Reading Level: Elementary

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 dedicated 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 every three to five pages. Maria’s perseverance shines throughout the book and will appeal to a broad audience. 

Readers who enjoyed Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen will enjoy Maria’s story because both books show that dreams can come true. The book ends with a list of ways 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.”

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching

In the final installment of Kwame Mbalia’s series, Tristan’s problems are greater than ever. The gods of Alke are scattered across his world and there are ghosts everywhere  —  good and bad, as it turns out. What a wonderful time to have a Strong family reunion in New Orleans, amidst all the chaos!

Tristan also has another issue: his powers are flaring with his mood swings, causing him to be covered in magical fire. And of course, Cotton, the main antagonist of the series and a powerful and evil spirit is back and ready to put up a fight. This time Cotton has brought even darker moments from American Black history. Tristan just hopes he can find his friends and the gods of Alke – and figure out how to control his temper – before Cotton can enact his plan on Tristan’s world. 

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching wraps up loose ends from the previous two books, includes familiar friends and foes, and introduces new characters in creative ways. For instance, Tristan and his friends encounter the Redliners, a barely disguised reference to the historic practice of redlining in the United States.  However, middle school students may who are not familiar with the historical practice of redlining may be confused by Mbalia’s dialogue. For example, the Redliners tell Tristan and his friends, “We, the Redliners, are the most tolerant and welcoming group you could find! We just don’t think you belong here.” The Tristan Strong Series deals heavily with the injustices that have occurred in American Black history, and Mbalia continues to handle the topic with grace and gravity, balancing historical facts with Tristan’s emotional stake in the issues at hand.

In this book, Tristan finds himself reckoning with his grief and anger, and he learns how to handle his emotions in a productive way. His emotions are validated, but he starts to understand how to conduct himself in a manner that accounts for other people involved. Previously, his actions previously endangered his friends. It is only when his magical animated sticky doll friend, Gum Baby, dies that he realizes his actions directly led to her being put in harm’s way. From that point forward, Tristan reckons with the consequences of his actions without losing the fire that keeps him fighting for justice.

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching is an excellent end to the trilogy. Readers should read the first two installments before tackling this one as this book makes many references to the previous books. Young readers will enjoy the fast-paced action plot and the balance between humor and grave historical fact. This book would appeal to fans of Riordan Reads mythology novels, like Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi or Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan himself. Tristan’s remarkable gift as a storyteller of the gods of Alke is made more perfect by his perseverance to keep telling these important stories. If these books teach readers anything, it’s to keep dreaming, create a better world, and never forget the stories of those who came before.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Tristan must fight various magical and evil entities. In one sequence, Tristan fights a haint (an evil spirit). Tristan narrates, “But I was attacking, too. The shadow gloves flashed in and out, jabs and straights, hooks and uppercuts. Gum Baby flipped from my left shoulder to my right and back again, hurling sap balls and insults with equal intensity. I dodged a slicing strike, slipped a bull rush, and turned and fired three punches at the back of the haint.” This sequence lasts for a chapter.
  • There are descriptions of slavery as this series deals heavily with the history of Black Americans and Black American culture. Tristan recounts some of these details, saying, “I read about the barges that had hauled the shackled enslaved north, up the river, to a giant plantation. A free man’s protests were scrawled in the grass of Artillery Park, where he’d been kidnapped and sold into slavery. A family’s prayers were carved into the pillars lining the docks along the Mississippi, where they’d been separated, never to see each other again. These were the hidden narratives Folklore hero and god High John had been talking about. This is what he had meant.” These descriptions come up somewhat frequently throughout the book.
  • Tristan fights coffles (malicious spirits) that have trapped some kids. Tristan “swung again and again, trying to take out the coffle before it could rise. The monster wriggled and writhed on the ground, and I had to hop and dodge its flailing limbs or my legs would’ve been ripped to shreds.” This fight sequence lasts for several pages.
  • Tristan’s friend, Ayanna, tells Tristan about one of her former friends who died in a fight. She says, “He wanted to go out and kill [evil magical creatures, including the fetterlings], and I didn’t, and we argued about it. He flew into a rage, took his raft, and left. We heard fighting and went out after him, but by then it was too late. The fetterlings used his anger against him, and I lost a friend.” 
  • Gum Baby is loudly and badly playing music, and Tristan asks her to stop. Gum Baby responds, “Gum Baby’s gonna tune your face with some sweet chin music if you keep talking,” insinuating that she’d hit him with her banjo if he insulted her again. She does not actually hit him.
  • Tristan says he thinks Cotton is going to Fort Pillow as he’s “raiding places where Black people suffered in large groups…[Fort Pillow] was the site of one of the biggest massacres of Black soldiers in the entire Civil War. People fighting for their freedom were cut down by Confederate soldiers without remorse.”
  • Tristan goes into High John’s memories and sees a town being burned to the ground. “Flames exploded out of broken glass and spread everywhere. More shouts and screams…Flames shot fifteen feet into the air. Every house in the small neighborhood was on fire. I couldn’t see anyone, but the screams…I knew the screams would haunt me for the rest of my life. So many. Old, young. I heard them all.” The memory lasts for a few pages and it is clear that Tristan witnessed the “Memphis Race Riots of 1866. Nearly all of South Memphis was destroyed…Black-owned homes, businesses, restaurants. People were killed. Abused. Beaten. And yet no one was ever brought to justice.”
  • Another magical being, Granny Z, tells Tristan, “My children are kicked, beaten, harassed, stolen, abused, abandoned, forgotten and stripped of their rights every single day. And it’s a sad fact that their abusers are always gonna be afraid that their own sins will be revisited upon them.”
  • Tristan and his friends Gum Baby, Ayanna, and Thandiwe are attacked in a Wig Emporium. “Gum Baby flipped out of nowhere, her hands moving a blur as sap rocketed through the air. Breakers exploded into smoke five at a time. I limped forward to help her, but she disappeared in a crowd of foes. I tried fighting my way free, but there were too many. We were being overwhelmed.” This scene lasts for a page. Gum Baby dies but the death isn’t described. 
  • Tristan helps ghosts save their stories from Cotton, who wants them erased. Tristan hears one ghost say, “I moved here to get away from the lynchings.” This point is not elaborated upon.
  • Tristan fights with many Breakers, magical creatures that can strip people and gods of their spirits, thereby killing them. Tristan describes how the Breakers “rained blows on me, snarled at me, shrieked at me, roared at me, sent wave after wave after wave of pure hatred and malevolence, and it was all I could do to keep my arms raised and defend myself, because I was so tired, incredibly tired, of defending myself, but it wasn’t just me I was defending, now was it?” The scene lasts for several pages.
  • One of the old folk gods, John Henry, fights Cotton. John Henry gripped the ghostly tentacles, “lifted one foot, and then exploded into motion, charging Cotton like a linebacker and planting a shoulder squarely in the haint’s chest. Cotton flew back a dozen yards —  through the air! —  before landing and skipping across the sand like a stone across a pond.” This battle sequence lasts for several chapters.
  • Tristan has one final battle with Cotton that lasts for several pages. Tristan narrates, “Cotton’s momentum carried him past me, and he was off-balance. My right fist, my power fist, knifed through the air and connected flush against Cotton’s chin. Just my fist, not the shadow gloves, because I needed them for what came next…The black flames flared to life one more time, with as much energy as I could muster flowing through them. Just as I’d done on the barge, I willed the gloves together, merging six into two shining beacons of black in the light of the setting sun…I darted forward and grabbed Cotton. He twisted, turned, fought, and struggled, but I didn’t let go. The flames of the akofena [magic] spread to him, devouring the thorns and cotton as if they hungered for the hatred binding the haint together.” Tristan destroys Cotton by turning him to ash.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Tristan ends up at an outdoor strip mall. He says, “Shelves are stocked with products you’d never heard of, or weird stuff you’ve seen advertised on TV — all two-a.m. hangover purchases, as my dad called them. I’m not sure what a hangover is, but if it made me buy an automatic toenail clipper that looked like two machetes taped together, I want no part of it.”

