Reading Level: Elementary

The Collectors #1

Van notices things. He keeps his eyes open and finds all sorts of things that other people don’t notice. A marble in the grass. A tiny astronaut with one arm raised. But Van is small and most people don’t notice him.

One day, Van notices a girl and a silver squirrel stealing a coin from a fountain. But what’s even stranger is that the girl notices Van. When Van sees the silver squirrel stealing a birthday wish, Van decides to follow the squirrel and find the mysterious girl. What he finds instead is a dangerous place where wishes are real. He discovers that the Collectors steal wishes and put them away before they can come true. But soon, Van realizes that not all wishes are good, and some good wishes can have dangerous consequences.

Beautiful descriptions create an enchanting mythology around wishes. Van’s curiosity, powers of observation, and desire to do what is right lead him into a world of trouble. Van isn’t sure who to trust—Mr. Falborg who is friendly and seems kind or the Collectors who are shrouded in secrets. This conflict lasts until the end of the story and leads to an unexpected conclusion.

Van’s character is not only well developed, but he is also unique. He must use a hearing aid and often has difficulty communicating. Van struggles to understand people who don’t face him as they speak or when they speak too quickly. Throughout the story, Van has to work out what he thought someone said and translate it into what they most likely said. Having a main character with a hearing impairment allows readers to understand Van’s disability. At one point in the story, Van gets angry, asking, “Why does everybody think I want to hear the way THEY do!?” Van shows that he doesn’t need to be “fixed” and be like everyone else.

The Collectors explores the idea of power and unintended consequences. When it comes to Wish Eaters, “It’s not a matter of good or bad. It’s not about kindness or evil. It’s not even a matter of intentions. You can mean to do good and still do terrible things. . . If you give someone, anyone, too much power, enough power that they can control everyone around them—then you run a terrible risk.” The Collectors is a fantastic book that has magic, suspense, humor, and a talking squirrel that is obsessed with the smell of food.

This kid-friendly mystery is suspenseful, but not scary. At one point in the story, Van wonders if Wish Eaters are, “more dangerous than a bunch of guys who steal me out of my bed in the middle of the night and angle me over a bottomless pit?” Strong readers will want to pick up The Collectors to find out the answer.

Sexual Content

  • A boy thinks that Van’s mother and his father are “probably kissing.” When the boys go to spy on their parents, they discover that “Their hands were very close together, but their lips were several inches apart.”

Violence

  • When Van discovers where the Collectors conduct their business, a man threatens him. The man says, “Do not come back here. Do not mention anything about us, or about this place, to anyone. We will be watching you. . . And if we find out that you have spoken of us, you and anyone you’ve told will have to be . . . removed.”
  • Two dark-coated men kidnap Van. “Someone tugged a black cotton bag over Van’s head. Van felt the jostle of being lifted over the window. . . He tried to scream, but the bag seemed to trap the sound inside his own head. . .” Van is not injured.
  • Van’s mother is hit by a car. Van sees her “leg was bent at an impossible angle.”
  • Collectors try to capture a Wish Eater that “was larger than a city bus.” The monster charges at Van. “Van could hear its huffing, hungry breath. . . Cell doors rattled as it charged by.” The Collectors chase after the Wish Eater. “The beast spun. Its whipping tail knocked several people off their feet. Its teeth snapped at two others, catching and tossing them backwards.” The scene takes place over 4 pages. No one is injured.
  • Someone makes a wish that puts Van in an underground train tunnel. Van was, “standing on the tracks. He was deep, deep below the earth. There was not a platform in sight . . . There was no safe space to escape to, and no time to run.” Van is uninjured.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • God is used as an exclamation once.
  • Someone calls Van a moron.
  • Someone calls Van a “little idiot.”

Supernatural

  • The Collectors are a group of people who “see things normal people don’t see and hear things they don’t hear. We live longer than normal people can live. We don’t get born. We’re wished.”
  • The Collectors take people’s wishes and put them in bottles so that the wish can never come true. Pebble explains that people’s wishes shouldn’t come true because “Do you want to get trampled by dinosaurs? Do you want an eight-year-old boy to be king of the whole world? Do you want every food in the world to taste like chocolate ice cream?”
  • A wish is an unpredictable thing because “wishes are extraordinarily hard to control. And once a wish becomes a dead wish, once no limitations remain, once that wish is nothing but magical energy—it becomes an exceedingly powerful thing. It is pure chaos.”
  • Wish Eaters can be of various shapes and sizes. One Wish Eater was “a giant, roaring, rippling beast. It was shaped like a stretched-out crocodile, with a thrashing tail, a triangular head, and a long . . . long . . . impossibly long snout full of jagged, needle-sharp teeth.”
  • If a Wish Eater eats a wish, the wish comes true, if it is a “variable wish. A living wish. An authentic wish. A wish with its roots in the magic of millennia.”
  • When Van wishes to go somewhere unnoticed, a toy sleigh and reindeer come to life and grow. The sleigh “hung in the night air just outside his bedroom window, twinkling with a haze of pearly mist. It swelled and stretched until it was the size of an actual sleigh, and the plastic reindeer were as big as real reindeer, and the plastic Santa that turned its cheery smile towards Van was just the right size for a jolly old elf.” The sleigh takes Van to his destination.
  • Someone makes a wish that makes Van let Wish Eaters out of their cage. “Panic spread through Van’s chest. What was he doing? Why was he doing it? And how was he doing it without even trying? . . . Something was controlling him. Van realized it with a dizzying jolt. Something else was moving him . . .”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Into the Abyss

Gray and his alliance of shivers—Riptide, Coral, and AuzyAuzy—want peace. But Emperor Finnivus is determined to bring the entire ocean under his command. Even though Gray and his alliance defeated Finnivis’s armada once, the bloodthirsty emperor is determined to feast on the heads of every shark he conquers.

Despite a tragic loss, Gray must prepare his forces to defeat the emperor’s armada. With no one to tell Gray what to do, Gray must figure out a way to vanquish Finnivus and his evil forces. Gray and his friends are outnumbered by a superior force. The fate of the Big Blue depends on Gray leading his alliance to victory. Can Gray become the leader that his sharkkind need to defeat Finnivus’s evil?

The third installment of the Shark Wars series follows the same format as The Battle of Riptide. The majority of the story follows Gray and his alliance as they train to defeat Finnivus, and an epic battle ensues. Takiza appears less frequently, which allows Barkley to play a bigger role. Barkley must take his place as a leader, but he is frustrated because some of the other sharks don’t respect him. Instead, they insult his entire species. Barkley must use creative thinking to earn the respect of others. He learns, “If you want them to listen, you need to prove to them you’re listening too.”

The evil Finnivus becomes even more malicious. As his armada defeats other shivers, they capture pups and brainwash them into thinking Gray’s alliance is responsible for their parents’ deaths. During the battles, Finnivus uses the pups because he knows other shivers will be reluctant to hurt the younger sharks. Finnivus’s evil actions may upset some readers. Although the death count is high, the deaths are not described in a gory manner. However, the detailed deaths of some of the characters may disturb some readers.

Into the Abyss shows the difficulties of becoming a leader; however, by the end of the story Gray and Barkley both show admirable courage. As Gray tries to recruit orcas to help with the fight, he says, “What I know is that sometimes you have to swim out and be counted, no matter what. . . You’ve fooled yourselves into thinking that not taking a side is the best and fairest thing to do. . . By ignoring this evil, you join with it—because you allow it to happen.”

