Reading Level: Elementary

Focused

Clea can’t control her thoughts. Some days, her thoughts repeat in an endless loop. Other days, her mind jumps from topic to topic. Either way, she can’t focus on her homework. Even when she tries to focus really, really hard, she still gets distracted. Someone is always chewing their gum too loudly or making annoying noises.

But that’s not her only problem. Everything that Clea thinks pops out of her mouth. She can’t seem to keep the words from jumping out. Clea’s issues are starting to cause problems in other areas of her life—when she’s playing chess, or when she’s hanging out with her best friend. What’s worse is that other kids are starting to notice.

When Clea keeps doing poorly in school, her parents want to have her tested for ADHD. Clea is convinced that she doesn’t have ADHD. If she tried a little harder, everything would be fine. Then, when Clea has an epic fight with her best friend, she knows that something has to change. But how do you change something that is in your head?

Anyone who has struggled in school will be able to relate to Clea. Even when Clea tries her best, she still can’t focus. She constantly berates herself, thinking that she’s just too dumb to do well. Told from Clea’s point of view, Focused allows Clea’s frustration to take center stage. With the assistance of a cast of helpful adults—psychologists, teachers, parents, counselors—Clea gains new time management skills and learns how to speak up for herself.

Even though the story focuses on Clea’s difficulties, the reader will be drawn into the conflict between Clea and other characters in the story. Clea’s best friend is dealing with family problems while one of the chess players constantly puts Clea down. The story also adds a little romance, a little chess, and a host of imperfect characters. Clea’s sister Henley is one of the best parts of the story. The sweet little sister who struggles with talking is always cheering for Clea. Clea realizes that having a person love you unconditionally is amazing. She thinks, “It feels like magic that there’s a person in the world who thinks I’m definitely going to win, no matter what, just because I’m me.”

This easy-to-read story explains how ADHD works and teaches management skills as well. Best of all, it shows that having a learning disability is nothing to be ashamed about. Anyone who reads Focused will come away with a better understanding of ADHD plus empathy for those who struggle with their emotions. The story also highlights the importance of perseverance and forgiveness. Anyone who has ever struggled with feeling inferior or has struggled with school work should read Focused. The story will encourage young readers to ask for help when needed as well as never to give up.

Sexual Content

  • Red’s father moved to Colorado and has a new girlfriend. Red finds out that his dad married his girlfriend and that she is going to have a baby.
  • While talking to Dylan, Clea slips her hand into his, and “he wraps his fingers around mine and squeezes, like he doesn’t want to let go. My stomach flips.”
  • After Dylan asks Clea to be his girlfriend, they kiss. Clea smiles at him, and then “before I know it, his lips are on mine and we’re kissing. It’s soft and sweet and mint chocolate flavored, and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with my hands, so I leave them exactly where they are, because I never want the kissing to stop. I want to stay like this forever.”
  • Clea and her friend talk about kissing a boy. It was both of the girl’s first kiss. When Clea’s friend worries that she was bad at kissing, Clea googles “Am I bad at kissing?” Clea then asks her friend, “Okay—did you bump teeth? Or move your head all over the place? Or slobber?” When Clea’s friend says no, the girls laugh and decide they are good at kissing. The conversation takes place over a page.

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Clea thinks she is “an idiot.”
  • Jerk is used four times. Once Clea thinks a boy is a “jerk.” Later she tells the boy that he was acting like “a jerk.”
  • OMG is used six times.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

 

The Scary Library Shusher

Welcome to Kersville, a town with a spooky history and a collection of ghosts and spirits who are major mischief-makers. Most kids spend their days without ever seeing or dealing with a ghost, but some kids get stuck with a haunt. When that happens, they call Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol. There’s no job too spooky, icky, or risky for Desmond.

Andres Miedoso is not like that at all. He’s Desmond’s best friend and ghost patrol partner. When our teacher gives us a research project, we’re excited to research the library. There should be nothing scary about the library, right? But once we begin our research, there’s a ghostly mystery woman who is causing all sorts of mischief. Can Desmond and Andres figure out what the ghostly woman is up to?

Desmond Cole and Andres are fun characters who are complete opposites. Desmond wants to chase after the zombie, while Andes wants to run in the other direction. Although the library isn’t the most exciting scene for a story, the flying books and spooky woman will demand the reader’s attention. Desmond and Andres learn that the book-loving ghost has a unique problem; one that the two kids help solve. The story has a humorous, unexpected conclusion that will leave readers smiling.

Although The Scary Library Shusher has a common plotline, it still has enough action, humor, and a non-scary ghost to keep readers interested until the very end. The story is told in ten short chapters with easy-to-read vocabulary which is perfect for emerging readers. A black-and-white illustration appears on almost every page. The often humorous illustrations use exaggerated facial expressions so readers can tell what the characters are feeling. Readers will laugh as Desmond and Andres find themselves in unexpected situations. Night of the Zombie Zookeeper is the fifth installment in the Desmond Cole series, however, none of the books need to be read in order. Readers who enjoy The Scary Library Shusher should also try the Notebook of Doom series by Troy Cummings.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Books float off a shelf “all by themselves. Then they started flapping their covers like wings until, suddenly, the flying books swooped down toward Desmond. My best friend was under attack!”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • Desmond and Andes hear a strange shhhhhh sound even though no one is there.
  • Computers start turning on all by themselves and “in the darkness, we could hear typing, and whoever was typing was doing it really fast. . . Plus, they were typing the same thing on every single computer. At the same time! It was just one very long word: Shhhhhh.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

My New Team

Every day when Little Rhino comes home from school, he finishes his homework, grabs his bat and his glove, and runs outside to meet Grandpa James. They always practice catching and hitting in the backyard. Playing baseball with grandfather is Little Rhino’s favorite thing to do, especially when he pretends to be a real Major League home run hitter.

One afternoon, after a long day of second grade, Little Rhino comes home to find out that Grandpa James has signed him up for a baseball league! Little Rhino will finally be a part of a team! But Little Rhino will quickly learn that it is not always so easy to be a good teammate, especially when there’s a bully wearing the same uniform as you.

Even though the characters in My New Team are not well-developed, the story will appeal to younger readers who love sports. The story doesn’t only focus on baseball but also includes a conflict with a bully, as well as the difficulty of being in new situations. Throughout the story, Rhino shows the importance of putting schoolwork before sports as well as the necessity of practice. One positive relationship in Rhino’s life is his grandfather, who plays a prominent role, and has taught Rhino the importance of thinking before he speaks.

My New Team uses realistic situations that younger readers can relate to. When Rhino is faced with a bully, he tries to understand the boy’s actions, and instead of being mean to the bully, Rhino tries to show the boy kindness. Readers who are just transitioning into chapter books may have difficulty reading My New Team because of the text-heavy pages. Although black-and-white pictures appear approximately every three pages, the pictures are similar to those found in a coloring book and do not have much appeal. My New Team uses realistic conflicts to teach important lessons about friendship, perseverance, practice, and the importance of thinking before you act. Readers who enjoy Little Rhino will also want to read the Ball Park Mysteries series.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • A bully calls Rhino a “wimp” twice.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Spark

In Algorria, storm beasts and their guardians create perfect weather every day, bringing prosperity and peace to Algorria. Twelve-year-old Mina has been carefully tending a storm beast egg, and is eager for the egg to hatch. Everyone is surprised when a lightning beast hatches from Mina’s egg. Mina’s family thinks that their quiet, shy daughter should not be paired up with a lightning beast, a creature of fire and chaos.

Unlike her family, Mina is sure that she, her storm beast, and Pixit are perfect for each other. Mina and Pixit are enrolled in lightning school and begin to learn the skills of lightning guardians. Even though Mina has always dreamed of completing daring acts, she struggles at school. She is unable to learn the basic skills and often feels as if she doesn’t fit in anywhere.

When Mina accidentally learns that Alorria’s perfect weather comes at a devastating cost, she discovers that powerful people are willing to do anything to hide the truth. Mina has never been able to speak out, but now without her help people will die. Mina and Pixit both dream of being like storybook heroes that change the world for the better. Is there any way that Mina can find her voice?

Readers will pick up Spark because of the beautiful cover of a storm beast, but they will keep turning the pages until the very end because of the beautiful relationship between Mina and Pixit. Anyone who has been afraid to speak up will relate to Mina, who is happy to let others take over the conversation. Yet within the quiet girl’s heart is the dream of making a positive impact in the world. Mina often struggles with feelings of insecurity, but with Pixit’s help Mina learns that being “different isn’t wrong.” In order to help others, Mina does not need to change herself. Instead, she only needs to use her own unique talents.

This engaging story uses a unique setting to bring modern-day problems to the forefront. As part of Mina’s studies, she is introduced to the idea of isolationism which is explained as follows: “Isolationism—defined as caring only about your own country—had the benefit of limiting the area that the early storm beast and guardians had to protect. Here’s the important bit to understand: all the world’s weather is connected, and more complex than you can comprehend.”

As Mina learns more about her country, she gets a lesson in false propaganda and how the political leaders are willing to suppress the truth because they fear change. However, the message is clear: “you can’t dismiss the facts just because you don’t like where they lead.” Even though Mina is quiet, she finds a way to become a leader. However, becoming a leader was not an easy choice for Mina. Her self-doubt and worry come through because Pixit can hear Mina’s thoughts. The relationship between Mina and her storm beast is so endearing that it will leave readers wishing they had a storm beast of their own.

Not only is Spark an exceptional story, but it also teaches readers that it is possible to change the world for the better. By the end of the story, Mina and Pixit feel like friends who have made a positive impact on you. Spark is an unforgettable story that will resonate with children and leave them wanting to be kinder, better people who do good in the world.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A fight broke out in the school’s dining hall. A student “launched herself across the tables, and dozens of her friends joined her. . . dozens of other students threw themselves into the battle. . . Mina, unable to run, unable to move, stared as students and beasts fought in front of her, over the tables, and up on the metal ladders, chains, and other obstacles.” Pixit joins the fight, and Mina “felt pain shoot through her arm as another beast bit into him.” Some students began throwing potatoes. A teacher breaks up the fight, which lasts for two pages.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • One of the students tells Min, “Mina, tell him he’s an idiot. He doesn’t believe me when I say it.”

Supernatural

  • Storm beasts and their guardians create perfect weather every day. Wind beasts blow the clouds away, sun beasts produce balmy temperatures, rain beasts water the crops, and so on.
  • When a person is chosen to care for a storm beast’s egg, the person must spend time each day with skin-to-egg contact. When the egg hatches, the person and the storm beast are linked. Mina’s brother “Gaton had told her what it felt like to be linked mind-to-mind to a storm beast: he couldn’t hear all of Arde’s thoughts the way he heard his own, and Arde couldn’t always hear his, but he could always feel Arde’s emotions like a constant hum in the back of his mind. . . And when he wanted to talk to Arde, all he had to do was concentrate on both the words and his beast. It was like shouting. But quietly.”
  • Mina and Pixit can feel each other’s emotions. For example, when Mina and Pixit were about to fly into a storm, Mina “felt Pixit’s nervousness, like bubbles in her veins.”
  • Lightning beasts can store lightning, and the guardians can then discharge the lightning’s energy. During a storm, Mina “rose in her seat, and she reached her arms up, hands high over her head, fingers spread. . . Roaring, Pixit flew into the lightning. Mina felt it hit her fingers and rattle down her arms. She brought her hands together, holding the lightning steady above her. . . Mina opened her hands and released the electricity. Some of it spread through the air and slammed down, harmlessly, on the blackened hills below. But most of the energy was absorbed into Pixit, causing him to glow an even more brilliant yellow.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Jada Jones Rock Star

When fourth-grader Jada Jones’s best friend goes away, she doesn’t want to go to school. Now, Jada doesn’t have anyone to share her love of rock collecting. When the class is given a rock and minerals project, Jada misses her best friend even more. Jada is excited to share her rock knowledge with her group of three. But being in a group of three has its own problems, especially when one of her teammates doesn’t seem to like any of Jada’s ideas. Is there any way Jada and her group can work together to make a winning science project?