Language 

  • Gum Baby, a magical sticky being, loudly and frequently refers to Tristan as “Bumbletongue” or “thistle-head.” As they’re friends, it’s done mostly in jest.
  • Light language is occasionally used. Words include chump, rejects, and doofus.
  • Tristan meets a kid named Memphis, who uses they/them pronouns. 
  • A slave-patroller haint chases Tristan, yelling, “You ungrateful little stain on society, get over here! I will hunt you down, you hear?”

Supernatural

  • Tristan is having issues with his magic. Most notably he keeps bursting into flames when he gets angry. For instance, Tristan notes, “I stared in utter horror at the small silver flame popping out of my knuckles.” This happens frequently throughout the book.
  • As this is the third installment in the series, Tristan gives a quick recap of the last couple books. He says of his summer, “I’d eaten a bunch of key lime pie, done a little boxing, fallen into another world with powerful gods and made a bunch of folk hero friends…You know, the normal summer.” These gods and folk heroes feature throughout the book as Tristan is trying to rescue them.
  • Tristan’s magical smartphone is controlled by Anansi, the trickster god. Tristan says, “He was the Weaver, the owner of all stories, from truths to tall tales, and his name was embedded in my title of Anansesem.”
  • Tristan and his granddad enter Congo Square in New Orleans, where “ghostly apparitions dressed in their Saturday night finest were hitting moves that made my calves cramp as I watched…as if on cue, everybody started doing the Electric Slide.” Ghosts appear frequently in this book; many of them are friendly or give helpful advice.
  • Gum Baby announces that she’s been following a “ghostie” for a while because it was terrorizing everyone. This creature is like the haints, which are malicious spirits. Tristan describes the creature, saying, “I looked up and saw a long, lanky creature scuttling down from the top of the wheelhouse like a monstrous crab.” The group spends a chapter fighting the creature.
  • Tristan discovers that the haint that they’ve encountered is a coffle. His cousin explains its odd appearance, saying, “They were used to fasten slaves together when they were marched from the house to the fields and back.” Tristan describes its appearance, “Two long, wooden, bone-like structures protruded from the opposite sides of a loop, forming what looked like the skull of a hammerhead shark. Its body was a chain, and its four limbs were thorny, viny branches.”
  • Tristan’s magic storyteller abilities occasionally cause him to have visions. In one instance, he describes, “I saw stories — written in French and Spanish and Chitimacha and English — about the birth of jazz and the death of neighborhoods. I saw tales of Fon and the Ewe and the Igbo, and legends of Vodun and Vodou and the spirits within…I read about the slave ports that had dotted the Mississippi River. I read about the glamorous buildings that had been built around the sale of men, women, girls, and boys like me. Some older, some younger.” This description continues for several pages.
  • Cotton is the main antagonist of the series and is a powerful and evil haint. He is a manifestation of the evils of slavery. Tristan describes, “I once again saw the horrific true form of the haint underneath the disguise. Complete with his burning hatred and desire for power.”
  • A god, Mami Wata, rides in a boat that encounters Angola. Tristan notes that “a monstrous, nearly see-through house was superimposed over the prison…The house I was seeing was Old Angola, a long-gone plantation.” In this house and prison reside many trapped spirits and evil haints, including Cotton.
  • Tristan’s usual Ananasem powers (storytelling powers) change when he meets ghosts of former soldiers. He says, “I was inside the story!” In this instance, the sequence lasts for several pages and details the lives of a couple Black soldiers escaping the South to Vicksburg.
  • Tristan teaches some kids magic. When he tells them what he’s going to do so, one kid responds, “Ain’t no wizards ‘round here. That’s movie stuff.” Tristan then demonstrates that all the kids have magic within them. Tristan says, “Each of the kids had a story fragment nestled in their chest, right above their heart. A piece of the story of Alke lived on in each of them.”
  • Tristan meets Granny Z, who tells Tristan about Loa. Granny Z says, “L-O-A. The mysteres. The links between the High God and his people on earth, serviced by the mambos, their priestesses.”
  • Tristan and his friends drive a magic SUV after a magical horse that’s kidnapped a child. Tristan says, “We looked out the front windshield to see Twennymiles (the horse) leaping into the air and disappearing. Old Familiar (the SUV) followed.” They are magically transported through the air and through neighborhoods, and the scene lasts for a couple pages.

Spiritual Content 

  • Tristan encounters many different gods (like Anansi and Mami Wata) on his journey, and they’ve given him powerful artifacts for his magical powers. These gods exist throughout the book, and sometimes Tristan mentions his magical gifts. He says, “I reached for the adinkra bracelet on my right wrist. Dangling from it were my gifts from the gods. The Anansi symbol. The akofena from High John. The Gye Nyame charm. The Amagqirha’s spirit bead from Isihlangu. They gave me strength, power, and right now, all the confidence I needed.”
  • Tristan meets a girl named Hanifa, who “wears a hijab.” 
  • The gods of Alke, due to the events of the previous books, are now scattered in Tristan’s world. Some of them are weakened and some die in nonviolent ways. Tristan often laments that “Gods can’t die,” but the events of the book say otherwise, like when High John passes away beneath a tree. 
  • High John’s ghost tells Tristan, Ayanna, and Thandiwe about his upbringing and the influence of the Church. He says, “some Sundays, his lordship and most honorable, the man who wanted to be called Boss, graciously allowed the people who actually worked the fields to rest.”

The Sister Switch

Addie Asante of Columbus, Ohio, feels stuck in the middle. Her big sister, Sophie, bosses her around while her little sister, Camille, gets whatever she wants.

When Addie receives a mysterious package with a magic bracelet, she makes a wish to no longer be in the middle and—POOF—she’s transformed into her big sister!

Being Sophie is amazing: Addie can hang out at the café after school, have her own room, and sing in the talent show. But as her friend Becca warns her, having a wish come true can get really messy. Plus, in a twist of magical chaos, Addie’s big sister has become the baby sister, and the baby sister has become Addie!

With friendships—and grades—on the line, plus a sneaky stranger determined to get her hands on the magic bracelet, can Addie and her sisters find a way to switch back before it’s too late?

The Sister Switch is told from Addie’s point of view which allows the reader to understand her frustration at being the middle child. However, Addie isn’t a very likable character because she is self-centered and doesn’t think about the consequences of her actions. When Addie is in Sophie’s body, Addie thinks about how she can use the situation to her advantage. She never thinks about how her actions will affect Sophie. In the end, the sister switch brings all three sisters closer together, but there is no large character growth. 

Addie’s sisters, Sophie and Camille, aren’t very likable either. When Sophie enters Camille’s body, she acts like a bratty child who throws temper tantrums, refuses to do schoolwork, and causes havoc. Meanwhile, Camille’s cheerful attitude and focus on having fun isn’t realistic. Plus, her terrible behavior causes trouble. For example, she begins a food fight in the cafeteria. While some of the scenes are supposed to be funny, it’s difficult to ignore that when the three sisters interact, there is little kindness between them. 

Anyone who has a sibling will be able to understand Addie’s difficulties and find humor in some of the situations. In the end, Addie learns that she should stay true to herself and embrace what causes her joy. However, the story glosses over Addie’s selfishness. While The Sister Switch is a book that younger readers will likely enjoy, parents won’t want their child to copy Addie’s behavior. Overall, the sisters’ bad behavior, the tired plot, and the lack of character growth make The Sister Switch a book that is best left on the shelf. If you’re looking for an entertaining book that reinforces positive sister behavior, read Disney Frozen Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness by Mari Mancus and Jen Calonita. If you want another dash of magic to add sparkle to your day, check out Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Addie’s twelve-year-old sister, Sophie, is “stuck in Camille’s five-year-old body.” When Sophie goes to school, she “apparently threw a fit. And a chair? Plus, she refused to do any of the activities.”
  • When Camille is stuck in Addie’s body, she goes to lunch with Addie’s friends. Camille and Addie get into an argument and then Camille “smiled wickedly. . . she’d picked up her leftover sandwich and tossed it at my face.” A food fight ensues. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • OMG is used as an exclamation often.

