Reading Level: Elementary

Rise of the Earth Dragon

When King Roland’s guards whisk Drake away from his family’s onion farm, Drake never imagined that he’s about to learn that dragons and magic are real. Even better, he learns that he is a Dragon Master —  along with three other children — Ana, Rori, and Bo. The Dragon Masters must learn how to connect with and train their dragons and they must also uncover their dragons’ special powers. But Drake wonders what King Roland wants with the dragons. And why did the Dragon Stone choose four children to be the Dragon Masters? Most importantly, will Drake and his dragon learn to cooperate? 

Rise of the Earth Dragon, the first installment of the Dragon Masters Series, sets up the rest of the series by introducing the main cast of characters and giving hints about the rest of the Kingdom of Bracken. The primary conflict in Rise of the Earth Dragon is Drake’s struggle to learn about the dragon’s world and to bond with the other Dragon Masters. Plus, Drake must learn how to be a dragon master and understand his dragon Worm’s power.  

Despite being taken from his family and feeling insecure about not knowing much, he finds solace in his fellow Dragon Masters, and his confidence increases as he learns more. Drake is fairly optimistic because he has his own dragon and is making friends. At first, he gets frustrated when his dragon doesn’t exhibit powers, but he doesn’t give up trying to cooperate with Worm or his classmates. He is friendly and resilient, which young readers will like. 

The other Dragon Masters have been training for longer than Drake. They have varying reactions to Drake and his somewhat underwhelming dragon, but ultimately, they become friends. Bo offers to dictate a letter for Drake, who cannot read or write, and eventually, Bo teaches Drake how to do so. The other two students, Rori and Ana, are more wary of Drake and are occasionally condescending. Drake earns the others’ respect when he and Worm save them from a collapsed tunnel. In that moment, Drake and Worm show that even those who are different can have extraordinary power. 

Rise of the Earth Dragon is part of Scholastic’s early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. The book is told in a straightforward manner with short sentences that ensure clarity. The oversized font and easy-to-read text make the story perfect for independent readers. Rise of the Earth Dragon includes black-and-white whimsical cartoon drawings on nearly every page. The illustrations bring the fantastical elements to life for young readers. Those interested in reading the rest of this series should begin with this book to understand the basics of the world and the characters. 

Rise of the Earth Dragon is a fast-paced adventure that incorporates the classic fantasy elements— dragons, wizards, and far-away kingdoms — that readers will love. Even though the book is mostly exposition, the quick bonds Drake forms with his dragon and with the other kids contain enough excitement to keep young readers interested. The story also shows that adaptability and being different are valuable qualities and that our differences should be embraced rather than hidden. After reading Rise of the Earth Dragon, dragon-loving readers will be eager to read the next book in the series, Saving the Sun Dragon. Readers looking for more adventure should also read the Dragon Slayers’ Academy Series by Kate McMullan. 

 Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Worm shows Drake his memories of being taken by King Roland’s guards. The images show Worm’s fear and explosions. The images aren’t graphic, but they depict the dragon in distress.  
  • Worm shows Drake a vision of what happened to Worm’s family, which Drake had also dreamt about the previous night. Drake notes, “Worm was trying to get out of the cave, but the other dragons were in the way. Then soldiers rushed into the cave. The soldiers wrapped Worm in chains. They dragged him out of the cave.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Rori, one of the other Dragon Masters, tells Drake that his dragon “really is like a big, ugly worm.”  

Supernatural 

  • Drake lives in the Kingdom of Bracken, and one day he’s whisked away from his onion farm by a soldier and brought to the castle. Inside, Drake describes seeing “the face of a giant, red dragon!” Drake thinks, “Dragons aren’t real,” showing that this is not common knowledge in his world, but dragons and magic do exist, and he learns about them throughout the course of the book. 
  • Drake meets a wizard. Drake describes the wizard, saying, “He had a long white beard. He wore a pointy hat and a dark green robe.” This is Griffith, the king’s wizard, and Griffith can do magic spells. For instance, Drake watches Griffith unlock a door. Drake describes, “Griffith pointed at [the door’s] big, brass lock. Sparks flew from his finger. The lock opened.”  
  • Griffith shows Drake something called the Dragon Stone, which “has the heart of a dragon . . . and those with the heart of a dragon become Dragon Masters for King Roland.” 
  • Drake has a piece of the Dragon Stone which helps him communicate with his dragon. Drake describes putting the stone necklace on and feeling “tingly all over his body.”  
  • When the Dragon Masters try to sneak their dragons outside to play at night, the Dragon Masters encounter a “glowing, red orb.” Another Dragon Master named Bo notes that it’s not Griffith’s magic, and that “it feels . . . scary.” One of the dragons panics and causes the tunnel to cave in. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Girl who Speaks Bear

Yanka, a twelve-year-old girl, lives in a small village with her foster mother, Mamochka. Yanka isn’t exactly sure of where she came from, but “Mamochka says I was about two years old when she found me outside the bear cave,” at which point, Mamocka took Yanka home and raised her as her own. Yanka has distinct memories of living in the bear cave and memories of “the bear who raised [her].” One day, a family friend, Anatoly, visits and tells Yanka about the Story of the Lime Tree’s Curse. In the story, Yanka recalls, “It was about an enchanted tree, and a woodsman and his family who were cursed to be bears” after the woodsman became too greedy while making demands of the magical lime tree. Yanka wonders if there may be a connection between this story and her past, as “that story was about people turning into bears and now my legs have become bear legs.” 

Yanka notices that she is different than the other children in her village. She says, “I tower above all the other twelve-year-olds, and most of the grown-ups too. And I’m stronger than everyone. Even the ice cutters and woodchoppers.” Yanka takes a great tumble at the village’s festival, and when she awakes, she realizes “My legs are enormous. Thick and muscular. And covered in fur . . . I have bear legs.” Yanka takes her new legs as a sign that she should explore her birthplace. She goes into the forest, hoping to discover more about her memories. 

Yanka is a very sympathetic character as she struggles to feel a sense of belonging that many readers may relate to. She explains, “But if I don’t know where I came from, how can I be sure where I belong?” Ultimately, When Yanka’s journeys to find her birth mother, Yanka discovers that her mother passed away, when she “was trying to rescue [Yanka’s] father. He was trapped in Smey’s [a fiery dragon] cavern.” Though her mother has died, Yanka learns that her mother left her with her grandmother, “The bear Tsarina.” Incredibly, Yanka realizes that her family has been cursed to turn into bears, but in some cases, they can periodically transform into humans. This makes Yanka wonder, “Am I meant to be a bear or a human?”  

Throughout her journey, Yanka shows immense growth, and she especially grows to appreciate the village people who love her. As she goes further into the forest to learn about her birth mother, Yanka begins to fully transform into a bear. However, once this happens, Yanka comes to understand “I’ve been so focused on where I don’t fit into the village that I’ve lost sight of where I do. I have a mother, Mamochka, who loves me. A best friend in Sasha . . . There is a place for me in the village.” This realization pushes Yanka to try to break her family’s curse so that she might return to her village once and for all.  

The folktale style of The Girl Who Speaks Bear will keep readers on their toes, as each chapter is set up as its own separate tale within the story. The chapters flow together in a way that helps readers understand Yanka and her family better. Readers will be interested in the use of many Russian words like “sbiten,” a hot honey drink, and they can find the meaning of each of these words in the glossary at the back of the book. 

Yanka ultimately finds that even the magic of the Lime Tree cannot undo “old curses,” such as the one placed on her family. However, Yanka learns to embrace the differences that make her stand out. She says, “I don’t want the curse to be broken. I don’t want to be only a human forever. I like being a bear too . . . I want to keep this gift and learn how to control it.” 

Overall, this story will capture readers’ hearts as Yanka embraces her love for the forest, as well as her love for her family in the village. The author employs folktales that connect with her grandmother’s Prussian heritage. This novel emphasizes the importance of appreciating the people who love you for who you are. Yanka explains, “I’ve seen so many amazing things on this journey . . . But above all, I’ve learned the importance of going home to the people you love.” 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Yanka decides to go into the forest to look for clues about the bears who raised her. She remembers the dangers that lie within the forest. “Fire dragons who would burn your life away and Yaga [people who collect souls of the dead] who would steal your soul.” 
  • In the forest, Yanka is attacked by a wolf called Ivan the Grey as she tries to cross through an area of the forest that is guarded by his pack of wolves. Yanka says, “I drop the lantern and raise my arms to protect myself. Ivan the Grey bites down on my elbow, crushing it between his powerful jaws, I yell in pain and fall back.” Yanka escapes further violence by telling Ivan the Grey that she knows about his missing claw and how it was stolen. 
  • Yanka and her pet weasel, Mousetrap, befriend a young elk who is being attacked by wolves. Suddenly, Yuri [the elk] screams… [Yanka] frowns at him, confused—then [makes] out a writhing dark creature on top of him. A wolf. Teeth flash as they bite into Yuri’s rump.” Yuri s escapes as Yanka and Mousetrap distract the wolf.  
  • Some animals in the forest explain how dangerous the fire dragon, Smey, is. The animals tell Yanka, “[Smey] poisons the air with his sulfurous breath and heats soil into bubbling mud . . . [Smey] sends fires through our forest, burning our trees, charring our den.” 
  • Yanka’s newfound ally, Ivan the Grey, attacks the dangerous dragon, Smey, “Ivan lets out a blood-chilling snarl and tears straight through the center of the dragon.” However, this does not kill the dragon, instead it exposes its heart, “a pulsing, beating heart made of fire.” 
  • Ivan the Grey is hurt after attacking Smey, “Ivan whimpers in pain as he lands awkwardly” after the dragon causes another explosion. Fortunately, Ivan is able to recover. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Mamochka is a healer who uses herbs. “People say Mamochka can cure anything — that if she wanted to, she could cure the sky from bleeding at sunset — because she has the wisdom of the Snow Forest inside her.” Mamochka’s healing skills are paralleled by her caring personality, as she truly loves to help others.  
  • Mamochka makes Yanka remedies when she is ill. Yanka explains, “Whenever I’m unwell, [Mamochka] has a tonic or a tea to make me feel better. This winter she even made a special ointment, just for me, when I complained that my feet ached from growing too fast.” 
  • When Yanka wakes up to find that she has bear legs, Mamokchka tries applying various herbs to help fix it. Yanka says, “Through [Mamochka] said her remedies weren’t working, [Mamochka] still covers my legs with so many different herbs that I end up smelling like her medicine-mixing corner.” 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • Yanka is able to talk to all the animals in the forest. For example, while she passes by the edge of the Snow Forest a bird speaks to her saying, “Yanka the Bear! Come back to the forest!” 
  • Yanka believes Anatoly, a friend of Yanka and Mamochka who frequently visits their home, and his stories about the forest. Yanka explains, “There’s a forest filled with creatures . . . A fiery dragon flies across the night sky and regal bears dance in a crumbling castle overgrown with vines. A house with chicken legs sprints along a riverbank and a pack of wolves hunt beneath a silver moon.” 
  • Yanka recalls, “The villagers tell stories about Yaga—witches who live in houses with chicken legs surrounded by skull-and-bone fences. In their stories, Yaga eat lost children and steal their souls.” However, Yanka’s encounter with the Yaga prove that they are not dangerous to the living, as they help Yanka find her lost family.  
  • The Yaga that Yanka meets live in a house that is animated and able to walk and move about on its legs. Yanka notices, “The porch balustrades curl around my back, helping to support me.’ 
  • Yanka grandparents were curses and turned into bears, which happened overnight. “But all too soon, [Yanka’s grandfather] came home pale and trembeling, and everything changed. [Yanka’s grandfather] would not tell [Yanka’s grandmother] what had happened and fell asleep with his head on her lap . . . And when they awoke, [Yanka’s grandparents] were bears.” 
  • The Yaga bring one particular fisherman back to life. “The Yaga grabbed the fisherman’s soul and ran to his bosy. ‘Get back in!’ she ordered with such fierceness that the fisherman dared not refuse. He lay down in his body and breath surged into his lungs.” The fisherman was actually Yanka’s father.  

Spiritual Content  

  • As part of her village’s annual festival to celebrate the start of spring, Yanka is “chosen to carry Winter,” as “every year at the festival, a big straw doll called Winter is burned, to symbolize the end of winter and the coming of spring. Carrying Winter is a real honor, usually given to one of the grown-ups who has contributed most to village life over the season.” Yanka’s strength is central to her being chosen for this role.  
  • Occasionally, some characters exclaim, “for spirit’s sake.” 

Magical Imperfect

Etan is a twelve-year-old boy whose life is full of silence, earthquakes, and a bit of magic. He lives in a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar. The ground beneath his feet is constantly shaking, threatening to upend everything he knows. But despite the danger, Etan finds solace in the game of baseball, a sport that has been a part of his life since he was old enough to hold a bat.

However, Etan’s world is turned upside down when his mother is admitted to a mental institution. He suddenly finds himself unable to express his thoughts and feelings because his words are trapped inside his head. Without the ability to communicate, Etan feels isolated from the other kids his age since he is unable to reach out and connect with them.

But there is one person who understands him better than anyone else: his grandfather. Raised in a close-knit community of immigrants, Etan’s grandfather knows the value of acceptance and understanding. He doesn’t judge Etan for his silence, but instead offers him the comfort and support he needs to navigate this difficult time.

Not everyone in the community is as kind-hearted as Etan’s grandfather. When a local shopkeeper asks Etan to run an errand for him, this sets off a chain of events that will change Etan’s life forever. While running the errand, Ethan Meets Malia Agbayani, whom the boys at school have nicknamed “the creature.” At first, Etan is hesitant to approach her, but when he finally does, he discovers a kindred spirit. Despite her nickname, Malia’s voice is like music to Etan’s ears. She sees the world in a unique way, and her perspective helps Etan to find his own voice. As they spend time together, Etan realizes that outside of his community, there is a world full of people who are different but just as valuable. With this newfound understanding, Etan’s world begins to open in ways he never thought possible.

