Reading Level: Junior High

Time Cat

Gareth doesn’t have nine lives, but he is definitely not an ordinary cat. For one thing, he can talk. For another, he has magical powers that Jason never dreamed of. Gareth tells Jason he can take them traveling through time, “Anywhere, any time, any country, any century.” And in the wink of a very special cat’s eye, they’re off. From ancient Egypt to Japan, from the land of young Leonardo da Vinci to the town of a woman accused of witchcraft, Jason and Gareth are whisked from place to place and friend to foe. This fantastic tale grabs the imagination and takes it far and wide, on the adventure of not one, but nine, amazing lifetimes. 

The first country Jason and Gareth visit is Egypt in 2700 B.C., where King Neter-Khet becomes angry when he cannot command Gareth to “purr and make himself agreeable to pharaoh.” Neter-Khet’s attempts add humor, especially since he doesn’t understand why cats don’t listen to his commands. In the end, the king learns that even he cannot command a cat. This trip reinforces the idea that “you should be you.” 

The second time jump sends them to Rome and Britain in 55 B.C., when Julius Caesar was fighting in Gaul. Although Caesar does not appear, Jason is taken in by Caesar’s legions, and Gareth becomes their mascot. During a battle, Jason and Gareth flee and end up in Cerdic Longtooth’s village. At first, Cerdic is afraid of Gareth, but soon he appreciates that the cat keeps mice away from their winter stores. The section ends with Cerdic’s new understanding of cats. 

The next time-travel adventures share the same pattern. Jason and Gareth jump to a new historical location where locals often have false ideas about cats. However, Gareth shows how cats benefit humans. This story often lacks details about each time period. For example, Jason visits Ireland in 411 A.D., where he meets Patrick. While the story hints that this is Saint Patrick, readers who do not have knowledge of the man’s history will not understand Patrick’s statement: “Underneath it all there is some purpose, some reason I should be here. What it may be is hidden from me now.”  

Jason travels to Japan in 998 A.D., where he meets the emperor, and then to Italy in 1468, where he meets Leonardo da Vinci. The next time jump takes them to Peru in 1555, where Jason meets Dom Diego, a prominent Spanish conquistador, who briefly mentions the conquerors’ thirst for gold. However, Dom Diego is portrayed as an honorable man who was more interested in knowledge than wealth. The next jump takes the protagonist to a small fishing village on the Isle of Man in 1588, followed by Germany in 1600, where Jason learns about the witch trials. The final time jump sends them to America in 1775, where Jason meets a peddler who is spreading word of the revolution.  

On each leg of the trip, Jason learns a valuable lesson, including the following:  

  • Beauty is on the inside, not on the face.  
  • Practicing essential skills is important.  
  • You should only worry about what’s happening right now.  
  • “Trying to make someone do what they aren’t really good at is foolish.”  
  • Greed can be dangerous, especially if you try to snatch wealth without putting effort into honest work.  
  • It is important to take time to think and watch. “Just because you’ve seen something, it doesn’t mean you stop looking. There’s always something you didn’t see before.” 