Jada Jones is a relatable character who struggles with missing her best friend and all of the changes that happen when her best friend moves. Jada’s struggle comes to life with black and white pictures that have a pop of purple. As Jada tries to make new friends, she learns the importance of showing kindness to others, even when they are not nice in return. Even though the story focuses on Jada, it also shows how her teammate was mean because she was afraid Jada would steal her best friend. Jada Jones Rock Star highlights the importance of trying to understand others as well as the importance of trying new things.

Jada Jones Rock Star is intended for readers who are transitioning to chapter books. The story has seven short chapters, easy vocabulary, and illustrations on almost every page. The story does have several pages with only text, and some complicated sentence structure. Jada Jones is a relatable character that has many positive qualities—she’s kind, smart, creative, and isn’t afraid to share her love of rocks. Jada Jones Rock Star is an entertaining story that has positive life lessons.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Ghostopolis

Garth Hale is going to die, but he is still surprised when he is accidentally zapped into the ghost world by Frank Gallows, a washed-up Ghost wrangler. Frank doesn’t believe in himself, but he’s determined to fix his mistake and bring Garth home. But getting Garth home isn’t going to be easy. The power-hungry, evil ruler of Ghostopolis wants to trap Garth. With Garth under his control, the evil ruler can tighten his grip on the spirit world. While in the ghost world, Garth meets his grandfather, who promises to help Garth return home. With the help of a bone horse, his grandfather, Frank Gallows and others, Garth may just find a way out of the ghost world.

TenNapel creates a complex, interesting ghost world using comic-style illustrations that do an exceptional job showing the character’s emotions. Younger readers will enjoy the many multi-paged, action-packed panels that contain onomatopoeias like “shink, hack, putt, snuff.” The story contains surprising pockets of humor that will make the reader laugh out loud. However, many younger readers may not understand the historical reference to Benedict Arnold, which adds to the story’s humor.

The plot is not necessarily original, but the ghost world does have frightening, fantastic creatures. Integrated into the plot are lessons about not giving up, using your imagination, as well as the fact that children do not need to make the same mistakes as their parents. Garth meets his grandfather, who illustrates the idea that it’s never too late for second chances, even if you’re a ghost.

A man named Joe created Ghostopolis. Joe is similar to Christ, and although he is portrayed in a positive manner, his appearance in the story is random and does nothing to advance the plot. The story does contain a love triangle, and although the relationship happened before the story began, one of the characters comes to realize that, “Love is in the acts, not in the feels.”

Ghostopolis uses a creative story about the afterlife to focus on relationships. Younger readers will enjoy the spooky adventure that allows a boy to be friends with a bone horse. Older readers will appreciate the story as it explores family relationships. Ghostopolis will engage readers because of the easy-to-read text, spooky spirit world, and protagonist that they can root for.

Sexual Content

  • Claire, who broke up with her boyfriend, tells him, “If I had known what a slime you were, I’d have left you even sooner!”

Violence

  • A dog bites Frank on the nose.
  • When Garth gets to the afterlife, dinosaur skeletons chase him. The scene is illustrated over nine pages.
  • Bugs on four-wheelers chase Garth and his grandfather, but they are able to hide.
  • Bugs try to capture Garth, who uses his power to get away. During the fight, Frank tries to help Garth, but an old woman hits him. Then Frank’s friend hits the old woman, and a brawl begins in the street. The fight is illustrated over eight pages.
  • In order to save the boy from the bugs, Frank grabs him out of a flying vehicle. Grandpa hits the bug in the face. Garth eventually uses his power to whap the bug. The scene is illustrated over four pages.
  • A skeleton holds a sword against a woman’s throat and leads her away. Garth and Frank follow. The woman is not injured.
  • The story ends with an epic battle over 54 pages. The bugs attack and kill the bone king. The villain pulls a gun on Garth’s friends. In the end, Garth uses his power to defeat the evil villain, who flees and then comes back. The villain grows large and throws a man. He is defeated in the end.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Garth’s mother tells him, “Grandpa was a drunk.”

Language

  • Heck and crud are used once.
  • Frank calls Benedict Arnold a jerk.

Supernatural

  • Garth is accidentally zapped into the afterlife.

Spiritual Content

  • When people die and go to the afterlife, they go to a city called Ghostopolis, which was created by “A mysterious Tuskegee airman named Joe. He made every mountain you see, laying one chunk of sand at a time. He stacked every brick in Ghostopolis so that ghosts would have a place to live. . . Joe is a mysterious guy. Most of us have never even seen him. We only know him by the work he’s done.”
  • Garth meets Joe, who is helping people leave Ghostopolis through a crack in the wall. He helps the children, the widows, and the infirm go first. Joe will not take Garth through the crack, because “it’s not for you. . . yet.” Joe tells Garth, “I know a lot of things about you, Garth. And I’m rooting for you anyway.”
  • The afterlife has seven kingdoms—the bone kingdom, the mummies, the specters, the wisps, the zombies, and the boogeymen.
  • In the afterlife, people “get put back to our internal age. It gives us a chance to take care of unfinished business.”
  • After the villain throws a man, and when someone saves him, the man says, “Thank God!”

The Scaredy Cat

Coral, Shelly, and Angel are best friends. They are excited about meeting their new teacher on the first day of school. Their teacher asks the kids to bring something special to share with the class. The three friends decide that they need to search Tortoise-shell Reef to find something special enough to share. Coral is anxious about going to the reef because it is on the edge of the cove. However, she agrees to go because it’s important to her friends.

When the purrmaids get to the reef, Coral’s friends discover that she doesn’t know how to complete flips. Angel and Shelly are eager to teach Coral a new skill, but soon they have flipped so many times that they don’t know where they are! Can the three friends find their way home? Can Coral learn to be brave?

The Scaredy Cat mixes kittens and mermaids in a story about friendship that will have younger readers enthralled. The unique idea and the adorably cute black-and-white illustrations will draw readers to the book. The story focuses on the purrmaids’ homework assignment as well as Coral’s cautious attitude. When the group goes to Tortoise-shell Reef, Coral shows bravery several times; each time her friends are in danger, Coral jumps in to protect them. The story highlights the importance of trying new things, but also of being cautious.

As part of the adventure, Coral meets a misunderstood catshark named Chomp. The shark gives the story an added dose of danger. After she gets to know him, she learns that he isn’t dangerous. Chomp complains that “Catsharks always get a bad rap. Everyone in the ocean thinks we’re out to eat them!” Coral is able to learn that it is wrong to judge a shark just because he’s a shark.

The Scaredy Cat is perfect for readers who are able to read chapter books. The story has easy vocabulary, short sentences, and cute black-and-white illustrations approximately every three pages. Younger readers will enjoy the cat puns that appear often, like “cat-tastrophe,” “paw-sitive,” and “purr-omise.” The puns are a little bit over the top, and although younger readers may enjoy them, parents might want to avoid reading The Scaredy Cat aloud.

Readers who like the Pet Fairies series will also find the Purrmaid series purr-fect. While the Pet Fairies series has a non-scary villain, the Purrmaid series focuses more on friendship and the quest for the perfect item to share with the class. The Scaredy Cat will delight younger readers, who will want to read every book in the series because the stories are so much fun. The satisfying conclusion will have readers squealing in joy as the story shows that friendship is the best gift of all.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Friendship War

Grace and Ellie have been best friends since second grade. Grace doesn’t mind that Ellie always gets her way and is always the center of attention. When it comes to Ellie, Grace is used to tagging along and doing what Ellie wants.

Everything changes when Grace shares part of her button collection at school, and accidentally starts a new fad. Soon students in her grade, and then the entire school is trading and fighting over buttons. Grace has always been okay with fading into the background, but when button fever hits her, she just has to have the button with a blue pinwheel. Soon Grace and Ellie argue over a button, and it looks like their friendship might just be over. Button collecting may have cost Grace one friend, but it also leads her to a new one—Hank, the biggest button collector in the sixth grade. Is there any way the two new friends can figure out how to stop the button craze?

Readers will relate to Grace, who connects to the world through math. Grace is always counting, collecting, and overthinking. Her unique flaws and the way she connects with others will give readers a unique perspective as well as show how people with different personalities and interests can still be friends. Throughout the book, readers will learn new words because Grace explains several scientific words and ideas. The vocabulary is so ingrained into the plot that learning new concepts never feels like a school lesson. Learning about science, math, and the history of buttons has never been so much fun!

Another positive aspect of the story is Grace’s strong relationship with her family, who understands her crazy collections. Her family relationships extend to her grandfather, who writes letters and texts to Grace. Scattered throughout the story are conversations about Grace’s recently deceased Gramma, which gives insight into the grieving process.

The Friendship War, which is written by the same author of Frindle, is a fast-paced story that highlights the complicated nature of friendship. Through Grace’s experiences, the reader will learn not only the value of friendship but also how friendship should not be one-sided. At one point, the school principal tells Grace, “It’s a great thing to have one good friend, but to have two looking out for you? That’s nothing short of wonderful.” The story also highlights the importance of forgiveness and taking responsibility for your actions. The Friendship War is a highly entertaining story that not only shows the family in a positive light but is also packed with life lessons that are so ingrained in the story that the message is never preachy.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Grace thinks that her brother is “acting like a jerk today.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Grace and her mom have a two-page conversation about what happens after someone dies. Grace’s mom says, “If you’re asking me if your grandmother is still herself, still somewhere, then I would say yes, I believe she is. But do I know that, the same way I know that the sun comes up every morning? Then, no, I don’t know it like that. . . I believe that Gramma is still herself, still thinking, still loving you and Ben and your dad and me and Grampa. . . And I guess I won’t completely know any of this for sure until that moment when I die, or rather, when I don’t die—when I figure out that I haven’t stopped thinking or stopped being myself. Where I will be at that moment, or what any of that will be like—I have no idea.”

 

 

A Coding Mission

Ms. Gillian has set up The Makerspace in the library so students can work together on projects. A group of students built a diorama of a labyrinth, complete with the Minotaur and the Greek hero Theseus. A group of students decides they want to make a code to help Theseus find his way out of the labyrinth. What better way to try out the code than use Ms. Gillian’s magic book to take them into the center of the labyrinth? Will the students be able to write a code that leads them out of the labyrinth before the Minotaur finds them?

A Coding Mission, a graphic novel, has a diverse cast of characters that aren’t afraid of showing that they are smart. The story weaves together coding and Greek mythology. The kids, with the librarian’s help, use trial and error to design a code to help them find the way out of the labyrinth. The code is illustrated on a device, so readers can get a general idea of what code looks like.

The full-color drawings are interesting, detailed, and have both white text bubbles that show the characters’ dialogue as well as black boxes for the narration. Words that readers may be unfamiliar with are in bold text, with a glossary in the back of the book. The back of the book also contains directions for making a maze and using an algorithm to solve the maze.

The story has a lot of positives aspects—it teaches vocabulary, introduces a Greek myth, and has wonderful illustrations. Each page contains six or fewer easy-to-read sentences, and the plot moves at a fast pace. For those who want to learn more about coding, the book includes a list of further resources. However, because the story is so short, the characters and the plot are not well developed. More advanced readers will quickly become bored with the Adventures in Makerspace series. However, for readers who are just transitioning to chapter books or are reluctant readers, A Coding Mission will give them a simple, entertaining story that will help them build reading skills.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • When the librarian opens an old book, the librarian and the students poof and enter a labyrinth.