Etan is a truly endearing main character that will captivate the reader’s imagination. His journey through the obstacle of selective mutism is truly inspiring, as he learns how to overcome his personal struggles and create new friendships. As the reader follows his journey, they are taken on a fascinating exploration of his family’s rich Jewish history, with all of its intricate traditions and customs. Through Etan’s eyes, the reader is transported to a world full of magic and wonder, where anything is possible if you believe in yourself. With each passing chapter, the reader will feel more and more invested in Etan’s story, eagerly anticipating what will happen next and how he will continue to grow as a person.

Readers will also be captivated not only by the wisdom and mysticism displayed by Etan’s grandfather but also by the rich cultural context he provides. Through his tales from his homeland in Prague, the grandfather shares his deep knowledge of the Jewish religion and the Hebrew language. Moreover, his character serves as a powerful reminder that everyone has the ability to create magic in the world – all that is required is a strong belief and a heart full of love. The reader cannot help but be inspired by the grandfather’s teachings, and they will come away with a renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of world cultures.

The Magical Imperfect is a heartwarming tale that emphasizes the value of embracing diversity and the true meaning of unity. The author beautifully showcases the power of empathy and compassion, and how they have the ability to bring people together. Through vivid descriptions and relatable characters, The Magical Imperfect teaches us that our differences should be celebrated rather than feared and that we should strive to build bridges of understanding and respect. Overall, this book is an excellent reminder of the importance of kindness and acceptance in our increasingly diverse world. This is a rich, rewarding, and deeply moving story that is sure to touch the hearts of readers of all ages.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • Malia, Etan’s friend, introduces Etan to a spot that is full of magic. “These are the Sitting Stones. This is where the trees listen the most. The pool is magical . . . But this water is magic.”
  • During an earthquake, Ethan gets a small cut on his arm. His grandfather sees the cut and decides to show him the power of the clay. Grandfather pulls Ethan close “presses down his two clay fingers on the cut on my arm . . . The cut is gone. I search with my fingers, trace my skin up and down, and back and forth . . . Then it feels like the world starts to spin cold and warm all at once. . .” Ethan’s grandfather explains, “Your body, Etan, it’s experienced something from another time, an ancient thing giving its power to something new right now.”
  • Etan and Malia visit the Sitting Stones and he begins to wonder if the clay inside the pool could heal. He wonders if it would help heal Malia’s eczema issues.
  • Another object that is considered magical is a small green stone that Etan is given. The stone helps give him the strength to find words to speak. His grandfather explains,  “This, he says, is a bareket, an emerald, an ancient, powerful stone, like from the breastplate of Aaron . . . When you feel afraid to speak, hold the stone in your hand, tight tight tight, and it will bring you courage.” 
  • In order to heal Malia’s eczema, Etan and Malia combine his grandfather’s clay and the clay from the Sitting Stones pool. Ethan puts “clay on two fingers, dab it onto her face, around her eye. I [Ethan] pray, think of the trees, the pool, my green bareket, somewhere in the water . . . When most of the clay is off my hands, Malia starts humming, her voice like light. ‘Look!’ she cries. Her red, swollen arms are smooth, clear, like the red was never there.” To both of their amazement, the clay makes the redness disappear. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Etan’s family holds religion near and dear to their heart. His grandfather is a Jewish immigrant that uses his religion and the magic associated with it to teach Etan different lessons about life. He often reminds Etan how important it is to remember his heritage and the different objects that help represent them. When Etan’s grandfather leaves his workshop early, it is usually for a specific religious activity, like lighting the Shabbat Candles. “When he leaves extra early so he can be home to light the Shabbat candles. The candles, he says, they make us Jews.”
  • Etan’s grandfather has a small box full of valuables from his life in Prague. He believes that the objects within hold a magical power that each represents a different thing. The object most talked about in the book is the clay. “This is the last of the clay taken from the Vlata River by your ancestor, the Maharal himself . . . It’s the clay of the golem; it once made a terrible monster that defended the Jewish people in their time of great need.”
  • There are mentions of aspects of the Jewish religion throughout the text, but it isn’t until Etan begins to pray when using the clay on Malia, that there is a full string of Hebrew language used. “Baruch ata Adonaim Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.” This is the prayer that they say for bread at Shabbat.

The Big Game

Danny Owens is the son of the legendary Super Bowl champion, Daniel Owens, and the next rising football star in his small town of Crooked Creek. Wanting to follow his father’s footsteps to the NFL, Danny knows that his football career depends on the big championship game, where an impressive performance could earn him a spot on the high school varsity football team.

However, his entire season takes an ugly turn when his father suffers a tragic death. To make matters worse, Danny’s teacher, Ms. Rait, threatens to fail him in English which would make him ineligible for the big game. With the pressure of emulating his father’s success weighing heavily on his shoulders, Danny must decide to improve his academics or risk losing his entire football future.

Danny is your typical seventh-grade football player who believes his entire future hinges on his football talent. Thanks to his dad’s presence and fame in Crooked Creek, Danny acts with humble arrogance and believes that his family’s name and football abilities alone can exempt him from his school’s challenging studies. However, Ms. Rait proves to be a direct foil to Danny’s intentions, and her refusal to ignore Danny’s poor reading skills because of his family’s fame creates tension between her and Danny. While neither character is perfect, they offer opportunities for each other to grow by exposing their strengths and shortcomings. For example, Ms. Rait acknowledges that “[Danny’s] a star athlete whose dad won the Super Bowl so when Danny struggled, [other teachers] ‘helped’ him. They passed him on. Let him cheat. And now he’s twelve and he can’t read.”

Unfortunately, readers will have a difficult time connecting with Danny and Ms. Rait. Danny is an unlikeable, angry character who refuses to shift from his football goals. Ms. Rait isn’t much better. Despite her position as his English teacher, her teaching methods seem overly strict and unforgiving, while her good-natured intentions for Danny don’t forgive her ill-tempered attitude. The only admirable character is the school counselor, Mr. Crenshaw, whose quiet personality and soft voice act as an oasis to the others’ noise. 

Despite the troubling main characters, the story attempts to offer a positive message on paving one’s own path. For one, the book identifies Danny’s issues by exploring how his father placed too much pressure on him and his future. In addition, Danny’s improvement in his reading skills appears to move toward a lesson about finding the strength to choose a destiny apart from his father’s. However, the story’s ending dashes this character development by completely restoring Danny’s dreams as a young football star without any consequences. 

The Big Game has the pieces for a good sports story with a lesson. It creates an engaging plot, sheds new light on mental issues, and keeps the reader hooked until the end. However, its unlikeable characters, unsatisfying ending, and wasted character development ultimately make it a frustrating read. Similar to The Big Game,  Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson uses football to show the complicated nature of fathers and sons. However, Before the Ever After is a more engaging story.

Sexual Content

  • Danny and his friend, Janey, ride together on a lawnmower. Danny remarks that “he could feel the back of her head against his own and her shoulder blades cutting into his back. He liked the way that felt, rumbling down the shoulder of Route 222.”
  • Danny and Janey have a brief interaction where Danny mistakenly believes that Janey is about to kiss him. “She parted her lips, maybe to say something, but he was afraid she might try to kiss him, or that he might try to kiss her, and that scared him silent.”
  • When Ms. Rait, Danny’s English teacher, mentions Danny and Janey,  Danny notices that Janey’s “freckles on her round cheeks stood out from her blush and [that] she cast her brown eyes at the floor.” 

Violence

  • During an early morning run, Danny’s father suffers a heart attack and dies in front of Danny. Danny’s father “suddenly gasped and straightened. He clutched his chest and staggered sideways just off the road . . . his father winced like he’d hammered his thumb, and then he pitched forward and collapsed in the dust.”
  • Two teammates on Danny’s team, Gabriel and Cupcake, engage in a fight during practice. They fight because Cupcake took Gabriel’s spot on the field, but nobody gets hurt. Coach Kinen breaks up the fight: “Cupcake shoved the monster, Gabriel, out of his spot at right tackle before stepping in. . . fists quickly began to fly.”
  • Markle, one of Danny’s teammates, punches Cupcake: “Markle sidestepped Cupcake, threw a roundhouse punch into his gut, and shoved him into the dirt. Cupcake lay gasping for breath.”
  • Danny beats up Markle for insulting his father: “Danny spun around and launched himself at Markle’s throat. He grabbed his mask, twisted it, and yanked his teammate to the ground with a war cry. Danny gripped the mask with both hands and shook and twisted until it came free. He flung it aside. The helmet flew through the air, and before it hit the ground Danny was pummeling Markle’s face . . . the older boy’s nose and cheeks were bloody and swollen. His eyes were two slits in the bruised fruit of his face.” This scene is described over two pages.
  • Throughout the story, Danny repeatedly kills his teammates on an X-box video game: “He laughed a crazy laugh, and when the round began, he systematically killed his own team, then pulled out a grenade and dropped it at his feet.”
  • In anger, Danny swings his crutch. “He swung his crutch like a flipper. The lamp on the stand next to the couch shattered. The light bulb popped in a blue flash.”
  • Danny attempts to save kittens from a chicken coop that was on fire. “Danny turned his head, took a deep breath, held it, and leapt into the coop. When his foot hit, it went straight through the floor, scraping his leg. Pain rocketed through his brain, but that was the least of his problems.” This scene is described over two pages.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Danny’s mother and father frequently drink beer or smoke cigarettes. For example, his mother “lit one of her long, thin cigarettes and surrounded herself in a halo of smoke.”
  • Danny walks in on his mom drinking vodka and worries about her mental health. “His mom had the TV on and a glass of strawberry vodka in her hand . . . Danny knew she’d get mad if he said she was drinking too much.”
  • Cupcake’s brother, Herman, mentions using Advil when he was hurt. He says, “Nothin’ they could do, so I taped it up, took some Advil, and just kept milkin’ the cows.”
  • A couple of Markle’s friends “smoked cigarettes in the woods behind the school.”

Language

  • Markle calls Danny’s father, Daniel Owens, a “freeloading fat-butt has-been.”
  • Danny’s friend, Cupcake, calls Janey “Miss Fancy Pants.”
  • One of Danny’s video game buddies calls him an “idiot.”
  • Danny calls Ms. Rait “stupid.”
  • Danny yells at his mom “to shut up” in an outburst of anger.
  • Danny calls Ms. Rait “the devil.”

Supernatural

  • During a football game, Danny believes he hears his father’s spirit shouting instructions to him.
  • Danny finds himself in a dream sequence where he meets with his dead father. During the dream, his father talks to Danny about his life. “Danny, Danny, Danny. We don’t choose. You’re gonna be fine. I told you, I’m with you, and we will be together. I promise.”

Spiritual Content

  • During a counseling session, Danny asks Mr. Crenshaw if he believes “in heaven and the other place.”

The Undercover Book List

Jane McDonald is a self-professed book nerd. When her best friend, Sienna, a fellow reader, moves away, she plans an “Undercover Book Club” to ease Jane’s loneliness. The idea is to leave an anonymous note in a designated library book and strike up a friendship with whoever finds it. Tyson Flamand is a video game-loving jokester whose antics tend to land him in the principal’s office. By accident, he sees Jane slipping her note into the library book, and he leaves an anonymous response. As Jane and Tyson become closer though the Book Club, they both discover their own resilience and ability to overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles. 

Jane is an avid reader and a driven student, consistently impressing her teachers and other adults in her life. Her father is deployed in the Middle East on a military assignment, so her grandparents spend a lot of time supporting Jane’s mom with childcare. Her best friend, Sienna, recently moved away and Jane has to learn how to honor her friend while still moving on with her own life. Jane is a likable character due to her efforts to support others and make everyone feel appreciated. Despite her positive personality, Jane is dealing with a lot of loss, from missing her dad and best friend, and the threat of losing her after-school club, Kid Lit Quiz. This gives her another layer of character development, which makes her relatable to readers. 

Tyson’s nonchalant attitude has given him many friends but poor grades. Everybody in Tyson’s life believes he is a troublemaker. When he tells his mom he’s reading, she scoffs and says “Yeah, right,” which hurts Tyson. When Tyson joins the Kid Lit Quiz team Stefan, another member, asks Jane, “Are you sure he didn’t join as a prank? I didn’t even know he could read, never mind liked it.” Readers will appreciate Tyson’s efforts to change his reputation despite everyone in his life discouraging him – he shows that everyone is capable of greatness despite their past. 

Each chapter of The Undercover Book List alternates between Jane’s and Tyson’s perspectives. Jane’s chapters are in the first person, while Tyson’s chapters are in the third person. At first, the shifting points of view are confusing; however, as the teens grow closer, their perspectives overlap and build off each other. As part of The Undercover Book Club, Jane and Tyson write anonymous letters to each other. The novel periodically includes the letters between Jane and Tyson, which allows readers to see the perspectives of each character and watch their growth throughout the novel.  

The Undercover Book List highlights the importance of having the strength to embrace change. Jane learns that she is a fantastic leader who can accomplish lofty goals. Tyson manages to transform his reputation from a troublemaker to a successful student. He eventually decides he would rather be kind than popular. The obstacles that the teens face, including vandalism and illness, are handled in a straightforward manner but without sacrificing emotion. By the book’s gratifying conclusion at the Kid Lit Quiz regional competition, both Jane and Tyson prove to be excellent role models. 

Sexual Content  

  • Tyson’s friends, Andrew and Affan, “drew penises all over the poster” that Jane made to recruit more students to join. Tyson created “the penis game” several weeks before, where “the goal was to draw as many penises as possible before the risk of discovery forced the vandal to walk away.” This is the only instance of the penis game. 