Supernatural

  • While at school, Addie makes a wish. “Suddenly, I felt something tighten around my wrist. The lights in the hallway flickered. . . My skin felt weird. Like it was being tickled by a million tiny feathers.” The bracelet’s magic switches Addie’s and her sister’s bodies. 
  • After the wish, Addie’s “fingers looked different. . . And then I looked into the mirror. Sophie’s face stared back at me.” Meanwhile Addie’s twelve-year-old sister, Sophie, “was stuck in Camille’s five-year-old body.”
  • A blond woman wants Addie to give her the magical bracelet. The woman can track the bracelet and has a gold bead that “warms up and glows when the magic is working.” It’s similar to a “radar.”

Spiritual Content 

  • When Addie’s sister takes over her body, Addie prays that her friends don’t laugh at her. 

The Lucky Baseball Bat

Martin Allan is a new boy in town who wants to play baseball for his local baseball league. However, after a disappointing first tryout, Martin loses confidence in his baseball skills. That is, until a friendly neighbor named Barry Welton gives Martin a new glove and a lucky baseball bat. With the new bat, Martin rediscovers his baseball skills and leads his team to the Grasshoppers League World Series. However, when Martin discovers that his lucky baseball bat has gone missing, he panics that the baseball season will be lost! Will Martin find his lucky baseball bat in time to save his team’s season?

Martin is a young boy with a passion for baseball who struggles with a lack of confidence and a timid personality. Told from his point of view, readers will relate to Martin’s difficulty in moving to a new town, making new friends, and jumping into a new baseball league. However, Martin’s ability to move past these obstacles and succeed will be inspirational for many readers. His uplifting personality and strong determination to solve his problems also make him a very likable character.

Martin wears his emotions on his sleeve and his reactions to his circumstances range from excitement to sadness and anger. While some of Martin’s responses seem to encourage adverse reactions, such as blaming another kid on his team for taking his lucky bat, Martin ultimately grows as a character by learning to move past these impulsive responses. He learns from his mistakes and becomes an admirable character who is patient, kind, and forgiving. After accusing Rick of taking his bat, Martin apologizes saying, “Rick, I—I’m sorry that I said you had my bat. I got it back yesterday. Freckles Ginty had taken it out of my yard.”

Martin’s adventures with his new baseball team teach readers the importance of having confidence in one’s abilities. It’s easy to place one’s worth in outside things, like how Martin puts his athletic worth in one baseball bat, but the story encourages readers to recognize that their strengths and talents come from within themselves. Whether on the baseball field, in the theater, or with a pen and paper, we all can find strength in what we love to do. It just takes a little bit of confidence.

The Lucky Baseball Bat is beautifully told in ten short chapters with enlarged print and easily understandable words. Each chapter features one fully illustrated page that depicts crucial moments in the story with enjoyable, pencil-drawn images. Overall, The Lucky Baseball Bat is the perfect story for those who love baseball. With memorable characters, an engaging plot, and supporting illustrations, readers will enjoy Martin’s journey as a baseball player. Plus, they will learn that succeeding in their endeavors starts with believing in themselves.

Readers who want to learn more about baseball should read the non-fiction book Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse by David A. Kelly and Catching the Moon by Crystal Hubbard. Other fiction series that will appeal to baseball fans are The Ballpark Mysteries Series by David A. Kelly and Little Rhino Series by Ryan Howard & Krystle Howard.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • A mean bully calls Martin Allan a “hick” for missing a fly ball.
  • The head coach of the baseball team, Jim Cassell, yells “for Pete’s sake.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None 

Howard Hates Sports

Howard is the youngest member of a large family who loves sports. However, unlike his athletic siblings, Howard hates sports and finds attending his family’s sporting games annoying and boring. Instead of watching the games, he explores the world underneath the bleachers and meets many friends along the way, such as Macho Nacho, Lefty the Shoe, and Rock Hard Soft Pretzel. There, Howard and his friends play a very silly game, and he learns that maybe sports aren’t such a bad thing after all. 

Many readers will find Howard to be a very relatable character. He feels pressured to love sports because of his family, yet he chooses to pursue his own interests. He finds joy through his imagination, using discarded objects to create a game. Although Howard does isolate himself from his family during sporting events, he enjoys playing a game that vaguely resembles the sport of baseball: “If Howard hits one of the balls to the Sticky Spot of No Return, he wins. If he misses the ball all three times, Macho Nacho is the Bleacher League Champion!”

Howard’s adventure under the bleachers teaches readers that differences aren’t a bad thing; in fact, people can discover similarities through their differences. Although Howard hates sports, he still loves his siblings and appreciates their athletic skills and strengths. He doesn’t let his differences impact his view of himself either, as he finds excitement in his own games, which ironically appear much like the sports games he dislikes. Howard Hates Sports acknowledges that while we have many differences, we all share similarities as well. 

Each page of Howard Hates Sports has fun illustrations that add to the book’s quirky charm. Readers will fall in love with the colorful depictions of everyday objects. The book’s simple art style enhances the story’s silly take on the game of baseball. In addition, Howard Hates Sports contains large, easy-to-read text that includes many words bolded and filled in with color. The special font highlights critical moments in the plot. Each page has one to seven sentences; however, beginning readers may need an adult’s help reading the complex sentences. Howard Hates Sports would be fun to read aloud because it includes dialogue, alliteration, and rhyming text. 

Howard Hates Sports is a perfect book for those new to sports. The personification of many ordinary objects, like nacho chips, hotdogs, and shoes, aid the book’s sports theme and serve as lovable side characters; for example, “His old pal, Lefty the Shoe, who lost his partner, Righty, some time ago, holds out a frayed lace to shake Howard’s hand.” These characters enhance the story by offering a splash of humor to keep readers engaged. With its relatable protagonist, silly characters, and engaging illustrations, readers will discover that despite our differences, we can all find similarities between us. Readers who enjoy humorous stories should also add Don’t Throw it to Mo! by David A. Adler to their reading list.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Beast and The Bethany

What the Beast wants is what the Beast gets. The Beast demands a variety of foods to be brought to him. From necklaces to singing parrots, he eats it all. Ebenezer Tweezer gives the Beast these rather unorthodox foods. However, Ebenezer does not leave empty-handed. 

Once Ebenezer meets the Beast’s demands, Ebenezer is given whatever he pleases. The Beast has given him luxurious items like a piano and a 15-story house. But the one gift Ebenezer wants and needs the most is a potion to keep him young and beautiful—a magical potion that has kept him alive for 511 years. As Ebenezers’ birthday nears, he needs more potion. However, the Beast is craving a different taste, one he has never had before. He wants to eat a child. So, when the Beast gives Ebenezer an ultimatum – bring me a child to eat or no potion – Ebenezer knows he must find a child before his birthday in three days. 

After many failed attempts of retrieving a child, Ebenezer is pointed towards an orphanage. He needs to find a child worthy of being eaten by the Beast. Ebenezer does want anyone nice and he’s doubtful he will ever find a suitable child as they are all either too kind or too cute. Then Ebenezer and Miss Fizzlewick, the head of the orphanage, hear yelling in the hall. When they find a little girl named Bethany shoving worms up another child’s nose, Ebenezer knows she is the one. 

When the Beast sees Bethany, he refuses to eat her until she has been fattened up. This allows Ebenezer time to get to know Bethany. For the next three days, they go on crazy adventures and learn a lot about each other. Ebenezer comes to see her as a friend, his only friend. But Ebenezer now had a choice: should he save Bethany, or himself?

The Beast and The Bethany is a great read because the author adds humor through jokes and the characters’ behaviors. Both main characters, Ebenezer and Bethany, develop from people who only looked out for themselves into more caring and selfless people. The story also has themes of pride and greediness. The reader sees this with Ebenezer’s desire to live another 511 years, and the Beast’s yearning for a new, tastier treat. However, when the characters learn and grow, this reinforces the lesson of being grateful for what you have. 

Another positive aspect of the story is black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout the book. These illustrations give the reader a better sense of the setting and characters. Readers will get to see Bethany’s face as she is riddled with disgust, Ebenezer as the potion wears off and he ages, and the Beast’s three eyes and sharp teeth. 