Spiritual Content

  • None

Drama

When Callie’s middle school decides to produce Moon over Mississippi, Callie doesn’t want to be on stage. She loves theater, and as part of the stage crew, she wants to create a set worthy of Broadway. But bringing her big ideas to life won’t be easy with a middle school budget and her lack of carpentry knowledge.

Once the actors are chosen, Callie finds herself in the middle of drama onstage and offstage. The actors don’t all get along, and Callie has a confusing crush on an eighth-grader. When two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier.

Drama focuses mostly on the stage crew, which gives the readers a unique look at the hard work that takes place behind the scenes. Told from Callie’s point of view, many fans will be able to relate to Callie as she deals with the confusing world of middle school. Callie is naive, cheerful, and obsessed with having a boyfriend. Callie seems to fall in love with any boy that is nice to her, which causes her heartache. However, Callie does seem to finally realize that having a boyfriend isn’t necessary.

The drawings are colorful and do an excellent job of showing the character’s emotions through their facial expressions. Reluctant readers will appreciate that many of the pages do not have words, but instead tell the story through drawings. Readers will love the manga-infused art, which shows the jealousies and misunderstandings of the cast members.

Although Drama does revolve around the students’ production of Moon Over Mississippi, a majority of the story focuses on the characters trying to discover themselves and their sexual orientation. Like a soap opera, the characters in the book are very interested in who likes who, and who broke up with who. When Callie’s friend tells her that he is gay, Callie easily accepts it and promises to keep the information secret. Drama highlights the importance of being accepting and open-minded, and not judging those who are exploring their sexuality—whether they are straight, gay, or bisexual. Although many readers will enjoy the graphic novel Drama, Callie and the plot are not unique or memorable. There is too much romantic angst and not enough action focusing on the production of the play.

Sexual Content

  • Callie has a crush on Greg. When Greg tells her that he broke up with his girlfriend, she kisses him on the cheek. Greg asks, “What was that for?” Callie tells him, “Oh, I don’t know. Just something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.” They have a short conversation, and then Greg kisses her on the lips. The next day at school, Greg ignores her.
  • In order to make Greg jealous, Callie walks by the baseball field with two of her guy friends.
  • One of Callie’s guy friends tells her that he’s gay. Later, when they discuss the eighth grade dance, the boy says he won’t ask another guy because “my dad would probably flip out, and I’m not sure if he’s ready for that. I’m not sure if I’m ready.” The boy says his parents suspect he’s gay, but “we don’t discuss it.”
  • Callie and a group of theatre kids go into the school’s basement to look at the costumes. They find a girl and a boy hiding behind a rack of clothes, kissing.
  • During the school production, a boy breaks up with the lead girl right before the play is about to begin. The girl melts down and refuses to continue acting in the play. In an act of desperation, one of the boys dresses in an evening gown and steps in for the missing girl. During the kissing scene, two boys kiss. There is an illustration of the shocked expressions of the audience.
  • A boy likes another boy, but he’s unsure if they will become a couple because “West still doesn’t know if he’s really gay. Or, I dunno, Bi, or whatever.”

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Callie calls her brother a “fuzzbrain.”
  • Callie’s friend calls Greg a “dork.”
  • A boy calls his brother a “jerk-face.”
  • “Heck” is used twice. “Darn” is used once.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Jada Jones Class Act

The nominations are in, and Jada is officially a student council candidate! At first, Jada isn’t worried about running against her friend Miles in the election. She’s sure that they can support each other even though they are both running for class representative. But it isn’t long before Jada’s classmates start taking sides. Could winning votes mean losing friends?

Still, Jada is excited to run for student council, and she has the perfect slogan: “Vote for Jada, the voice of a friend.” Soon Jada learns that running a campaign comes with a lot of conflicts. Jada’s class learns the characteristic of a leader, but soon the candidates are only focused on winning. As the class’s conflict heats up, Jada struggles to overcome her fear of public speaking and is distraught when a rumor about her becomes the talk of the class. To make things worse, Jada’s friends start pressuring her to make promises she can’t keep. As the campaign heats up, Jada Jones Class Act focuses on relatable conflicts including the dangers of rumors, the fear of public speaking, and the pressure to lie to keep friends.

Jada Jones Class Act has relatable characters, realistic conflicts, and reinforces real-life lessons. Throughout the story, Jada’s family plays a positive role, and Jada treats her brother with kindness. Even though Jada and the other candidate do not act like leaders, in the end, they learn from their mistakes and are able to repair their friendships. Jada Jones has many positive qualities—she’s kind, smart, creative, and honest. Readers will want to emulate Jada’s positive characteristics and parents may want to use the story as a stepping stone to discuss gossip, honestly, and friendship.

Jada’s struggle comes to life with black and white pictures that have a pop of purple. Jada Jones Class Act is intended for readers who are transitioning to chapter books. The story has eight short chapters, easy vocabulary, and illustrations on almost every page. The story does have several pages with only text and some complicated sentence structure. Overall, Jada Jones Class Act is an entertaining story that has positive life lessons. Readers who enjoyed Katie Woo by Fran Manushkin or Sofia Martinez by Jacqueline Jules will also enjoy Jada Jones.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Bad Island

Reese doesn’t want to go on a boating trip with his family. He doesn’t understand why he can’t just stay home alone. When the family heads out to sea, a surprise storm wrecks their ship, and they end up on a strange island. The island has weird plants, weirder animals, and lethal inhabitants.

The castaways must find a way to escape the island’s inhabitants. But they have few resources, and there are strange creatures swarming the island. When the family finds an artifact, they follow the clues trying to unlock the island’s secrets. Is there any way Reese and his family can survive on this bad island?

Bad Island is an action-packed story that combines two stories. Giant aliens are at war with another empire, and some of the aliens eventually come to Earth. The family, who just wanted to take a boating trip, ends up on the same island with the aliens. The beginning of the story is a bit confusing because the illustrations have very little text to explain the alien conflict. More information about the aliens, the war, and the conflict would have been helpful. Even though the story and the characters are underdeveloped, Bad Island still has many positive aspects.

The comic style illustrations bring the bad island’s creepy inhabitants to life. Much of the fighting is illustrated in kid-friendly pictures and contains bold onomatopoeias such as “Fling! Blaaarrr! Swack! Chomp! Whomp!” The action-packed sequences and character’s expressions give the story an added depth of emotion. As the book weaves the two stories together, the readers will see the parallels between the stories that focus on the father and son relationship.

Younger readers will be drawn to Bad Island because of the amazing illustrations, and they will also relate to the characters in the story. Anyone who has an annoying little sister will have empathy for Reese, who has to try to save his sister even while she drives him crazy. The story clearly shows the importance of family love. Bad Island contains little bits of text scattered throughout the story, a simple plot, and a positive message that is perfect for younger readers who are reluctant to dive into books.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • The story shows aliens at war; the pictures show the fighting in non-gory, kid-friendly detail over seven pages.
  • When the family captures an alien and ties it up, a huge tree-like creature chases the family. In order to escape, the dad cuts the vines of the tree.
  • Strange creatures attack the family; the kids are able to run away, but the parents are captured. As the kids run, Reese shoots a creature with a flare gun. The creature catches on fire. The parents are tied up and put in a hole. The scene takes place over 12 pages.
  • When the parents are captured, the creatures try to put the parents in a pit of acid. Reese throws rocks at the creatures, and the parents escape. Some of the creatures are thrown into the acid. The chase scene takes place over many, many pages.
  • Reese kicks a creature.
  • While exploring the inside of an alien robot, the robot awakens and snaps Janie in its teeth.
  • In another world, the aliens are fighting a war, and an alien is stabbed in the stomach; he is put in cryo-sleep.
  • Another alien attacks the family and uses some type of power to stop the dad from moving. Another alien helps the family escape.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Heck is used twice.
  • When Reece was born, he stopped breathing, and his dad said, “On that day, I was scared as hell.”
  • When Reece sees a monster-alien, he says “Oh, crud.”
  • The dad calls an alien a jerk.

Supernatural

  • A skeleton comes to life and is being controlled by an alien being.
  • When the kids touch a rock with a symbol on it, they turn invisible.
  • Janie’s pet snake comes back to life.

Spiritual Content

  • When the family’s boat crashes and no one is injured except a pet snake, the mom says, “Oh, Thank God it’s just the snake.”
  • When Janie’s snake dies, she asks her father, “Do you think he went to heaven?” The dad replies, “I don’t know, Janie. . .But if there is a snake heaven, I’m sure Pickles will be the first one to slither through that door.”

The Fugitive

In The Fugitive, Theo Boone’s class trip to Washington DC goes from normal to interesting in a matter of minutes after he spots the most wanted man in Stratten County: Pete Duffy. Duffy had gone to court in the past for murdering his wife but had escaped due to a mistrial. Theo spots him on their trip and trails the fugitive before talking to his uncle and getting the FBI involved.

The rest of the story takes place in Strattenburg, the same city where Duffy was originally tried. Theo works with his friends, his two lawyer parents, and the FBI to figure out a way to make sure Pete doesn’t get away this time. The only person who saw Duffy is an illegal immigrant, who is scared of what might happen if he shows up in court. Theo has to convince the witness of the need for justice in spite of his fear because nobody else witnessed the crime, and the trial is resting on his testimony. Also, Theo himself also has to get over his fears of Pete Duffy’s accomplices who are known to be violent and brutal, just like the criminal in question. And he has to do all of this while managing his time with school, his friends, and his family.

The Fugitive is aimed at a younger audience but still contains a few adult themes, especially violence and even murder. Grisham doesn’t go into extreme detail when describing these events, but his choice to include a violent crime paints a more believable story. Theo’s story is an exciting thriller but also manages to include the less-exciting parts of crime that take place in the courtroom, such as having to repeat a trial multiple times due to legal errors like a late witness. After tracking down a notorious fugitive, it’s ironic that the only thing keeping him from imprisonment is a mistrial. Boone and the other characters acknowledge this, and much of the story consists of them creating a strong enough case to put Duffy behind bars.

An important lesson that the book conveys is an appreciation for laws and justice. As much as Theo or anyone else would like to just imprison Duffy because they know what he did, doing so without enough evidence would be a violation of due process. In addition, Theo and his parents do a number of good deeds for society, including volunteering at a homeless shelter, opening up free law practices, and just practicing law.

Theodore Boone provides a funny and relatable character for younger audiences. Besides helping capture one of the FBI’s most wanted, Theo is pretty much an ordinary kid. His character design in addition to the enticing thriller that John Grisham has written results in a captivating crime novel that isn’t filled with violence and gore. Theodore Boone: The Fugitive is an excellent read for any aspiring detective.

 Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A character recounts how John Wilkes Booth “shot the president once in the back of the head.”
  • Pete Duffy was “accused of murdering his wife.”
  • Theo’s uncle Ike tells the story of Joel Furniss, “the first boy from Stratten County to be killed in Vietnam.”
  • Bobby Escobar “saw Pete Duffy sneak into his home at the exact time his wife was killed. And he found the golf gloves Duffy was wearing when he strangled his wife.”
  • Mr. Tweel, a farmer, explains how “About an hour after I get rid of the boys, after I get their names and address, I go back down to the goat pen to check on things. That’s when I saw that Becky was dead.”
  • As evidence, “a large photo was displayed on the screen, and the jurors got another look at Myra Duffy as she was found on the carpet. She was wearing a pretty dress; her high heels were still on her feet. . . the next one was a close-up of her neck, and the detective noticed a redness and slight puffiness on both sides of her neck. He immediately suspected strangulation.”
  • As Theo is marched down the hall by two officers, he compares it to “a man being led to the electric chair, or the gas chamber, or the firing squad.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Ike “was sipping on beer and listening to old Motown tunes” when Theo talked to him.
  • Bobby Escobar “likes to drink beer and brings it home.”