Readers who have read the previous books will enjoy following Gray and Barkley as they fight against evil. Although the story follows the same format as the previous series, the story still contains some surprises. Fluent readers will enjoy the comradery of the sharks as they join together to fight an epic battle, where good overcomes evil.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Finnivus orders his armada to kill, “a pitiful force of prisoners. . . Moments after the command was shouted by Finnivus, it was over. Not a single one of the opposing hundred and fifty prisoners remained.”
  • Two mako shark assassins attack Gray. To defend himself, “Gray did a Bull Shark Rush at the closest shark, smashing him against a razor sharp coral wall. . .” Gray’s friends help defend him. One of the assassins, “had been speared by pointed rods of coral in three different places, including through the gills. . . The mako worked his jaws back and forth, close to death. He spit up a gob of blood as the light faded from his eyes.”
  • When a herald gives Finnivus bad news, the emperor eats her. “The emperor ripped off another piece of the royal herald who had the bad luck of having to deliver the message.”
  • Finnivus sends a group of pups to fight Gray’s armada. Lochlan leads the pups away and “the frenzied cluster of Indi pup mariners engulfed him. Lochlan winked at Gray. Then the AuzyAuzy King was swarmed by hundreds of sharks as the pups went into a feeding frenzy.” Gray wasn’t sure what to do, but, “time slowed as sharkkind died all around him, spiraling away to the Sparkle Blue.” Many sharks die before the end of the battle, which is described over eight pages.
  • Finnivus’s armada kills many of the Riptide scouts. “Finnivus ate one of the mangled prisoners immediately, not waiting for the royal seasoners to do their work.”
  • Takiza slaps Gray. “Takiza gave him another stinging slap on his snout. It was loud even in the heavy waters of the training field and made a crackling noise that echoed among the coral spires.”
  • Barkley and some of his friends capture an Indi pup, who is knocked out cold. When the pup comes to, he cries, “Don’t eat me alive! Send me to the Sparkle blue, but don’t eat me while I’m still alive!” Barkley is able to reunite the pup with a family member. Later, the pup tells Gray, “Finnivus told us about you! He said you were the ones who came and destroyed my home! You ate my mother and father—while they were still alive!”
  • Finnivus has urchins attack Whalem, who, “felt the acid drip from their bodies and howled.” Whalem dies.
  • An epic battle takes place over several days. During the battle, “Gray could see at least thirty or forty Indi sharkkind spiral downward in their death throes on the way to the Sparkle Blue.” During one of the fights, “the two armadas met with a howl and a crash, both sides ripping and tearing for their very lives. There were so many sharkkind whirling and twisting away in their death agonies that a constant cry of pain and anguish vibrated the waters all around them.” During this time, Finnivus kills his mariner prime. The battle takes place over three chapters.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Valenka tries to poison Finnivus and his court.
  • Takiza gives Gray, “a large dose of maredsoo, the glowing deep-ocean energy greenie.”

Language

  • “Heck” is used once.
  • Finnivus calls someone a “dolt.”
  • Several times in the story a shark is called a “chowderhead” or other names like “jelly drifting flipper,” or “fat frill-face.”
  • When Gray hurts an octopus, the octopus calls him “a stupid jerk.”
  • Takiza insults Gray. “The betta basically called him an idiot in his wordy way.”
  • Barkley calls Gray a “fat lumpfish.”
  • Gray tells Takiza that he sounds like a “cranky shellhead.”
  • Whalem calls Finnivus an “idiot.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Sharks that die go to the “Sparkle Blue.”
  • Takiza tells Gray to “pray to Tyro.”
  • A shark prays to Tyro asking him for help.
  • Takiza tells Gray about a prophecy. “He shall come from the depths of ocean prehistory. . . a megalodon will arise and win the unwinnable war.” Takiza believes the prophecy is about Gray, but he admits prophecies, “are irritatingly unclear. But the verse does seem to be speaking of someone remarkably like you, in an uncomfortably similar situation to the one we find ourselves in today.”
  • When Whalem is knocked out, he sees, “sparkling lights everywhere.” He also sees his friends who are swimming in the Sparkle Blue. One of his friends tells him that it’s not his time. Later, “the colorful lights returned. How everything sparkled! Then, Whalem was with his friends again, and he was happy.”

The Mystery Valentine

Zeke doesn’t understand the Earth tradition of Valentine’s Day. Harris tries to explain why people give candy and cards on Valentine’s Day, but Zeke is still confused. When Zeke gets an anonymous valentine, Harris wants to help him discover who sent it. In order to decide who gave Zeke the valentine, he decides to give some of the girls in his class a gift. He gives gifts that the girls on his home planet would love, but the girls on Earth don’t like the same things. How can Zeke find his secret admirer? Will he come up with a gift that an Earth girl will like?

Earth children will giggle as Zeke tries to find the perfect valentine gift. Even though Zeke wants to show his appreciation, he doesn’t understand what Earth girls like. The story has many silly situations such as when Zeke presents a bucket of worms to a girl, who isn’t happy about the “gross” gift. The fun black and white illustrations show the characters’ reactions to Zeke’s gifts as well as his confused facial expressions.

The sixth installment of The Alien Next Door series takes a humorous look at the traditions of Valentine’s Day. Readers can enjoy the story even if they have not read any other books in the series. Although the story focuses on Zeke, Harris makes an appearance and helps Zeke understand the differences between how humans see things, like mice, in comparison to how Zeke sees things. Readers will learn the importance of thinking about other people’s perspectives.

The Mystery Valentine has the same format as other books in the series—easy vocabulary, short sentences, and dialogue. Readers who are transitioning to chapter books will enjoy the illustrations and the easy-to-read format. The Mystery Valentine is a silly story that will leave readers wanting a chocolate bar and wanting to read more about Zeke’s adventures on Earth.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Louisiana’s Way Home

Granny thinks the day of reckoning has arrived. In the middle of the night, Granny wakes up Louisiana, telling her they must leave immediately. Granny often had ideas in the middle of the night, so Louisiana thinks that they will return home soon. But this time, Granny crosses the Georgia border and drives into Florida.

Now Louisiana is living in a hotel room with her sick Granny. Louisiana doesn’t want to be separated from her best friends or her pet. She wants to find her way home. But soon, Louisiana begins making friends. She meets a boy with a crow that sits on his shoulder, a kind minister, and a grumpy hotel owner. As Louisiana tries to navigate a new town, she wonders if “the curse of sundering” will determine her fate? Will Louisiana always be forced to leave those she loves?

Louisiana’s story “is a long and tragic story full of dark alleys and twists and turns and many unexpected happenings. . . And also curses. There are curses in the story.” Louisiana’s Way Home is told from Louisiana’s point of view, which allows the reader to understand Louisiana’s thoughts and emotions. Louisiana is a spunky, irresistible character who struggles to understand her well-meaning, but unstable Granny.

Throughout the story, Dicamillo expertly crafts an array of characters who are both realistic and interesting. Some adults are so jaded by their own experience that they have lost all compassion, and others who are willing to open their doors to a lonely, lost child. However, the most fascinating character is Burke; he is “the kind of person who, if you asked him for one of something, gave you two instead.”