Time Cat will appeal to a wide range of readers, from history buffs to cat-lovers. The story takes readers on an action-packed journey through time. Along the way, Jason meets many historical figures. While readers may not recognize all of them, this doesn’t detract from the book’s enjoyment. Each stop is brief, so it doesn’t offer readers an in-depth view of the period. This keeps the action moving while still weaving in important lessons. At the end of the trip, Gareth tells Jason, “If you think back, everybody we met had something to tell you—about themselves, and about yourself. It’s a way of finding out a part of what you have to know to be a grown-up.” But the book doesn’t just look to the past; it ends on a hopeful note, with Jason excited about making his own adventures in his time. Best of all, Time Cat introduces fun facts about cats, historical figures, and significant events in history that will inspire readers to explore these topics further. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Jason was sent to his room because he “punched his younger brother in the ribs for laughing at him” and talked back to his mother. 
  • In Egypt, the king orders Jason to be fed to the crocodiles.  
  • Caesar’s legions land on “Britannia’s chalky cliffs” and are immediately welcomed with arrows. As Jason tries to keep pace with the legion, “arrows sang through the air. The legionaries hurled their spears. Howling and shrieking, the Britons poured across the beach.”  
  • Jason falls behind and is chased by a charioteer. Jason runs “plunging into the woods, running blindly, going deeper and deeper.”  
  • While in the woods, an animal attacks Gareth. “Gareth grappled with the animal in mid-air. Two bodies thrashed on the ground and turned into a spinning, spitting ball. One screamed.” Jason was so intent on watching Gareth that Cedric Longtooth is able to approach unnoticed. “In front of [Jason] stood a bearded man dressed in skins. He held a long, ugly spear pointed at Jason’s throat.” The man’s wife scolds him and welcomes Jason as a guest.  
  • According to Cedric Longtooth, “when we catch somebody from beyond the woods, we simply chop them up. But you’re an invader, and some of us have suggested it might be more correct to burn you in a basket.” 
  • A girl finds a snake in her room. To protect her, Gareth attacks. “Before the serpent could strike, Gareth caught it behind its flat skull. The serpent’s tail lashed out and wound around Gareth’s body. Over and over, the fighters rolled across the floor.” The fight is described over two pages. The serpent dies. 
  • Patrick talks about how he came to be in Ireland. King Niall of the Nine Hostages kidnapped Patrick and his two sisters. He says, “They took us all, to sell as slaves. . . They tied us up, carried us to the boat, and sailed away.” 
  • Ichigo, the Emperor of Japan, had been allowing his uncle Fujiwara to make all of the decisions. When Ichigo begins to issue commands, Fujiwara blames Jason and “seized Jason by the hair.” Ichigo saves Jason and tells his uncle, “You dare threaten your Emperor? I could have you boiled in oil! Humble yourself in the Celestial Presence!” 
  • While in Peru, Jason is walking when he runs into Inca warriors. “One of the warriors whirled a three-stranded rope with heavy metal balls at the ends. An instant later, Jason and Gareth lay on the ground, tangled in the weighted cords. Lances leveled, the Incas moved forward.” The Incas demand a ransom, which Dom Diego pays by promising to try to show the Conquerors that the Incas are men of peace. 
  • On the Isle of Man, the protagonists meet a cat named Dulcinea and her kittens. Dulcinea was aboard a ship when it sank. Luckily, a sailor had put the cats in a barrel that floated to the island.   
  • In a small village in 1600s Germany, people thought cats had devils hiding in them. “Two days ago, the witch hunters drowned fifty and burned another fifty. Poor suffering animals.”  
  • In order to steal a woman’s land, Master Speckfresser says, “The town council takes over the property of a witch—after she has been duly roasted, of course.”  
  • After Master Speckfresser accuses a woman of witchcraft, Jason reveals that Speckfresser was using spells to call demons. Speckfresser threatens Jason with a “sickle-shaped knife. Jason dodged the sweeping blade. . . Jason leaped from one side to the other, as the knife whistled around his ears.” The guards appear at the door, accompanied by a miller named Johannes, who has been placed under arrest.  
  • Johannes, Master Speckfresser, Jason, and another woman are taken to the judge. “Johannes jumped up. With one motion of his powerful arms, he tipped over the judges’ table. The sheets of parchment went flying. . . Seizing a chair in one hand, the burly miller laid out [a guard]. A window smashed. One of the miller’s fists sent a guard sprawling to the wall.” All of the accused witches escape and leave town. 
  • In 1775 America, Jason and Gareth witness a battle between the British and the Americans. “Jason saw the Regulars level their rifles. The farmers hesitated, then moved forward. The sword of the British officer flashed downward. . . The Minutemen raced through the drifting smoke towards the Regulars, firing, reloading, crouching behind hillocks and large clumps of grass. . .  There was a second volley of musket fire. Jason heard a man cry out and saw another slump to the ground.”  
  • During the attack, Jason is with a peddler, who is called Professor Parker. “Another volley came from the Regulars. Professor Parker staggered against the wagon. Jason leaped down. The professor was pressing his hands against his chest. His face had gone gray.” The book implies that the professor dies. Jason takes a horse and goes for reinforcements. The battle is described over three pages.