Language

  • “Two bozos—Jimbo Nance and Duck DeFoe dropped water balloons from a fifth-floor hotel room.”
  • “Woody and a couple of other clowns booed and hissed as Theo sprinted from the room.”
  • Judge Gantry says to Theo, “Nice work, Theo. Now get your butt back to school.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • The bailiff asks, “May God bless this Court,” before proceeding with Pete Duffy’s trial.

by Dylan Chilcoat

 

Sweeping Up the Heart

For spring break, Amelia wants to go on a vacation to Florida. But Amelia’s father doesn’t like to travel. He’d rather spent his time peacefully at home. Amelia wants adventure. Amelia already feels like a freak at school, and she isn’t thrilled about being the only seventh grader sitting at home, doing nothing over spring break.

Amelia plans to spend as much time as possible at Louise’s art studio. When she works with clay, she forgets all about her quiet, lonely house. When Amelia goes to the art studio, she meets Casey. Amelia is looking forward to the break now that she has a new friend to spend time with. While sitting in a cafe, Casey begins a game where he and Amelia make up names and stories for those who are passing by. Casey sees a woman, who looks similar to Amelia, and thinks the woman could be Amelia’s dead mother. Amelia begins to imagine that the woman is her mother and all of the ways that would impact her life.

Sweeping Up the Heart is a simple, beautiful story that deals with the complicated nature of family life. Amelia is insecure and often lonely. Although she has outgrown sleeping with her stuffed lamb, Dr. Cotton, she still tells him her secrets. Amelia, like many younger kids, wants a more exciting life. She doesn’t understand why she doesn’t have more friends. When she meets Casey, she is eager to have a friend to talk to. Like herself, Casey’s family life is not perfect. Casey has been on a campaign to keep his parent’s marriage from falling apart.

Although Amelia and Casey are relatable characters, who deal with grief, some readers may not like the slow pace of Sweeping Up the Heart. Much of the story focuses on the characters’ interactions, as well as Amelia’s struggle with her often silent father. The story is creative, interesting, and heartfelt, but lacks action. Amelia struggles with missing a mother she doesn’t remember, as well as wishing for more adventure in her life. Amelia relies heavily on Mrs. O’Brien, who takes care of the house and meals. Amelia’s loneliness is described in lovely language that allows the reader to understand Amelia’s longing for something more. However, the conclusion comes too soon and there are so many unanswered questions that will leave the readers with mixed emotions. Although Sweeping Up the Heart is an easy-to-read story, younger audiences may have a difficult time finishing the quiet story that focuses on Amelia who is dealing with the changes that come with adolescence. The story will resonate with anyone who feels like an outcast, has family problems, or just longs for more adventure in life.

 Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Amelia has a stuffed animal that she talks to. She thinks, “she talked to him the way she supposed some people talked to God.”
  • Amelia’s mother wanted to name her Epiphany because “I was born on January sixth, the Feat of Epiphany. . . It’s the day the Three Kings supposedly visited Baby Jesus with their gifts. But we’re not very religious and my father thought it was an odd, trendy name.”

Simon Thorn and the Shark’s Cave

Simon Thorn is just learning the rules of the Animalgam, a secret race of people who can shift into animals. After years of being bullied, he has finally found a group of friends. They attend the secret Animalgam academy, which is hidden beneath New York’s Central Park Zoo. Simon and his friends are looking for the pieces of a terrible weapon—the predator. They are determined to destroy the weapon before Simon’s grandfather, Orion, can use it to take over the Animalgam kingdom.

When Simon’s dolphin friend Jam is summoned home to the underwater kingdom, Simon decides it is the perfect time for him to search for a missing piece of the predator. Simon soon discovers that finding the piece will be harder than he thinks. There is a traitor among the underwater kingdom and Jam’s family has strict rules that cannot be broken. Can Simon and his friends find the piece before Orion?

The third book in the Simon Thorn series takes the reader on a fast-paced ride through the underwater world where sharks rule. Even though Simon is still looking for a piece of the predator, Simon Thorn and the Shark’s Cave doesn’t simply repeat the events of previous books. Instead, the story focuses on Jam’s strict, military family and the dangers that lurk underwater. Even though the story has many of the same characters, Jam’s family is introduced, and with that come new complications.

Simon Thorn’s world is unique, dangerous, and utterly captivating. The characters are distinct, well-developed, and interesting. Simon is surrounded by a host of Animalgam with questionable intentions as well as two villains who are willing to kill him to gain power. The story highlights the dangers of one person having too much power. Simon thinks that even if someone wants peace, tyranny is not the way to gain it because “there will always be good people who rise up against tyrants and murderers regardless of what it cost them.”

The story highlights the importance of learning from mistakes as well as forgiveness. While in the underwater world, Simon gets a glimpse of the negative aspects of sexism, especially how it affects Jam’s sisters. Simon’s friend Felix points out that Simon is unique because, “You meet someone and you see who they are, not what they are. You got any idea how rare that is, kid?”

The Simon Thorn series must be read in order because the plot builds on previous books. However, readers who have read the first two books in the series will not be disappointed in this installment. New characters, new adventures, and new dangers arise in Simon Thorn and the Shark’s Cave. The fast-paced action and plot twists will keep readers engaged until the very end. The Simon Thorn series gives readers a relatable hero who will do whatever it takes to keep his family and friends safe.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • A group of falcons chases after Nolan and Simon, who were flying in bird form. A falcon catches Simon’s wing and “Burning pain tore through his shoulder, and Simon cried out as his body spun wildly, careening toward a nearby window. . .” Simon “pushed his wing directly into the falcon’s path, throwing his opponent off balance as it tried to avoid a direct collision. Simon caught the falcon by the tail feathers and, using the golden eagle’s strength to his advantage, he spun the falcon toward the nearest roof as hard as he could.” When a falcon goes after Nolan, Simon “Caught up to it, and he grabbed it by the wings and pulled up with all his strength, throwing the smaller bird into the empty sky and away from the struggling golden eagle.”
  • Winter and another girl, Nixie, get into a fight. “Nixie let out a shriek that echoed throughout the cavern, and she shoved Winter backward. Simon caught her before she could fall. . . Winter screeched and charged straight for Nixie, tackling her.” The girls fall into shallow water.
  • Sharks attack a group of dolphin Animalgams. Simon watched as “a tiger shark nearly took a chunk out of Jam’s tail, and only then did he pull himself out of his stupor and rush toward the action, letting out a fierce cry. . .” Simon barreled “though a group of sharks like a bowling ball crashing through pins. . . He chomped down on a bull shark first, and while he’d only grabbed a fin, the shark squealed and swam out of the fight.” A great white goes after Jam, and the General enters the fight. “The great white’s teeth sank into the General’s dolphin body instead, and the General let out a scream that chilled Simon to the bode.” A jellyfish squirts ink into the water, and the fight ends. The fight lasts three pages.
  • An underwater soldier arrests Simon and “in one swift motion, she caught Simon’s wrists and bound them together with a zip tie. . .” Jam helps Simon escape. “One second she was slipping the zip tie over Jam’s wrists, and the next, he lurched forward, shoving her into the wall. . . when Jam backed away, her hands were bound together, not his. . .” Simon and Nolan escape.
  • When Simon tries to leave the underwater compound, the sharks Al and Floyd decide Simon will make a good snack and try to eat him. “Al rammed into him, knocking his smaller dolphin body off course. Simon’s side exploded in pain, and he spun around wildly until he wasn’t sure which way was up . . .” Floyd caught “Simon by the tail and flinging him back toward Al. His sharp teeth dug into Simon’s dolphin skin, but it was a scratch at best. . . Al’s tail made contact with his head. Dizzy and disoriented, Simon floated in water without moving, his thoughts scrambled and pain pouring through him in every direction.” Simon begins sinking to the seafloor unconscious, and then someone rescues him. The shark fight scene takes place over two pages.
  • While scuba diving in the ocean, a shark Animalgam sees Simon and hits him. “Simon flew backwards. His mouthpiece fell out, and he tried to reach for it, only to be yanked back by his oxygen tank a second time.” A second great white shark appears and helps Simon when “It chomped down on the first shark’s tail, and she let out a bloodcurdling shriek. . . the second shark sinking its teeth into her twice more, and during those precious seconds while she wasn’t paying attention, Simone used the last of his energy to propel himself toward the mouthpiece.” The attacking shark is chased away.
  • Orion killed an Animalgam, but the death is not described. Simon sees Orion with “his hands clasped around the delicate neck of a dead peregrine falcon.”
  • Simon snuck into Orion’s camp to talk to his mother. While he was there, “suddenly two large human hands grabbed him, pinning his wings to his side. Instinctively Simon struggled against the grip, squawking and snapping his beak at the strong fingers around his feathered body, but there was no give.” Orion threatens to kill Simon’s mother, who is chained up so she can’t escape. At one point, Orion lifts “the knife threateningly, the tip pointed toward Simon’s mother.” Ariana in spider form bites Orion, and they are able to escape. Before they leave, Ariana gives Orion an antidote so he doesn’t die. The scene takes place over five pages.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Simon tells his brother, “You’re an idiot.”
  • Simon calls shouts at some falcons, “Hey, birdbrains!” Later a student called Simon “birdbrain.”
  • Winter calls the general of the underwater kingdom a jerk. Later Simon tells one of Jam’s sisters that “You should think about not being such a jerk to him all of the time.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • The story revolves around Animalgams, “human[s] who could not only talk to animals, but developed the ability to turn into one, too.” This ability is passed down by family. “Nearly all Animalgams could only shift into a single animal, and they belonged to one of the five Animalgam kingdoms: mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, or underwater creatures.” Nolan and Simon are special; they can shift into any animal.

A Tale Dark & Grimm

Hansel and Gretel were once children who had to run away from their own scary story, but when they flee, they find eight other scary fairy tales that they must endure. As the children run, they encounter witches and warlocks, hunters with deadly aim, and a baker with ovens that are just right for baking children. . .

Gidwitz retells the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, plus expertly weaves pieces of other fairy tales into Hansel’s and Gretel’s story. Like the title suggests, Gidwitz’s version of Hansel and Gretel is both dark and grim. Many scenes are described in bloody detail, and there is no shortage of scary characters, including an evil witch, the moon, and the Devil. Parents and many adults are portrayed in a negative light, which is the main reason Hansel and Gretel continue to run away. They just can’t seem to find a family that has caring parents.

A Tale of Dark and Grimm describes a world full of terrible monsters, evil humans, and violent death. Readers who enjoy being frightened will want to jump into Hansel and Gretel’s fairy tale story. However, younger readers may be so frightened that they will crawl into their parents’ beds for many nights to come. This unique look at Hansel and Gretel will give readers a better understanding of the original fairy tales as well as add some surprising twists.

In the story, Johannes, a faithful servant, explains the importance of understanding others. He understood the king and queen in the “ancient sense. I understood. . . I planted my feet beneath them and took upon my shoulders their burden—their choice, their mistake, and their pain.” The story highlights the importance of forgiveness, but also acknowledges that a person may not be ready to forgive.

Throughout the story, the narrator breaks in and warns the reader about parts that may be upsetting. For example, Gidwitz writes, “if you’re feeling sick to your stomach because of all the blood, now’s a great time to stop.” The narrator’s voice adds humor as well as breaks up tense scenes. A Tale of Dark and Grimm is broken up into short, easy-to-read sections. A Tale of Dark and Grimm is highly entertaining, frightening, and at times humorous. Readers looking for a scary story will enjoy the Hansel and Gretel retelling and will cheer when the two children are able to defeat evil and finally return home.