Although the story has a simple plot line, the author keeps the plot interesting with silly settings and crazy characters. In addition, the author does a great job showing each character’s personality; how they clash but ultimately complement each other. Readers will find their interactions hilarious and heartwarming. Some readers will relate to Bethany’s stubbornness but see her maturity and apologies as a good lesson.  In addition, The Beast and The Bethany teaches about the value of friendship by showing that life is not as meaningful unless you have someone to spend it with. Readers who want to read another humorous, monster-related story should also read Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon. 

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • The Beast eats a parrot. There are no graphic details, but its death is implied. “It was the last question [the parrot] ever asked.” Then, the Beast thanks Ebeneezer for “a delicious dinner” and says, “It’s so nice to eat something with personality.”
  • It is implied the Beast has eaten a poodle when Ebenezer says, “Is it a poodle? Do you want me to go to the dog shelter again!”
  • The Beast says he wants to eat a child. He says, “I want to know what one tastes like. I want a juicy, plump little child. I want to gobble it up in one oozy, squishy bite.”
  • Bethany shoves worms up a boy’s nostrils. “Geoffrey was pinned on the floor by the small, bony girl from the bird shop. The girl was shoving worms up his nostrils, and she was shouting, ‘Rat! Rat!’ at him.”
  • Ebenezer imagines cooking Bethany to serve to the Beast. “Ebenezer considered chucking Bethany in the oven, roasting her for forty-five to fifty minutes, and then serving her in a bowl for the beast.” 
  • Bethany tells Ebenezer she wants to shove a trumpet down the Beast’s throat. 
  • The Beast eats Miss Fizzlewick. The Beast “wrapped its two tongues around Miss Fizzlewick and dragged her into its belly . . . The Beast crunched down on Miss Fizzlewick until eventually the only sound left in the room was the happy purr of the Beast.”
  • After finding out Ebenezer’s plan, Bethany punches him in the stomach and calls him a “stupid idiot.” She continues punching him until she starts hitting him in the head with a cushion. “She picked up a cushion and started bashing him over the head with it.” There is also a picture of her doing this.  
  • The Beast threatens Bethany, saying “First, I will drag you into my belly with my tongues, and then I will start gnashing.”
  • Both Ebenezer and the Beast talk about the Beast eating Ebenezer’s cat, but there is no description. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Ebenezer puts sleeping powder in candy in hopes of taking a child. However, he accidently uses it on himself. 
  • A painting on Ebenezer’s wall is a skeleton head smoking a cigarette. 

Language 

  • A button on Bethany’s backpack reads, “Bog Off!”
  • Bethany tells one of the boys in the orphanage, “Shut up, you little rat!” 
  • Bethany calls other people names often. Names include rat, idiot, and loser. She says shut up as well.
  • When Bethany cannot finish another piece of cake, Ebenezer calls her “a weakling” and “pathetic.”  
  • The Beast calls Bethany an “ignorant brat.” 
  • The Beast refers to Ebenezer as a “rotten, treacherous twit” and a “stupid fool.” He also says, “I am glad he is dead!”

Supernatural

  • The beast can grant wishes. He does this by throwing it up. For example, Ebenezer requests a piano. “The beast closed its three black eyes and shut its dribbling mouth. It started to wiggle its blob of a body and made a low humming noise as it moved side from side. Then, all of a sudden, the eyes opened again. The beast stopped wiggling, stretched its mouth wide open, and vomited out a baby grand piano.”
  • The Beast tells Ebenezer he will not get the potion that makes him young unless he brings him a child. He tells Ebenezer he will die without the potion’s powers. 
  • The beast describes the potion as an “elixir of life–a magical potion containing all the vitamins needed for youth, life, beauty, and shiny hair. It’s so powerful, even I can’t control it . . . ”
  • The gifts that the Beast gave to Ebenezer become alive and begin walking.  

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Green Glass Sea

Young Dewey Kerrigan and Suze Gordon live in a time ravaged by World War II. When their families are moved to a secret location in the New Mexican desert called Los Alamos, the girls’ lives become filled with military personnel and top-secret information. Their parents are the nation’s finest scientists and have been enlisted to build a powerful weapon to end the war. However, with their parents on this mission, the girls are left with many questions and choices about the war, their families, and their futures. 

Dewey’s and Suze’s worlds collide when Dewey’s father goes on an important business trip and leaves Dewey in the hands of the Gordon family. Although Suze’s parents are friendly and hospitable, there’s one massive problem: Suze and Dewey are very different people and don’t like each other. As the war grows more dire and tragedy strikes the Gordon family, problems erupt between the girls that could jeopardize their present and future lives. Can Suze and Dewey settle their differences in time? 

The Green Glass Sea features two main protagonists — Dewey Kerrigan and Suze Gordon. Each chapter alternates between the two girls’ points of view which showcases their drastically different voices and personalities. For example, Dewey prefers to work on her gadgets and gizmos in solitude. On the other hand, Suze enjoys her social network and creates beautiful collages filled with old, discarded objects. The girls’ differing personalities keep each of their chapters fresh and exciting. Their realistic views and worries about the war, their family, and the future ground them as authentic, enjoyable characters. While most readers may find it difficult to relate to these girls’ experiences, they can admire the girls’ motivation, strength, and optimism during this tough period. 

Dewey and Suze are surrounded by a wonderful cast of supporting characters who emphasize the story’s lesson about family and loving one another. Dewey and Suze learn to love each other’s differences, and Dewey finds a home with the Gordons when Suze explains, “You’re coming too . . . Daddy said the whole family’s going.” Alongside this heartwarming plot and engaging characters, the story also features a realistic portrayal of history, matching the story’s scenes with the real-life events of World War II. 

The Green Glass Sea addresses the difficulty of World War II and includes sensitive topics like the Nazis, concentration camps, and the ethical usage of the atomic bomb. This information may be hard to digest for certain readers, but it only makes up a small portion of the story. Overall, The Green Glass Sea is a moving story about two girls’ worlds colliding because of World War II. With the combination of exciting characters and historical events, this book is a must-read for history buffs who appreciate the impacts that big-scale events have on normal people. Readers who want to learn more about World War II should also read Survival Tails: World War II by Katrina Charman and Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood. 

Sexual Content 

  • Suze and Dewey sing a song about the war, where they sing, “Hitler has only got one ball. Goering has two but they are small. Himmler has something sim’lar, but poor old Goebbels has no balls at all!” 

Violence 

  • Suze escapes some military police (MPs) while taking a shortcut through a restricted area.  As she climbs over a fence, she scrapes her knee, causing “a little rivulet of blood [to trickle] slowly down her dirt-covered leg . . . ” This scene is described over two pages. 
  • Suze bullies Dewey by drawing “a straight yellow line down the middle” of their room and saying, “You and your stuff stay on your side. Got it?” 
  • When Suze and Dewey go to school. Suze says, “You better not walk with me,” and, “Don’t even think about eating lunch with me.” 
  • While at school, Suze purposely hits the edge of Dewey’s radio “sending it flying,” which causes “a loud crack and a clatter like hailstones as its lid popped open and its contents scattered.” 
  • Suze and Dewey encounter a mean girl, Joyce. After Joyce insults Dewey and her, Suze “took a step forward, grabbed Joyce by the knot of her yellow Girl Scout neckerchief, and pushed her away. Hard.” Joyce lands in a muddy puddle. 
  • Dewey’s father, Jimmy Kerrigan, dies in a car accident. The accident isn’t described.   
  • Dewey angrily smashes a record that reminds her of her father’s death. Dewey “lifts the record off the turntable with both hands and smashes it with all her strength across her upraised knee.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • While on a train, Dewey sees people “smoking cigarettes and drinking cocktails and talking very loud.” 
  • Dewey keeps her home-built radio inside a “wooden cigar box.” 
  • Throughout the story, Suze’s mom repeatedly smokes cigarettes in the house.  
  • Suze’s father regularly drinks beer and whiskey during and after work. While at home, “he reached up and opened the cupboard, putting two glasses and the bottle of whiskey on the counter.” 
  • Suze’s dad, Phillip, also regularly smokes his pipe. As he smokes, “the smoke blew over her head, smelling like sweetish-sour burning leaves.” 
  • Dewey’s dad, Jimmy, offers Suze’s mother, Terry, “an inch of brown liquid.” Terry exclaims, “It’s Bushmills [whiskey]. How heavenly.” 
  • Jimmy gets drunk after a couple of drinks at an after-work party. He didn’t realize that “the boys were just dumping liquor bottles willy-nilly into the bowl.” 
  • Jimmy once pulled out “a pack of Camels, and lit one.” 
  • After they had completed their gadget, many scientists “held whiskey bottles” in celebration. 