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • When Gareth purrs at Cedric Longtooth, he exclaims, “By the Druid’s beard. I believe he does like me!” 
  • A girl calls Jason a “stupid boy.” Later someone calls him a “foolish boy.”  
  • In Ireland, a man calls someone a “porridge-headed fool.” 
  • Jason and Gareth are called “two unworthy and totally useless specks of dust.” 
  • A woman calls a suitor a “black-haired lummox.” 
  • Several times, Master Speckfresser is called a “greedy gobbler.” 
  • A man calls the townspeople who believe in witches “stupid fools.” 
  • In 1775 America, the British soldiers are referred to as Lobsterbacks.  

Supernatural 

  • Gareth can take Jason on trips through time. The magic isn’t explained, other than that the two jump in time when Gareth blinks. 
  • In Ireland, they meet a magician named Lugad. “All he needs to do is cast a spell, and the rats and all the creepy, crawly things go away.” Lugad tells people that he has killed all the snakes. When a snake is in the girl’s room, Lugad says, “An evil spirit. An evil spirit if I ever saw one. . . This is the ghost of a serpent.” 
  • Patrick tells a girl, “There are no magic beasts, only God’s creatures as you see them, and no spells worth the saying of them.  
  • In 998 A.D. Japan, a trader says cats can tell the time of day and predict the weather. 
  • Sailors used to believe having a cat on the boat was good luck.  
  • Jason peeks into a house and sees a German man “wearing what looked like a nightshirt painted with strange designs. . . He dropped a pinch of something on the glowing coals, and a cloud of smoke puffed up.” The man is performing a ritual, trying to call forth a spirit. During the ritual, he exclaims, “By the spirit of Zazamonkh. . . Asmodeus! Ahriman! Beelzebub! Appear! I command you!” Nothing happens. 
  • In a small village in 1600s Germany, many people are accused of being witches. A woman explains, “Somebody—I don’t even know who—started the idea that there were witches here. Since then, we’ve had no peace. If anyone stubs his toe or gets sick, if anyone’s garden doesn’t grow right—there’s a witch to blame!” 
  • A woman explains why there aren’t many cats in the village. “There’s no kind of worriment or wickedness they won’t put on a cat. Cats have the evil eye to bewitch whatever they look at. They can turn themselves invisible or fly through the air. They take the shape of a witch, and a witch takes the shape of a cat.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Jason and Gareth travel to Egypt when cats are worshiped. Gareth explained, “[The Egyptians] have all kinds of sacred animals, but the cat—ah, the cat is most important. We’re sacred to the great goddess Ubaste of the Sun and Moon.” 
  • Jason and Gareth arrive in Egypt 2700 B.C. during a festival for the cat goddess. The priest chants the Hymn of the Cat. “Thy head is the head of the Sun-God, / Thy nose is the nose of Thoth. . . The whiskers are the rays of the Sun; Thine eyes hold the Sun and Moon.” The chant is nine lines long.  
  • The Egyptian priests believe Gareth’s white marking is “the mark of the sacred ankh, symbol of life.”  
  • King Neter-Khet believes he is a god whom everyone, including cats, should worship.  
  • According to one of Caesar’s legions, when one isn’t sure what to do, they should “ask for an omen.” When Petronius asks Jason and Gareth to travel with the legion, Jason is reluctant to join. Petronius prays, “O Mars, god of battles, mighty Jupiter, father of the gods, or whatever it is the regimental augur says. Shall this boy and this cat march with us? Give us a sign.” Gareth leaps onto the center of a shield, and Petronius takes that as a signal that Jason and Gareth should join the group.  
  • Cedric Longtooth asks a Druid if Gareth is good or bad luck. The Druid replies, “Some of our best families. . . pray to the spirit of the catamountain.” The Druid believes the cat is good luck.  

Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…. 

For the first time in years, the dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, was dreaming. In his dream, his son, Luke Skywalker, had fallen to the Dark Side and joined his father as his new apprentice. Vader’s longtime goal had been accomplished until his own Master, Emperor Palpatine, turned on them both. Startled awake, Vader wonders if this dream was a simple nightmare or a premonition of the future. 

Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader is an epic retelling of the first six Star Wars films (Episode I: The Phantom Menace to Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) entirely from the point of view of Anakin Skywalker, from his early childhood as a slave on Tatooine, to his heroics as a Jedi Knight, and his fall to the Dark Side as the evil Darth Vader, chronicling key events up to and including his redemption and death at the end of Return of the Jedi.  

The book begins with the dream serving as a prologue, shortly before the events of Episode VI. This leads Vader to reflect on his life—beginning with his earliest memory at three years old: Anakin and his mother first arriving on Tatooine. From that moment, the story progresses chronologically, with Anakin’s discovery by Qui-Gon Jinn, his training under Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the mounting pressures of the Clone Wars, the Chosen One prophecy, and an increasing fear of loss that eventually leads to his fall to the Dark Side. 

The concept of using dreams and memories as framing devices is a brilliant decision by author Ryder Windham. It shows that Vader is constantly haunted by the echoes of his past—namely, with the discovery that the Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star, Luke Skywalker, is in fact his son. The readers are placed inside Darth Vader’s mind and get to know his exact thoughts during pivotal moments in the saga. This framing is especially effective in providing additional context and emotional depth to Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side during the events of Revenge of the Sith, which otherwise felt rushed. 

It should be noted that this book now falls under Legends continuity—a distinction given to the old Expanded Universe, i.e., most Star Wars books, comics, games, and other media (minus the films and The Clone Wars) released prior to Lucasfilm’s acquisition by Disney in 2012. This means that this book is no longer considered part of the canon that connects to newer films, books, and other media released post-Disney, and instead exists in an alternate continuity. Despite this, The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader remains a faithful retelling of the first six films and stands on its own merits, even if it includes references to Expanded Universe material that is no longer canon. 

Overall, The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader serves both as an excellent retelling of the Star Wars saga and an insightful, emotional study into its main character, offering unparalleled insight into the mind and inner conflict of the most feared man in the galaxy. It is a great choice for middle-school readers who are ready to dive deep into an expanded, more reflective, and emotionally rich retelling of Episodes I-VI through the eyes of Darth Vader. 

Sexual Content 

  • During the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin is reunited with Padme Amidala. After retreating to Naboo to protect her from threats of assassination, “They were standing on the garden terrace at a lodge that overlooked a lake, and Padme was wearing a gown that revealed the fair skin of her back and arms when Anakin cautiously leaned close to her face and kissed her.” The two fall in love over the course of the film and marry in secret. 