Sexual Content

  • The king sees his servant, Johannes, bent over the unconscious queen, “and with his two rotten teeth, bit her lip until he drew blood. Then ever so tenderly, the unhandsome man sucked three drops of blood from her lips with his mouth.” Johannes did this because a prophecy told him it was the only way to save the queen’s life, but the king didn’t know this and sentences Johannes to death.

Violence

  • Johannes kills a horse because of a prophecy. Before the king could mount the horse, “Johannes slipped onto its back, drew a blade, and cut the horse’s throat, soaking its silken coat with warm, red blood. It collapsed to the ground in a heap.”
  • The king sentences Johannes to death. “The executioner lit his torch and brought it to the pyre, its sparks leaping eagerly at the dry timer. . .” Before the king can kill Johannes, Johannes reveals the prophecy and “when he had, he turned to stone, from the core of his heart to the top of his head. And he died.”
  • The king “beckoned Hansel and Gretel to his side, drew a sword from its place on the wall, and cut off their heads. Their lifeless bodies dropped to the floor.”
  • A woman tries to cook Hansel. She puts him in the oven. “He was cooking. And he did smell just like a chocolate cake, because he had eaten so much of it since coming to the baker woman’s house.” Hansel tricks the woman into coming into the oven, and he is able to escape and lock the woman inside. “The baker woman began to sweat more. Her face was burning.” Hansel ignores her pleas and leaves with his sister.
  • In order to open a door, Gretel “picked up a sliver of ice, as sharp as a knife, and brought it down on her middle finger, severing it from her hand. . . Gretel’s face was white and her voice trembled. . . She was bleeding swiftly from where the finger used to be, but she stood and walked, resolute and grim, to the door of the mountain.” She uses her finger to open the door.
  • While living in the wild, Hansel acts like a wild beast. One day after killing a dove, he returned home. “Blood covered his arms and his face, and he carried in his hands the broken, eviscerated carcass of the white dove. . . Then he looked down at the dead bird. He noticed that his arms were covered in blood, and his shirt was stained with a mix of blood and berry juice.”
  • A hunter sees Hansel, who looks like an animal-boy. The two stare at each other, and “there was a snap and a hiss like a snake. An arrow flew through the air—a straight, simple harbinger of death. Hansel watched it all the way to his chest, to exactly where his heart was. It buried itself there. He felt a searing bolt of pain and fell to the forest floor.” The hunter takes the beast-boy to town. “The huntsmen dug their knives into the beast’s skin just below the jaw and began to run their blades between the fur and flesh. Their hunting knives shone red as clumps of meat and animal hair stuck to their blades. . .” When they peel the skin back, they discover, “The blood-soaked form of a boy.” Gretel was freed from the body and given to a lord and a lady to care for.
  • A man was playfully throwing Gretel in the air, when she hit a branch. “She cried out in pain. When he lowered her to the ground, red blood was running in a narrow rivulet down her face. Her forehead had struck the branch and left a deep cut just above the eyebrow. She was having trouble seeing out of her left eye through the steady stream of blood. . .” Gretel meets a man who, “Invites girls to his house, and he reaches down their throats and rips their souls from their bodies, and he traps the souls in cages in the form of doves, to let them rot under his eaves. Then he hacks the girls’ bodies to pieces to make our supper.” She watches as the man, “threw the girl on the oaken table, and from a nearby cupboard produced a filthy iron cage. Then he reached his hand into the girl’s mouth until his arm was buried deep in her throat. Slowly, painfully, and with great struggle from the girl, he pulled forth a beautiful white dove. . .” Gretel watched the man “hack the girl’s body into bits and toss each piece in the boiling cauldron. The blunt butcher’s knife rose and fell, rose and fell. He licked the blood from his hands and sent piece after piece sailing into the pot.”
  • When Gretel tells the towns folk about a murder, “the young man leaped from his chair and began to chant the words of a dark curse, but before he could finish someone came up behind him and knocked him unconscious with a tray of sausages.”
  • A dragon attacks a village. “At the end of that first day, one town was utterly gone, and hundreds and hundreds of people were dead.”
  • The dragon comes back and attacks. “Its mouth opened wide and snapped down on a woman with a bow. She hadn’t even moved to defend herself. There hadn’t been time.” The dragon drinks wine that Hansel and Gretel left for him. When the dragon is drunk, Gretel hit it with an ax. “The dragon screamed. . . It pierced Gretel’s head like a spear.” The dragon chases Gretel, who scurries up a tree. “The dragon flew closer to Gretel. It snapped at her feet. Gretel could smell its hot, horrible breath; see the blood and the foam mingling between its long, sharp teeth; hear the beating of its enormous heart out of time with the beat of its enormous wings.” During a chase, Gretel “plunged the dagger into the dragon’s neck with all her might.” The dragon scene, which includes descriptions of the dead bodies, is described over 15 pages.
  • Gretel discovers that her father was the dragon, and chops off his head. “Hansel’s sword took off their father’s head at the neck and sent it rolling across the floor and into a corner of the room. The king’s headless body fell on top of Gretel.” A baby dragon climbs out of the king’s body, and “Hansel flung himself at it, striking its skeletal body with his sword. One furious blow broke its back. The next decapitated it completely. . . He raised the sword and brought it down again and again and again, until the evil little creature was nothing more than a mess of black, pulpy pieces on the floor.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Gretel sees a man who “Stood with the other men, drinking beer from a great mug and laughing about this and that.”
  • A lord had a secret weakness—gambling. “At night, he would sneak out of the house and go to alehouses to gamble.”
  • A village gives Hansel a gift—a cart filled with barrels of wine.

Language

  • A raven said, “good god, that’s terrible!”
  • The devil uses hell as a curse word three times. For example, when the Devil loses his glasses he asks, “Where the hell did I put them?” Another time Hansel, disguised as the Devil’s grandmother, pulls out a strand of the Devil’s hair. The Devil yells, “What in hell was that?”
  • The Devil yells at his grandmother, “Damn it, Grandmother! Can you stop your infernal singing for one bloody instant?”

Supernatural

  • Johannes’s stone statue tells the king how to save him. Johannes says, “You must cut off the heads of your children, and smear my statue with their blood. And then, and only then, will I return to life.”
  • After the king smeared Johannes’s statue with blood, Johannes came alive. Then he, “placed little Hansel’s head back on his body, and little Gretel’s head on hers, and instantly they began to leap and play as if nothing had happened, and as if they were not covered in blood.”
  • A man is upset with his sons and wishes “they would all just turn into birds and fly away” and they do. Later, they turn back into boys and return home.
  • When Hansel is injured, a man uses a piece of magical twine to heal the wound. He took the twine, and “wrapped it around her head, so that it ran crosswise over the cut. . . And when he took the twine away and wiped the blood form Gretel’s face, she saw that the bleeding had stopped and that her head no longer hurt at all.” Later in the story Gretel uses the twine to heal someone else.
  • Hansel travels to hell and jumps into the fire. “Pain. Greater pain than he could have imagined. Burning so terrible and unnatural that every inch of Hansel’s body screamed to get out of the fire. . .”
  • The moon is alive and likes to eat children.

Spiritual Content

  • The queen goes to church to pray. When she goes back to the castle, she told the king, “I can barely pray. I think only of Johannes and how we killed him.” After the queen agrees to kill their children, the king exclaimed, “Thank God you said that!”
  • When Hansel and Gretel meet a woman who lives in a candy house and feeds them well, Hansel asks, “Do you think this is Heaven?” Gretel replies, “It must be Heaven.”
  • A lord gambles with the devil. “If you gambled away to the devil. . . you are damned to excruciating pain for all eternity, no matter what you do, no matter how good you are, or how many times you ask, ‘Please pretty please with a cherry on top?’ the Devil will never, ever, let you out.”
  • When a dragon attacks a village, a woman says, “My priest said it was once a man, but now he’s possessed by a dragon-spirit.”
  • After the dragon attacks, the queen sees Hansel and Gretel. She runs to them and says, “Oh, thank God you’re safe!”
  • The queen goes to the church to pray. When she returns, she tells her children, “Oh, I can barely pray. I think only of the dragon, and of our poor kingdom.”

 

Knights vs. Monsters

A group of knights has fought dinosaurs, but now they are searching for the holy grail. Sirs Erec, Bors, Hector, the fearsome Black Knight Magdalena, and Mel the archer are all ready for a real adventure. So, when an enchanted ship appears, they do the only thing that makes sense—they board it.

The ship takes them to the Orkney Isles, where Queen Morgause plans their demise. Once the knights are out of the way, she can dethrone King Arthur. With the help of her children, Queen Morgause puts her plan into action. Each night when the sun sets, a mist will bring a hoard of monsters. As the knights face the monsters and try to keep the village safe, they must defeat a vampire, werewolves, ogres, and a host of other strange and terrible creatures.

The exploits of the knights began in Knights vs. Dinosaurs, but the tone of Knights vs. Monster is darker and more sinister. In order to kill the knights, Queen Morgause uses her black magic to conjure deadly monsters. While the first book in the series focused on the knights learning the importance of working together, Knights vs. Monster highlights the gloomy Scottish island, and a mother who is willing to sacrifice her children in order to gain more power. Adding Queen Morgause to the plot kills the humorous banter of the knights which helped make Knights vs. Dinosaurs so enjoyable.

Like the first book in the series, Knights vs. Dinosaurs blends graphic-style illustrations with a unique adventure. Black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout the pages, and there are several graphic-novel style battles that are illustrated over multiple pages. The story is fast-paced, gloomy, and full of surprises. However, some of the monsters seem out of place. For example, a vampire appears and bites a woman and Erec then conveniently steps in a sunbeam and disintegrates. Once the vampire disappears, there is no mention of what happens to the people who were bitten. The story arch ends abruptly, leaving the reader to wonder how the scenes fit into the overall story.