Language 

  • Mrs. Kovack, Dewey’s neighbor, yells, “For the love of Pete, will you just come inside?” 
  • The book references the black community as “negros.”   
  • Dewey’s friend, Jack, uses the word “bitch” to describe the fighting and atrocities of World War II. 
  • Throughout the story, the kids repeatedly call Dewey, “Screwy Dewey.” 
  • Suze’s mother says both “damned” and “goddamn” once. 
  • Suze’s father says “goddamn” and “oh, Jesus” once.  
  •  “Oh god” and “My god” are both used as an exclamation once. 
  • Throughout the story, kids call Suze “Truck” because she’s a “big fat pushy steamroller truck.” 
  • Suze once utters that something is “a bunch of bushwa.” 
  • Suze and Dewey repeatedly use the acronym “FUBAR,” which means “fucked up beyond all recognition.” 
  • “Hell,” “crissakes,” and “jeez Louise” are all used once. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • Mrs. Kovack does “her good Christian duty by taking Dewey in.” 
  • Suze mentions that her family celebrates Hanukkah. 
  • Dewey’s father once exclaims that he hopes “to god the war doesn’t go on longer. . . ”

Masterpiece

Marvin is not your average beetle; he has unique characteristics that set him apart from others. He is an excellent swimmer, has an accurate sense of human time, and most remarkably, he has an incredible ability to draw with ink. Marvin discovered this talent when he decided to create the perfect birthday gift for James Pompaday, the eleven-year-old boy who lives in the apartment where Marvin’s family resides. Marvin and James are an unlikely duo, but their friendship is unbreakable. 

James Pompaday is not your average human either. He is a quiet and careful individual who doesn’t immediately squash Marvin upon finding him. In fact, James is curious about Marvin’s abilities, and he takes the time to observe and understand the beetle’s artistic skills. Little did they know that Marvin’s talent would catch the eye of not only James but also the entire art world. 

James gets the credit for the beetle’s ink drawing. Soon, James finds himself covering for his pint-sized friend. But this is just the beginning of their journey. The duo soon becomes embroiled in a crazy plot that involves replicating a masterpiece created by a 14th-century artist named Albrecht Dürer. In order to save the masterpiece, James and Marvin must work together in ways they never imagined.  

The friends’ adventure leaves them with a newfound appreciation for the power of art and the importance of standing by those you love. Despite their differences, Marvin and James know that they can count on each other no matter what. They learn that sometimes unexpected alliances can lead to incredible adventures and lifelong friendships. In the end, Marvin and James prove that even the smallest creatures can make a big impact on the world, and that true friendship knows no boundaries. 

The charming story, Masterpiece, is about an unlikely friendship. The adventure within the art world is depicted through thin-lined artwork that appears every two to three pages. The black and white drawings play a crucial role in emphasizing the world from Marvin’s perspective, as well as portraying the true intensity of the journey he goes on. The intricate details of the drawings allow the reader to fully immerse themselves in the story and experience the same emotions as Marvin, making it a truly captivating read. From the way Marvin sees the world to the obstacles he faces, the drawings bring the story to life in a way that words alone cannot. The artistry of the illustrations is truly remarkable and will evoke a sense of wonder and awe in the reader. 

Masterpiece is a heartwarming tale that explores the power of friendship and human connection.  The author paints a vivid picture of the character’s emotions and thoughts, making the reader feel fully immersed in their world. The story progresses as Marvin and James develop a strong bond that helps them overcome the challenges they face. Along the way, the reader witnesses how their friendship grows, how they learn from each other, and how they support one another.  One of the most wonderful moments is when Marvin realizes what he feels when looking at James, “It was more than happiness. More than affection or gratitude. It was something deeper. It was the sense of being seen and loved exactly for who he is.” It shows the true connection and extent of the friendship between James and himself. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion that will leave the reader feeling uplifted and inspired. Masterpiece is a beautifully crafted story that celebrates the power of friendship and reminds us of the importance of human connection in our lives. Readers who enjoy Marvin and James’s unlikely friendship should also read Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • After Marvin completes his test piece of a Dürer drawing, he attempts to hide on James’ shirt collar. Then Christina, the lady in charge of the art exhibit, sees Marvin and swats him off of James. “Marvin tried to dive out of sight, but before he could even register what was happening, he felt a blow so forceful that it sent his entire body hurtling through space. He was upside down, turning in midair, the room around him a blur. He bounced off something hard – a wall? A bookshelf? Who could tell? – and crashed to the floor, where he lay on his back, legs waving.” Marvin is unharmed. 
  • After Marvin and James leave the art gallery to return home from their adventures, James closes his hand in the trunk. “He saw James’ right hand reach toward the open trunk at the same time the cabbie slammed the trunk closed. There was a sickening, thwarted clunk as the metal trunk crashed down onto something that wasn’t meant to be there. And an anguished cry.” James ultimately ends up needing a cast for a broken hand. Instead of being upset, James almost seems relieved about the injury because it means he will no longer have to keep pretending to be the one who created Marvin’s artwork. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Carrie and The Great Storm: A Galveston Hurricane Survival Story

Twelve-year-old Carrie is excited to spend the night at her best friend Betsy’s house one Saturday night in Galveston, Texas. But when her parents receive a last-minute invitation to a high-society party, they insist Carrie stay home to babysit her little brother, Henry. Despite a storm brewing — and Carrie’s protests over the change in plans — her parents go to the party. As the storm approaches, the streets begin flooding. Henry is scared, and Carrie tries to calm him. But then a hurricane hits, and the house is shaken from its foundation. Carrie must make some quick decisions to save herself and her little brother from the Great Galveston Hurricane. 

Carrie and The Great Storm: A Galveston Hurricane Survival Story focuses on Carrie, a typical fashion-loving girl who is upset when she has to cancel a sleepover to babysit her brother, Henry. When the storm hits, she has only herself to rely on, but she doesn’t let fear overtake her. Instead, she uses quick thinking and bravery to save herself and her brother. When Carrie and Henry’s raft gets stuck between trees, Carrie’s main concern is survival. However, when she sees a young boy, William, floating in the water, Carrie jumps in and saves his life. After seeing the city’s devastation, Carrie realizes how lucky she is to be alive. 

While most of the story focuses on the Great Storm, segregation is mentioned several times. The author’s note explains that one positive outcome of the storm was that people came together and helped each other, despite their racial differences. This ties into the story because Carrie helps William, who is African American. Afterward, one man gives Carrie a strange look when they see her walking with a black boy. However, Carrie didn’t care about William’s race because at that point they were the same—they were survivors. 

To make the story easy to follow, each chapter begins with Carrie’s location and the date. In addition, every ten to seventeen pages there is a black-and-white illustration that focuses on Carrie’s experiences. Readers can learn the real story of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 from the nonfiction information at the back of the book. A glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts are also provided.

Readers will be pulled into the story because Carrie is a likable character with a relatable conflict, and it doesn’t take long for the action and suspense to begin. Even though Carrie and The Great Storm: A Galveston Hurricane Survival Story is educational, readers will love the story because it is also entertaining and easy to read. Through Carrie’s experiences, readers will see that “Your actions, no matter how large or small, can make a difference.” For more water-related survival stories, check out Tara and the Towering Wave: An Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story by Cristina Oxtra and the I Survived Series by Lauren Tarshis.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Carrie and her brother are home alone when the storm hits. Carrie looks out the window and, “through the rage of the storm I could see shapes in the water. A panicked horse swam past, kicking and neighing. A woman’s head surfaced. She screamed and was pulled underwater again.” 
  • When Carrie’s house is destroyed by the hurricane, she and her brother are on a makeshift raft. As she and her brother huddle for warmth, Carrie sees “the face of a young black boy emerge. ‘Help me!’ he cried before the water swallowed him up again.” Carrie is able to pull the boy, William, onto her raft. 
  • William tells Carrie the story of his family. He was working at his family’s store when, “I got swept away. . . I could still see the store though, through flashes of lightning. And then all of a sudden I couldn’t see it anymore. It collapsed.” Later, William finds out that only his father survived.
  • After the water recedes, Carrie is walking and sees “a huge pile of debris. A pair of boots stuck out from the bottom of the pile. And then I realized that the boots were attached to a pair of legs.” 
  • Carrie hears cries for help, and then sees “a group of men digging through the rubble, looking for survivors.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Unleashed

One month after the events of Jinxed, Lacey wakes up in a hospital room with no memory of how she got there. With Jinx missing and MONCHA, the company behind the pet robot, threatening her family, Lacey doesn’t know who to turn to for answers.