Violence 

  • In the prologue, Darth Vader dreams that Luke Skywalker has joined him on the Dark Side, only for Emperor Palpatine to attack them with Sith lightning. Luke screams as he is electrocuted, and Vader smells “roasting flesh” before awakening. The scene, while intense, is presented clearly as a nightmare. 
  • Shortly after Anakin and his mother arrive on Tatooine, an enslaved alien attempts to escape from captivity but is killed when an explosive device inside his body detonates. His remains are described as a “smoldering mess,” and Anakin is told this is what happens to slaves who try to flee. 
  • After the Battle of Naboo at the end of The Phantom Menace, Anakin learns that Qui-Gon has died in a lightsaber duel. “From Obi-Wan’s grim expression, Anakin knew what had happened. Qui-Gon Jinn was dead.”  
  • At the beginning of the events of Attack of the Clones, Padme’s ship is destroyed upon arrival on Coruscant, killing six people. A second assassination attempt that night results in a chase through the city. The would-be assassin is disarmed in combat and later killed by a poison dart before she can reveal who hired her. Anakin thought that the assassin “got what she deserved.” He knew that as a Jedi, he shouldn’t believe that anyone deserved to die, but he’d “thought it just the same.” 
  • Anakin’s mother is kidnapped and tortured by Tusken Raiders. He finds her tied up and barely alive. She soon dies in his arms. In his grief and rage, Anakin massacres the entire Tusken camp. Later, when speaking to Padme, Anakin admits openly to killing not just the men, “but the women, and the children, too.” Though he later admits shame, he also acknowledges, internally, disturbing satisfaction. 
  • During a duel with Count Dooku, Anakin is struck with Sith lightning and later has his arm severed in a lightsaber duel. He survives and receives a cybernetic arm. 
  • Three years later, in another duel with Dooku, Anakin cuts off the Sith’s hands and, at Palpatine’s urging, kills the unarmed prisoner. “Anakin rapidly uncrossed the blades, cleaving through Dooku’s neck. Dooku’s body collapsed alongside his hands, while his body rolled and thudded across the floor like an ill-shaped ball.” 
  • Anakin, desperate to learn the teachings of the Dark Side, allows Palpatine to kill Mace Windu with Sith lightning, pledging himself to the Sith. Given the name Darth Vader, he is then ordered to kill the remaining Jedi and Separatist leaders. “Now, so many years later, Vader reflected on all the Jedi he killed that day. Remembering the stunned expression of Mace Windu as he fell from Palpatine’s office window and the screams of the Jedi younglings and their teachers, he felt no remorse. . . Smoke had still been billowing from the Jedi Temple when Vader traveled to the volcanic world of Mustafar to kill the Separatist leaders in their hideout.” 
  • After being confronted by Padme on Mustafar, Anakin choked his wife for what he believed to be her treachery, which would eventually lead to her death. 
  • Obi-Wan and Anakin would engage in an exhausting duel. Besting his former apprentice, Obi-Wan severs Anakin’s legs and remaining arm. Anakin is left severely burned on the lava planet. His suffering is described: “His screams were filled with anger as well as pain, not unlike that of any entirely helpless creature.” He would ultimately survive and be placed in a life-support suit. 
  • Darth Vader kills a Rebel ship’s captain by choking him and snapping his neck. 
  • At Vader’s command, sandtroopers kill Owen and Beru Lars on Tatooine. Their burning homestead is described: “He found the sight of rising flames – even holograms of flames burning millions of lightyears away – to be most satisfying.”  
  • The Death Star destroys the entire planet of Alderaan in a test of its super laser, leading to the loss of billions of lives. The destruction is described as swift and total, with the planet being blown “to oblivion.” 
  • Obi-Wan confronts his old apprentice on the Death Star. Vader strikes Obi-Wan down during the duel, but to the Sith Lord’s surprise, Obi-Wan’s body completely vanishes upon death. 
  • Darth Vader kills Admiral Ozzel for making a tactical mistake that allowed the Rebels to raise a planetary shield. Ozzel is relieved not of his rank or position, but “of his life.” 
  • Vader severs Luke’s hand during a duel on Cloud City. “Luke screamed as Vader’s red blade swept through his right wrist, and watched with horror as his hand and lightsaber fell away into the deep reactor shaft.” Luke survives, and like his father, is given a cybernetic arm. 
  • A year later, Luke and Vader face off in a climactic lightsaber duel in the Emperor’s throne room aboard the second Death Star. Luke eventually bests his father, severing his mechanical hand. “As he fell back against the bridge’s railing, he was unable to stop Luke’s blade from severing his right wrist. Metal and electronic parts flew from Vader’s shattered stump, and his lightsaber clattered over the edge of the bridge and into the apparently bottomless shaft.” 
  • The Emperor attacks Luke with an intense bout of Sith lightning. Luke’s pain and suffering is described: “Vader watched Luke curl in a fetal position as the Emperor hurled an even more staggering wave of lightning at his victim.” He collapses and begs for his father’s help while Vader watches. 
  • Unable to let his son die, Vader uses his remaining strength to grab Palpatine and throw him down a reactor shaft. He heard “the explosion of dark energy that consumed the falling Emperor.” In doing so, Vader is redeemed.  
  • The injuries sustained by the emperor’s lightning did irreparable damage to Vader’s suit and left him mortally wounded. He asks Luke to remove his helmet so that he can look on to him “with [his] own eyes” before dying. His remains are burned in a funeral pyre by Luke on Endor. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • After being struck with a toxic dart, Padme’s would-be assassin mutters in an alien tongue, “Wee shannit . . . sleemo”, which Anakin translates as “bounty hunter slimeball.” 
  • When describing what he had done to the Tusken Raiders to Padme, Anakin screams, “I HATE them!” 
  • Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he was the Chosen One and that he was supposed to “destroy the Sith, not join them!” In response, Anakin yells, “I hate you!” 