Louisiana’s Way Home is realistic fiction that touches on themes of friendship, family, love, and forgiveness. The story also shows the importance of attending school. When Burke skips school, his mother tells him, “After a time, it will catch up with you, and you will find that life has closed its doors to you. . . Open doors. That is what we want—doors that are open to us.”

Even though Louisiana’s Way Home uses simple sentences, the word choice may make the story difficult to read. For example, the author uses words such as inopportune, ascertained, irrelevant, and juncture. At the beginning of the story, Louisiana talks about a “curse of sundering” that has affected her family; however, the meaning of the word sundering isn’t discussed until much further in the book, which may cause some readers to be confused about the curse.

Even though Louisiana was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale, readers do not need to read the story to understand and enjoy Louisiana’s Way Home. As Louisiana navigates difficult situations, she learns that “We all, at some point, have to decide who we want to be in this world. It is a decision we make for ourselves.” As Louisiana tries to figure out who she wants to be, readers will be engrossed in her heartwarming story.

 Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • After having all of her teeth removed, the grandmother is given antibiotics and painkillers.

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • According to Louisiana’s grandmother, there is a curse of sundering on the family. The curse began when “My great-grandfather sawed my great-grandmother in half, and then he walked away. He left my great-grandmother on the stage. Sawed in two. . . Someone else put her back together. . . and the two of them ran away together and my granny was left entirely alone.”

Spiritual Content

  • Louisiana thinks, “Granny didn’t believe in heaven. But that didn’t mean I had to not believe, did it?”

Rising Storm

Fireheart’s enemy, Tigerclaw, has been exiled from ThunderClan. Even with him gone, the clan is still shaken. Because Fireheart is now the deputy, he has to hold the entire Clan together. No matter how he tries to forget Tigerclaw, he cannot shake the feeling that he is still out there, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With his apprentice acting up and breaking the code, a major sickness in ShadowClan, and Bluestar on the edge, Fireheart struggles to keep the Clan together.

Along with attacks from different Clans and rouges, ThunderClan is at risk. Bluestar is getting weaker, and with the recent betrayal of Tigerclaw, everyone is worried about her. She is a shell of her former self and is haunted by sinister omens. Everyone knows that a storm is coming. Will Fireheart be able to unite his clan?

Rising Storm picks up immediately after the last book, which is a time of great fear for ThunderClan. The tone of this book is darker, full of suspense and dread of the unknown. Readers will enjoy seeing Fireheart grow into a capable leader and will be anxious to see if Bluestar can regain her confidence, or if she will continue to spiral. One of the best aspects of this book is the constant action, as it’s full of battles, cliffhangers, and plot twists. The ending will leave readers shocked, so make sure you have the next book ready! The drama will continue in The Dangerous Path.

 Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • The WindClan cats fight Fireheart and his friends. “Deadfoot leapt from the badger set onto his back, he rolled with him, falling to the ground and throwing the WindClan deputy off . . . He pushed back down with his hindlegs and flung himself at Deadfoot. The WindClan tom gasped as Fireheart knocked the breath from him.”
  • Fireheart is attacked by dogs. “With a vicious snarl, the dog lunged at him. Fireheart whipped around and lashed out with his forepaws, his claws sharp as blackthorns. He felt the flesh rip on the dog’s swaying jowls and heard it yelp in pain.”
  • Fireheart attacks Whitethroat because he thinks that Whitethroat killed his friend. “He let out a furious screech and flung himself at Whitethroat, who shrank away, hissing. Fireheart knocked the ShadowClan warrior back, and Whitethroat landed limply on the ground.”
  • Fireheart and Tigerclaw got into a fight. “Tigerclaw’s eyes widened with surprise as Fireheart crashed into him, claws unsheathed and hissing with rage . . . Fireheart felt himself being flung from Tigerclaw’s back, felt the impact of the parched ground as he landed on his side. He gasped for the air that had been knocked from his lungs and struggled to his paws. He wasn’t fast enough. Tigerclaw pounced on him, pinning him to the ground with claws that seemed to pierce Fireheart to the bone . . . In desperation Fireheart pushed us with his hind legs, his claws raking for a hold on Tigerclaw’s belly . . . The gray warrior lunged at Tigerclaw’s exposed belly, knocking him backward. Fireheart whipped around and bit the shoulder of the cat that clung to his hindleg until he felt his teeth scrape against bone. He released the rogue when he squealed, and spat out the blood that had dripped into his mouth.” The fight goes on for three pages.
  • After the fire, Fireheart and Graystripe look for the cats that were left behind. They find a dead cat and see, “where Halftail’s scorched body lay at what used to be the entrance to Yellowfang’s fern tunnel.”
  • When Fireheart found Yellowfang, “She lay with her legs crumpled beneath her, soot-covered and wheezing, too weak to move. She could barely hold his gaze, and when she spoke her voice was breathless and feeble.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • When angry, the cats occasionally call each other terms such as mouse dung, crowfood, furball, and mouse brain. For example, Bluestar got angry and said, “What a mouse-brained fool.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • StarClan is the heavenly tribe of dead warrior cats that watches over all the cat clans. Cats that die go to StarClan and can come back in dreams to share visions or prophecy.
  • When a cat dies, they go to StarClan. StarClan guides and helps the cats through dreams and prophecies. StarClan can help shape fate because they can see the future.
  • Bluestar said that StarClan had summoned her and that she had to go to answer the call. Bluestar went to the Moonstone in order to speak with StarClan, their warrior ancestors.
  • When the cats were discussing something, someone said, “Only StarClan knows.”
  • When they were joking around, Cinderpelt said, “May StarClan banish all the fleas from your nest.”
  • When something big happened, a cat said, “Perhaps it was what StarClan intended.”
  • When Fireheart dreamed, Spottedleaf, the dead medicine cat, came and said, “Beware an enemy that seems to sleep.”
  • When they were arguing Cinderpelt said, “What in StarClan is worrying you?”
  • A cat said, “Perhaps StarClan has a different destiny for him.”
  • Spottedleaf came to Fireheart’s dream and warned him about the fire.
  • Smallear got mad and said, “I told you StarClan would show its anger!”
  • When raining started falling after a fire, Fireheart interpreted it as, “StarClan was weeping for all that had been lost.”
  • As Yellowfang was dying, she said, “StarClan may judge me how they will.”
  • Because Patchpelt and Halftail died, Fireheart said they, “are with StarClan now.”
  • When Fireheart told Runningnose that Yellowfang died, he said, “She died trying to save a Clanmate from the fire. StarClan will honor her bravery.”

by Paige Michelle

The Portal

Rose lives an ordinary life with her mother. She loves her friends and has a fashion blog, which has a lot of hits. Everything changes when Rose’s mom is killed in an auto accident. Rose is sent to live with a grandmother she barely knows. To make life worse, a group of mean girls makes fun of Rose’s fashion-forward looks. Now Rose must deal with being the target of bullying as well as trying to understand her grandmother’s dementia.

Rose finds peace in her grandmother’s greenhouse. One night, a strange glowing light appears in the greenhouse. When Rose goes to investigate, she is thrown five hundred years into the past. Rose is now the servant of Elizabeth, the daughter of King Henry VIII. When Rose finds a locket with two mysterious pictures in it, she begins to wonder about her own past. Can the locket reveal mysteries about her parents?