Violence  

  • Tyson and his friends have a reputation as bullies. The pranks these teens pull on others can be mean and targeted, often at a student named Connor. At the beginning of the book, Tyson “ruined [Connor’s] jersey” after dropping it in the lunchroom trash can and “accidentally threw [his] hat on the roof.” As Tyson begins to repair his reputation, he distances himself from the bullying. 
  • Andrew and Affan want to “put [all Connor’s stuff] where it belongs – in the toilet.”  Nothing happens because Connor walks into the locker room while the teens are debating their course of action. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • Tyson frequently plays a video game called “Mutant-Z.” It is about “a group of mutants who want to take over the Earth. They battle humans for control over key sites.” Tyson has a character named Lizardo who can “spin his head almost 360 degrees and crawl like a lizard up buildings and across ceilings.” The video game does not have a major role in the novel, but it is mentioned a few times. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Found

On one fateful day at Sky Trails Air, an airplane full of 36 infants and no adults appears out of thin air. Thirteen years after the plane incident, readers meet Jonah Skidmore and Chip Winston, neighbors, and new friends. The boys were adopted thirteen years ago, and both receive mysterious letters that read “You are one of the missing” and “Beware! They’re coming back to get you.” 

When trying to find out what the letters mean, the boys meet an FBI agent who refuses to share any information regarding a matter of “national security.” After a bit more digging, the boys discover they were victims of a vast smuggling operation and are now caught in a battle between two opposing forces that want very different outcomes for Jonah’s and Chip’s lives. The boys struggle to decide how to protect the lives of all 36 children and must choose to return to the future or stay in the current time which might ruin the fabric of time. 

Jonah is the primary protagonist, who is nonchalant about most things in his life — adoption, planning, confrontation, and more. However, when others are in trouble, Jonah is the first to step up and fight. Chip is Jonah’s newest neighbor and friend, and the boys bond over their mysterious situation. Chip is more emotional than Jonah, and he is more prepared to jump into situations headfirst. Jonah’s younger sister, Katherine, is intrigued by the mystery and is enthusiastic to help —  sometimes to a fault. Jonah reflects that “she made this whole mess sound as if it was just a challenging math problem . . . this was just an intriguing puzzle to her.” Chip and Katherine are more eager to find clues than Jonah, who ends up being the voice of reason at times. Despite their differences in approach to the challenge, the three characters work together to solve the mystery.

Found is a phenomenal book for young teens as they begin to question their identity and relationships with others. The book’s primary theme is identity, as Jonah and Chip try to answer the question: “Who am I?” While not every adolescent isn’t adopted or struggling with a multi-generational infant-smuggling operation from the future, readers can appreciate how the characters work to understand their past and how to shape their future. However, there are plot holes in the story regarding how the timeline works and there is little background on what the reader knows about Chip and Jonah’s past. The questions readers are left with leave them to continue reading the series to find answers.

The action-packed book has suspenseful turns that readers won’t expect. For readers who love science fiction and mystery, Found is a perfect story. The science isn’t entirely explained, but if readers are able to look past that and focus on the story, the book will be hard to put down. The main characters are brave and try to do the right thing, which could inspire readers to do the same. This is the first book in an eight-part series, so the book ends on a cliffhanger to keep readers engaged and interested in the next book: Sent. 

Sexual Content 

  • Chip admits that he has a crush on Jonah’s sister, Katherine. When Jonah’s mom finds out Katherine is hanging out at Chip’s house, alone, she thinks, “There couldn’t be anything romantic going on between those two, could there? She’s only in sixth grade, but this is an older boy . . . ”

Violence 

  • After Chip learned he was adopted, his father refused to talk about the topic. This upsets Jonah, who fantasizes about “stalking over to Chip’s house, swinging his best punch, and hitting Chip’s dad right in the mouth. He wanted to hit him a couple of times.”
  • Someone tries to abduct Jonah, Chip, and Katherine when they meet with an eyewitness from the plane incident, Angela DuPre. Someone else jumps onto the abductor, which allows the children to get away. The person who tackles the abductor “had one hand pressed into the other man’s hair, holding his head down. With his other hand, the tackler was frantically waving Jonah away.” The teens are able to safely escape with no injuries.
  • Two of the bad guys get tased while trying to abduct the teens in order to return them to the correct time. Angela DuPre “pointed her gun at [one] and a stream of light shot across the room, jolting him. He let out a scream and fell to the ground, twitching.” The men are stunned momentarily but are not seriously injured.
  • The final fight scene between the attackers and the children gets violent. Jonah has a direct confrontation with one of the bad guys named Gary. “With one hand, Jonah grabbed for Gary’s hair, with the other, he poked his fingers into Gary’s eyes . . . Jonah let go of Gary’s hair just as Gary was shoving him away, flinging him toward the stone wall. Jonah slammed against the wall hard. He thought he could feel every bone of his spine hitting rock, one bone after the other.” Jonah is not seriously hurt, and able to run immediately after. This scene only lasts one page.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • The teens believe there is a ghost sharing information with them. 
  • Angela DuPre has a conspiracy that Chip and Jonah were part of an attempt to travel back in time. Angela explains, “the theories are that if anything could go faster than light, all sorts of weird things would happen. Time and space would have a different relationship.”

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Fast Pitch

Twelve-year-old Shenice Lockwood is the captain of her 12U softball team, the Fulton Firebirds, and she has only one goal this season: to win the DYSA 12U World Championship title. Not only would a championship reaffirm the obvious talent of her teammates, but it would also send a bigger, more important message to the softball world. That message would be that her all-black softball team belonged in their all-white league and deserved recognition and respect. 

However, when Shenice learns that her great grandpa JonJon’s baseball career was ruined by a crime he didn’t commit, she seeks the help of her Uncle Jack to uncover the truth of her family’s past. Faced with the pressure and the impossible decision between clearing her family’s name or leading her team to victory, Shenice must make a fateful choice that will forever change the game of softball.

From the start, readers will fall in love with the spunky, energetic Shenice Lockwood, who tells this story in her own humorous, yet authentic manner. Many readers will find Shenice’s heart to lead, love, and serve admirable. Her actions and decisions reveal a protagonist who’s determined to seek the truth and fight for equality. Whether it’s leading her teammates on a championship run, clearing an incident that put her great grandfather JonJon in jail, or admitting her feelings for her best friend Scoob, Shenice portrays the realistic struggles of a twelve-year-old girl amidst a topsy-turvy life.

Alongside Shenice, the book features several exciting side characters that push Shenice toward action and reflection. Whether it’s Shenice’s Uncle Jack, her hot-headed best friend Britt-Marie Hogan, or her teammates, Shenice’s interactions with these characters will keep the readers engaged with their quippy dialogue, profound revelations, and heartfelt conversations. Although Shenice doesn’t display drastic character growth, her view of softball does change, and she learns that some things, like winning a championship trophy, aren’t so important in the grand scheme of things. One of her teammates highlights this lesson by telling Shenice that “I did want to win, even just to make my dad proud. But what you were doing felt super important. And I think he would’ve been proud of me helping with that, too.”

Of course, the sport of softball plays a major role in the book, and readers will enjoy the frequent, fast-paced game scenes that break up the surrounding plotline. Thanks to the realistic plays, descriptions, and lingo, readers will feel completely immersed in the game of softball. The story also uses these game sequences as an important motivator for Shenice by reminding her of her great grandpa JonJon and her vow to clear his name.

By exploring the fractured relationship between the white and black communities, Fast Pitch addresses deeper topics such as discrimination in sports and the present-day struggles of the black community. Throughout its short eighteen chapters, the story captures the problem of inequality from a very mature perspective. Shenice’s troublesome experiences teach her to not ignore the past but to “dust [herself] off and get [her] head back in the game” despite the difficulties and hardships. As a result, she learns to overcome the various ways of discrimination in her life, like hurtful insults and Confederate flags. She chooses to pave her own future through the inclusion, recognition, and love for others on her softball team. Overall, Fast Pitch is more than just a softball story — it’s a tale that emphasizes the importance of love, family, and equality through a young girl’s quest to win a championship trophy.

Sexual Content

  • Shenice Lockwood’s parents listen to their favorite song and then, “they’re just smoochin’ away like nobody else lives here.”
  • Shenice develops feelings for a friend named Scoob. Her “face gets warm” and “palms go damp” when she’s around him.
  • On multiple occasions, Shenice says something about Scoob and how he makes her feel. For example, she wonders, “has he always had that cute mole under his eye . . . which for some reason is making my heart beat faster [and] which sparks all these swirly-tummy feelings?”

Violence

  • Shenice relays a memory where a girl slid into her ankle during a game. When Shenice tried to block home plate during a close play, the girl slid into her and “ripped through my tall socks and took out two large (for a nine-year-old, at least) chunks of my flesh. There was blood everywhere.” Her ankle is fractured.
  • Shenice slices her arm open on a shard of wood sticking out from a damaged door. She falls unconscious and finds herself in the hospital for treatment. “My right shoulder hits something that causes a snap, and then there’s a searing pain in my left forearm.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • When surprised, Shenice exclaims, “oh my god.” She does this several times. 
  • Shenice tells her best friend to “shut up.” 
  • Once, Shenice utters, “dang it,” in frustration.
  • One of Shenice’s teammates calls an opposing team’s girl an “apple-haired she-devil.”
  • “Idiot” is used once.
  • Once, the coach calls an opposing team “bigots.”
  • Several characters in Shenice’s team create creative nicknames for others, like “sour green-with-too-much-envy white dude.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Shenice’s mom begins one breakfast with a prayer: “Let’s say grace and get to eating before Li’l Man inhales the table.”
  • Shenice’s mom says “A-MEN” to affirm that Shenice’s grandparents are watching Shenice up from heaven.
  • Shenice acknowledges that “divine intervention” has helped everything fall into place.
  • Shenice visits her Uncle Jack at the hospital. Shenice “did something I don’t typically do: I prayed.”
  • Shenice believes that her great grandpa JonJon and great uncle Jack are “together again in whatever nice place we go after we’re not in our Earth bodies anymore.”

Random Acts of Kittens

When Natalia Flores finds a lost cat with a litter of newborn kittens, she is desperate to keep one of them. Whether or not her mami says yes to a new pet, the rest of the kitties will need homes — and Natalia has the purrfect plan. With help from her friend Reuben, Natalia starts an anonymous online account to find each cat the right owner. But as her classmates apply, her matchmaking scheme gets more complicated. And when her former best friend Meera applies for a kitten, Natalia doesn’t know what to do. Will her attempt to spread kindness help heal their friendship, or simply tear her and Meera further apart? 

Random Acts of Kittens has a slow start because a lot of kitten facts are introduced. While the facts will be helpful for readers who don’t know a lot about cats, others may find the fact-heavy pages boring. In addition to the slow start, readers may have a difficult time connecting with Natalia because at first, she is very unlikable. She complains about not having any friends; however, it’s hard to sympathize with her because she tries to manipulate people and situations to get others to like her. Her main concern is how other people perceive her. Despite this, she does learn and grow through her experiences. 

Random Acts of Kittens has several positive aspects, including teaching the importance of finding animals a loving forever home. It also highlights the difficulty in finding families to adopt older animals. In addition, Natalia connects what she learned about kittens to her life. By taking care of the kittens, Natalia realizes that “I didn’t have to divide my love up between [the kittens]—I would always have more than enough to go around.” Natalia applies this lesson to her life because now she understands that her mother loves both her and her sister equally, even if she gives one more attention when needed. 

Many middle-grade readers will relate to Natalia’s conflicts with her family and friends. Even though Natalia’s life is full of conflict, in the end, she learns the importance of communication and forgiveness. The heartfelt conclusion shows Natalia’s personal growth when she makes amends with a former friend and prioritizes the kitten’s needs.  

The back of the book also explains how readers can help animals in need. The story’s positive message makes Random Acts of Kittens a book worth reading. Younger kitten-loving readers will find the Pet Rescue Adventures Series by Holly Webb an engaging series with plenty of cat cuteness. Cat lovers will also find plenty of action and adventure by reading the Warriors Series by Erin Hunter. 

Sexual Content  

  • Natalia’s gets a ride to school with her sister, Julieta, and her boyfriend, Hayden. “. . . Julieta got in the shotgun seat and kissed Hayden on the lips. Fireworks and sparkles were exploding in his eyes.” 

Violence  

  • At school, Natalia overhears two boys talking. One, Brigham, says, “My older brother used to shoot at cats up in the canyon. It’s a lot of fun.”  
  • The boy’s conversation reminds Natalia that, “Brigham had been kind of a bully when we were in kindergarten. Whenever I complained about him, the teacher said he was like a puppy that didn’t know his own strength. One day, he pushed me off the swing. I turned around and jabbed him with a one-two-three to the stomach. He never bothered me again.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Brigham calls Natalia a weirdo and a loser several times.  

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • When Gigi, the momma cat, gets out of the house and can’t be found, Natalia prays. “In a desperate move, I closed my eyes right there in the middle of the sidewalk and sent a prayer to the universe for forgiveness, and for help.”  

Shadow

Welcome to the Puppy Place—where every puppy finds a home! Charles and Lizzie Peterson know a lot about puppies. That’s because the Petersons are a foster family for young dogs. Someday, they will have a puppy of their own. Until then, they keep busy helping special puppies find homes. 

When the Petersons meet Shadow, they know he is very special. He is a cute black Labrador retriever, and he is extremely smart. Everyone agrees that Shadow deserves the best. He will be the perfect puppy for someone. But who will be the perfect owner for him?

At the beginning of the story, Lizzie is pretending to be blind because she “wants to know what it’s like [because] our class is reading a book called The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller.” Lizzie tells her brother some interesting facts about Helen Keller and later, Lizzie discovers that one of her classmate’s mother is blind. Even though the story includes information about blind people, all the information comes from a second-hand source.

Even though Charles and Lizzie are not well-developed, they are both kind children who put the needs of Shadow above their own wants. The kids have a difficult time giving Shadow to another family; however, they know that Shadow is being placed in a good home, which alleviates some of their sadness. In addition, Shadow’s thoughts also reinforce Shadow’s traits which shows that his new home will be a happy place. 