After Lacey gets expelled and her mother acts strangely from the latest update from MONCHA, Lacey and her friends must get to the bottom of a sinister plot at the heart of the company, one that would ruin the interactions between bakus (pet robots) and their owners. Lacey must use all her skills to stop the corporation from carrying out their plan. But how can she take on the biggest tech company in North America with just a level one baku? 

Without the resources from her school, Lacey relies on her ingenuity and smarts to modify her baku. However, she hadn’t prepared for the company to remove public access to any information about the customization of bakus. Lacey soon learns that MONCHA, now headed by a temporary CEO, wants absolute control over the look and function of all their products, including the beloved pet robots. 

Departing from the action-packed baku battles of the previous book, Unleashed delves into Lacey’s world, which is fascinating and distinctive. Everyone relies on their baku, and each baku can make its owner happy. From copying hairstyles of famous celebrities to competing in races alongside similarly modeled species, bakus give a positive spin on day-to-day life. Yet, Jinx is different than the other bakus. He can feel and perceive things, which allows him and Lacey to converse. Jinx’s standoffish behavior adds tension to their relationship while furthering the suspense. 

Unleashed builds upon the action of the previous novel. In place of the well-known baku battles of the previous book, Lacey’s encounters with MONCHA will keep the reader engaged. Though a few characters are predictable—the incompetent adults; the spoiled rich boy; the corrupt CEO of a tech company—the story never feels stale. On top of that, Lacey’s story gives the reader a realistic look into a world in which everyone is on a device 24/7. The story has a satisfying end, answering any lingering questions the previous book left unresolved. 

Through Lacey’s experiences, readers learn an important lesson about following your dreams. You don’t have to go on a predetermined, well-trodden path to achieve your goals. The message in Unleashed is clear: going a different way doesn’t mean you will fail to reach your destination. If you’d like to go on another adventure with a mechanical animal and an unlikely hero, check out Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye.

Sexual Content 

  • Lacey blushes when Tobias, her crush, touches the back of her arm. 

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • While hospitalized, Lacey receives some medication.  

Language   

  • One of Lacey’s classmates texts “OMG” on a group school messaging board.
  • Lacey says “Oh my god” twice.
  • Jinx exclaims “Holy bakus.”
  • One of Lacey’s friends calls Tobias’s brother a jerk

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady: Voyage on the Great Titanic

Five years ago, Margaret Ann Brady’s older brother left her in the care of an orphanage and immigrated to America. When the orphanage receives an unusual request from an American woman looking for a traveling companion, Margaret’s teachers agree she is the perfect candidate to accompany Mrs. Carstairs on the Titanic, so that once Margaret arrives in New York she will be free to join her brother in Boston. But the Titanic is destined for tragedy, and Margaret’s journey is thrown into a frozen nightmare when the ship collides with an iceberg. Will she live to see her brother again?

The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady: Voyage on the Great Titanic based is told in diary format and is based on Margaret’s personal diaries and includes a lot of Margaret’s reflections. Margaret has the unique opportunity to see how the wealthy live. She is fascinated by their privileges and is especially interested in their fashion and food. Since the story is in a diary format, there is little suspense and Margaret’s life on the Titanic has few exciting scenes. However, Margaret is a likable character and her experiences give readers a peek into the life of a servant in the early 1900s. 

Even though Margaret’s story lacks action, the book is perfect for young readers who want to learn about the Titanic, but are not ready to be exposed to graphic descriptions of the ship’s sinking. During the disaster, Margaret shows how wealthy women and children were given preferential treatment when it came to loading the lifeboats. Today’s readers may have difficulty understanding why the serving class was not allowed to board the lifeboats and instead were left to die. In addition, Margaret does an excellent job showing the bravery and courage of the Titanic’s crew. In her diary, Margaret writes: “I think the Titanic’s crew may have suffered the most devastating percentage of deaths. Stewards, cooks, engineers, postal workers – even the entire band perished. How admirable they were! How admirable all of them were!”

Although Margaret survived, she struggled to understand the events that happened the night the Titanic sank. Throughout her life, Margaret suffered from survivors’ guilt because she felt that by taking a seat on a lifeboat, she had doomed “others to their helpless, frozen fate. . . I doomed Robert; I doomed complete strangers. I hope I can figure out some way to understand all of this. . . Most of all, I hope I can learn how to forgive myself for still being alive when so many others are not.” 

Readers interested in learning about the Titanic have a wide variety of books to choose from. Readers who want a view into a survivor’s experiences will find Margaret’s story worth reading. However, if you want an exciting action-packed tale that also teaches about the Titanic, put Survival Tails: The Titanic by Katrina Charman and Disaster on the Titanic by Kate Messner at the top of your reading list. 

Sexual Content 

  • On several occasions, Margaret spends time with a young steward named Robbie. When he realizes he is going to die, he says, “Would you mind doing me one small favor? I should like to remember I kissed a pretty girl tonight.” When Margaret agrees, “he gave me a small peck on the lips. This was all new for me, and I was not sure if I was supposed to respond in kind.” 
  • Margaret and Robbie kiss again. “This time our kiss was warm and tender. Robert hugged me very tightly, and then stepped back, looking pleased.” 

Violence 

  • When Margaret is disrespectful, one of the nuns “tells me that I am very, very wicked, and then slaps a ruler across my knuckles to punctuate the scolding.” 
  • After being orphaned, Margaret and her brother, William, live with Mr. McDougal and his brother, who “would come home much the worse for drink. They would be spoiling for a fight, and Mr. McDougal would swing out a big hand at anyone who looked at him cross-eyed. After I got knocked down a time or two, William grew to fear for my safety . . .”
  • When the ship begins to sink, Margaret sees people “leaping into the water from all directions, while others scrambled toward the stern in a frantic, hopeless attempt to save themselves. . . Then with an almost stately grace, it gradually slipped beneath the surface of the ocean.” 
  • Margaret is safe in a lifeboat, but “after the Titanic sank, the unspeakable shrieking of hundreds of people dying filled the night. Frenzied, terrified screams. . . I could distinguish individual voices begging for help, calling out for people they loved, and praying for salvation.”
  • The lifeboat that Margaret was in, went to help others. “We were able to pull five or six half-frozen men out of the water. Each time, I prayed that one of them would be Robert, and each time, my prayers were not answered.”
  • The people who were in the ocean had no hope of living. Margaret describes “the screams of the dying seemed to last forever. It was a horrifying, unearthly sound that would have sickened the very Devil himself. I am not sure which was worse: the screams themselves, or the way they gradually faded away.”   

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • While having dinner on the Titanic, the adults drink wine, but Margaret “elected not to drink any wine, and satisfied myself with water, instead.”
  • While on the deck, Margaret sees a man who “lit his cigarette—right in front of me!” She notices that the man “also smelled of whisky.” 
  • When the Titanic begins to sink, Margaret takes a few minutes to talk to a young steward. He says the other stewards are, “Gone, I guess. Maybe having a bit of a nip for courage.”
  • One of the men on the lifeboat “was clutching a bottle of brandy, and the Quartermaster Perkis tossed it overboard, since the man was obviously already intoxicated.”
  • After being rescued, Margaret is given a hot drink. “There may have been some brandy in there as well.” 

Language 

  • When Mrs. Carstairs refuses to go out to the deck, Margaret thinks she’s “stupid.”
  • While on a lifeboat, a woman sees the Titanic sinking. She says, “My God. She really is going down.” 