Rose goes back and forth between the present and the past. Although many connections are made between the two time periods, some readers may not like the jumpy nature of the story. As Rose goes into the past, the reader learns fun facts about the time period as well as gets a peek into the dynamics of the royal family. Rose’s love of fashion is integrated into the story, and Rose includes pictures of the time period’s clothing and shoes as part of her blog. In both time periods, the author’s theme is clear: all people should be treated with respect and kindness.

Readers will be able to relate to Rose, who is not portrayed as a perfect character. Rose struggles with fitting in, and even though she recognizes that people should be treated with kindness, she doesn’t always show kindness herself. However, Rose is lovable because of her curious nature and her willingness to stick up for others.

Even though The Portal doesn’t explain the magic of time travel well, readers will still find the fast-paced story enjoyable. The conclusion feels a little rushed, and not all of the pieces fit well together. Despite this, The Portal is an entertaining read that has a dash of historical facts. Younger readers who enjoy time travel stories with strong female characters may also want to read The League of Archers and Ruby Red Trilogy.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Mean girls push Rose into her locker and then shut it. Rose felt a shove and then “her head banged against metal; then there was a slam. Complete darkness.”
  • When Rose goes back in time, she meets Princess Elizabeth, whose father was King Henry the Eighth. The King, “chopped off her mother’s head.” Later in the story, one of the characters thinks about the King’s dead wives. “People didn’t talk about witches, not since the king had chopped off his wife’s head, Queen Anne. But that was four wives ago. Of course, after Anne, the second head to roll was Catherine Howard’s a few years ago, but she wasn’t considered a witch, just a wanton seductress.”
  • While ice skating, a mean girl intentionally runs into another girl, making her fall.
  • A group of mean girls chase Rose and throw things at her. Rose “heard the girls closing the distance and shoved an empty trash can that clanked down the alley towards them. . . She heard someone take a hard fall and gasp as if the air had been knocked out of her.” Rose’s cat, “sailed over her head, her claws spread in attack mode.”
  • While back in time, a group chases a “fool” and throws eggs at her. When Rose talks to the girl, she says, “But I’m a fool. Fools are born to be teased.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • A mean girl spreads a rumor about a teacher. The girl “claimed Ms. Elfenbach was drunk or something when she graded a test last year. She started a rumor that she was an alcoholic.”
  • Rose’s father wants to talk to her, but wants to wait “until evening, when most of the people were well into their cups and might not notice if he carefully approached her.”

Language

  • Good Lord, oh my God, Oh God, and OMG are infrequently used as an exclamation. For example, Rose thinks, “OMG, I’d die for those shoes!”
  • Darn is said a few times.
  • When Rose goes back in time, she calls someone a “jerk.” Others pick up the term and occasionally use it.
  • One of Rose’s friends says that a mean girl was “going to have (her dad) sue me for libel when I called her a jerk. . . The funny thing is, her dad is kind of a jerk.”
  • Someone calls a boy a “sack of pig droppings.”

Supernatural

  • Rose has a gene that allows her to time travel. The magic of time travel is not explained, and Rose does not understand what causes her to go back in time. When Rose goes back to the future, those in the past are not aware of her absence.

Spiritual Content

  • When someone uses the phrase “God’s kneecaps,” Rose thinks it is “the most fun swear ever. . . She pictured God sitting on a throne of cumulus clouds. His flowing celestial garments hiked up a bit, exposing knobby old knees crowning skinny, slightly hairy legs. Maybe God would be groaning a bit— ‘Oh, lamentations! My arthritis is kicking up again!’”
  • Princess Mary is, “very religious. She spends a lot of time in the chapel.” The fact that her father was a protestant and she was Catholic is discussed. Rose remembers reading that Mary was “England’s most horrific monarch. . . Her passion for God and burning Protestants had earned her the name.”
  • Princess Mary flogs “a servant whom she suspected of heresy. Dressed in fine gowns but with bare knees, she (Princess Mary) would crawl on stone to offer her prayers to the Virgin Mary. She was so proud of those knees if they were bloodied by the end of the ritual. It was rumored that she beat herself on Good Friday in penitence for Christ’s crucifixion.”
  • Princess Elizabeth says that “A king or a queen can’t be wrong. Nor can a princess who might someday become queen. It’s their divine right.” They are not God, but they are “given that right by God.”
  • A character prays to God.
  • When the king dies, the “servant mourners” had to “fall to their knees and pray for the soul of their king.”
  • A servant tells Rose, “The court regards people like myself as a curious little aberration that was created by God for the sole entertainment of royalty and court.”

 

 

 

Baseball Blues

Baseball season brings excitement to Zeke, Harris, and Roxy. They are all on the same team and are looking forward to playing together. Zeke doesn’t know how to play baseball. After watching baseball on T.V., Zeke learns that he can use his alien powers to hit and pitch better than anyone else on the team. Harris thinks Zeke is cheating. He wants Zeke to play without using his powers, but Zeke doesn’t see what’s wrong with using his special abilities. Will the baseball season be the end of Zeke’s and Harris’s friendship?

Readers do not need to be a fan of baseball in order to enjoy Baseball Blues. Although the story focuses on baseball, it also touches on themes of friendship and doing what is right. Even though Zeke doesn’t know anything about baseball, he is one of the best players on the team. Harris thinks Zeke should improve his skills through practice instead of using his powers. When Zeke uses his powers to redirect the baseball, Harris tells him, “It’s a shortcut and it’s cheating. It’s not fair to the other players. You need to improve your skills through practice.” In the end, Zeke learns that playing fairly is more important than winning the game.

The story also models how to be a good friend. When Harris is upset with Zeke, he talks to him and explains why he is upset. Harris also worries “more about his friendship with Zeke than about Zeke using his powers.” To make matters more difficult for Harris, he can’t tell Roxy why is he upset with Zeke’s impressive baseball skills because he “promised to keep Zeke’s secret, even if it costs me his friendship.”

The fifth installment of The Alien Next Door series takes on a more serious tone as it teaches the importance of honesty. However, the readers will still enjoy the fast-paced story and the black and white illustrations that appear on every page. The pictures highlight Harris’s emotions as he tries to work through his problem with Zeke. Like the previous books in the series, the story uses large font, simple vocabulary, and short chapters which are perfect for students who are transitioning to chapter books. Baseball Blues will be a hit with younger readers.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Roxy tells Zeke that some professional baseball players cheated by using steroids. She explains, “It’s something the league banned that makes players unfairly strong, no matter how hard the other players exercise and practice.”

Language

  • None

Supernatural

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

Spiritual Content

  • None

It’s Not a Dinosaur!

A sneaky person takes a picture of Peanut, a baby dinosaur, and posts it on the internet. Now, there’s no way to keep Peanut a secret! Frank, Frank’s father, and Sara decide that they must take Peanut on a camping trip until the dinosaur’s new home is fenced. They pack up and head into the forest. While there, Frank’s dad wants to search for the Northosaurus he saw as a boy. The Northo isn’t a dinosaur, it’s a prehistoric reptile, but is he dangerous? The only way to find out is to find the Northo.

The third installment of The Dino Files is more suspenseful than the last. Not only does the group have to keep Peanut’s whereabouts a secret, they must also discover if the Northosaurus actually lives in the river. The story shows the fascination and fear that people might feel if dinosaurs were living. Although there is no violence, an angry group of people wants to capture the Northo because they think he’s dangerous. In the end, the Northo is left to enjoy his habitat. The interaction between Peanut and the Northo is a sweet addition to the story.