While the story’s focus is on finding a good home for Shadow, a lot of the story revolves around Charles and Lizzie’s family life. The two-parent family has positive interactions and communication skills. When Charles and Lizzie want to be Shadow’s forever home, they discuss their feelings of distress, but their parents stand firm in their decision not to keep Shadow.

Shadow will appeal to many readers because of the topic. The story has ten short chapters that are easily digestible for independent readers. The Puppy Place Series revolves around the same human characters, but each new book focuses on a different puppy, so the books do not need to be read in order. Shadow is an entertaining story with many positive aspects that will appeal to the reader and their parents. If you’d like to sniff out other dog-gone good puppy books, grab a hold of Marley Firehouse Dog by John Grogan and Puppy Pirates Series by Erin Soderberg.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Ultimate Shark Rumble

Sixteen different sharks battle it out in a huge underwater fight! Who will be the champion? 

This nonfiction read compares and contrasts 16 ferocious sharks. Readers will learn about each animal’s anatomy, behavior, and more. Then, they’ll the animals will compete before finally revealing the winner!  

Ultimate Shark Rumble’s fun format will appeal to most readers. Each page has large pictures of sharks as well as shark facts, true stories, language facts, and definitions. For example, one fun fact is that “some Native Hawaiians believe that tiger sharks are the spirits of their ancestors.” Each “shark rumble” explains the characteristics of each shark as well as which shark would win in a battle. The pictures show the battles, including a shark’s sharp teeth biting another shark; while not gory, some blood is shown.  

Anyone who wants to learn more about sharks needs to read Ultimate Shark Rumble. Similar to a picture book, each page has a full-page illustration. With six to eleven simple sentences per page, Ultimate Shark Rumble is accessible to most readers. However, younger readers may need help with some of the vocabulary such as cartilage, positioned, caudal fins, and remoras.  

Ultimate Shark Rumble is jam-packed with interesting shark information. The nonfiction book will spark readers’ attention and make them want to learn more about sharks. The Who Would Win? Series has 20+ books that will satisfy all kinds of animal fans. Readers who want to take a bite out of more shark-related books should add The Great Shark Escape by Jennifer Johnston and Shark Lady by Jess Keating. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • In each shark rumble, the text explains which shark would win and why. For example, in a fight between a hammerhead shark and a tiger shark, “the tiger shark glides to the side and bites off one of the hammerhead’s eyes. The hammerhead is in trouble. The tiger shark then bites it in the back. Tiger shark wins!”

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Beyond the Kingdoms

Alex and Conner Bailey once lived the fairytale life most kids dream of. They spent the past few weeks in The Land of Stories – a world of kingdoms where fairy tales are true and their friends are famous storybook characters such as Little Red Riding Hood and Mother Goose. However, Alex and Conner aren’t living in a fairytale anymore. Following the death of the twins’ grandmother, the Fairy Godmother, The Land of Stories is threatened by the Masked Man, who is amassing an army to destroy the Land of Stories once and for all. 

The story picks up where A Grim Warning left off, with Alex and Conner hunting down the Masked Man. Alex is desperate to prove that the Masked Man is her late father after seeing him unmasked briefly, but no one believes her. Alex and Conner track him to a tavern where he uses a portal to escape. When the Masked Man vanished, Alex and Conner struggle to find their next clue. Meanwhile, Alex has had trouble with her new role as the Fairy Godmother, as her powers have become uncontrollable. Her unreliable powers lead her to lash out unexpectedly and almost cause harm to her friends. Because of this, the Fairy Council decides to remove her from the position of Fairy Godmother.

Upset, Alex runs away and meets with Mother Goose, who decides to help Alex prove The Masked Man is her father. They discover that The Fairy Godmother had two children, the twins’ father and Lloyd, who grew up despising magic and had ambitions to destroy the Land of Stories. Because of this, the Fairy Godmother killed Lloyd’s magic and had him imprisoned. However, Lloyd has recently obtained a potion and a collection of books from the human world. With these two items, he can travel to other fictional worlds, where he plans to recruit an army. 

With the new information, Alex regroups with Conner. They take their own potion and chase the Masked Man through fictional worlds such as The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, King Arthur, and Robin Hood. Teaming up with famous characters such as Arthur and the Tin Woodman, they make it back to the Fairy World too late – the Masked Man has already started launching attacks on the kingdoms, which sends the fictional world into chaos.

The Land of Stories Series is filled with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. While keeping track of the long list of characters is difficult, the series is entertaining because of the modern twists of a classic fairy tales. Conner is a funny and witty character who is dedicated to his sister and provides much-needed comic relief. Meanwhile, Alex is more serious, as she struggles with the responsibility of being the Fairy Godmother and managing her powers. She grows the most as a character, learning to take responsibility for her actions while also moving on. After loosing her position on the Fairy Council, she says, “My biggest fear was disappointing someone, and then after one moment of weakness, I ended up disappointing the entire fairy tale world. But rather than fighting the world that discarded me, I chose to continue saving it. So maybe greatness isn’t about being immortal, or glorious, or popular – it’s about choosing to fight for the greater good of the world, even if the world’s turned its back on you.” 

Though it seems like everyone is against her, Alex follows her heart and trusts that, in time, people will see her point of view. Many of the characters who have been villains in The Land of Stories Series refuse to forgive others and direct their anger back at the world, thinking that will make them happy. But Alex knows this won’t work. To be happy, one must be content with their own decisions. This is why – even when Alex is tempted to stay in one of the other fictional worlds she travels to – she instead returns to the Land of Stories, knowing she would regret not saving the fairy tale world. 

Overall, Alex and Conner stick to their morals and by each other, helping even when things seem grim. The twins and their allies protect the world they love in the face of great odds. The story ends on a cliffhanger as Conner proposes a way to beat the Masked Man. Conner wants to return to the real world to get his own stories, but we’re left wondering how Conner’s writing will help. Readers will have to tune in to the next installment, An Author’s Odyssey, to find out if Alex and Conner can save the Land of Stories before it’s too late. Readers who are ready to jump into another captivating series with lots of action and adventure should also read Keepers of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger.

Sexual Content 

  • Alex kisses Rook, her former boyfriend, on the cheek. 
  • Alex kisses Arthur. “[Alex] leaned over and kissed Arthur more passionately than she had ever kissed anyone. . . Arthur kissed Alex back. . . They lay under the stars and kissed each other” until morning. 
  • Maid Marion and Robin Hood “share a kiss” as Robin Hood sneaks into her bedroom. 
  • Mother Goose and Merlin fall in love. Merlin kisses Mother Goose’s cheek.  

Violence 

  • In the Hall of Dreams (see supernatural), the Fairy Godmother looks at her son’s dream and sees his desire to destroy the Land of Stories. “There was destruction everywhere she looked. Castles and palaces were crumbling to the ground and villages were on fire. The ground was covered in carcasses of every creature imaginable.”
  • The Masked Man slaps a soldier who makes him angry. “The Masked Man backhanded [the soldier] across the face.”
  • With her sword, Goldilocks cuts off a witch’s arm. “[The witch] crawled across the walls like a lizard and lunged for Goldilocks. [Goldilocks] swung her sword and sliced off the witch’s left arm.” The witch’s arm grows back. 
  • Jack is attacked by bugs. “Hundreds of insects crawled out of the witch’s tree-bark skin and attacked him, biting and stinging all over his body.” 
  • Alex uses her powers to choke one of the Masked Man’s soldiers. “The trees around the creek suddenly came to life. They grabbed every person at the creek except for Alex with their branches and held them tightly to their trunks. . . The branches wrapped around [the soldier’s] throat and choked him. . . He was gagging and could barely speak.” Alex lets him go. 
  • In a flashback, the Fairy Godmother kills her son’s magic so that he won’t take over the world. “The boy turned back around and saw his mother pointing her wand at him. POW! Ropes blasted out of the tip of her wand and wrapped her son around a tree. . . The Fairy Godmother pointed her wand at him again and hit her son with a bright blast of light. A few moments later, a sparkling silhouette his exact shape and size fell out of him. The Fairy Godmother waved her wand and chains wrapped around the silhouette. She dragged it into the river and held it under the water. The silhouette squirmed and convulsed as the Fairy Godmother drowned it, splashing water everywhere. . . Little by little, the silhouette faded in the water until it washed away completely.”
  • The Tin Woodman tells the story of how he was made. “The Wicked Witch of the East cast a spell on my axe, causing it to slip out of my hand and cut off my limbs one at a time, eventually severing my head and splitting open my body. A local tinsmith rebuilt me one appendage at a time until I was made entirely of tin.” 
  • Red discovers that the witch, Morina, has been kidnapping children and draining their youth and beauty to make potions that make other people seem younger. Eventually, these children die. 
  • Morina kills another witch. “Morina raised a hand towards [the witch] and she suddenly went as stiff as a board. Her stone skin cracked and chipped away until [the witch] crumbled into nothing but a pile of rocks on the ground.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Mother Goose carries a flask with alcohol or “bubbly” inside, that she occasionally drinks. 
  • While in Wonderland, the caterpillar from the story smokes a hookah. Mother Goose joins him and also smokes from the hookah briefly. 
  • Alex meets Merlin and Mother Goose when they are “three-quarters deep into a large bottle of ale.”

Language   

  • The Masked Man calls one of his soldiers an “idiot.” 
  • Goldilocks is pregnant. After crying, she says “damn these hormones!” 
  • Mother Goose calls the Fairy Council “uppity, colorful know-it-alls.” She later calls a woman a “loon.” 
  • Jack asks, “What the hell happened?” 
  • Red says that she’s going to kill the woman who stole her fiancé, Charlie. “I’m thinking about the day I get Charlie back, and get to slaughter Morina like the cow she is!” 
  • Mother Goose says the biggest “jerk” she’s had a fling with, was Charlemagne.

Supernatural 

  • In the Land of Stories, all fairy tales are real and magic is abundant, from witches casting spells to mythical creatures such as unicorns and mermaids. People use magic for everything, from teleportation to healing injuries.
  • A major aspect of this story is a potion that allows the user to open a portal into any fictional book of their choosing. The Fairy Godmother uses the potion to travel into Frankenstein. “As soon as the third drop [of the potion] made contact, the book illuminated like a gigantic spotlight . . [The Fairy Godmother] clutched her wand and stepped straight into the beam of light.” Other characters throughout the story will use the potion to travel into stories such as Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan. 
  • The Fairy Palace, where the Fairy Council lives, has a Hall of Dreams, where each person’s dreams are stored. “[The Fairy Godmother] pushed opened the double doors and stepped into the boundless space and watched the thousands of orbs floating around. Each orb represented someone’s dream.”

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Sea in Winter

Maisie’s life has revolved around ballet since she was four. Her friends, life, and dream of becoming a ballerina all revolve around her love of dance. However, during the critical period when Maisie and her friends are preparing to audition to attend premier dance schools, Maisie injures her knee. Confined to crutches and physical therapy, her injury may prevent her from ever dancing again. Her only hope is to get better by summer. 

However, as her injury persists, Maisie’s family takes a road trip. During this time, she struggles to be happy for her friends who are preparing for their auditions. Maisie also feels disconnected from her family’s happiness. Desperate to prove she’s recovering, Maisie forces herself to go on hikes despite the pain in her knee. Maise’s frustration with her injury makes her feel irritable. She lashes out at her stepfather and her mother during their trip, straining their relationship. Even though she regrets her outbursts, Maisie struggles to find the strength to apologize. 

Eventually, Maisie’s injury worsens because she pushes herself too hard during a hike. Maisie is rushed to the hospital, unable to walk or move her leg without intense pain. With her dream of dancing out of reach, Maisie breaks down and admits that she’s having trouble managing her emotions. She knows she must give up dance, but she feels like she’s giving up on herself. Her stepdad tells her, “None of this means you’ve failed. It just means that you’re moving forward. Which is about the bravest thing any of us can do.”

The Sea in Winter is a story about learning to grow from setbacks. It is an easy read with a simple plot and only a few main characters. However, at times the text is very descriptive, such as long passages about the scenery on the family’s hikes or the food the family eats. Because of these detailed passages, the book moves slowly at times. The overall message—finding the strength to move on during setbacks—is a good lesson, but it can get lost in these descriptions. 

Dancers would enjoy this book because of the use of dancing terms and the occasional flashbacks to Maisie’s ballet classes. These events might be better understood by people with an interest or background in dance. However, familiarity with ballet isn’t necessary because the main story happens after Maisie’s injury.

The book references the Makah and Piscataway cultures, two Indigenous tribes in North America. Maisie’s mother is Makah and her father is Piscataway. Her parents refer to stories about their tribes’ hardships to show Maisie that relying on others during hard times and connecting with one’s culture can help you through major life changes. In a time of grief, Maisie’s mother “turned to the teachings of my ancestors, for one thing. I looked back at our history of resilience and survival. How the Makahs managed to bring their community together, despite horrible events.” 

The narrator, Maisie, is very honest with the reader about how she feels, even when she struggles to admit it out loud. Maisie is in middle school, a trying time for children as they discover who they are and make decisions about their future. Growing up can be confusing and stressful – especially when things don’t go according to plan. Maisie’s frustrations are relatable to anyone who feels like the world is moving on without them. However, no one has to face the world alone. This story emphasizes the power of family as a support structure. It encourages someone who is struggling, to depend on the people around them when they encounter things they cannot handle on their own.

The Sea in Winter ends on a positive note for Maisie as she branches out into new interests and rekindles her relationships with her friends. Though moving on from dance and re-discovering herself is not an easy task, Maisie finds strength in sharing her feelings with others. She relies on her family and stories of perseverance and allows herself to dream new dreams and set new goals. The book ends with Maisie declaring: “I choose onward.”

Sexual Content 

  • Two characters on a TV show kiss. “Phillipe huffs in frustration, takes [Catriona’s] face in both hands, and kisses her on the mouth.”