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • One of the sisters took Margaret to Easter mass. The nun “explained that St. Botolph is the patron saint of travelers, and she wants to be sure I leave with his blessing. Our fellow worshipers were a bizarre mix – ranging from prostitutes to the very flagrantly pious . . .”
  • Margaret goes to “a religious service . . . I took great solace from this, which suggests that I may be more devout than I would have estimated.” 
  • When Margaret realizes that some people will not survive, she thinks, “God help us.”
  • After being rescued, the captain held a brief service. “He and a reverend gave thanksgiving for the approximately seven hundred of us who had been saved, and then led us in prayer in memory of the more than fifteen hundred people who had been lost.” 

The Shape of Thunder

After losing her older sister, Mabel, in a school shooting, Cora has been searching for a scientific explanation. For Cora, the word is full of truth. Everything has a reason and answer – she just has to find it. If Cora can find out the reason why her sister died, maybe she can start getting over it, but no matter how hard she tries, Mabel’s death just doesn’t make sense. 

Meanwhile, Cora’s (former) best friend, Quinn, is struggling with guilt. For her brother, Parker, is the school shooter responsible for Mabel’s death. Cora is determined to fix their friendship even though the task seems impossible. That is, until Quinn starts reading about time travel.  

Time travel would fix everything. The girls could go back and save Mabel before she dies and prevent Parker from falling into the dangerous mindset that led him to commit a mass shooting. The book details their investigations into time travel as they grapple with the deaths of their siblings. Cora and Quinn make frequent visits to a nearby forest, where they think a magical tree has a wormhole that can take them back – they just need to open it. Unfortunately, their attempts to time travel fail again and again. Quinn admits why she thinks it’s not working – she’s been hiding something from Cora. Quinn says that a few weeks before the shooting, she saw Parker investigating their father’s guns. 

Cora is furious and feels betrayed, so she tells Quinn to stay away from her. Though it breaks Quinn’s heart, she lets Cora continue the time travel investigation on her own. Then, when a large storm hits, Cora sneaks away from school in order to open the wormhole with the energy of thunder. While crossing a river in the woods, Cora slips but thankfully Quinn saves Cora’s life. Afterward, Cora forgives Quinn.

The Shape of Thunder is narrated in the alternating perspectives of Cora and Quinn, which allows the reader to understand the grief and guilt they feel as they navigate life following the death of their siblings. While the plot is easy to follow, this is a powerful story about loss and forgiveness and should not be taken lightly. It is also a story about the effects of gun violence and how it rips apart families and friends. Cora and Quinn are thoughtful narrators with distinct personalities and distinct forms of grief. They have unique family situations that allow the author to paint a wide picture of a shooting’s effects. Their dedication to fixing the past – and to each other, despite the circumstances – is admirable and powerful.

Ultimately, Cora forgives Quinn because Cora realizes the issue of mass shootings doesn’t lie in isolated incidents, such as people like Parker, but is a larger, societal issue – which is much harder to fix. But The Shape of Thunder is about making the impossible possible. The use of time travel is not to turn the novel into a science fiction book but to imagine beyond what has been done before. The phrase “shape of thunder” is used for the same reasons. Cora says, “The shape of thunder. What a strange phrase. It’s more than contradictory; it’s impossible. A thing that doesn’t actually exist, but possibly could. An impossible thing that could actually be possible. Like finding a wormhole. Like time travel.”  

In the end, the girls don’t time travel, but they do obtain something they thought impossible to achieve: reconciliation. Earlier in the book, Cora says she can never forgive Quinn for playing a role in her sister’s death. Likewise, Quinn believes that she doesn’t deserve Cora’s friendship because she feels that she should’ve stopped Parker. However impossible moving forward seems, the two girls realize fighting their grief alone is too difficult. At the end of the story, Cora and Quinn start to rekindle their friendship. 

Persisting in the face of profound grief is daunting, but not as impossible as it seems when we share our struggles with others. Time travel may not be real, but love is its own kind of magic. Readers looking for other books that highlight the importance of overcoming obstacles should also read The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead, A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, and Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Parker orchestrated a mass shooting at Mabel’s school. He shot and killed three people and then committed suicide. While the events of the shooting are not described in detail, Mabel and Parker’s deaths are frequently mentioned. 
  • While no examples are given, Parker would say hateful things and was active on forums. Cora says, “The news said Parker was active on all these forums full of people who hated women and immigrants and Muslims.”
  • Cora slips and falls into a river while Quinn watches. “It’s like something out of a horror film. It happens so fast, but it’s also painfully slow – Cora jumping to the next rock, slipping, and hitting her head with a sickening thud. The sound of her skull colliding with the rocks is something I will never ever be able to forget.” Quinn rescues Cora, and Cora recovers after going to the hospital.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • Grams, Cora’s grandma, says “I’ll be damned.”

Supernatural 

  • A major part of the story is that Cora and Quinn are looking for a way to time travel to prevent Mabel’s and Parker’s deaths. Theories about time travel, space, and wormholes are mentioned frequently. 
  • Quinn compares time travel to magic. “Everything I’ve read says the best way to find a wormhole is to ask for one to appear. That makes me think of magic. I imagine myself like a witch, looking for the perfect place to cast a spell.”
  • Quinn thinks she sees a wormhole in the library. “I open my eyes, and for a brief moment, I swear there’s a halo of light on the floor in the library. A wormhole.” It disappears right after. 
  • Cora and Quinn are drawn to a tree in the forest that they think is magical. They return to this tree a few times, hoping it is the spot for their wormhole. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Cora has Arab roots that she isn’t very in tune with. She is collecting Arabic words to learn her ancestor’s language, so a few Arabic words appear in the text. Her family is Muslim, but according to Cora they are “not very religious.” She notes a few cultural things in her home. “There’s a painting of the Dome of the Rock hanging in our kitchen. There’s also one framed Quranic verse. . . but since I can’t read Arabic, I always forget which one it is.” 
  • Cora asks Quinn if her family’s religion had anything to do with her sister’s death. “Did [Parker] go after Mabel because she was Muslim?” Quinn replies, “I don’t know.” 

Mystery of the Egyptian Scroll

You, who have dug deep and sifted hard for a story to read, have unearthed an ancient treasure: a mystery from the dusty ages when a kid could be a hero and fight for the good of all . . .

Twelve-year-old Zet oversees the family pottery stall now that his father is away fighting the Hyksos invaders. But sales are not going well and his rumbling stomach is setting off warning bells. What if his family can’t afford to eat? Zet needs help fast. Then a miracle happens: a huge reward is offered to whoever finds a stolen scroll and returns it to its rightful owner. Zet needs to track down that scroll. There’s only one catch: Zet is no detective and he’s way out of his element. Still, Zet sets out in search of clues, sneaking past hieroglyphics-covered walls, sprinting along the Nile, and chasing after a crafty pair of suspects. Can Zet find the scroll? Can he win the reward and save the day?

Mystery of the Egyptian Scroll follows Zet, who is desperate to provide for his family. Zet is somewhat impulsive and acts before he thinks. However, he is also a moral character who is brave in the face of danger and cares about others. Zet begins investigating the thief’s identity because a warrior offered him a large reward. Yes during his investigation, Zet meets a farmer and a blind beggar and despite their lowly status, he always treats them with kindness and worries about their wellbeing. 

This fast-paced story will give readers a glimpse into ancient Egyptian life and show some of the hardships that families had to overcome. Even though Zet was only 12 years old, he was in charge of providing for his family: his mother, sister, and baby brother. Zet takes his responsibility seriously and worries about what will happen when the family runs out of food. In the end, Zet is given a reward for helping identify the thieves. Even though Zet’s family needs the money for basic necessities, Zet still offers to give the farmer some of his reward money. Zet’s dedication to his family and his kindness to strangers is admirable. 