Readers who are new to chapter books will enjoy It’s Not a Dinosaur, with its easy vocabulary, short sentences, and black and white illustrations. The illustrations appear every 2 to 7 pages, which helps break up the text. This story also contains a glossary of dinosaur-related vocabulary at the back of the book.

Readers will enjoy the story’s suspense and will like learning about Peanut and the Northosaurus. For readers who dream of being a paleontologist, The Dino Files have dinosaur facts scattered throughout the series. It’s Not a Dinosaur! has a simple, suspenseful storyline that will help readers get ready for longer dinosaur stories such as the Dino Riders Series.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The ministry has fallen to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who is the new Minister of Magic in all but name. Wizards and witches across the nation whisper, too frightened to fight, unsure of who to trust. And elsewhere, the Hogwarts Express is on its way to school without three of its students – Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Rather than return to school, the three friends set off on a quest to find He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s horcruxes—and destroy them. Only then can He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named be stripped of his immortality and defeated. But seemingly insurmountable obstacles pile up, leaving the trio of friends scared, confused, and frustrated with the world and with each other. Near-death experiences abound in the most harrowing, adventured-packed book of the series. While the first half of the story may drag for some readers, the payoff is spectacular and the novel ends in a whirlwind of revelations.

This epic conclusion to the Harry Potter series satiates readers with a deluge of their favorite characters from all seven books, woven together in a realistic and nostalgic masterpiece. With plenty of twists and turns, readers will be reeling by the time they finish and sad that this marvelous adventure has finally come to an ending that is heartbreaking and joyful at the same time.

Sexual Content

  • Ginny kisses Harry on his birthday. “Then she was kissing him as she had never kissed him before, and Harry was kissing her back, and it was blissful oblivion, better than firewhisky; she was the only real thing in the world, Ginny, the feel of her, one hand at her back and one in her long, sweet-smelling hair.”
  • Auntie Muriel comments that “Ginevra’s dress is far too low cut.”
  • In a hallucination, Harry and Hermione kiss. “Riddle-Hermione . . . stretched like a snake and entwined herself around Riddle-Harry, wrapping him in a close embrace: Their lips met.”
  • Ron and Hermione kiss. “Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet.”

Violence

  • He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named kills a witch. “The flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room. Charity fell, with a resounding crash, onto the table below.”
  • Harry and Hagrid are chased by Death Eaters. The fight takes place over eight pages. “As he looked back again two jets of green light flew past his left ear: Four Death Eaters had broken away from the circle and were pursuing them, aiming for Hagrid’s broad back.”
  • George loses an ear. Harry isn’t there during the fight, but afterwards he sees, “George, who was unconscious and whose face was covered in blood . . . Harry’s stomach lurched: One of George’s ears was missing. The side of his head and neck were drenched in wet, shockingly scarlet blood.”
  • The Order of the Phoenix raises a toast to a dead comrade. “The firewhisky seared Harry’s throat. It seemed to burn feeling back into him, dispelling the numbness and sense of unreality, firing him with something that was like courage.”
  • During a heated argument, “Scrimgeour limped toward Harry and jabbed him hard in the chest with the point of his wand: It singed a hole in Harry’s T-shirt like a lit cigarette.”
  • Kreacher has to punish himself when he misbehaves. “The elf was already punishing himself: He fell to the ground and banged his forehead on the floor.”
  • Kreacher hits Mundungus “over the head with a saucepan.”
  • When escaping from the Ministry of Magic, Harry “raised an enormous fist and punched him, sending him flying through the air.”
  • Ron accidently splinches himself. “Hermione laid bare Ron’s upper arm, where a great chunk of flesh was missing, scooped cleanly away as though by a knife.”
  • A snake disguises itself as a woman. “She moved weirdly: He saw it out of the corner of his eye; panic made him turn and horror paralyzed him as he saw the old body collapsing and the great snake pouring from the place where her neck had been.” There is a fight that takes place over three pages. “There was a loud bang and a flash of red light, and the snake flew into the air, smacking Harry hard in the face as it went.”
  • After Ron runs away, “Hermione launched herself forward and started punching every inch of him that she could reach.”
  • Hermione is tortured. It is not shown, but Harry heard. “Hermione’s screams echoed off the walls upstairs.”
  • Wormtail tries to kill Harry. “Wormtail’s wand emitted sparks; his silver hand closed around Harry’s throat . . . Wandless, helpless, Pettigrew’s pupils dilated in terror. His eyes had slid from Harry’s face to something else. His own silver fingers were moving inexorably toward his own throat . . . Harry tried to pull the crusting metal fingers from around Wormtails’s throat, but it was no use. Pettigrew was turning blue . . . he gave a last twitch, and was still.”
  • He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named kills several people in a fit of rage. “Green light erupted through the room; the kneeling goblin rolled over, dead; the watching wizards scattered . . . again and again his wand fell, and those who were left were slain, all of them.”
  • Dobby is stabbed. “Harry looked down at the silver hilt of the knife protruding from the elf’s heaving chest.”
  • Harry uses an Unforgivable Curse. “The Death Eater was lifted off his feet. He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain, and then, with a crunch and a shattering of glass, he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor.”
  • Professor McGonagall duels Snape. “She brandished her wand at a torch on the wall and it flew out of its bracket . . . the descending flames . . . became a ring of fire that filled the corridor and flew like a lasso at Snape – Then it was no longer fire, but a great black serpent that McGonagall blasted to smoke, which re-formed and solidified in seconds to become a swarm of pursuing daggers.”
  • The final battle at the end of the book spans five chapters, with a few calmer scenes in between. Several people die. At one point, “The world was rent apart. Harry felt himself flying through the air . . . He heard the screams and yells of his companions without a hope of knowing what had happened to them – And then the world resolved itself into pain and semidarkness: He was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor that had been subjected to a terrible attack . . . and Fred’s eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face.” Later on, “The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers . . . Harry saw Yaxley slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan, saw Dolohov fall with a scream at Flitwick’s hands, saw Walden Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite, and slide unconscious to the ground.”
  • He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named kills Snape. “The snake’s fangs pierced his neck . . . his knees gave way and he fell to the floor . . . [Snape] fell sideways onto the floor, blood gushing from the wounds in his neck.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • The adults often drink a glass of wine or brandy, either with dinner or during meetings.
  • After a fight, Hagrid asks if Mrs. Weasley has brandy “Fer medicinal purposes.”
  • Fred reminisces about an uncle. “Before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party . . . He used to down an entire bottle of firewhisky, then run onto the dance floor, hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his –”
  • Champagne is served at a wedding.
  • Hermione gets catcalled by “a group of men . . . singing and weaving across the pavement.” They tell her to “ditch ginger and come and have a pint!”

Language

  • God is used as an exclamation once. Ron says “God, that’s revolting.”
  • Ron uses the word git several times.
  • Damn and hell are used a few times. Harry says, “Let’s get rid of the damn thing.”
  • Ron tells Malfoy, “That’s the second time we’ve saved your life tonight, you two-faced bastard!”
  • Neville tells He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, “I’ll join you when hell freezes over.”
  • When Bellatrix almost kills Ginny, Mrs. Weasley shouts, “NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”

Supernatural

  • Harry Potter is a wizard and lives in a world full of magic. He went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he studied charms, potions, and defense against the dark arts. He is fighting a dark wizard who split his soul into seven pieces in order to become immortal. He works together with dragons and goblins in order to save the wizarding world from dementors and violent giants. In short, Harry is surrounded by magic and supernatural occurrences every day of his life. As such, not all instances are listed here.
  • Although the series revolves around magic, the story does not encourage children to try magic on their own. To cast a spell, wizards simply say a word and wave their wand. For example, saying luminos casts light.
  • Professor Trelawney made a prophecy about the Dark Lord before Harry was born. She does not remember making the prophecy afterward, but it is stored in a secret Hall of Prophecies hidden in the Ministry of Magic.
  • Harry can see flashes of what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is thinking and seeing, which causes his scar to burn.