Violence 

  • The book discusses a protest against the Makah Native Americans, who were legally allowed to resume their tribal tradition of whale hunting. Some of the protestors had signs and bumper stickers that said: “Save a whale, kill a Makah.”
  • Maisie’s father died while serving in Afghanistan. Maisie says, “I know that [my father] was killed in action before my first birthday.”
  • Maisie says that her stepdad’s grandfather, who they called See-yah, was abused in school for speaking his native language. “His teachers tried to beat the Klallam language out of him.” 
  • Maisie’s mother admits that she hit one of the men who delivered the news of Maisie’s father’s death. Maisie’s mother, “hit one of the men square in the chest, and slapped him across the face, before [she] collapsed in a heap on the floor.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • Maisie calls a TV commercial “stupid.”
  • Maisie snaps at her mom and says, “Why are you always on your stupid phone?”
  • Maisie says her injury is the result of “a stupid decision.”

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer

Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecrafts as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work.

Cherokee author Traci Sorell and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan trace Ross’s journey from being the only girl in a high school math class to becoming a teacher to pursuing an engineering degree, joining the top-secret Skunk Works division of Lockheed, and being a mentor for Native Americans and young women interested in engineering. 

Mary Golda Ross’s amazing life will encourage readers of all ages to pursue their passions by working hard. When Mary attended a state teacher’s college, the boys refused to work with her which motivated Mary to “get better grades than they did.” In her early career, Mary shared her love of math as a teacher. However, when World War II started, Mary went to work at the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, where she helped design fast-flying planes. Later, she worked on spacecrafts that “helped the Apollo space program send astronauts to the moon!” Even though Mary never received public acclaim, that didn’t bother her. Throughout her life, Mary continued to work hard and encourage young women to study math and science.

As the first female engineer for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Mary “modeled the Cherokee value of working together in mind and heart.” Mary also wasn’t afraid to ask questions. Even though Mary was the only female, she proved herself a capable engineer. “Her male colleagues respected her intellect, her drive to solve problems, and how she worked in the team.” These qualities allowed Mary to make a positive impact in the world. 

Mary’s experiences come to life in realistic illustrations that use muted colors. One of the best aspects of the illustrations is their ability to incorporate math and science. For example, one picture shows a series of images of teenage Mary using a microscope, helping with a science experiment, and performing another task; around these pictures are math equations. Pictures of planes and drafting pages are incorporated into many of the illustrations.

Even though The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer is a picture book, the story is intended to be read aloud to a child, rather than for the child to read it for the first time independently. Each page has one to four complex sentences that will be difficult for beginning readers to tackle on their own. In addition, the book contains some advanced vocabulary such as colleagues, orbiting satellites, concepts, and classified. Even though some readers will not understand all the book’s concepts during the first read, The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross is still an excellent book to share with young readers.

The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer is an American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Honor Picture Book; this award to given to stories that represent Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity. This picture book is a must-read not only because it introduces a woman of importance, but also because “the narrative highlights Cherokee values including education, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and helping ensure equal opportunity and education for all.” To learn more about women who made notable contributions in engineering, read Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker and Mae Among The Stars by Roda Ahmed.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

She Persisted: Maria Tallchief

Maria “Betty” Tallchief was one of the most famous American ballerinas who trailblazed onto the international ballet scene, but her rise to prima ballerina did not come easy. As another installment in the She Persisted series, Maria’s story follows her from her early years through her rise to international stardom.

Maria Tallchief was raised as part of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and moved to California as a child. Her mother signed Maria up for ballet, and she loved it. Although she faced adversity because of her mixed heritage, she persisted because she loved the sport. Desiring to be a professional ballerina, Maria worked hard and moved to New York City to pursue her dreams.

To help her stand out in the ballet world, “Betty” was encouraged to change her name. While she changed her first name to Maria, she adamantly refused to change her last name from Tallchief, as she was proud of her Osage heritage. Because of Maria’s hard work, she became one of the most famous American ballerinas, and she became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet and work with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the famed Russian ballet company. Most famously, she performed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. 

Among her other notable achievements as a ballerina, her signature role Firebird helped launch her fame, and she became the first American to perform at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Even in retirement, Maria continued to dedicate her time to ballet, moving to Chicago and opening her own ballet studio. She also continued her work in fighting for Native American rights in the United States, proudly speaking of her Osage heritage. Many organizations in Oklahoma to this day have dance studios and awards in her honor, including the University of Oklahoma’s Maria Tallchief Endowed Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to college-level dance students.

Young readers will find Maria Tallchief’s story engaging even if they don’t understand the magnitude of her fame and the scope of her impact on the ballet world. To help keep readers engaged, the book has short chapters and black-and-white illustrations that appear every three to five pages. Maria’s perseverance shines throughout the book and will appeal to a wide audience. 

Readers who enjoyed Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen and other biographies will enjoy Maria’s story because both books show that dreams can come true. She Persisted: Maria Tallchief 

ends with a list of ways that readers can be like Maria and highlights the importance of working hard to achieve your dreams. She Persisted: Maria Tallchief will appeal to readers interested in dance; however, it is also a worthwhile book for all young girls to read because it encourages chasing your dreams through dedication and passion, even in the face of adversity. For more inspirational dance-inspired stories twirl to the library and check out Parker Shines On by Parker Curry & Jessica Curry and Tallulah’s Ice Skates by Marilyn Singer.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • To help readers understand Maria’s upbringing, the book gives a brief overview of the Osage Nation. The narrator describes, “In the 1800s, the Osages and other Native Nations suffered in the area known as Indian Territory, which got smaller and smaller until it made up only most of what is now the state of Oklahoma . . . many Osage children were sent to boarding schools, and Osage elders could only share their histories and traditions in secret.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Maria developed arthritis later in her life, and she treated it with “herbs and Tylenol.”

Language 

  • Maria was often bullied by classmates for being Osage. Classmates made “war whoops” whenever they saw her. They asked her why she didn’t wear feathers in her hair. In addition, they made racist, hurtful comments about her father. They made fun of her last name, pretending to be confused by whether it was Tall or Chief.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Maria is part of the Osage nation in Oklahoma, and they have their own religious beliefs and practices. The book notes that her parents “took the family to powwows held in remote corners of the Osage reservation. If they had been caught, they could have gotten in trouble. At the time, Native American ceremonies and gatherings were illegal. (And they would remain illegal until Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978, when Betty was fifty-three years old!)”

The Puppy War

Wild has been on the run—jumping from one family to the next—ever since she left Chance almost a year ago. But when a mysterious canine corporation, C.A.T., abducts her and threatens to hurt Chance, she will stop at nothing to escape and find her old friend.

Together again, Wild and Chance must enlist the help of Junebug to hack into C.A.T.’s computer to discover what they really want. Along the way, the group is reunited with an old friend and introduced to the Puppio puppies, which are love-at-first-sight cute, with massive eyes, and smell like apple pie. Yet even though they look cute on the outside, Wild is convinced everything isn’t as it seems.

When Wild finds out a shocking discovery about her past, she must decide who is more important to protect—her past, her best friend, or the greater Los Angeles area that is in incredible Puppio danger.

The second installment in the Wild & Chance Series has just as many heart-stopping moments as the first book. However, in this installment, Wild isn’t sure who the real threat is. Is it the Russian men in suits that tried to dognap him, or is it Dr. Pao the woman who invented the technology that created Wild? Unlike the previous book, Wild, Chance, and Junebug aren’t working together. Instead, the three have gone their separate ways, leaving Wild to find out what the puppy war is all about.

Readers will fall in love with Wild, who wants to protect her friends. However, when she realizes that Dr. Pao has used her DNA to create puppies, Wild is torn between protecting her children or protecting the humans she loves. To make matters even more difficult, Chance is given one of Dr. Pao’s genetically altered puppies, and the two instantly bond. Wild must use her stealth to discover Dr. Pao’s real reason for creating the puppies.

The Puppy War uses the unique perspective of Wild to create a suspenseful story that is also full of heart. The story combines intense chase scenes, friendship difficulties, and two separate groups who want to make Wild their property. Plus, an old nemesis appears and showcases that dogs (and people) can change for the better. However, the true gem of the story is the relationship between Wild and her two human friends, Chance and Junebug.

While The Puppy War is a solid story, the conclusion is rushed and unrealistic. In order to allow room for a third book, Zadoff leaves several threads untied which is frustrating. Despite this, The Puppy War uses a unique concept that will have readers on the edge of their seats—and contemplating the ethics behind manipulating DNA. Dog-loving readers who want to view life through a heroic dog’s point of view should also read the Pawtriot Dogs Series by Samuel P. Fortsch and the Hero Series by Jennifer Li Shotz. If you’re in the mood for a less serious, humorous dog series, check out Two Dogs in a Trench Coat by Julie Falatko.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • After being kidnapped, Wild wakes up in an airplane. In order to escape, Wild knocks a man off his feet. “I seize the opportunity to dart toward the skinny man, avoiding his attempt to kick me by biting down on his arm. He howls in pain and tries to get away from me, but I clamp harder.”
  • Wild drags the man out of the flying plane. “A second later we’re falling into open air, my jaws firmly attached to the skinny man’s arm.” The man tries to detach Wild from his arm, but Wild twists and “bite[s] down on his calf.” As the two fall, the man deploys a parachute. When they land, the man “is alive and breathing, but it looks like he’s going to be out for a while.”  
  • Men go to Chance’s home with the intent to kidnap him. Wild jumps out and “I hit the first man like a bowling ball, sending him careening into his friend, the two of them stumbling into the wall. . . I land and spin in place, instantly jumping towards the third man. I kick him in the throat and he falls, breathless and clutching his chest.”
  • The men in suits find Wild and Chance again. Wild sees “one of the men in suits coming toward us, a can of knockout spray in his hands. . . I roar and leap at the man, knocking the can from his hands and striking him dead center in the chest.” They escape.
  • The men in suits drag Chance, Wild, and Junebug into a car. In order to get Wild to talk, “the man puts a hand on Chance’s shoulder, squeezing in a claw motion. Chance grits his teeth against the pain as the man’s fingers turn white with effort.”
  • Someone drives a vehicle into the men in suits’ SUV. Wild hears “brakes screaming around us and the sound of multiple crashes.” Wild sees one of the men “stumbling out of the car, a trickle of blood on his forehead where he injured himself during the crash.”
  • During a training exercise, Wild attacks several men. “I leap from the sidewalk into the first man’s chest, knocking him back into his friend . . . I snatch his paint leg, ripping it with my teeth and knocking him to the ground.”
  • Two puppies, Sebastian and Scarlett, get into a fight. “Sebastian tries to dominate her, two paws slapping down hard on Scarlett’s face. Her head bounces off the floor with a crack.” Wild stops the fight.
  • An animal control officer tries to capture Wild. “Suddenly, a Taser hits me, the electric shock passing down my spine and through my nerves. My muscles contract and release in rapid succession, freezing me in place. . . A needle goes under my skin. It burns when the injection goes in and the tranquilizer enters my bloodstream.” Wild wakes up in a cage.
  • The head of the puppy project, Dr. Pao, orders her men to euthanize Wild. When Wild wakes up, she’s on a medical table. Wild kicks “the medical tray to the floor, then I use a paw to whip off my muzzle.” One of the men goes for a weapon and Wild races “toward him, vaulting over the table and smashing his head into the side of the cabinet . . . He groans and goes down, unconscious.” The other man passes out from fright and Wild escapes.
  • On the puppy release day, Dr. Pao holds Junebug and Chance as hostages. Wild confronts Dr. Pao and then Wild “leap[s] at her from across the room, smashing against her chest and sending the two of us sprawling backward.” A struggle ensues and is stopped when the men in suits take Dr. Pao away. It is unclear who the men work for.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Men kidnap Wild and drug him with something that makes him go to sleep.
  • Wild and Chance go to a secret Ukrainian hangout spot where Wild smells “food, combined with alcohol.”  

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Tea Dragon Tapestry

The final installment in the Tea Dragon Trilogy, The Tea Dragon Tapestry, is a soothing synthesis of characters from the previous books who come together to celebrate their culture in a charming fantasy realm. In the opening pages, readers are reunited with Greta, a teenage villager training to be a blacksmith, and her love interest Minette, a young prophetess healing from traumatic memory loss.

When Minette receives an illustrious tapestry from the monastery she used to call home, she is reimmersed in a culture she left behind. She begins to have strange dreams about the Ancestor – the sacred creature depicted on the tapestry. Meanwhile, Greta is preparing to study under Kleitos, a master blacksmith. She also fosters pet tea dragons, one of whom is grieving over a former owner.

Greta and Minette meet Rinn and Aedhan, who have traveled from a mountain village to visit Rinn’s uncle, Erik, and his partner, Hesekiel. Readers will recognize these older characters from the previous books. Greta and Minette learn important life lessons from their role models, such as how to belong in a new place and reconnect with one’s origins and identity.

Greta completes a project to demonstrate her skill to Kleitos, and Minette weaves more details onto the tapestry to contribute to her culture. The graphic novel concludes with an epilogue in the form of a letter written by Hesekiel. The letter details how his generation has passed on their legacy to the younger generation, and how the cycle of life and death gives him hope for the future.

Nonbinary readers will likely identify with Rinn and Aedhan, as well as the elusive Ancestor, all of whom use they/them pronouns. Queerness is not called into question or judged in this world. The Tea Dragon Tapestry also provides positive representation for physically disabled people, as Erik lives a fulfilling life regardless of being confined to a wheelchair.

O’Neill’s endearing artistic style continues to immerse readers in a flourishing realm that values family, traditions, nature, and following one’s heart. Their choice of colors is more vibrant and pastel than the previous books. The Tea Dragon Tapestry brings satisfying closure and momentous hope to the series. Like previous installments, this book shows an impressive capacity for storytelling, art, and positive representation.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • Erik and Kleitos playfully duel with swords in a field, but nobody is injured.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • When brewed into tea, leaves harvested from the small household pets known as tea dragons have the power to send the drinker into a trance and allow them to glimpse their own memories or past events experienced by those around them.

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • The book includes multiple fantasy creatures, such as shapeshifting dragons, anthropomorphic birds, and humans with features like tails, horns, furred ears, or goat legs.