The knights engage in battle after battle, but unlike Knights vs. Dinosaurs, the characters do not learn from their experiences. The story ends with an epic battle that brings the villagers, the knights, and most of Queen Morgause’s children together to defeat evil. The introduction of the Scottish mythological creature the nuggle adds interest to the end battle. Knights vs. Dinosaurs should be read first, because it introduces all of the main characters, and understanding the characters’ backgrounds will increase the reader’s enjoyment. Even though Knights vs. Monsters has a darker tone, readers will still enjoy the action-packed scenes and the fight between good and evil. Anyone interested in King Arthur or the battle between good and evil should pick up Knights vs. Monsters; the unique story will not disappoint.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • While on a boat looking for the holy grail, monsters appear out of the mist. “An enormous hairy arm with fiendish claws burst from the mist and sliced Erec’s garment. . .”
  • As the Black Knight was searching, “an enormous tentacle whipped through the mist and wrapped around her legs, knocking her to the ground. She dropped her sword but still held the knife. The Black Knight slashed at the tentacle but could not quite reach it. . . An arrow pierced the tentacle. The mysterious beast roared.”
  • While at sea, a kraken attacks the ship. “The crew held on to whatever they could grab as the kraken pitched the ship through the air. It landed hard in the water, splintering on impact.”
  • After landing on an island, a brute kicked Erec.
  • Monsters attack a village, and the group of knights go to the village to help. “Screams, yells, gasps, and various breaking noises filled the thick air. They approached the village gate, and the strange mist swallowed them. Cries for help seemed to come from every direction.”
  • When Mordred tries to stop Mel from joining her friend in the fight, she shoots an arrow at him. “Mel’s arrow pinned Mordred’s sleeve to the oak wardrobe behind him.”
  • While helping the village, “Hundreds of small, big-eyed, biting creatures swarmed Erec, pulling his clothes, nibbling his ears, and dragging him backwards until he tumbled over the wall. . . Erec thrashed, tossing several beasties against the wall. But more came. More always came.”
  • A monster attacks Magdalena. “The monster growled, struggled to its feet, and swung its ax.” Bors joins the fight and “he buried his sword in the monster a second before its ax reached the Black Knight.”
  • During a conversation, Gareth calls Magdalena a traitor. Then, “Magdalena’s leg swiped out so fast no one was sure what happened. But Gareth was flat on his back in the road with Magdalena standing over him.”
  • Monsters take over the village at nighttime, and the knights try to defend the city. “Erec chased a nasty-looking goblin through the village, finally cornering it by a wall and slaying it. . .” As Erec walked towards a house with a lit candle, he saw Greer sleeping. “And a rail-thin, pale figure with a bald high-domed head, pointed ears, and wide eyes was leaning over her. Its lips parted, exposing two long, sharp fangs. With a rat-like squeak, the fiend bit Greer on the neck. . . Erec lunged, but the monster held up one hand, its long, spidery fingers outstretched. An invisible force threw Erec back.” The monster uses his magic to drag Erec around until Eric is able to break the spell. “It squealed as they scuffled. Erec got a few good punches in.” The fiend changed into a bat, bit Erec, and was eventually defeated when a sunbeam touched it. “The fiend disintegrated into a small pile of dust.” The scene takes place over five pages.
  • A man pressed a dagger against Erec’s throat.
  • The bi-clops wakes up and “its mighty hand shot out and grabbed Bors by the throat. Mel rolled out of the way as the bi-clops tossed Bors against the rocks. It stood and the monstrous head roared. . . The bi-clops lifted Bors off the ground, held him high above its heads, and prepared to throw him over the cliffs.” Mel shoots the bi-clops, and “the creature gasped, dropping Bors to the ground. For a moment it wavered, then fell by the rocks.” The battle takes place over three pages and when it is finished, Bors is back to himself.
  • A giant appears and threw a man over a hill. “More monsters came. They were all sizes and shapes. Some had flaming heads. Some had no heads at all. . . All stood frozen as the colossal, unspeakable horror oozed out of the rubble, tentacles flailing, the din of a thousand screams blasting out. . . The Horror rose to full height and then paused suddenly. . .The blade of a sword slicked out from inside the belly of the beast. The Black Knight emerged, covered in slime but victorious.” The battle takes place over three pages.
  • Using magic Queen Morgause “pointed at Gorp and flicked her wrist. Mist engulfed him in an instant, lifted him from the ground, and blew him over the cliff’s edge to the sea below. . . Morgause snapped her fingers. A galloping sound echoed from the moors. . .” Nuggles appear and when Queen Morgause runs, the knights climb on the nuggles’ backs and give chase. The scene takes place over seven pages.
  • When the knights chase Queen Morgause, a ship appears. When Mel tried to board the ship, “the nuggle dove under the waves. Mel slipped from its back, but the nuggle’s seaweed tail wrapped around her leg and dragged her down into the darkness.” Merlin appears and helps the knights.
  • Morgause creates a whirlpool, but Merlin “leapt from the boat. A great whale surfaced and Merlin landed upon its back, riding the whale toward Morgause and the whirlpool. . . the whale’s mighty tail slapping the water and knocking the nuggle over. Morgause and Mordred hung on. Merlin and the whale attacked again. As they fought, both the nuggle and the whale were sucked into the center of the whirlpool. It swirled and churned around them.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Bors calls one of his companions a “dunderhead.”
  • Bors tells Erec, “But you’re out as leader if you make any boneheaded decisions.”

Supernatural

  • The group of knights takes a ride on an enchanted ship.
  • A man transforms into a beast. “The man’s tunic was, in fact, ripping open, his body contorting, fur sprouting all over him. His nose had grown long like a snout, his eyes turned golden, his teeth sharpened into fangs.”
  • Some of the monsters include a vampire, sword-wielding skeletons, and winged harpies. Mordred makes a potion that turns Hector into a bi-clops, which is a two-headed cyclops.
  • Queen Morgause goes into the center of the circle of stones and uses magic. “She raised her arms slightly, and the stones began to glow with a sickly green light. Mist swirled at her feet, rising slowly from the ground.”
  • Queen Morgause conjured nuggles, which are like horses but “its hooves were webbed and clawed. But it was the eyes that most set the creature apart. The eyes of the beast were not at all the kind, thoughtful eyes of a horse. They were black, empty, remorseless eyes of a shark.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

Spy Runner

Jake McCauley is proud to be an American. He’s proud of his country because America is a country where liberty, justice, and truth prevail. Everyone must do their part to keep America free from communists. Everyone—his classmates, his teachers, and the adults around him—are on the lookout for communist and Russian spies.

But Jake has another reason to fear Russia. His father went missing 12 years ago during World War II. Jake is convinced that the Russians took his dad to a secret facility. Every morning, when his class says the pledge of allegiance, Jake secretly says another pledge— “I pledge to save my dad from the Russians and bring him home so my dad and mom and I can be a regular family like we’re supposed to be in America.”

From the very first page, Spy Runner captures the reader’s attention and takes them on a heart-stopping, action-packed journey where no one can be trusted—not even those closest to Jake. When Jake’s mom takes in a Russian boarder, Jake is determined to prove the man is a spy. Jake uses all the knowledge he’s gained from the Spy Runner comic books to stalk his target and accidentally finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue—a world he doesn’t understand. Soon the Russian spy, G-men, and a fat man with gold teeth are all hot on Jake’s trail. Jake must face unexpected enemies, men who are willing to kill, and even his own classmates.

Through Jake’s eyes, readers will gain a new understanding of the Cold War and the paranoia that surrounded communism. As Jake is persecuted by his own classmates, he comes to understand that anyone can be considered a communist; even those who have the audacity to discuss the constitution. Although Spy Runner shows the atmosphere of the time, the story is light on historical details that would help younger readers fully understand the Cold War. Though a highly entertaining story, Yelchin’s story parallels the current political climate and highlights the dangers of having a divided country.

Spy Runner moves quickly, and throughout Jake’s journey, he is beaten, battered, and almost killed several times. Jake continues to run from the adults who are trying to help him—mostly because he believes everything that he has read in spy comics and he had no idea who to trust. Younger readers will relate to Jake’s inability to know what to do, and his desire to do what is right. Spy Runner is an action-packed story that has more suspense than violence and will keep readers guessing until the very end. Because the story details the paranoia and propaganda of the cold war, Spy Runner is best suited for middle-grade readers.

 Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • After a Russian man moves into Jake’s house, his classmates think Jake is a “dirty communist” and beat him up. “Duane was on his back, flailing his arms, and Jake straddling his chest, leaned away so as not to be hit in the face. . . Duane yanked his hand from Jake and when he let it go, Duane’s fist bounced back, whacking himself hard on the nose.” During the fight, “Jake thrashed under the blows of the boys’ sharp fists and knees and elbows. . . The boys scattered, leaving Jake rolled into a quivering ball in the aisle.”
  • When the Russian man, Shubin, leans back in a rocking chair, Jake “slid his foot below the rocker blade nearer to him, and gave it a slight push upward. He missed seeing Shubin go down because he was shooting back to where he sat before, but he did hear the crash.
  • Men in a Buick chase Jake. When Jake hides in an alley, someone “yanked him toward the wall. A large hand slapped over his mouth, stifling his scream. The Buick burst into the alley. The person squashed Jake against his body and stepped into the shadows. The Buick roared by.”
  • Jake snatches an envelope from a man named Bull. “Then all at once a sharp pain shot through Jake’s chest. Somehow he was not standing anymore but lying on the sidewalk, and Bull was looming over him, and the envelope was under his arm again.” The contents of the envelope fall out and both Jake and Bull tried to pick them up. “Bull’s left hand did something to Jake again. Sharp pain shooting through Jake’s chest made him blackout, and when he opened his eyes, he was ten feet way from Bull, flat on his back, wedged between the trash can and the lamppost.”
  • While his friend is in a parade, Jake tries to get his attention, but “a trombone slide bashed him from behind and he dropped the baton and went down. . .” A float almost runs over him, but he isn’t injured.
  • After a man overhears Shubin talking about the constitution, the man “accidentally” shoves a hot bowl of beans into his lap.
  • Someone smacks Jake over the head and kidnaps him. When Jake wakes up, “The left side of his face was throbbing with pain. He tried to rub at his temple, but could not lift his arms. A thick rope twined around his arms, chest, thighs, and shins, bounding them to the folding chair.” When agents arrive, shots are fired, and “Jake’s eyes darted from the window toward Bull’s thick, stubby fingers, bleeding from the shattered glass, and watched in horror as they closed around [Jake’s] neck. Bull’s thumbs kneaded the front of Jake’s throat, feeling for something, found it, and began pressing down on his windpipe, first lightly then harder and harder.” There are more gunshots before the agents are able to free Jake.
  • Jake causes the car he’s riding in to crash. “The Cadillac careened across the center lane. . . The windshield buckled, sagged inward, and exploded into a million sparking fragments. Another vehicle smashed into the Cadillac from the rear. The Cadillac spun in place, flinging shards of glass in all directions.” When help arrives, Jake sees the man’s body being passed through the gaping windshield.”
  • While at his house, Bull breaks in. “Startled, Jake peered at the enormous white potbelly sagging over the handle of a gun stuck behind the trousers’ belt. Before he could scream, Bull snatched Jake by the shirtfront, yanked him into the room, whooshed him round, and squashed his neck in the crook of his arm. . . Jake thrashed wildly in Bull’s iron grip. A flash. A loud blast. The ceiling globe exploded. Bull crushed Jake’s neck harder. . . Choking, Jake grasped Bull’s forearm with both hands, trying to push the gun away from his mother. The gun went off again.” As others try to help Jake, “rapid gunfire popped from several directions. A bullet whizzed by and slugged into the wall above Jake’s head, spraying plaster in all directions.” Bull is eventually handcuffed and taken away. No one is seriously injured. The scene takes place over five pages.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • When Jake is kidnapped, he sees “drained beer bottles” in the place he is being held.
  • A person tells Jake about a conversation he had with Jake’s father “over a cold beer.”

Language

  • Heck is used three times; damn, darn, and crap are all used once.
  • Jake’s mom and a man were carrying a trunk. When the trunk slips out of Jake’s mom’s hand, the man says, “What the hell?”
  • Jake thinks the Russian man is “clearly a jerk.” Later, the Russian says that some of the kids that hit Jake were “jerks.”
  • Jake calls his friend a fool.
  • When Jake’s mom sees Jake injured, she asks, “My God, who did this to you?”
  • A man tells Jake, “aircrafts are better than people. Better than those morons who are supposed to protect them, that’s for damn sure.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

Nothing ever happens in Toby’s small Texas town. When Zachary Beaver comes to town, almost everyone is willing to give up their money to see the “fattest boy in the world” who weighs over 600 pounds. Toby and his best friend Cal try to befriend the boy, who says he’s been everywhere including Paris. Toby realizes that most people only see Zachary’s large size, not the sad boy underneath.

Zachary isn’t the only thing on Toby’s mind. Everyone seems to be leaving. His mother leaves home to chase her dream of being a country singer. His best friend Cal’s older brother is fighting in the Vietnam war. Toby doesn’t want anyone to know that his mom isn’t coming back, so he makes up a crazy tale. It is then that Toby realizes that he and Zachary might not be so different after all.

Set during the Vietnam era, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town gives the reader a glimpse into life in a small Texas town, where everyone knows everyone. Although Zachary Beaver is the main focus of the story, there are other subplots that weave their way into the story. Toby is dealing with teen love, his mother leaving, as well as his best friend fighting in a war and eventually being killed.

Even though all of the events are told in a kid-friendly manner, many younger readers will find the character-driven story less than exciting. The beginning of the story introduces many, many characters who are difficult to remember. Toby, who tells his story, is interesting and brings humor to the story. Even though the story is told by a 12-year-old narrator, the story deals with some heavy topics including feelings of abandonment, death, dementia, and forgiveness.