Spiritual Content

  • There are ghosts in the castle that behave like regular (although transparent) people. One of Harry’s teachers is even a ghost.
  • He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named splits his soul and hides pieces of his soul in precious, hidden objects. His goal is to become immortal and unkillable. If he is killed, the pieces of his soul remain, and therefore he cannot truly die.
  • When visiting his parents’ gravestone, Harry asks about the inscription, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Hermione says, “It means . . . you know . . . living beyond death. Living after death.”
  • When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named tries to kill him, Harry has an out-of-body experience, a vision of being in a train station. He speaks to Dumbledore who tells Harry that he can go back and continue to fight, or he can board a train. Harry asks, “‘Where would it take me?’ ‘On,’ said Dumbledore simply.”

by Morgan Lynn

Forest of Secrets

Tigerclaw has become clan deputy, but Fireheart distrusts him more than ever. Suspicious circumstances surround the death of the former deputy, Redtail. Fireheart wonders if Redtail was really killed by an opposing clan or if Tigerclaw somehow killed him. Fireheart’s quest to investigate Redtail’s death might teach him that some secrets are better hidden.

Meanwhile, a food scarcity causes stress to build between the clans. With tensions high between all four clans, allegiance begins to shifts, leaving Fireheart wondering who he can trust. Even his best friend seems to be hiding secrets. Are there hidden threats that Fireheart knows nothing about? Is his own clan’s deputy working against him?

Hunter continues the beloved Warrior saga, picking up after the battle with ShadowClan and RiverClan. The clans still aren’t on friendly terms, which adds to the suspense. To help readers keep track of the changing allegiances and many characters, the book has a chart of allegiance. The third installment of the Warrior series, Forest of Secrets, must be read after the first two books in order to be understood.

 Forest of Secrets contains a forbidden love, in which two cats from a different clan risk everything to sneak away from their camps to be together. The secret relationship adds excitement and suspense. Readers will also enjoy a gratifying end to the book as Tigerclaw’s true intentions are finally revealed. Readers who have read the previous books will be drawn into the drama of divided loyalties and will enjoy watching Fireheart grow as a brave leader.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • When asked about a past battle, a cat explained, “Oakheart came out of nowhere. He sank his teeth into Redtail’s scuff and pulled him off Stonefur.”
  • While Fireheart and his friends were out, a badger attacked them. “Fireheart raked his claws down the badger’s side, and the huge beast rounded on him with a roar, jaws snapping. It was fast; it might even have caught Fireheart if Brackenpaw hadn’t leaped from the side, clawing for its eyes.”
  • ShadowClan wants Brokenstar, their former leader, to be executed, but ThunderClan doesn’t think it’s right to kill a cat in cold blood. Fireheart and his clanmates have to fight to protect Brokenstar. A fight breaks out. “He pinned Nightstar down, his teeth buried in the lead’s bony shoulder. Nightstar writhed under him and then heaved upward. Fireheart lost his balance and suddenly found that he was trapped—the warrior, though old, was still ferociously strong. Nightstar bared his fangs, his eyes gleaming. All of a sudden he reared back, letting Fireheart go. Shaking blood from his eyes, Fireheart saw that Brackenpaw had leaped at the ShadowClan leader and was clinging to his back with all four paws. Nightstar tried vainly to shake him off and then rolled over, crushing Brackenpaw against the ground. The apprentice let out a furious howl.” The fight goes on for three pages.
  • Tigerclaw shows up to try to kill Bluestar and take over the camp. “Graystripe was wrestling a rogue with a pale coat, the two of them rolling over and over as they tried to get ahold with teeth and claws. Brindleface and Speckletail were fighting against a warrior twice their size. Near the warriors’ den, Mousefur dug her front claws into the shoulder of a tabby, while her back claws shredded his flank. Then Fireheart froze with shock. At the other side of the clearing, Brokentail had pounced on his guard, Dustpelt, fastening his teeth in the younger cat’s throat. Dustpelt was struggling furiously to free himself. Though Brokentail was blind, he was still a formidable fighter, and he hung on. . . He was bowled over by a rogue cat. His flank stung as claws raked down it. Green eyes glared a mouse-length from his own. Fireheart bared his fangs and tried to bite down into the enemy’s shoulder, but the rogue cat battered him away.” The fight goes on for five pages.
  • Tigerclaw tries to kill Bluestar, but fails when Fireheart finds out.
  • Brokenstar’s mother gives him death berries, which kill him.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • When angry, the cats occasionally call each other terms such as mouse dung, crowfood, furball, and mouse brain. For example, Bluestar got angry and said, “What a mouse-brained fool.”
  • While the cats are arguing, Tallstar said, “You’re willing to give shelter to that . . . that heap of fox dung!”
  • When a cat said something stupid, another said, “That’s the most mouse-brained thing I’ve ever heard.”
  • Tigerclaw made a mistake and said, “Mouse dung!”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • StarClan is the heavenly tribe of dead warrior cats that watches over all the cat clans. Cats that die go to StarClan and can come back in dreams to share visions or prophecy. StarClan can help shape fate because they can see the future.
  • When the cats got into an argument, a cat said, “He’d find fault with StarClan.”
  • When Fireheart was dreaming, Spottedleaf, the dead medicine cat, came to him and said, “Remember, Fireheart, water can quench fire.”
  • When they were talking, he said, “I swear by StarClan.” Twice.
  • Spottedleaf came to Fireheart in a dream to give him hope.
  • While Fireheart and Graystripe were in the river, Fireheart muttered, “StarClan help us.”
  • After they got out of the river, they said, “Thank StarClan.”
  • While a cat was complaining, another said, “He’d complain if StarClan descended from Silverpelt themselves to bring him bedding.
  • When the cats were trying to go to the gathering, they said, “StarClan would be angry if we didn’t try.”
  • While they were arguing at a Gathering Bluestar said, “Would you risk the wrath of StarClan?”
  • At the warrior ceremony to get your warrior name, the leader has to say, “Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name.”
  • Medicine cats have to go to highstones in order to share tongues with StarClan. When there, they can talk with them and receive advice.
  • When a cat said that she didn’t do enough, another cat told her, “Oh? StarClan told you that, did they?”
  • A cat died and to comfort his friend, Fireheart said, “She hunts with StarClan now.”
  • A cat was trying to kill another cat and said, “Remember me to StarClan.”
  • Spottedleaf came in Fireheart’s dream and said, “StarClan is calling you, Fireheart . . . Do not be afraid.”
  • Fireheart was thinking, “He could go on from this moment, guided by his leader, and with Spottedleaf and StarClan watching over him.”

by Paige Michelle

 

 

Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Start a Club by Accident

Every day Sassy and Waldo dress in a trench coat together and impersonate a human child, so they can go to school with Stewart. Everyone thinks that they are a new student named Salty from Liver, Ohio. The only one who knows the truth is Stewart.

