cub, a human injured him. He has a nightmare about the events. “Flames flickered across his vision until it was all he could see and the terrifying feeling of heat against his body returned. The smell of his fur melting as it burned away. . . Then the searing pain as the fire scorched his fur, his body. . .” Raja’s father died trying to help him.
  • A boy throws a sac over Melati’s head. “Melati squawked inside the sac, flapping her wings and trying to claw her way free as her heart raced in her chest.” The boy puts Melati in a cage, “poking at her with a thin stick through the bars.” Melati is able to escape.
  • The story revolves around an erupting volcano. When it begins to erupt, Budi runs up the mountain, “but the downpour of debris from the island was never-ending.” The humans also run up the mountain. “Many of them were coughing and struggling to breathe. Many more were injured, limping, covered in blood from where they had been hit by the missiles falling from the sky.”
  • Melati went to look for a human girl. The bird “swooped and swerved in an attempt to avoid the larger rocks and stones that fell from the sky. A red-hot glowing rock hit the longest of her tail feathers as it fell, and Melati was knocked off course for a moment. She hissed as the sizzling pain flashed through her. . .”
  • The noise from the erupting volcano causes a girl to temporarily lose her hearing. Melati noticed “a thin trickle of blood ran down the side of her [a girl’s] face from each of her ears, and she had a gash on her forehead from where a wooden beam had fallen and hit her.”
  • The erupting volcano spewed a “wave of heat and gas so fierce that as it reached the humans who lagged behind, they fell to the ground, screaming in agony.” Budi ran but there was no place to hide. “Budi fell to the ground as the wave of steam and gas overtook them, and held his breath, waiting for it all to be over.” Many people and animals were burned.
  • Some people died from their burns. Budi was surprised as “the humans helped those who could be helped and covered up those who were gone.”

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Budi says, “Darn those monkeys!”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • After several earthquakes, ships began keeping their distance from the island. Melati thinks it’s because “some of the humans who had ground up in Sumatra believed that a spirit—Orang Alijeh—watched over the mountains, and she wondered whether the spirit had been angered somehow.”

The Messy Meerkat

Zoe loves living at her uncle’s rescue zoo because there’s always something exciting going on. And Zoe also has an amazing secret…she can actually TALK to the animals!

Max the meerkat loves to dig tunnels and go exploring, and so do his baby brothers and sisters. With the big treasure hunt coming up, can Zoe find a way to keep the messy meerkat family out of trouble?

The story focuses on Zoe and her family’s zoo. Zoe is a likable character who isn’t afraid of hard work. When Zoe takes Max the meerkat to her house, Max rips up her mother’s flowerbed. Instead of complaining, Zoe and her friend replant the flowers and clean up Max’s mess. As Zoe gets to know Max, she also learns interesting facts about meerkats.

Cute black and white illustrations show Zoe’s adventures. The large illustrations appear every 2 to 4 pages and show many of the animals in the zoo. The illustrated picture book uses some difficult vocabulary that will be hard for emerging readers. However, the story would be a fun choice to read aloud to a child.

Even though Max is a meerkat, readers will relate to his desire to have fun instead of watching his younger siblings. In the end, Max learns the importance of being more responsible. With a cheerful protagonist and funny meerkat mischief, The Messy Meerkat will delight animal lovers. And parents will appreciate a book that has a positive protagonist who works hard without complaining. With 20 books in the series, Zoe’s Rescue Zoo will keep readers entertained for a long time. However, animal-loving readers may also want to check out The Rescue Princesses Series by Paula Harrison and The Critter Club Series by Callie Barkley.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

 

Spiritual Content

  • None

Arctic Freeze

Dev knows his dad wanted him to spend his summer at science camp. His dad’s disappointment hampers Dev’s enjoyment of competing in The Wild Life. But on the third leg of the competition, Dev can’t let his team down. The red team must work together as they race through Alaska’s wilderness. Both the animals and nature are dangerous and the red team needs to focus if they are going to win. After all, they are now in second place!

Artic Freeze uses the same format as the first two books in the series. While the story is fast-paced, the plot and characters are underdeveloped. Dev and his team easily find the required artic animals; however, much of the action takes place from an airplane. In addition, the red team is able to solve the clues and get pictures of the animals without much effort. Even though the story lacks suspense, readers will learn interesting animal facts.

The story focuses on Dev’s conflict with his father, who wanted Dev to spend his summer at science camp. During the race, Dev wants to hide the fact that he’s knowledgeable about science. “His whole goal for the summer—his goal for the race—was to be normal, to be someone other than the nerdy science kid.” This conflict doesn’t add much to the story, especially because his teammates are all exceptionally smart in different areas.