Readers will eventually fall in love with Toby and the community; however, readers who are looking for an action-packed adventure will be disappointed in When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. The story highlights the importance of not judging others and forgiveness. The ending of the story will leave readers in tears as it highlights the importance of striving to make your dreams come true. There is a reason When Zachary Beaver Came to Town is taught in schools—it gives readers a picture of the time period as well as teaches important life lessons.

Sexual Content

  • Toby makes a joke about Miss Myrtie Mae who wears a “wide-brim straw hat.” Toby says it’s to “protect her virgin skin.” Cal laughs, “That ain’t the only thing virgin about her.”
  • Toby talks to a girl he has a crush on. He thinks, “I want to reach for her, pull her toward me, and tell her it will be all right. I want to smooth her hair, massage her neck, kiss her toes. Instead, I wrap my arms around my knees.” They dance and then she “kisses me on the cheek.”
  • After Toby accidentally sprays himself with a girl’s perfume, someone tells him, “You smell like a French prostitute.”

Violence

  • Some kids start hitting Zachary’s trailing and yelling insults, so Cal and Toby throw rocks at them.  Toby’s “rock sails through the air and hits a perfect target. Mason’s hands fly to his porky bottom. ‘Ow!’ When Cal hits Simon Davis’s leg, Simon takes off crying, his hand pressed against his thigh.” Toby and Cal accidentally break a window.
  • Cal rides his bike to the lake, hoping to outrun Toby. When Toby appears, Cal kicked water in his face. When Toby doesn’t leave, Cal “slugs me on the arm. I still don’t move and he punches me again. My arm throbs in pain.” The two friends make peace.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • One of the adult characters, Ferris, got a tattoo when he was drunk. “He said he got them the night he met Jim Beam. Cal thought he was talking about a real person until I explained that Jim Beam was whiskey and Ferris was drunk as a skunk when he got the tattoos. That was before Ferris met Jesus and got religion.”
  • While the townspeople are at a funeral, Ferris stays in his restaurant and gets drunk. He tells Toby, “Don’t ever start drinking, Toby. Next to money, it’s the root of all evil.”
  • Cal gets a letter from his brother who is fighting in the Vietnam war. His brother writes, “it doesn’t seem like anyone wants us here. Not even the people we’re protecting. They just want to sell us cigarettes, booze, and anything else we’re willing to put down our money for.”

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Before Ferris was hurt, he “wanted to be a preacher. He even went a semester to a Bible college in Oklahoma. Now he never goes to church, but Mom says he knows the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.”
  • Ferris owns a restraint and his “chalkboard hangs near the kitchen window behind the counter. . . Beneath the menu is the daily Bible verse. ‘It is an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.’ Proverbs 20:3. Mom says some people wear their religion on their sleeves. Ferris posts his on the chalkboard.”
  • Toby includes Wayne, a boy who is fighting in the Vietnam War, in his nightly prayers.
  • Toby asks about baptism. Miss Myrtie Mae tells him, “The good Lord knows what state our mind is in when we make such a commitment. But it’s a wonderful commitment, Tobias. The Christian life is not an easy life, but it brings such joy. And of course, there is the gift of eternal life.” She then tells him the steps involved and hands him a paper with John 3:16 written on it.
  • Toby prepares to baptize Zachary, in case Ferris doesn’t show up to perform the ceremony. Toby reads the Bible looking for a verse. “But as I read the story, I forget about searching for verses. I read that Jesus goes to John the Baptist and asks to be baptized, but John doesn’t think he’s worthy enough to baptize Jesus. Then Jesus says, ‘Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.’ So, John baptizes him.” Toby calls Ferris and tells him to read the verse.
  • Zachary is baptized. As part of the ceremony, he must agree to “take the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.”

Bella the Bunny Fairy

Rachel and Kirsty hide Easter eggs for a neighbor’s party. When the party guests arrive and start looking for eggs, they keep seeing a bunny that changes colors. Rachel and Kristy think the bunny is one of the fairy’s pets. Jack Frost was upset that he didn’t have a pet, and he kidnapped several magical animals that belonged to the Pet Fairies. Can Rachel and Kirsty save the bunny from Jack Frost’s goblins?

Bella the Bunny Fairy combines fairies, animals, and a villain to create an easy-to-read story that will engage young readers. Although the stories are formulaic, younger readers will enjoy the cute fairies, and guessing what the goblins will do next. Rachel and Kirsty are good role models because they are kind to others, help their neighbors, and are able to save the day.

Bella the Bunny Fairy is perfect for readers who are just beginning to read chapter books. The story has easy vocabulary, short sentences, and cute black and white illustrations on every page. The story has a simple storyline with a non-frightening villain. There are seven books in the Pet Fairies series as well as a Sports Fairies series, the Fairy Tale Fairies series, and Special Editions. Although the stories have some of the same characters, the books do not have to be read in sequence. Bella the Bunny Fairy will delight younger readers, who will want to read every book in the series because the stories are so much fun.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Goblins make a hole and cover it with leaves to trap Rachel and Kirsty. The girls fall into the trap.
  • The goblins fall into their own trap. “They fell on top of the twigs and leaves in a heap. A second later, the covering gave way. Yelping, the goblins all tumbled into the hole.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • The goblins argue and call each other names, including, “coward,” “scaredy-cat,” and “klutz.”

Supernatural

  • A fairy uses magic dust. “She lifted her wand, and a shower of golden sparkles floated down onto the girls. Rachel and Kirsty held their breath as they shrank to fairy size, and glittering wings appeared on their backs.”
  • A fairy uses her wand to send a message to a bunny. “Lifting her wand, she began to write in the air. Like a sparkler, the wand left a glittering trail of bright blue letters.”
  • A fairy wants to fix a box so a rabbit can’t escape. “Then Bella waved her wand. A cloud of dazzling sparkles swirled around the box, making it whole again.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Caterpillar Summer

Eleven-year-old Cat is used to taking care of her younger brother, Chicken. She knows that he isn’t like other seven-year-olds. Cat understands that Chicken gets upset easily; He doesn’t like loud noises, tags in his shirt, or being called Henry. Sometimes he acts out, and Cat has become an expert at calming him.

Cat is looking forward to spending three weeks in Atlanta. Unexpectedly their plans change, and Cat and Chicken go to stay with their grandparent that they have never met. She isn’t excited about spending time with her mother’s estranged parents, Lily and Malcon. She doesn’t think they can take care of Chicken as well as she can. But as she adjusts to her grandparents and life on an island, Cat realizes it has been a long time since she has been able to be a kid. The more that she learns about her grandparents, the more she wonders why her grandparents haven’t been a part of her life.

Beautifully written, Caterpillar Summer is written from Cat’s point of view and does an excellent job putting Cat’s emotions into language that younger readers can understand. Her mother works hard to provide for the family, and her father has died, which leaves Cat in charge of her brother. Cat is a remarkably relatable character, who clearly loves her brother, but gets frustrated that she must always watch him. As Cat learns to trust her grandparents to care for Chicken, she is given more freedom and becomes aware of her own needs. Because of her newfound independence, she learns the importance of advocating for herself.

Readers will also love Chicken, who loves sharks and who wants to do things his way. Cat soon learns that her overprotective nature has not allowed Chicken to solve his own problems. And although Chicken needs to be watched over, he also needs to be able to interact with others and solve conflicts on his own. In addition to the lovable characters, the story also has cute black and white illustrations of a chicken and a caterpillar that connect to the characters and help the reader understand the conflict between the two siblings.

The story focuses on family relationships and the misunderstandings that can lead to lasting hurt. The story also hints at the difficulties biracial children encounter. The story is realistic and shows the complicated nature of family relationships. Themes of family love, forgiveness, and friendship are woven through the story. As Cat meets new people, she learns that people are “good and bad, at the same time.” Readers will come away understanding that all people have good qualities and bad qualities.

McDunn uses beautiful language and well-developed realistic characters to create an honest story about families. There are several scenes that are funny, some scenes that are heartwarming, and some that will make readers grab a tissue. Even though the story is written using easy vocabulary and simple sentences, many younger readers may not connect with the story because of the lack of action. If you are interested in action, adventure or fantasy, Caterpillar Summer will not appeal to you. Readers interested in realistic fiction will definitely find Caterpillar Summer worth reading. If you like Caterpillar Summer, you may also want to read Bob by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • While at the library, Chicken and another boy get in an argument. The boy’s sister says, “Neddie told me he grabbed Chicken’s book, but Chicken wouldn’t let go. When Neddie lost his grip he smacked himself in the nose with his own hand.”
  • While on the merry-go-round, Chicken falls off and “then a foot thwacked him in the eye. He rolled onto his back.”
  • Cat sees two boys kicking their brother.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Cat’s grandfather tells her, “My plan for your mom’s life did not include a husband and a child, living on the other side of the dadgum country.”
  • Heck is used twice.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Night of the Zombie Zookeeper

Welcome to Kersville, a town with a spooky history and a collection of ghosts and spirits who are major mischief-makers. Most kids spend their days without ever seeing or dealing with a ghost, but some kids get stuck with a haunt. When that happens, they call Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol. There’s no job too spooky, icky, or risky for Desmond.

Andres Miedoso is not like that at all. He’s Desmond’s best friend and ghost patrol partner. Desmond Cole and he are excited to go on a field trip to the zoo. They have planned out each and every exhibit they want to go to. They want to make sure they see all the animals. When the field trip day comes, they head to the back of the zoo. But when they see a zombie feeding the giraffes, their plan goes out the window. Instead of enjoying the animals, they’re chasing a zombie.

When it comes to Desmond Cole and Andres, they are opposites. Desmond wants to chase after the zombie, while Andres wants to run in the other direction. Readers will love the two boys who chase the zombie around the zoo. The story has suspense, humor, and a little bit of gross factor—the zombie accidentally dumps goo on Andres. Even though the story features a zombie, it is not scary. Instead, Desmond and Andres discover that zombies make great zookeepers. After all, zombies “don’t mind cleaning up the really stinky number twos! Also, zombies are never grossed out by the slimy, icky food they have to feed the animals.”

Night of the Zombie Zookeeper is the fourth installment in the Desmond Cole series, however, none of the books need to be read in order. The story is told in nine short chapters with easy-to-read vocabulary which is perfect for emerging readers. A black-and-white illustration appears on almost every page. The often humorous illustrations use exaggerated facial expressions so readers can tell what the characters are feeling. Readers will laugh as Desmond and Andres find themselves in unexpected situations. Readers who enjoy Night of the Zombie Zookeeper should also try the Notebook of Doom series by Troy Cummings.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • A zombie goes underneath water without scuba gear.

Spiritual Content

  • None

Simon Thorn and the Viper’s Pit

Simon Thorn recently discovered that he is an Animalgam, a secret race of people who can change into animals. Now Simon is going to school at a secret Animalgam academy, which is hidden under the Central Park Zoo. Even though Simon does not get along with his newly discovered Animalgam brother, he makes some true friends as he learns about his new power and learns how to fight.

But life still has challenges. Simon’s evil grandfather, Orion, killed Simon’s uncle and took his mother captive. Orion wants to rule over all Animalgams, but to do so, he needs to find all of the pieces of the predator—a terrible weapon that will change the Animalgam world forever. In order to stop this, Simon is determined to find his mother and the pieces of the predator. Simon and his friends head across the country, battling not only the bird kingdom but rogue Animalgams as well. Can Simon and his friends work together to overcome dangerous enemies, torn loyalties, and unexpected setbacks?