Stewart has to stay after school for a club. Sassy and Waldo know that a club is a sandwich, but they do not know what a school club is. Sassy and Waldo decide to use their time waiting for Stewart and play games. As the two wait for Stewart, they eat snacks, take naps, and smell things. When their classmates find out what Salty is doing, they decide to join the club. The only problem is that Salty still doesn’t know what a club is!

Part of the story’s humor comes from Waldo and Sassy misunderstanding the people’s words. Although the misunderstandings are funny, they also help readers understand that words have multiple meanings. For example, when the clubs are preparing to make a float for a parade, Salty says, “Because I do not know what a float is except for the kind with ice cream. . . Ms. Twohey taught me about context clues, and I am context cluing to know that we are talking about floats, but we are not talking about ice cream.”

Seeing the world from a dog’s point of view is highly entertaining. The dogs clearly love Stewart and want to understand his emotions. When Stewart smells like “a combination of lost homework and the feeling of watching the ice cream truck drive away,” the dogs know that Stewart is not happy, and want to help him. Even though the story focuses on humor and silly situations, the readers will also learn the importance of communication and helping others.

Spectacularly silly, Two Dogs in a Trench Coat uses an easy-to-follow plotline and fun black and white illustrations to make reading a joy. Even the most reluctant reader will want to see the mischief that Sassy and Waldo get into. 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 page and also highlights the dog’s love of food. Two Dogs in a Trench Coat will keep readers entertained until the very end because of the easy vocabulary, illustrations that appear on most pages, and the ridiculously funny story.

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The world finally believes that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back. While the ministry is scrambling to respond, Dumbledore has called the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society that fought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named last time, back into service. Harry, who is still reeling from the death of his godfather, is ready to join the Order and fight. But things prove more complicated. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is in hiding, and the adults in Harry’s life seem to think it is more important for him to return to school than to join the Order and fight.

Dumbledore is the only person who seems to think Harry can be of use. Dumbledore enlists Harry’s aid in exploring one of the most cloaked mysteries in the magical world – how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rose to power and achieved immortality. While He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned, Dumbledore believes there is a way to make the Dark Lord mortal once more, and Harry is the only one who can solve this vital mystery.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince continues the theme of a longer page count, which can be found in books 4-7 of the Harry Potter series. Although this novel has a serious tone, there are lighter moments that keep the story from becoming too heavy. The original cast continues to develop in interesting ways, and Harry’s frequent trips into He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s past bring vivid new characters to life.

While still appropriate for most elementary readers, the end of this story does include Inferius, which are dead bodies bewitched to do a dark wizard’s bidding. This scene may frighten more timid readers. However, more mature elementary students and junior high students will love exploring the mysterious web that is the childhood of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and will wait with bated breath to see where it leads.

Sexual Content

  • Fleur is a beautiful French woman who kisses people on the cheek as a form of greeting. Once she, “swoop[ed] to kiss [Harry] on each cheek; He felt the places where her mouth had touched him burn.”
  • In a fit of rage, Mr. Gaunt tries to strangle his daughter. “His hands closed around his daughter’s throat . . . with a roar of rage, Morfin leapt out of his chair and ran at Ogden, brandishing his bloody knife and firing hexes indiscriminately from his wand. Ogden ran for his life.”
  • When Harry realizes Mundungus has been stealing Sirius’ things, he “pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat.”
  • The headmistress of an orphanage mentions a bullying problem. “Billy Stubbs’s rabbit . . . well, Tom said he didn’t do it, and I don’t see how he could have done, but even so, it didn’t hang itself from the rafters, did it.”
  • Harry sees “Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as though glued together.”
  • Ron gets a girlfriend and kisses her frequently. “There, in full view of the whole room, stood Ron wrapped so closely around Lavender Brown it was hard to tell whose hands were whose.”
  • After winning the Quidditch Cup, “without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her. After several long moments – or it might have been half an hour – or possibly several sunlit days – they broke apart.”

Violence

  • Malfoy freezes Harry with a charm and, “stomped, hard, on Harry’s face. Harry felt his nose break; blood spurted everywhere.”
  • Snape has posters on the wall in his classroom. One is a poster of what happens when someone is attacked by Inferius (corpses bewitched to do a dark wizard’s bidding). The poster merely shows, “a blood mass upon the ground.”
  • Ron gets attacked by birds. He, “helped and covered his face with his hands, but the birds attacked, pecking and clawing at every bit of flesh they could reach.”
  • Ron punches Harry while under the influence of a potion. “A crashing blow hit him on the right ear . . . Ron’s fist was drawn right back; his face was contorted with rage.”
  • Dobby and Kreacher get in a fight. “Dobby sank his knobbly little fist into Keacher’s mouth and knocked out half of his teeth. Harry and Ron both leapt out of their beds and wrenched the two elves apart, though they continued to try and kick and punch each other.”
  • Harry uses a spell without knowing what it does. “Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backward and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand.”
  • Snape kills Dumbledore. “A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape’s wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Harry’s scream of horror never left him; silent and unmoving, he was forced to watch as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. For a split second, he seemed to hang suspended beneath the shining skull, and then he fell slowly backward, like a great rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight.”
  • Dumbledore and Harry are attacked by Inferius. “The surface of the lake was no longer mirror-smooth; it was churning, and everywhere Harry looked, white heads and hands were emerging from the dark water, mem and women and children with sunken, sightless eyes were moving toward the rock: an army of the dead rising from the black water.”
  • There is a fight when Death Eaters get into Hogwarts. It takes place over seven pages. “One of the fighters detached themselves from the fray and flew at him: It was the werewolf, Fenrir. He was on top of Harry before Harry could raise his wand: Harry fell backward, with filthy matted hair in his face, the stench of sweat and blood filling his nose and mouth.” Later, a Death Eater “slashed at the air: Harry felt a white-hot, whiplike something hit him across the face and was slammed backward into the ground. Spots of light burst in front of his eyes.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • The Minister of Magic offers the Prime Minister whisky during a meeting.
  • Snape serves wine to his visitors. “Snape poured out three glasses of bloodred wine and handed two of them to the sisters.”
  • When Dumbledore picks Harry up at the Dursleys, he conjures a glass of “Madam Rosmerta’s finest oak-matured mead” for everyone. The Dursleys don’t drink it, but Harry, “sipped. He had never tasted anything like it before, but enjoyed it immensely.”
  • The headmistress of an orphanage gets tipsy on gin during a meeting with Dumbledore. “It soon became clear that Mrs. Cole was no novice when it came to gin drinking. Pouring both of them a generous measure, she drained her own glass in one gulp.”
  • Professor Trelawny often leaves “a whiff of cooking sherry behind her.”
  • Harry is given Chocolate Cauldrons with firewhisky in them, but he does not eat them.
  • A professor has a “glass of mead in one hand” during a party.
  • After Christmas, the Fat Lady is hungover because she and her friend “drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks.”
  • Dumbledore “handed Voldemort a goblet of wine” when Tom Riddle applied to be a teacher at Hogwarts, many years ago.
  • Ron is poisoned by a glass of mead. “Ron had dropped his glass; he half-rose from his chair and then crumpled, his extremities jerking uncontrollably. Foam was dribbling from his mouth, and his eyes were bulging from their sockets.”
  • Professor Slughorn and Hagrid get drunk after a funeral. The scene takes place over seven pages. At one point, Hagrid and Slughorn were sitting side by side, arms around each other, singing a slow sad song about a dying wizard called Odo.”