The story begins with Dev’s dream about dogsledding and his father. As the team completes their task, Dev uses the dream to make decisions. While several of the events match his dream, in the end “no part of Dev’s dream made sense to him anymore.” Since the story spends so much time on the dream, the ending seems rushed and incomplete. While Dev doesn’t understand the significance of his dream, he does learn the value of science. The team’s adult supervisor tells Dev, “Races prompt hasty decisions. That’s their nature. But the quick thinking you did here was far more essential. You have an engineer’s mind and it saved this dog.”

The Race the Wild Series would interest younger readers who are interested in animals. However, readers may struggle with the advanced vocabulary. More advanced readers will realize that many of the events are unrealistic, such as when the team dogsleds a glacier even though they had no previous experiences. Unfortunately, the third installment in the Race the Wild Series is disappointing. Despite this, Arctic Freeze teaches about animals and highlights the importance of respecting and protecting the wild world.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A sled dog falls into a crack in the glacier. “Just ahead of the sled, the ground had opened up. Dev crawled on hands and knees to look over the edge of the ice. There, dangling from his harness, was the gray and white husky. When the dog saw him, he whimpered.” Dev is able to save the husky.
  • Dev read a book about “early science expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic. When the dogs had been sick or injured, the explorers had to shoot them.”

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Maggie and the Flying Horse

Eight-year-old Maggie isn’t like other girls who live in the Enchanted Forest. She notices magical animals around her that no one else does—like unicorns, griffins, and even talking horses.

One day, Maggie stumbles upon a tiny, injured flying horse. The only way to help the horse is to take it to a kindly stableman her grandmother once told her about. But in order to do so, Maggie must journey through the forest, which is full of dangerous trolls and goblins. Will Maggie reach the stable in time to save her new friend?

Fans of fairytales will fall in love with Maggie and the magical animals that live in the Enchanted Forest. Similar to Cinderella, Maggie has a mean stepmother who makes her do all of the work. She also has a mean stepbrother, who blames her for everything. Despite this, Maggie is always cheerful and kind to others. In addition, she is willing to help the injured horse even though she knows it will displease her stepmother.

Maggie and the creatures who live in the Enchanted Forest appear in black and white illustrations. The cute illustrations appear every 2 to 7 pages. Even though the trolls and the goblins are dangerous, they look cartoonish instead of frighteningly scary. One of the characters shares his journal with Maggie. The illustrated journal gives information about the magical animals and their habits. Readers who are not fluent will need help with some of the vocabulary. However, with short paragraphs, large text, and a simple plot, Maggie and the Flying Horse is accessible to readers ready for chapter books.

Maggie and the Flying Horse is the first in the Magic Animal Rescue Series and sets up the background for many adventures to come. With plenty of suspense, magical animals, and a hungry troll, Maggie and the Flying Horse will keep young readers entertained until the very end. Parents will appreciate Maggie, who is a kind protagonist and doesn’t complain despite her stepmother’s harsh treatment. The story is perfect for readers who love animals and fairytales. Readers will be eager to read the next book in the series, Maggie and the Wish Fish.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A griffin tries to peck Maggie. “Maggie picked up a small stone and threw it. . . The next stone grazed its wing. Startled, the griffin flew back into the forest.”
  • Maggie is hiding from goblins when a flying horse lands on her. “Soon, an entire herd of little horses landed on Maggie. Some nipped her with their tiny teeth. Others kicked her with their tiny hooves.” When a horsefly begins tickling her, Maggie “moved her hand just enough to brush it off. The tiny horse fell to the ground and looked up at her with terrified eyes.” Maggie takes the horse to someone who can fix its wing.
  • A troll chases Maggie in the hopes of eating her. Maggie climbs up a tree and the troll follows. “And then he was there, drooling as he stretched his arm toward her.” When sunlight touches the troll, he turns to stone.

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • Maggie lives near an enchanted forest that has magical creatures. One day she talks to a frog, who tells her, “I’m a human prince. A wicked witch turned me into a frog, and I need a human princess to kiss me so I can become my old self again.”
  • Maggie sees a cabbit. Maggie’s friend says, “A witch combined a cat and a rabbit. She thought they’d be extra cuddly. She was right.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Masterminds #1

Eli Frieden has never left Serenity, New Mexico…why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything.

Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal, crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one — least of all their own parents.

Masterminds has a slow start as it introduces the many characters and the town of Serenity. However, the story also has some heart-stopping moments, which all revolve around the kids trying to figure out the secret that all of the adults have been hiding. Many of the story’s events and explanations are far-fetched. Because of the unbelievable nature of the plot, readers will have to suspend their disbelief in order to enjoy the story.

The story revolves around five characters—Eli, Malik, Hector, Tori, and Amber—and each chapter changes between these characters’ points of view. The constantly shifting point of view is confusing, especially since the characters’ voices are all similar to each other. However, the changing point of view allows readers to understand some of the individual choices that the characters make. Despite this, when the kids discover the answer to the mystery, some of the characters’ reactions still seem extreme and inconsistent.