Spiritual Content 

  • Minette’s culture performs rituals and prayers to a being known as the Ancestor. Minette formerly lived at a monastery dedicated to this primordial creature.

Amulet Keepers

Strange things are happening in London. Red rain is flooding the streets. People are going missing. And someone is opening graves in Highgate Cemetery . . .
 
Only Alex and his best friend, Ren, suspect the truth. A Death Walker, a powerful ancient Egyptian evil, is behind the chaos. Their quest to stop him takes them from New York to London, and from the land of the living to the deep underground tombs of the long dead. Will they stop the Death Walker before he gets too powerful . . . or will the tombs claim them, too

The second installment of the TombQuest Series jumps into action right from the start. Even though the plot is similar to The Book of the Dead, Amulet Keepers ramps up the fear factor, especially since part of the mystery revolves around a missing boy. Amulet Keepers has more violence and may frighten younger readers, especially because the Death Walker steals people’s souls. In order to break up the tense scenes, Alex’s cousin Luke appears several times. Luke adds some humor to the story and his athletic abilities come in handy while fighting several thugs.

Many readers will empathize with Alex, who is desperate to find his missing mother. However, Alex’s short temper occasionally borders on the side of being thoughtless and mean. Nevertheless, Alex’s best friend Ren has Alex’s back, even when she becomes frustrated by his bossy attitude. Despite Alex’s behavior, readers will appreciate how all three characters — Alex, Ren, and Luke — have different strengths that help defeat the Death Walker. Amulet Keepers also introduces a mummified cat to the cast of characters, which adds an interesting twist. 

TombQuest is an exciting series full of action and adventure that will keep readers engaged but might frighten some readers. Readers wanting a fast-paced story where danger — and mummies — lurk around every corner will find Amulet Keepers entertaining. Readers who want an adventure that doesn’t involve the dead coming back to life will find Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger more to their liking.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • A man is walking in his neighborhood when a dead mummy attacks. The man screams, but “the neighbors stayed in their beds, pulling the sheets a little closer. And so none of them saw the powerful figure of one man drag the limp frame of another out of the light at the edge of the village. . .” 
  • While leaving the airport, Alex and Ren are ambushed by Liam, a thug that works for The Order. Alex’s “own heavy suitcase crashed into him. Liam swung the thing like a Ping-Pong paddle, clocking Alex hard on the shoulder and sending him sprawling to the pavement. . . Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Liam bring the suitcase down toward Ren, trying to swat her like a fly.” Ren is “knocked flat.”  Then, Liam puts a zip tie around Alex’s wrists.
  • Liam tries to put Ren and Alex into a van. “As he reached out for Alex, a shoulder slammed hard into Liam’s gut and a pair of arms wrapped up the tops of his thick legs. . . Liam’s mouth formed a perfect round O as he fell backward and his head slammed into the side of the van.” After Alex’s cousin, Luke, incapacitates Liam, the kids escape. The scene is described over three pages.
  • Liam follows the kids to a museum. To get into the parking lot, Liam has to take care of the security guard, Glenn. Liam “grabbed the back of Glenn’s head with one powerful hand as the other one shot up towards the guard’s neck. The gleaming metal point of a large hypodermic needle sank deep into the soft, pale flesh of Glenn’s neck. . . the guard fell still.” The guard was injected with horse tranquilizers and was “lucky to be alive.”
  • When a Death Walker comes after Ren and Alex, Alex grabs the scarab, and “a powerful phantom wind rose up. . . it was enough to slow [the Death Walker] and knock him off balance.” During the fight, Alex shoots a “spear of wind” at the Death Walker, but “the creature opened his mouth wide and ate it. The wind disappeared into a howling vacuum inside.” The creature tries to feed on Ren’s soul. Alex saw “a flicker and a blur as a mirror image of his best friend slowly began to pull away from her body. . .He looked down and saw the same thing happening to him.”
  • Alex uses his scarab’s magic when the Death Walker tries to feed on Alex and Ren. With his eyes, Alex breaks a tree branch. “The Walker looked up in surprise, pointing his open mouth at the falling branch. . . A moment later, the branch crashed down on his oversized frame, knocking the foul man-thing to the ground.” The kids are able to run away from the Walker. The scene is described over four pages.
  • Dr. Aditi, who was helping Alex and Ren, is in a cemetery when the Death Walker sees her. “Two strong hands clamped down on her shoulders. . . The powerful hands dug into her shoulders as he opened his mouth wide and showed her oblivion. The world went cold, and the last thing she saw as her eyes turned white and her lips edged past purple was her very self, slipping away.”
  • While in an isolated part of a museum, Liam corners Ren. “There was nowhere to go, no other exit, but she put the room’s one bench in between her and the towering thug.” Liam takes out a syringe of horse tranquilizer. “He stabbed out with the syringe. . . she screamed as the point of the needle raked across her left arm.”
  • Ren tries to run from Liam, but “he reeled her in like a wriggling trout as the drop of tranquilizer began to take effect and her vision began to blur.” Luke and Alex jump in to help Ren. Alex uses his amulet to push Liam’s lookout down the stairs. Then, Alex “squeezed his fingers into a sharp point and . . . a lance of concentrated air caught Liam directly under his chin, sending him reeling backwards.” Then, Luke “lowered his shoulder and crashed into the back of Liam’s legs, sending the big man toppling over him and onto the floor.” 
  • When Liam tries to take an unconscious Ren, Alex attacks the thug with wind. “As Liam rose onto one knee, his body jerked violently off the floor and spun toward the other two men. His big frame caught them at shoulder level and all three landed in a heap . . . grunting from pain and surprise.” All three kids escape without injury. The scene is described over six pages.
  • After failing to capture Alex and Ren, Liam is taken to the Death Walker. “Liam felt his body lift off the ground, his feet kicking out from underneath him. He could only flap his arms helplessly as he was slammed back down. The back of his head crashed into the hard-packed dirt and knocked him out cold.” Liam is mummified.
  • Alex and Ren are in a series of tunnels under a cemetery when “a massive force struck Alex so hard that he flew sideways into the wall . . . he left an Alex-shaped impression in it as he slumped down to the floor . . . Ren spun around to find the long iron snout of a crocodile mask turned toward her like the barrel of a gun. Her hands wrestled futilely with an unseen force clamping down hard on her throat, cutting off the blood flow.” The Death Walker’s servant, Te-mesah, ties up Alex and Ren.
  • To force Alex to talk, Te-mesah hurts Ren. “Ren gasped with pain and surprise as her bound hands were yanked over her head. . .Ren’s feet were a foot off the ground. . . Her face was a mask of pain and despair.” 
  • Pai, a mummified cat, comes to Ren’s aid. “Pai hissed again, gathered her haunches underneath her, and jumped. . . Te-mesah put his hands up, but it was too late. . . He stumbled backward and smacked into the wall, then . . .attempted to pry the hissing whirlwind from his head.” While Te-mesah is occupied, Ren and Alex escape. The scene is described over three pages.
  • While in the tunnels, Alex and Ren find Willoughby (a Death Walker). Willoughby had Robbie, “a young boy, tied to a stone slab in front of him. The boy turned his tear-streaked face toward them. He screamed for help, but a filthy rag tied over his mouth muffled the words.” 
  • A mummy begins to chase Robbie but he “executed a nifty soccer-field fake. . . the mummy barreled straight ahead, as mummies do. Alex grasped his amulet, raised his right hand, and released the most powerful lance of wind yet. . .The mummy toppled forward at full speed and wiped Willoughby out.” 
  • Willoughby focuses on Alex, deciding “who to kill first. . . [the Death Walker] punched his hand forward again, and Alex’s body convulsed hard on the floor. . .He reached up and wiped his mouth painting a red smear across the back of his hand.”
  • Robbie cuts off Willoughby’s hand. “The metal shears snapped shut, making a grotesque sound as they cut through muscle and old bone. Robbie squeezed with every muscle in his small body – and all the anger in there, too – leaning his chest and all his weight down on the handles. . . Willoughby’s hand dropped to the dirt floor with a dull thud.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • After using his magic, Alex’s head hurts so he “rifled through his stuff for his bottle of headache pills, took two too many, and collapsed onto his bed.” 

Language 

  • When Alex is being mean to Ren, she tells him, “Don’t be a jerk.”
  • Alex calls the Death Walker’s servant a scumbag.
  • Freaking and heck are both used once.

Supernatural

  • In England, it rains blood several times.
  • Alex has a scarab amulet that gives him special powers such as being able to sense the dead and control wind.  
  • Ren befriends the mummy of Bastet. “Part protector and part predator, the cat-headed goddess was both revered and feared in ancient Egypt.” 
  • The mummy of Bastet gives Ren an amulet in the shape of an ibis, “the symbol of Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing.” The amulet gives Ren visions, but she doesn’t understand what they mean.
  • Captain Winfred Willoughby was a tomb raider who was accused of murder. Upon his death Willoughby was mummified, and he comes back to the world of the living as a Death Walker.
  • An archeologist was mummified and brought back to life. “Everything about him was wrong, an abomination. . . The man’s skin was mottled and uneven; in some places it was stretched taut and dry, like a mummy’s, and in others, it hung loose, like a pale old man’s.” To stay alive, the mummy must feed on the souls of the living.
  • To send Willoughby back to the land of the dead, Alex uses his amulet to activate the Book of the Dead. Alex recites, “O thief! O usurper! Get back! Return, for you should know justice. . .” The spell does not work until Ren cuts off Willoughby’s hand, which was the ancient Egyptian’s punishment for stealing.

Spiritual Content 

  • None

What If You Had Animal Hair!?

If you could have any animal’s hair, whose would you choose? If you chose a polar bear’s double coat, you would never have to wear a hat when playing in the snow. If you had a reindeer’s hair, it would help you stay afloat in water. And if you had a porcupine’s hair, no bully would ever bother you again! The animal kingdom has lots of awesome types of hair, but yours is pretty great, too!

If you love animals and want to learn more about their hair, then you must read What If You Had Animal Hair!? The simple, entertaining format uses a two-page spread that features a photographic image of the animal and its hair on the left and an illustration of a child with that animal’s hair on the right. The large pictures of children with animal hair are so humorous they will cause giggles.

While What If You Had Animal Hair!? is intended for younger readers, it will appeal to older readers because of the interesting facts and fun illustrations. Each two-page spread has seven to eight complex sentences that beginning readers will need an adult to read aloud to them. Despite this, the story is a quick read that is informative as well as entertaining. Readers will not only learn about familiar animals such as a lion and a zebra but also less familiar animals such as a pangolin and a star-nosed mole.

Introduce a child to non-fiction text by reading What If You Had Animal Hair!? The fun format, silly photos, and engaging text will entertain as it teaches children about animal hair. For more fun facts, fly over to the library and grab a copy of 13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Mascot

Since the car accident, Noah Savino has been confined to his wheelchair. His past life as an average seventh grader has been turned upside down, and he struggles to find solace away from baseball. It doesn’t help that physical therapy is terrible, his mom seems extra stressed, and his old friend, Logan Montgomery, has turned into his new personal bully. To make matters worse, his father also passed away in a car accident that paralyzed him.

Everything changes, including his perspective on life, when Noah meets the new kid, Ruben Hardesty, a.k.a “Dee-Dub.” For the first time in his life, Noah finds someone different from others, and this blossoming friendship with Dee-Dub places Noah’s life on a roller coaster of emotion where he discovers that he’s more than just a kid in a wheelchair. Eventually, Noah learns that his past doesn’t dictate his future. He isn’t just a mascot rooting on the sidelines; he’s the ballplayer on the baseball diamond that can change both his and others’ lives. 

Throughout the book, readers will experience the typical life of a seventh-grade boy through the eyes of Noah Savino, a sassy but lovable character. Although his quick sarcasm and stubborn attitude can be irritating initially, readers will slowly discover the complex emotions hidden within Noah’s character. His growth from a boy stuck in the gloom of the past to a lovable friend with a heart for others is admirable and inspiring, and Noah’s story highlights that good can come from bad things — although not necessarily in the most straightforward manner. 

Noah’s character development is supported by a fantastic cast of side characters who showcase how the powers of friendship, love, and forgiveness can positively impact both the giver and the receiver. Readers will enjoy how each of the characters’ stories weaves together. Whether it’s strengthening his friendship with Dee-Dub, acknowledging his feelings for Alyssa, or being friendly to his overly competitive partner in physical therapy, Noah learns and grows because of each of the people in his life. Noah even learns to forgive his bully, Logan, after a heartfelt conversation. “For the first time in months, I bump [Logan’s] fist right back, and he smiles like he knows exactly what I’m thinking.”

Readers will relate to Noah because he recognizes that bad things happen in people’s lives. However, the story offers an important lesson about moving forward and focusing on the future. Although Mascot has its share of awkward moments, readers will fall in love with the emotional richness of the characters and how their everyday activities are enhanced by each other. For those who enjoy a fast-paced, moving saga littered with baseball references, Antony John’s Mascot is the perfect book for you. For more inspiring baseball action, read Soar by Joan Bauer and Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee.

Sexual Content

  • Noah Savino is repeatedly caught staring at his classmate, Alyssa Choo’s, boobs. She responds to the three instances with anger and immediate action, like “[sliding] onto the chair across the aisle from me and [folding] her arms across her chest.”
  • For several pages, Noah and Makayla Dillion discuss whether their parents are “sucking face.”
  • One of Makayla’s books mentions the character Gabriella kissing a boy, and “she seems to be enjoying it.”
  • Noah and Alyssa briefly touch hands. When she leaves, Noah notices the “empty space where she was touching me” and that “his skin tingles.”
  • After speaking with Alyssa, Noah notes that her voice was “a little quieter and breathier than before, makes me feel kind of tingly.”
  • At the end of the book, Noah and Alyssa exchange a kiss, where Noah notes that “she even stays in place as I turn my head, so that for an instant our lips brush together.”