Language

  • Damn and hell are used a few times. For example, Harry says Snape, “didn’t think my mother was worth a damn either.”
  • Mr. Dursley yells, “what the hell is that?” when he sees a house elf.
  • Ron calls his brothers gits.

Supernatural

  • Harry Potter goes to a school of wizards and is a part of an entire world of magic. His studies include divination, potions, and defense against the dark arts. He goes to school in a castle with magical rooms, house elves, and a potion master who can brew liquid luck. He encounters borrowed memories, the magical equivalent of zombies, and a prophecy. In short, Harry is surrounded by magic and supernatural occurrences every day of his life. As such, not all instances are listed here.
  • Although the series revolves around magic, the story does not encourage children to try magic on their own. To cast a spell, wizards simply say a word and wave their wand. For example, saying luminos casts light.
  • Professor Trelawney made a prophecy about the Dark Lord before Harry was born. She does not remember making the prophecy afterward, but it is stored in a secret Hall of Prophecies hidden in the Ministry of Magic.

Spiritual Content

  • There are ghosts in the castle that behave like regular (although transparent) people. One of Harry’s teachers is even a ghost.
  • He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named splits his soul and hides pieces of his soul in precious, hidden objects. His goal is to become immortal and unkillable. If he is killed, the pieces of his soul remain, and therefore he cannot truly die.

by Morgan Lynn

 

 

The Battle of Riptide

Gray and Barkley have always had to worry about Goblin shiver, but now the fish are whispering of a greater threat. Finnivus has a vicious armada, and he plans on expanding his empire. Finnivus won’t stop killing until he is the emperor of the seven seas.

Gray isn’t sure what he can do, but then Takiza appears. Takiza, a wise and mysterious fighting fish, has made Gray his apprentice. With Takiza’s instruction, Gray will learn what it means to be a great warrior. Gray isn’t convinced that he can learn how to defeat Finnivus and his armada. Can Gray find the courage to fight? Will he lead his shiver to a victory or to their deaths?

The second installment of the Shark Wars series ramps up the action as shark shivers struggle to survive. Finnivus, a spoiled king, gives the story a new, interesting threat. Readers will root for Finnivus’s demise because the young shark is a truly self-centered, evil king. Although it is no surprise that Gray will have to face Finnivus, the shark action is nicely interwoven between Gray’s training scenes.

New, interesting characters are added, which allows readers to see how the sharks must work together to defeat Finnivus. The battle isn’t portrayed in a glamorous way, but is portrayed as being ­­necessary to defeat evil. Although the death count is high, the deaths are not described in a gory manner. However, some readers may be upset when a shark eats her shivermates.

Readers who have not read Shark Wars may have difficulty understanding the dynamics of the characters. The sharks’ world is brought to life in a realistic, interesting way and includes shark language such as landsharks, shiver, chop chop, and greenie. The cover of the book has a picture of each shark, which allows readers to understand the size and physical differences of characters.

The Battle of Riptide explores the theme of loyalty and illustrates that loyalty should not be more important than doing what is right. The fast-paced story will keep readers interested with the well-developed characters, an evil king, and intense battle scenes. But the best part of the story is reading about Gray’s struggle to become a courageous leader worthy of being respected. With 242 pages and no pictures, Shark Wars is a good choice for fluent readers. Anyone who wants to swim into a good shark story will enjoy The Battle of Riptide. Readers will want to make sure they have the third book in the series, Into the Abyss, ready to read because even though Gray and his allies have won the battle, it is clear that the war will continue.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • When Snork gets stuck in the coral, Razor Shiver attacks. In order to defend his friend, Striker “hurtled out of nowhere and speared a streaking bull shark in the flank, butting it away from biting Gray. . . Barkley took on another bull as Shell rammed a third. It was a melee!” When Snork gets free, the group flees.
  • King Finnivus’s herald goes to talk to Razor. In anger, Razor, “roared and took the herald’s dorsal fin with one clean bite.” A battle ensues and, “after only a few fin flicks, there was blood everywhere. . . It was a slaughter. Then two Indi Shiver sharks—a blue shark and a mako—struck at Razor himself, one mauling his dorsal, the other taking his right fin. Razor was finished!” The attack happens over three pages.
  • Two sharks attack Gray and Barkley. “When Gray emerged from behind the pillar of coral, he was zooming straight at his attackers. Surprise! Gray smashed into the mako, snout to snout. He weighed much, much more than that shark and heard its spine audibly snap. It sank, a surprised look frozen on its face.” Barkley bites an attacking shark and, “the blue shark keeled over and sank, warm blood rising from the wound.” The attack happens over four pages.
  • Valenka plots Goblin’s death. She lures Goblin to a quiet location where ocean creatures inject him with poison. “The toxic dwellers stung Goblin on his belly and by the bends on his fines. Goblin screamed in frustration as the stonefish kept low and underneath him. . . Goblin stiffened as if he had swum into an invisible wall when the jellyfish stung him in the gills. . . With a last audible hiss, Goblin rolled belly up. . .Then Valenka bit Goblin in the gills.” The scene takes place over two pages.
  • After defeating Goblin shiver, the shiver is served to King Finnivus. Valenka takes part in the meal. “Valenka looked at the faces of her ex-shivermates arranged on a rock disc carried on the backs of four sea turtles. . . Halfway through the meal, Valenka discovered it wasn’t so bad. In fact, Streak was kind of tasty.”
  • When Finnivus demands Gray’s head for dinner, Gray attacks. “Gray roared, rocketing forward and catching the Indi mariners by surprise. He rammed the nearest one in the liver and ricocheted off two others. . .” Gray is able to escape and no one is injured.
  • The story ends with a multi-chapter battle. Many are killed, but most deaths are not described. During the battle, “Barkley barely avoided a bite at his left fin as he struggled to keep up. . . The richly tattooed armada commander, a young spinner shark, looked over an instant before Gray struck. The bite was clean and deep. Blood clouded the water as the spinner’s eyes rolled upward to the whites.” The Indi shiver retreats.

 Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Heck is used once.
  • Barkley tells another shark, “Suck algae, you big bully!”
  • Gray calls someone a “chowderheaded flipper.”
  • Two times, someone says, “Shut your cod hole before I rip off your tail and feed it to you.”
  • Finnivus yells at someone. “You are nothing but an old, krill-faced, jelly-brained drifter that my father should have gotten rid of a long time ago!”
  • Someone calls Gray a “jelly-brain.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Sharks that die go to the “Sparkle Blue.”

 

Trick or Cheat?

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

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

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

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

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Bounce Back

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

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

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

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

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

Fire and Ice

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

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

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

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

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

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

by Paige Michelle

 

The Wild Robot

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

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

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

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

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

by Dylan Chilcoat

Showtime!

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

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

Spiritual Content

  • None

Too Big to Hide

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Into the Wild

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

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

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

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

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

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

by Paige Michelle

No Slam Dunk

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

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

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

Drugs and Alcohol

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

Language

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

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

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

By Hannah Neeley

 

 

A Mysterious Egg

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Samantha calls Frank a weenie.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Goat Who Chewed Too Much

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

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

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

Sexual Content

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

Violence

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

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Bloom’s Ball

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

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

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

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

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

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

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

Spiritual Content

  • None
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