Readers who enjoy conspiracy theories and mysteries will enjoy Masterminds. The story has a unique premise and will leave readers debating the scientific question of nature vs. nurture. While not all of the events are believable, the suspense and mystery make Masterminds an interesting story. The conclusion doesn’t wrap up all of the story’s threads, but leaves many unanswered questions which will be explored in the next book, Criminal Destiny. While Masterminds has some slow moments, Criminal Destiny picks up the pace in an exciting sequel. If you’re a mystery fan that would prefer a more logical mystery, the Theodore Boone Series by John Grisham would be a better choice.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • While trying to get out of town, a guard grabs Malik. Eli swings “his shovel around and I catch Alexander the Grape between the shoulder blades. He drops like a stone. . .” When another guard named Bryan comes after them, Eli tries to drive away. “There’s a thump on my running board. An indigo-sleeved arm reaches for me. The hand grabs my hair. It hurts.” One of the kids hits Bryan in the head with a hoe and he falls down.
  • Eli’s friends jump from a speeding truck before the truck goes over the edge of a mountain. They are not sure if Hector also jumped or died when the truck went over.
  • The kids catch a ride in a train car. When the cars stop, workers see the kids. When a worker grabs Tori, “Malik springs into action. He snatches up a full Gatorade bottle and bounces it with deadly accuracy off the side of the man’s jaw. The blow knocks him backward into the wall, and he releases Tori.” The kids run. Malik gets stuck under a pallet. Amber “leaps into the cab of the forklift, dislodging the driver.”

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • As Eli tries to leave town, he gets sick and has to stay home for two weeks. During his time at home, Eli is given pills. He thinks the pills are supposed to make him forget what happened.

Language

  • There is some name calling including, loser, idiot, moron and stupid. The name calling happens infrequently.
  • After reading a note from Randy, Malik says, “Hardaway was always a wing nut. . .What a doofus.”
  • Eli thinks his dad is a doofus.
  • Eli calls Harold “stupid.”
  • “Oh my God” is used as an exclamation once.
  • When Eli discovers he has been cloned from a criminal, he hopes his DNA didn’t come from a bonehead.
  • The kids call some of the factory workers the “Purple People Eaters.” Someone makes names for them like “Alexander the Grape.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • During a thunderstorm, Malik is “praying that it would be over.”
  • When there is a plumbing emergency at Eli’s house, he prays that Hector’s dad can fix it.
  • Eli and his friends discover a scientific research project called Osiris. “Osiris is the Egyptian god of the afterlife.”

Manatee Blues

Brenna, Maggie, Zoe, and Dr. Mac fly to Florida to visit a manatee rescue center. The center is run by Dr. Mac’s friend, Gretchen. Because running the rescue center is expensive, the center is in danger of closing. Brenna is immediately drawn to the endangered, gentle giants, and wants to do whatever she can to help them and the center.

Brenna is passionate about helping manatees, but her impulsive actions put both Brenna and the manatees in danger. While at the center, Brenna and her friends help with a fundraiser, but will the center get enough funds to stay in business? Can Brenna find a way to help the animals?

Anyone who has ever dreamed of being a marine biologist will enjoy Manatee Blues. Brenna’s personality and passion for manatees is inspiring. Told from Brenna’s point of view, the story focuses on her desire to help injured manatees. However, Brenna doesn’t always think before she acts, which gets her into trouble. Readers will relate to Brenna, who wants to make an impact but isn’t sure what she can do to help.

Manatee Blues blends action, internal conflict, and information about manatees into an interesting story that highlights the importance of keeping animals wild. Gretchen says feeding wild animals is “being selfish, thinking about what we want, not what’s best for them.” Readers will learn about the dangers that manatees face as well as other interesting information about the animals. The end of the book has more facts about manatees as well as information about how readers can adopt a manatee.

At 119 pages, the plot is not well developed. However, the story is educational, interesting and will keep the reader’s interest. The happy ending is slightly unrealistic; however, the conclusion shows that one person can make a difference. The short chapters, interesting plot, and relatable characters make Manatee Blues a book that will appeal to readers of different ages.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A boat injures a manatee. Gretchen and the group go to help the animal and see “horrible gashes that have opened up the skin on the manatee’s back—seven deep, straight lines, four of them curving around her side.” The animal is given pain killers and antibiotics.
  • The rescue center has an injured manatee that “had some jerk’s initials carved into its back with a knife.”

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • The rescue center has an injured sandhill crane that was “run over by a drunk driver.”

Language

  • Darn is used once.
  • Brenna dives into the ocean to help a trapped manatee. When Gretchen scolds her, Brenna thinks, “You idiot! What did you think she was going to do—pat you on the back?”
  • A baseball player named Ronnie Masters was speeding on his boat. “Maggie thinks he’s the biggest jerk who ever lived in the history of the universe.” Maggie also thinks he’s a loser.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None
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