Violence

  • During a contest, Alyssa purposely hits Logan Montgomery’s leg and Dee-Dub Hardesty’s stomach with a baseball. Logan “just watches as it lands a yard in front of him, ricochets off the ground, shoots up, and cracks against the outside of his left knee.”
  • Mr. Riggieri, Noah’s neighbor across the street, jokingly threatens to murder the three kids if they don’t help him clean. He says that they must help “or I’ll track you all down and murder you in your sleep.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Because of her pitching power, Noah once joked that Alyssa takes “steroids.”

Language

  • Noah’s mom says “for Pete’s sake” when Noah questions her about her upcoming dinner date.
  • Heck is used as an exclamation several times.
  • Noah says, “Geez. You’re like freaking Einstein.”
  • Noah calls a kid a “moron.”

Supernatural

  • During a baseball game, Noah believes his deceased father is “where he is now — on the sidelines, invisible but somehow present.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Kat Wolfe Takes the Case

When a suspicious death coincides with the exciting discovery of the fossilized bones of a two-hundred-million-year old “dragon” dinosaur, Bluebell Bays’ one and only pet-sitting sleuth, Kat Wolfe, knows this is a case for her and her best friend, Harper Lamb, to dig into. But it’s going to take all of Kat’s focus, and she doesn’t have much to spare. 

For Kat is also fending off accusations that one of her pets is attacking local animals, dealing with a difficult and perhaps dangerous relative, and uncovering clues about a secret society. Can Kat and Harper juggle more than one high-stakes mystery and find a way to save Kat’s pet’s life before it’s too late?

In the second installment of the Wolfe and Lamb Mysteries, Kat’s curiosity and pet-sitting lead her into danger as she tries to solve several mysteries at once. When a famous Hollywood couple comes into town, Kat is soon entrusted to care for both their horse and their temperamental Pomeranian. Even though the couple claim to be in Bluebell Bay for rest and relaxation, their suspicious behavior leaves Kat wondering what the Hollywood duo is up to. Kat’s enthusiasm for solving mysteries is balanced with fun interactions with animals, her friend Harper, and the people from Bluebell Bay.

The discovery of the “dragon” dinosaur adds a unique twist and gives the reader insight into the use of endangered animals in medicine. From the first chapter, readers know that someone with a terminal illness is willing to kill in order to receive a traditional Chinese medicine that uses dragon teeth. While Harper helps her father excavate the “dragon” dinosaur bones, she is able to learn inside information that adds suspense.

Both Kat’s investigative skills and her pet sitting skills lead her into many difficult and sometimes humorous situations. While the first book in the series focused on many of Bluebell Bay’s residents, the second book focuses more on Kat and her relationship with her grandfather, the Dark Lord, who has many secrets. Readers will enjoy the evolving relationship between the two and will wonder what dangerous mission the Dark Lord is caught up in. This storyline also highlights the importance of not making character judgments based on a person’s physical appearance. 

Kat Wolfe Takes the Case has many positive aspects including a wide range of interesting characters, surprising twists, and a unique mystery. The fun animal encounters are an added bonus. However, for maximum enjoyment, the Wolfe and Lamb Mysteries Series should be read in order. Since the story revolves around dinosaur fossils, it may also spark the reader’s interest in another fossil hunter Barnum Brown or in the Ancient Animals Series by Sarah L. Thomson.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • A man with a tire iron breaks into Dr. Liu’s office. The man demands a medicine that contains dragon’s teeth. When Dr. Lui says he does not have any, the man uses a tire iron to destroy “a tray of glass jars, sending splinters flying.” If Dr. Liu doesn’t comply, his son will be killed.
  • When Kat brings an injured dog, Pax, into her bedroom, Kat’s Savannah cat is displeased. “After a nightmarish chase and wrestling match, he’d flown out the high window, leaving Kat and Pax bleeding and enough fur on the floor to stuff a mattress.”
  • When Kat is looking for Tiny, a Savannah cat, she goes into a barn and finds a “man was aiming a high-powered rifle at her. There was a silencer on it. . . he fired. The bullet passed so close to Kat’s cheek that she felt it scorch by like a mini comet.” The man fired a tranquilizer into a lynx so the animal could be relocated safely.
  • When a Pomeranian’s owner threatened Kat, the dog “flew at her mistress and bit her ankle.” The woman has a bloody ankle but is otherwise okay. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Kat sees a college student at a restaurant eating lobster and drinking champagne. 
  • Dragon’s teeth are used in traditional Chinese medicine, because some believe dragon’s bones and teeth “can be used as a sedative to treat insomnia, depression, fever, and liver disease, among other things.”

Language 

  • Damn and darn are both used once.
  • Kat says Ohmigod once.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • When Kat’s Savannah cat takes off into the night, Kat goes to look for her. Kat cannot find her, but “she’d prayed that Tiny would be curled up in the crook of her legs when she awoke.” 

The Fourth Suit

Ridley Larsen is a friend that anyone would want. She’s fierce, loyal, and sharp as a whip. However, her harsh critique puts her friendship with the rest of the Magic Misfits on the rocks, even with the threat of Kalagan—the group’s long-time enemy—hanging over them. 

Nonetheless, the Magic Misfits solve the incidents happening in Mineral Wells, which brings them closer to discovering Kalagan’s hiding spot and his true identity. But Ridley’s temper gets in the way of their hard work. Ridley must work to master her temper so the Magical Misfits can work together. 

Ridley takes the spotlight in this installment of Magic Misfits. A limited third-person perspective lets the reader learn about Ridley’s reasons for her brash attitude and her tumultuous relationship with her mother, who often prioritizes her work over Ridley. Readers will relate to Ridley’s frustration when she doesn’t understand why the others are happy with trusting adults, due to her rocky relationship with her mother. The lack of communication tears apart Ridley’s friendship with the rest of the Magic Misfits. 

Ridley’s distrustful, distant relationship with her mother raises her suspicions towards other adults. She especially doesn’t trust Mr. Vernon, the purveyor of magic goods, because he’s been keeping secrets from the Magic Misfits all summer. The Magic Misfits ask her to trust Mr. Vernon when they find out about the Emerald Group, Vernon’s old network of fellow magicians. Ridley agrees to trust her friends and opens up to them because she realizes that her being impulsive and not listening is making her friendships suffer. 

As the Magic Misfits encounter Kalagan more often, the idea of trust and acceptance comes to a head. Ridley’s mistrust in Vernon halted their progress in stopping the villain, much like Ridley’s distrust of the rest of the Magic Misfits did. Vernon is forced to open up about the truth behind the dissolution of the Emerald Group. Eventually, with everyone’s support and openness, the old and new magician groups can face Kalagan. When Kalagan is defeated and Ridley and her mother reconcile, Ridley learns that you can rely on the people around you to help you become a better friend and a better person.

Occasionally, an omniscient, unnamed narrator chimes in with a recap of the story’s events, which blends in seamlessly with the overall narration. As a bonus, black and white pictures are scattered throughout the novel and help readers visualize the setting and the action scenes. In order to engage the readers more, there are how-to magic tricks sprinkled throughout the story. These sections contain instructions for performing the magic tricks, along with illustrations to reference. Tricks such as transforming a quarter into a penny and turning water into ice are easy to do, but adults are encouraged to help their little ones with these activities. 

The Fourth Suit is a lively and riveting story that gets its energy from the tension of holding onto the past while trying to change for the better. Combined with exceptional narration and detailed descriptions, the striking visuals of various styles complement an incredible story. Readers will enjoy reading about the friendship between Ridley and her friends, and how they patch up their relationship as well as stop Kalagan once and for all. If you are looking for stories about magic, friendship, and secrets, give Magic Misfits: The Fourth Suit a read! Readers who want more action and adventure should also check out The Revenge of Magic by James Riley and Rise of the Dragon Moon by Gabrille K. Byrne.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • Carter, one of Ridley’s friends, calls Kalagan a “creep.”
  • Carter refers to Kalagan’s brother as a “lunatic.”

Supernatural 

  • Many of the characters use tricks related to illusions or trickery, such as Ridley’s transformations or Theo’s levitation. They are in no way similar to supernatural magic or the paranormal. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Carter’s uncle says he “did some digging deep in [his] soul” and that he “joined a church group in town.”

The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow

During winter break, Moth Hush comes to terms with the revelation of her witch heritage and powers. Her mother, also a witch, helps Moth learn new spells and Moth gets happier with each one she picks up. Moth has a best friend in Carter, a boy from one of her classes, and Mr. Laszlo, a talking cat. Her life, friendships, and relationship with her mother couldn’t be better!

Unfortunately, Moth’s life doesn’t stay stress-free for long. At school, she runs into bullies that she wishes would leave her alone. After an incident in which she accidentally wears a similar outfit to a teacher, the bullies make Moth their latest victim and torment her for being the teacher’s “twin.” To make matters worse, Moth’s grandmother wants Moth to become a powerful witch and puts a lot of pressure on Moth to succeed in studying and practicing magic.

When Moth finds a solution to her problem — a magic charm that can bring out a confident and self-assured version of herself — things start out great. She gets praise from her grandmother and admiration from her classmates. With magic, Moth feels like she has a handle on how she presents herself to her family and classmates. But depending on magic to achieve her wildest dreams causes Moth’s life to spiral out of control.

The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow expands upon Moth’s school life. Many students are ruthless bullies; they stop at nothing to terrorize someone, never letting a joke or prank run dry. Moth’s tormentors mock Moth for her old-fashioned clothing, crooked teeth, and dark skin. Moth stresses over her looks and wonders if she would fit in if she changed her appearance. Readers will relate to Moth’s self-esteem issues, her struggle to accept herself for who she is, and her desire to fit in with the rest of the student body.

Moth discovers more about discrimination and exclusion from her grandmother’s stories about her witch heritage. Most witches in the Hush order (Moth’s grandmother’s previous order) believed that Moth’s grandmother was undeserving of her high-ranking position due to her skin color and class. In one conversation, Moth’s grandmother states, “They refused to see me as an equal.” Discussions such as these call attention to mistreatment towards underrepresented communities, showing prejudice is still pervasive not just in Moth’s grandmother’s time but also in the modern era.

Steinkellner’s full use of the graphic novel format lends itself to dynamic paneling and excellent pacing. Thick outlines make characters stand out while vibrant colors and pastels will keep readers engaged. Reluctant readers may like that most pages do not have words but rather tell the story through illustrations. In addition, Moth’s perspective as the narrator makes The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow easy to follow.

To relate to today’s readers, The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow incorporates modern-day technology. Familiar technology, such as smartphones and social media, brings readers closer to Moth’s world and highlights Moth’s desire to fit in. Memes, texting, and pop culture references invite the reader to become involved in the story. The inclusion of diverse characters and family dynamics adds depth and promotes diversity and representation.

Through her experiences, Moth learns an important lesson about integrity and self-trust. She doesn’t need to take shortcuts for quicker results or use magic to change herself to fit in: she can become whoever she wants by her own means without destroying herself from the inside out. Readers who want to learn more about standing up to bullies should also read Out of Place by Jennifer Blecher and Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural 

  • Witches perform magic spells in various ways: nonverbally, incantations, gestures, or a mix of the three. For example, Moth shrinks a bug by aiming her pinky at it, scrunching her nose, and twisting her arm to the right. Moth is surrounded by magic and magical occurrences every day. As such, not all instances are listed here. 
  • Moth finds the nyklum, a “powerful charm that may transform its wearer into a bolder, more self-assured version of themselves.” The charm requires a small item from the person the witch chooses to imitate and the following incantation: “Bring it forth that I may be the better half that waits in me.” Moth uses the nyklum to become popular. She becomes more confident in herself and gains the attention of her classmates.
  • The more a witch draws upon the nyklum, the more likely the ancient demon Shadriel Kannibalstisch will take over the witch, incapacitating her for good. As the story progresses, Moth risks being taken over by Shadriel Kannibalstisch. 
  • Shadriel Kannibalstisch, also known as the Hungry Shadow, is a demon that looks to take over a person. The demon makes the witch formidable, but it corrupts the witch at the same time. When Shadriel Kannibalstisch becomes more powerful than its host, Shadriel eclipses them, the witch dies, and Shadriel takes the witch’s body for itself. 
  • To be more confident in front of her classmates, Moth wants to use the nyklum at the Valentine’s Day school dance. Upon hearing about the consequences of using the nyklum, Moth removes the nyklum to destroy Shadriel Kannibalstisch before it eclipses her. 
  • Shadriel Kannibalstisch comes out of the nyklum to stop Moth from destroying both it and the nyklum. When Shadriel Kannibalstisch shows itself, it takes control of the other students. Shadriel Kannibalstisch’s magic doesn’t hurt the students. 
  • To repel the students that Shadriel Kannibalstisch controls, Moth’s mother and another witch use magic to throw a wall of light to shake the demon’s hold on the students. The students are unharmed. The wall of light restrains or startles the students. 
  • Moth defeats the demon by shrinking the nyklum to an imperceptibly miniscule size. In doing so, the students are freed from the demon’s control. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Professor Folks, a museum educator at the local museum, believes animals are like humans in some ways. When seeing Mr. Laszlo, Professor Folks states, “I’ve always felt that animals have a special soul inside them. Look into this cat’s eyes. So expressive. So human. Almost as if we’re old, dear friends.”

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane

Emmy, a twelve-year-old girl from Connecticut, is being sent to boarding school in England so her mother can advance her career. Emmy’s mom is a child psychologist and “mentor for the moms and dads of America.” Emmy’s mother wants to make sure that her daughter will “get a top-notch education,” even if Emmy doesn’t love the idea of a boarding school. However, Wellsworth (Emmy’s new school) provides her with an exciting opportunity — to learn more about her mysterious father, who went missing when she was just three years old. Following instructions from a mysterious letter from “a friend,” Emmy searches her family’s home for any “relics” from her dad. Emmy finds a box with a letter from her father on top. He asks her to “keep them safe.” The box contains twelve beautiful medallions, but Emmy has no idea why these are so important to her father. 