Mystery of the Egyptian Scroll is an engaging story full of action and adventure. The conclusion has several surprises and readers will smile when Zet is praised and rewarded for “doing the right thing.” The story’s easy vocabulary and short chapters make it accessible to most readers. The engaging story will entertain all mystery-loving readers who want to travel to ancient Egypt. Readers who want to learn more about ancient Egypt can jump back in time by reading Escape from Egypt by Wendy Mass. To learn even more about the time period, Mystery of the Egyptian Scroll can be paired with the nonfiction book The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • When a thief runs through the marketplace, no one wants to “be associated with thieves. . . You might get your hand cut off, or worse, your head.”
  • A farmer overhears two men talking, but he didn’t “tell them they were trespassing. . . because the thin one pulled out a knife. I didn’t wait to find out if he planned to use it. I just started running.”
  • Zet overhears two thieves talking. “Shut your mouth,” growled the large man. “And keep it shut, or I’ll have to do it permanently. Don’t think I won’t either.”
  • When a man is arrested, Zet worries that the police chief would kill him. “Impale him on a stake, or burn him to death. That was punishment for crimes against the state.” Later, the man is let out of prison unharmed.
  • To stop the thieves, Zet jumps into a river and unties their boat. One of the thieves orders his guard to stop Zet. “The powerful man reached him and they struggled. The servant easily pushed him under, holding him down until Zet thought his lungs would burst” Zet finally “bit the man’s arm. Hard. The hand released him. . . The huge guard grabbed for him again, but Zet found the oar and punched it toward the man’s ribs.” The warrior arrives and helps Zet.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • In the marketplace, a man and a stall owner argue over the price of beer.

Language 

  • Zet’s sister calls him a “jackal-head.”
  • A man calls someone a dog.
  • One of the thieves calls Zet a rat.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • When telling time, the description often refers to Ra. For example, “Overhead, the sun god Ra was nearing the end of his voyage across the sky. Soon, he would reach the horizon.”
  • Zet’s family has a household shrine. “Their statue of Bastet, the cat goddess, was small but made of the finest ebony. She had been the household god of his father, and his father’s father before that. . . He lit a stick of incense and prayed to her for help in finding the thieves.” 
  • When Zet prays to the statue of Bastet, he “rubbed Bastet’s carved, ebony head. Even though she was a statue, he felt sure she enjoyed it.”
  • When Zet sees one of the thieves, “he thought of his prayers to Bastet the night before and said a silent thank you.”
  • Zet and his sister go by a chapel. “Inside was the shrine with the stele—the stone carving—covered with dozens of engraved ears. During the day, the Hearing Ear shrine would often be crowded with worshipers coming to speak to the goddess. They’d ask her for favors or help with whatever ailed them.”
  • Zet and his sister sneak into a temple to spy on the High Priest. When the High Priest sees them, Zet says, “We simply want your blessing. A blessing from a man as powerful as yourself. You have the ear of the gods. You have the ear of Amenemopet himself.” The priest gives them a blessing.

Race to the Ark

In their second time-traveling adventure, siblings Peter and Mary get sent back to the time of Noah just days before the flood comes. The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Series follows siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank, as they discover ancient scrolls that transport them back to key moments in biblical history.

In Race to the Ark, Peter, Mary, and their faithful dog Hank travel back to the time of Noah. With only seven days to solve the riddle of the scroll and escape the impending flood, Peter, Mary, and Hank must race to help Noah and his family finish the ark. Along their journey, Peter and Mary evade a group of young ruffians and ultimately come face to face with the Dark Ruler, an evil man who reminds them of a snake they met in the Garden of Eden. Enthralling action and compelling illustrations will have children glued to the pages of this rambunctious Bible-based story.

In Race to the Ark, Peter and Mary see some of the evil that caused the great flood. Instead of trusting in God, people believed it was okay to do whatever they wanted, including steal. The siblings run into a gang of kids that want to steal all their belongings, including their dog Hank. This adds action and suspense to the story. Through their experiences, the twins learn that God will protect them in every situation. When the rain begins to fall, Peter and Mary have an opportunity to find safety on the ark; however, instead of taking this route, the twins trust that God will save them. Through all their hardships, their trust in God never falters.

The book has several aspects that will help readers understand the story’s plot. First of all, in order to help young readers visualize the story’s events, the book includes black and white illustrations that appear every one to three pages. As each day ends, Peter uses a journal to document his activities; this helps readers keep track of important events. Readers who want to learn more about Noah and the flood will find a list of related Bible chapters at the end of the book.

As Peter and Mary learn about Noah’s time period, they must solve the secret of the scroll by translating six Hebrew words. However, the kids do not actively try to solve the secret. During their normal conversation, the kids say one of the missing words from the scroll, and then “the bag glowed. Peter unzipped it and unrolled the scroll. The fourth word glowed and transformed into WILL.” The passage the kids translate helps reinforce the theme, but the kids spend little time actively trying to translate the Hebrew words.

Race to the Ark takes the biblical story of Noah and presents it to young children in a way that is both engaging and easy to understand. The story uses humor to show the difficulties Noah’s family faced while trying to build the ark. The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Series uses a kid-friendly format that is easy to read to make the Bible’s stories come alive. 

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Peter almost reveals that he is from the future. “Mary kicked Peter before he could finish saying ‘future.’ Peter rubbed his shin. Mary’s karate lessons were really working.”
  • Durfus and his friends try to steal the twins’ belongings and their dog, Hank. In order to escape, Mary “ran straight at Darfus. She jumped in the air and aimed a spinning kick at his belly. Darfus fell back and rolled across the dusty ground.” Mary and Peter run into the forest and hide from the bullies.
  • When Peter and Mary go into town to buy a hinge, they run into Darfus and his friends. When the twins try to run, “Darfus pulled a net from behind his back and threw it over Hank. . . He yanked a rope from his waist and whipped it around Peter and Mary. . . Peter twisted and turned, but there was no escape.” Darfus takes the kids to the “Dark Ruler.”
  • After talking to the Dark Ruler, Peter, Mary, and Hank are taken to the dungeon. “Darfus pushed them into a damp and smelly jail cell and slammed the gate shut.”
  • The Dark Ruler tries to convince Peter and Mary to join him. When the Dark Ruler threatens to “destroy” the twins, a “lion crashed through the trees and stood face to face with the Dark Ruler. . . The Dark Ruler dropped the scroll and swung his staff at the lion. It sent the lion rolling. . .”
  • The angel Michael defends the kids. “A bolt of lightning sliced through the sky. It hit the Dark Ruler and knocked him back into the woods. . . Michael spread his mighty wings and flew straight at the Dark Ruler. The lion leapt and joined Michael. Sparks flew from Michael’s sword. Branches snapped under the lion’s powerful claws.” As the fight ends, the twins run back to the ark.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • The Dark Ruler calls Noah crazy and an old fool.

Supernatural

  • Peter and Mary are transported back to Noah’s time with the help of a scroll. When Peter opens the scroll’s wax seal, “the walls shook, books fell off the shelves, and the floor quaked. . . The library began to crumble around them and disappeared. Then everything was still and quiet.”
  • The angel Michael tells the kids, “You have to solve the secret of the scroll in seven days or you will be stuck here.” The scroll has six Hebrew words that the siblings must translate.
  • The angel Michael appears as a bolt of lightning and then changes into his angel form. 

Spiritual Content 

  • The story often reminds readers that “God will help us.” For example, when Noah talks about building the ark, he says, “There were times I wondered if I was crazy. I had to learn to always trust God.”
  • When the kids are being chased by bullies, the angel Michael helps by slamming the gate shut. Michael says God helped by sending the wind that caused a dust storm and hid the twins. Michael says, “Remember, God is always with you.”
  • Peter and Mary meet Noah and his family. The siblings also help get ready for the flood. When asked if they are ready for the flood, Noah says, “I don’t know if we’re ready. But God is.”
  • Noah explains why God is sending a flood. “The earth is full of violence, sickness, hate, and greed. It is not what God created it to be. . . The world has gotten so bad that God is sending a flood to wash it clean. To start over.”
  • It took Noah and his family 100 years to build the ark. Noah knew how big to make it because “God told me. He said to build it 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits tall.” 
  • The Dark Ruler says, “There is NO GOD! He is dead.” Then “a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky.” Despite the Dark Ruler’s words, Peter believes “God is alive. He’s going to rescue the animals and Noah’s family.”
  • After the flood, “God made a rainbow in the sky as a promise to never destroy the earth with a flood again.”
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