Simon Thorn and the Viper’s Pit has the same cast of characters as the first book in the series and adds a few interesting new characters. Each character has their own unique ability, which allows them to work as a team to get out of dangerous situations. As the kids race across the country, they must avoid the bird kingdom as well as other mammals. This conflict adds non-stop action that involves more running away than actual fighting. At one point along the way, Simon is told, “Life is hard, and it changes in ways we don’t want or expect. Running away isn’t the answer. We have to find the good in what we have, and we have to appreciate it. Otherwise you’re never going to be happy no matter where you are.”

Simon and Winter, who are the most developed characters, add an interesting contrast. Simon is an extremely likable character, who has compassion for others and wants to do what is right. On the other hand, Winter’s prickly personality and insecurities are more consistent with a rebellious teenager. Simon and the others stick by Winter’s side even though she is at times difficult to deal with. The friends’ interactions highlight the importance of individuality and accepting yourself. After all, “When it comes to you, the only opinion that matters is your own.”

Aimee Carter brings the complex Animalgam’s world into sharp focus as she creates well-developed characters that are unique. The action-packed sequel to Simon Thorn and the Wolf’s Den is just as amazing as the first book. Readers will enjoy the non-stop action and will root for Simon and his friends as they try to defeat an evil villain. Simon Thorn and the Viper’s Pit takes the reader on an exciting adventure that focuses on friendship, loyalty, and family. Readers will not be able to stop turning the pages of the Simon Thorn series, so make sure you have the next book in the series, Simon Thorn and the Shark’s Cave.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • After a boy makes mean remarks, Simon “launched himself at the bigger boy with a feral cry. Garrett fell, his elbows knocking against the wooden floor with a hard crack. Simone scrambled over him trying to pin his legs and arms, but before he could get any kid of grip, Garrett began to shift.” Garrett turns into a mountain lion, shoves Simon, and taunts him. “Simon wheezed, struggling to breathe as his vision went red.” Simon’s uncle, in wolf form, appears and, “tackled the mountain lion, sending Garrett flying.” The fight then ends. The fight scene takes place over three pages.
  • During a school match, Nolan changes into a wolf, and “in a flurry of fur and teeth, Nolan snarled and jumped, his paws landing against Jam’s chest as they fell to the ground. Jam’s glasses flew off into the sand, and Nolan bared his teeth an inch from Jam’s throat. While he didn’t bite him, Jam winced with pain, and Simon noticed the wolf’s claws digging deep into Jam’s black uniform.” Jam’s shirt is ripped, but he is not injured. Simon jumps in and stops the fight.
  • When a man tries to capture Simon, he aimed “a swift kick at Perrin’s knee before taking a sharp turn into the park. Perrin howled with pain.” Simon is able to run away.
  • When Perrin grabs Simon, Simon’s mouse, Felix, helps him. “Simon turned his head just in time to see Felix sink his teeth into the soft space between Perrin’s thumb and finger. With a cry, Perrin released his grip, snatching his hand away.” One of Simon’s friends turns into a snake, and Perrin “snatched the snake out of the air and hurled her against the wall. She hit the brick with a sick crack, and there was a loud ringing in Simon’s ears as panic overtook him.” Simon is able to escape, and he takes the unconscious snake with him.
  • Simon is on a train that makes a stop. While Simon is walking, “he was pulled through the door and off the train, spilling out onto the cold, dark platform. Simon fought his abductor with all his might, kicking and yelling into the warm palm stifling his cries for help. He struggled against the unyielding grip that held him in place on the platform, but it was no use.”
  • When Perrin again tries to capture Simon, “the humans formed a ring around Simon and his friends, and the adults began to shift. . . Talons clawed at fur, teeth ripped out feathers, and in the midst of it all, Simon saw the woman leap from the dusty street toward Perrin, shifting into a red fox in midair.” Perrin is able to escape uninjured, but when he comes back, Simon turns into an eagle and attacks. Simon “caught Perrin’s wing and dragged him back toward the brawl in town. . . he flung Perrin’s delicate bird body toward a waiting coyote. . . But at last Perrin spread his wings, catching a current before the coyote could take a bite out of him.” Perrin flees and Simon is safe.
  • When Malcom goes to get Simon and his friends, some of the mammals try to stop them. Malcom shifts into a wolf, and a man pulls a gun. “But before his fingers could curl into claws, Jam appeared behind Keval and kicked him between the legs. Hard. Keval cried out and dropped the gun. . .a cottonmouth snake struck Keval’s exposed ankle with a hiss, and a shiny black spider appeared on his collar and sank her fangs into his neck.” Keval collapses, and the kids are able to escape.
  • When a man catches Simon, he “pulled a long knife with a jagged edge and rested it against Simon’s throat. . . He could feel the sharp edge of the blade pressing against his skin, only a slip away from opening an artery, and the fiery knot in his chest constricted.”
  • Simon’s mother tries to keep Orion from hurting Simon. “His mother slammed into Orion, and together they tangled as they half flew, half fell. . . Simone spotted a figure he thought might be a golden eagle crumpled on the ground.”
  • Malcom finds the reptiles that are holding Simon and his friends captive. The reptiles hand the kids over to Celeste, and “In a flurry of howls and growls, the mammals shifted and launched themselves at the reptiles. . . Celeste yanked Simon backward toward the elevators. He stumbled and tried to grab hold of a nearby couch to resist, but Celeste dragged him to the doors and jabbed the button. . . an armadillo and a badger raced towards them, and they too jumped onto the wolf’s back. Celest screamed, and Simon darted past her and down the corridor.”
  • A man turns into a poisonous snake and bites Simon’s friends. When he corners Simon, someone hits the man, whose “expression went blank, and seemingly in slow motion, crumpled to the floor.” Simon’s friends are given the antidote.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • Another student calls Simon a “birdbrain.”
  • Twice someone is called a “jerk.”

Supernatural

  • The story revolves around Animalgams, “a human who could not only talk to animals, but developed the ability to turn into one, too.” This ability is passed down by family. “Nearly all Animalgams could only shift into a single animal, and they belonged to one of the five Animalgam kingdoms: mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, or underwater creatures.” Nolan and Simon are special, they can shift into any animal.

Spiritual Content

  • None

 

 

 

The Prince Problem

Prince Telmund loves to read fables. But in every fable, the oldest children are always bullies. That’s why Telmund was just a little upset when his youngest brother was born. One day, Telmund was racing around, trying to keep his little brother out of trouble, when a nasty witch accused Telmund of being a bully. In an effort to teach Telmund a lesson, the witch cursed him. Now, every time he falls asleep, he will transform into a different type of animal.

Princess Amelia doesn’t care for fairy tales, but she loves facts. The practical princess has a wide range of skills, but none of them will help her escape the ball her parents have planned. Her idealistic parents want Amelia to choose her future husband. Amelia’s parents believe in love at first sight and happily ever after’s. Amelia knows that bad things happen. That’s why she isn’t surprised when Prince Sheridan has her kidnapped.

When Prince Telmund discovers that Princess Amelia is in trouble, he vows to save the princess. But how can a dreamer prince with no skills save the day? Is there any way the two can work together and defeat the dangerous Prince Sheridan?

The Prince’s Problem is a fun, imaginative twist on a fairy tale that has interesting, well-developed characters. When Telmund changes into different animals, he understands that he has the instinct of the animal, and although he understands this, he cannot ignore the animal instincts. Seeing the world through the animal’s point of view adds interest and humor to the story. When Telmund discovers a princess in trouble, he’s determined to help despite his transformations. Telmund wanted to be “like the heroes in stories, who do brave deeds, who help those in need, who keep trying and never give up, and who are unmindful of what danger they might get into if they do the right thing.”

Amelia is not a typical princess. Instead of dresses and jewels, she’s interested in learning about facts. Although she is unconscious for the first part of the story, when she finally awakens, she comes across as a bit bossy. However, as the story progresses, she learns to respect Telmund despite his idealistic nature. When Amelia and Telmund interact, comical misunderstandings and mayhem arise.

In the end, both Amelia and Telmund learn the importance of understanding others, and that “it is unfair to make judgments based on appearance.” Unlike most fairy tales, the prince and the princess must work together. They must use both facts and fairy tale bravery in order to save each other. Although the story is a bit predictable, reading The Prince’s Problem is enjoyable because of the unique aspects of Amelia and Telmund. For those wanting a fresh look at a fairy tale, The Prince’s Problem will entertain and delight.

Sexual Content

  • A prince that wants to marry Princess Amelia, “gave her a light kiss on the throat as though to seal the bargain. She knew that—in the way of marriages arranged for diplomacy and alliances—there often was a big difference in the ages between the partners. The knowledge didn’t help. Prince Sheridan was her parents’ age, and his intentionally menacing yet flirtatious manner was unsettling. She rubbed her wrist over the spot as though she could wipe the kiss away.”

Violence

  • When Telmund is a rat, floating down a river, a boy begins throwing stones at him.
  • When Telmund is a rabbit, a cat chases him, but Telmund is able to hide under a log. “Telmund pressed his back to the space where ground and log met, and ducked his head. The claws touched his whiskers, but not enough to catch hold of him. The cat hissed and scratched at the dirt.” A fairy saves Telmund.
  • Amelia is outside the castle when “she heard the crunch of a footstep behind her. Before she could turn, someone had one arm around her waist and the other around her neck, with his hand over her so that she couldn’t scream—his dirty, foul-smelling hand. No, it was a dirty, foul-smelling cloth that someone was holding over her face.” The cloth had Henbane on it, which caused Amelia’s, “senses swirled dizzying, and the last thing she was aware of was her legs collapsing under her.”
  • While riding in the back of a wagon, Amelia sees Telmund, and she assumes he is a villain. “She shoved, and he toppled off the edge of the wagon and onto the road, headfirst. He didn’t get back up. Amelia hoped, in a fuzzy sort of way, that she hadn’t killed him—even if he was a villain.”
  • When Telmund is a chicken, someone “slipped a sack over his head” intending to eat him.
  • Amelia smacked Telmund on the arm.
  • Amelia is able to escape her captors, but when she is in the forest, she saw a man and began to run. “The man ran after her. Still hiding in the water, Telmund could hear the scuffle. It was short-lived. The man came back into view, holding Princess Amelia under his arm as though she were a sack of onions. Amelia kicked and slapped at his arms and legs, and used words most princesses would not.”
  • One of Amelia’s captors “took hold of her by the hair, not exactly yanking, but not gently, either, and pulled her head back.”
  • As Amelia and Telmund are trying to find their way back to the castle, a person catches Telmund. The man clapped “a hand over his mouth as though to prevent him from calling out . . . in another moment Telmund’s senses swam—probably something to do with the fact that it wasn’t an empty hand held over his mouth but a cloth with a familiar smell.”
  • Amelia’s captor “grabbed hold of her by the hair, and this time it could only be called roughly.”
  • When a dragon appears, Amelia’s captor lets go of her and “shoved Amelia at the dragon. She stumbled to her knees, sliding forward on the ground, her outstretched and still-bound hands making contact with the dragon scales. . .” Everyone runs off. Amelia is not injured.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Several times, Henbane was used to make someone unconscious.

Language

  • A man calls Telmund’s brother a “clumsy oaf.”
  • A villain calls his companion a “dunderhead,” a “dolt,” a “twit,” and “pudding head.”
  • A villain calls his companion “mush-for-brains.”
  • Amelia says Telmund has “porridge for brains.”
  • A lord calls someone an “incompetent fool.”

Supernatural

  • A witch puts a spell on Telmund, which causes him to transform into different animals. A fairy tells him, “I can see the spell you’re under. Every time you fall asleep, you’ll wake up as something else. Every other time, it’s your natural form.”

Spiritual Content

  • When Telmund changes into a chicken, someone captures him. “Telmund wondered if it was God saying to him, Tell ME the only thing chickens are good for is eating. I spent time creating them, you know, same as I created you.”
  • A cook tells Amelia, “God be with you.”
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