Emmy is a sympathetic character, as she confronts issues readers may relate to, such as struggling to make friends in a new school. She explains, “Wellsworth wasn’t the first school her mom had sent her to so she could get a ‘top-notch education,’ and it probably wouldn’t be the last. She figured out a long time ago that friends never stuck around when she switched schools, so why bother making new ones?” However, Emmy’s mindset changes when she meets Lola and Jack; the three friends bond over difficulties with their families’ relationships. Lola’s mom is in charge of disciplining and ensuring order of all of the students in their dormitory, and Jack’s family is deeply involved with the dangerous Order of Black Hollow Lane. After spending so much time with them, Emmy realizes, “They really had become like her family.” 

One of the major themes in Nobel’s book is the danger of being greedy and seeking power. While researching the school’s architecture, Emmy and her friends find a book with information about the Order of Black Hollow Lane, a secret society that started at Wellsworth. A teacher explains, “There will always be people who crave power. And people who will go to any lengths to hold onto it.” This perfectly encapsulates the members of the Order and, as Emmy discovers, this is why her father tried to stop them by stealing their “only one complete collection of medallions” that act as keys for them to access their vaults of money.

Another major theme is growing to love a new school or environment, as Emmy ultimately does with Wellsworth. She bonds with her friends, Lola and Jack, and also finds that, “It doesn’t matter if it feels weird. This is my home.” Readers who enjoy mystery or books about secret societies will love this novel as its twists and turns will leave you wanting more. At first, Emmy feels completely alone at her new school as she deals with a cruel roommate on top of a completely new environment. But when Emmy meets Lola and Jack, she is finally able to share her feelings with them and they become her best friends. 

Emmy also finds herself most comfortable representing her new school on the soccer field. Emmy joins the soccer team with her friend Lola and playing helps Emmy gain confidence. She explains, “This was where she belonged. Her heart was meant to pound with the rhythm of fast feet . . . No matter where she was in the world, the smell of freshly cut grass meant she was home.” Though the book mainly centers around Emmy and her friends searching for information on her missing father and about the awful intentions of the Order, readers who enjoy soccer will enjoy that Emmy spends a great deal of time discussing and playing soccer with Lola. 

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane wraps up Emmy’s first semester at Wellsworth and ends with her returning home to Connecticut for the summer. Emmy has seemingly convinced the members of the Order that she has thrown the box containing the medallions into the sea, “Now that [the Order’s medallions] are gone, there’s no reason for the Order to come after [Emmy].” However, the book leaves the readers on edge as it sets up for The Secret of White Stone Gate, as Emmy reveals to Jack and Lola that she actually still has the real box of medallions. Readers will be thrilled to find out what Emmy will do next as she returns to Wellsworth after her summer at home. If you’re up for more intriguing mysteries, check out the Wolfe & Lamb Series by Lauren St. John and the City Spies Series by James Ponti. Strong readers looking for more suspense and mystery should also read Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • In her humanities class, Emmy’s friend, Lola, explains that Anne Boleyn is “a queen who got her head hacked off.”
  • Lola describes a time during a soccer game in which she “punched a girl in the middle of a match and got herself banned for most of last season.” Lola explains that this was because the girl was bullying her teammate.
  • Lola recounts the time she “slugged Brynn [her cousin]” and then “had to do community service.” Lola explains, “He thinks his side of the family is so much better than ours because they have more money.”
  • It is not described in detail, but students gossip about Jack’s brother, Malcom, who “fell off the chapter house roof.” He is injured but okay. 
  • While Emmy searches to find out more information about a mysterious letter from “Brother Loyola,” she runs into Brynn who approaches her and “ripped the letter from her hand.” Brynn is furious and demands to know where she got the letter. “He shoved her into the wall. Pain shot through her back as she crunched into the hard stone. She tried pushing back but he had her pinned.” To get away from Brynn, Emmy “sprang forward and kicked him in the shins as hard as she could. He grunted and limped back, and Emmy launched her whole body into his. He crashed into the display case, and Emmy ran past him.”
  • After constantly dealing with bullying from her snobby roommate, Victoria, Emmy comes back to her room to find her side completely trashed. “Something had finally snapped. She kept running until she reached Victoria and shoved her so hard she fell back onto the couch.”
  • Brynn is bullying Lola and Emmy and he calls Emmy’s father a “deadbeat,” which makes Emmy completely furious. “It happened in the blink of an eye: Emmy let go of Lola, reached back, and punched Brynn square in the face. He doubled over, hand on his eye, moaning like a wounded animal.”
  • As Emmy and her friends uncover the entrance to the Order of Black Hallow Lane, Emmy is separated from them in the tunnels and encounters a figure in the darkness. She is horrified to realize it is the security guard, Jonas. “Jonas’ kindness . . . All his helpful suggestions. It was all fake.” He reveals that he is the leader of the Order, Brother Loyola, and that he has been “keeping a close eye on [Emmy] for a while. Ever since [she] asked [him] about [her dad].” He blocks her path to exit the tunnels and threatens her. Jonas says, “We should be far enough away now that your friends won’t hear us.”
  • Jonas describes how Emmy’s father, Thomas Allyn, joined the Order with him but refused to participate in the illegal activities they did. “As our influence has grown, it has needed to move outside the law. Dealing in weapons, the black market, the underground diamond trade — these are all necessary parts of our work.” Emmy is afraid of Jonas and wonders, “What lengths would Jonas go to?”
  • Emmy’s father decided he did not want to participate in the Order when, “One of his friends was injured when an initiation ritual went too far.” Jonas chocks this up to, “The girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just an accident.” But Emmy senses that is not true.
  • To escape Jonas in the tunnel, Emmy “grabbed a lantern off its hook and flung it at Jonas with all her might. The flame blew out, but the sound shattering lantern glass and garbled yelling told her that she’d hit her mark.”
  • Jonas corners Emmy in the belfry of the school’s church where, “Even the teachers’ housing is too far away to hear us.” And then he approaches her, “He took a knife out of his pocket.” He tries to force Emmy to give him the box of medallions. He says, “Hand it over, or I’ll have to take it one way or another. You’d be amazed by what I can pass off as an accident.” Emmy escapes by jumping onto the giant rope connected to the bell, sliding down until she can jump to her escape.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • Occasionally, mild language, such as suck and stupid, is used by the main characters. 
  • When they are frustrated or confused, the British characters, such as Emmy’s friends Lola and Jack, use bloody for emphasis.
  • Rarely, Lola uses prat to refer to someone she thinks is a bad person. 

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Lola explains to Emmy that she only punched the girl during the soccer game because, “That girl was making fun of [her teammate’s] hijab. She’s Muslim, and she likes to keep her head covered when she plays. What else was I supposed to do?”
  • On Emmy’s birthday, which she laments “her mom hadn’t once mentioned,” Lola explains that the school celebrates “Saint Audrey’s Feast Day! We get a proper feast tonight to honor our house’s illustrious patron, Saint Audrey.”
  • Jack explains the “houses” or dormitories the students are separated into are “named after saints . . . Edmund, Felix, Withburga . . . they were all saints from this part of England.”

Dolphin Song

Martine’s class is going on an exciting school trip—a voyage to watch the Sardine Run off the coast of South Africa. But the trip takes a dramatic turn when their ship runs into a fierce storm, and Martine and her classmates are thrown into shark-infested waters! Luckily, a pod of dolphins rescues and transports them to a deserted island, but now the children—and the dolphins—face a new and terrible danger. Will Martine be able to use her special gift with animals to save them?

While other students are looking forward to the class trip, Martine has been plagued with terrifying nightmares about being in the ocean and surrounded by sharks. Then Grace, a witch doctor, warns Martine about staying away from the ship’s gate, which increases Martine’s fear and confusion. Martine’s fear of the ocean is understandable, and it increases the story’s suspense. 

Despite the warnings, Martine’s greatest fears come true when she and several of her classmates are thrown into the raging ocean. The story takes an unexpected turn when Martine and some of her classmates are stranded on a deserted island and must fight for their survival. While much of the story revolves around survival, there is still plenty of animal action — a cage dive with sharks, an encounter with a man-o-war jellyfish, and a swim with dolphins. Through Martine’s experiences, readers will enjoy learning about various sea creatures as well as how sonar poses a threat to ocean life. 

Once the group of students lands on the island, they soon split into two groups, leaving Ben and Martine to join forces. During their time on the island, the kids only begin to work together out of necessity. However, they soon join forces to save the dolphins, and in the process, they learn the importance of giving someone a second chance. Along with this lesson, Dolphin Song weaves in many important life lessons including being able to fix your mistakes and the importance of standing up for what you believe.

Martine struggles with uncertainty, fear, and forgiveness, but her inner turmoil doesn’t slow the story’s action. However, readers will enjoy seeing Martine’s personal growth that leads her to more fully understand her best friend, Ben. In the end, Martine realizes “that was the thing about a friend. You could do things that weren’t really possible on your own. Friends made you brave. Friends made things fun.”

The Legend of the Animal Healer Series uses a unique approach that will give readers a new appreciation of sea life. The story educates readers about the importance of protecting all sea creatures. However, Dolphin Song does have several scenes that may upset sensitive readers. While Dolphin Song recaps the important information from the first book in the series, for maximum enjoyment, the books should be read in order. Animal-loving readers who want more action-packed animal adventures should also read the Wild Rescuers Series by Stacy Plays and the Survival Tails Series by Katrina Charman.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Santa Carolina was known as Death Island, as it was a penal colony. “The jailers at Santa Carolina used to take prisoners to Death Island, a tiny shell sandbar, and tell them if they could swim the five miles or so back to the mainland—a stretch of water cursed by vicious crosscurrents and even more vicious sharks—they’d be freed. None of the prisoners ever survived.”
  • When the ship hits a terrible storm, everyone grabs a life jacket. One student, Claudius, “wrenched at Ben’s life jacket, trying to pull it off by brute force. Ben wriggled out of Claudius’s desperate grip and held up a hand in surrender.” Ben falls into the ocean without a life jacket, but he survives.
  • Martine is exploring a reef by a sunken ship when a manta ray pushes her toward the surface. “An instant later, there was a muffled, undersea explosion. . . the ray caught the full impact. Bits of cartilage, tissue, and manta ray skin rained down on the sea like lava.” Martine had a bloody gash on her arm, but the ray saved Martine’s life.
  • A group of bad men show up on the island and see Claudius. They think the boy might be a spy so they take him back to their hideout and tie him up. The skipper questions Claudius and “struck Claudius across the face. A palm print appeared on the boy’s cheek.” When the group finds out there is a reward for information about Claudius, they decide to treat him better.
  • A tourist, Norm, was cage diving with sharks when he fell into the water. A great white swims toward him, “like a torpedo sleek and deadly, shooting toward the stricken man. As it approached, its jaws stretched wide and its serrated teeth were plainly visible. In seconds, Norm would be missing an arm, his head, or even his torso.” Martine uses her gift to stop the shark.
  • An island, Santa Carolina, has a dark past that is discussed several times. Santa Carolina was “a notorious penal colony and Death Island, which was not an island but a shell bar, had seen many prisoners drowned after being abandoned by guards.”
  • Sonar can disorient and confuse dolphins and whales. The sound a sonar gives off “can carry up to a hundred miles and be as loud as a fighter jet takeoff. In some cases, it can cause whales to surface too quickly, leading to a fatal condition similar to the bends in human beings. They get gas bubbles in their organs. Their brains bleed. Dolphins’ lungs explode.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • One of the sailors drinks “a home-brewed concoction called palm wine.” 
  • A sailor tells Martine a story about a man who had a “skull-splitting headache.” A “witch doctor had started the treatment by putting a large pebble into his fire. . . blended herbs in a bowl made from a special wood and engraved with a cross, then added water. . . After making a series of tiny incisions in the man’s forehead, the witch doctor rubbed in a little of the herb point and sent him home. . .” After the story, the sailor says he uses aspirin for his headaches.
  • When Martine sees a sunken ship, she assumes the pirates had been drunk on rum.
  • A tribe of sailors would catch fish by crushing “the leaves of the lulla palm” which made the fish intoxicated. “When the fish were rolling drunk, the men would simply scoop them into a net.”
  • One of the student’s parents would leave him alone while they went to cocktail parties. 

Language 

  • There is some name calling among the kids including runt and loser.
  • Martine gets angry at Ben and says, “You are a wimp. You’re pathetic.” 
  • One of the kids tells Martine, “I thought you were a fruitcake.”
  • One of the kids says Ben is “a tree-hugging nutcase.”
  • Oh my God is used as an exclamation once.

Supernatural

  • Martine is able to heal animals with her touch. When she finds a beached dolphin, Martine touches the dolphin, and “the electric current zapped her. . . She kept her palms on the dolphin’s side . . . then her palms heated up to the point where they were almost sizzling . . .” After the dolphin is healed, Martin and a kite surfer put the dolphin back into the ocean and it swims away.
  • Martine goes to a secret cave where she sees paintings that show her future. When Martine sees a new painting, she thinks the paintings are “as if the forefathers were reaching out from beyond the grave.”
  • Claudius, one of the stranded school kids, gets stung by a man-o-war jellyfish. Martine tries to help him. She “laid her hands on him. Almost immediately her palms began to heat up. . . The energy went as far as Claudius’s skin and then stopped as if blocked by an impenetrable barrier.” Martine’s gift didn’t help.
  • While trying to use her gift to help Claudius, Martine has a vision. “The scene at the beach swam away and she saw smoke and Africans in animal masks and then, out of nowhere, a mental picture of Grace’s plant. . . came into her head.” Martine uses the plant to save Claudius.
  • Grace, a witch doctor, uses bones to tell the future. She believes that “everythin’ is already written” and that you cannot change fate’s path. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Ben is Buddhist and also half Zulu. He says, “Buddhism does allow the eating of meat; we’re just not supposed to cause pain. . . Buddhists believe that animals are equal to people.”
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