Supernatural Content 

  • After being fatally struck by Darth Vader, Obi-Wan’s body “had completely vanished.” This is because Obi-Wan had become one with the Force in death. 
  • Similarly, after Anakin dies, he is in the Netherworld of the Force. Obi-Wan’s spirit guides him: “If you ever wish to revisit corporeal space, then I still have one thing left to teach you. A way to become one with the Force. If you choose this path to immortality, then you must listen now, before your consciousness fades.” Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda appear as spirits to Luke on Endor.             

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Nicholas Paragano 

Lucky Enough

When seventeen-year-old Alex’s dad dies, it feels like her entire world stops – only it doesn’t. Her family moves on as if nothing happened, and Alex feels pressured to do the same. She starts dating the quarterback of the football team, going to parties, and getting ready for the big homecoming dance – all in the hopes that her life will turn back around. The more she gets used to the raves and recognition, the less time she has to think about her father – even if it’s at the cost of her own identity.  

Then she meets Cameron, a boy who quickly finds his way under her skin and into her heart, and suddenly, Alex is reminded that grief, like her heart, is not something to keep locked away. 

Lucky Enough is told from Alex’s perspective and weaves in several different story threads, including her grief over her father’s death, her relationship with the popular crowd, and the pressure to have sex for the first time. Over the summer, Alex began dating the high school quarterback, Jordan, and became part of his friend group, which includes Paige. However, both Jordan and Paige are so self-centered and unlikeable that readers will wonder why Alex wants to be part of their group. As the homecoming dance approaches, Paige pressures Alex to have sex with Jordan so he doesn’t break up with her. To save her relationship, Alex promises to have sex with Jordan, which gives readers the false impression that boys are entitled to sex, even if the girl isn’t ready. Unfortunately, Alex lacks a moral compass, which leads her into a life focused on going to parties and getting drunk. While many teens will relate to Alex’s conflicts, her decisions are often reckless and illogical. 

Alex’s friends and family are underdeveloped and one-dimensional, making it hard to connect with any of them. Even though he claims to love Alex, Jordan is absent for most of the story, and when he does appear, he is only interested in physical intimacy. When the relationship finally ends, there is no surprise and little emotional impact, especially because both Jordan and Alex quickly move on to someone else.  

While at a party, Alex meets Cameron, who shows her kindness. At first, she resents Cameron’s intrusion into her life, but she soon learns that they share something in common – the loss of a parent. And unlike Jordan, Cameron isn’t just a romantic distraction; he helps her deal with her grief. Unfortunately, the book has little romance and no swoon-worthy scenes. While Cameron is more developed than Jordan, neither love interest creates enough emotional connection for readers to fully invest in the romance.  

Lucky Enough tries to demonstrate healthy grief processing through Alex’s journey. At first, Alex does everything she can to distract herself from her loss. However, this strategy only leads to more heartache. Finally, Alex shares her feelings with her family, visits her father’s grave site, and accepts that her father will never return. Cameron, who also lost a parent, helps Alex “find ways to recognize the person you miss the most in the spaces and people all around you. The ways that they are still here.” 

While Lucky Enough explores grief after losing a parent, this message is watered down by the tangle of friendship drama and partying. Alex spends so much time drinking and running away from her problems that the happy ending doesn’t feel earned. Instead of focusing on grief, the story tries to incorporate too many threads, which muddies the message. Readers looking for a more focused exploration of grief might prefer Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson, Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp, or Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner. 

Sexual Content  

  • Alex is dating Jordan Tucker, the high school quarterback. Occasionally, they kiss, but it is not described in detail. For example, while at school Jordan “places an arm on either side of my body against the lockers, leaning in to kiss me.” 
  • A party is broken up when the teens hear sirens. During the chaos, Alex meets a boy named Cameron. He looks at her bodysuit and says, “So, I take it the police interrupted your hookup plans?” Alex thinks, “I thought I looked hot. Not skanky.”  
  • While looking through Instagram, Alex sees “Becca’s tongue shoved down Daniel Michelson’s throat.” 
  • Paige, one of Alex’s “friends,” encourages her to have sex with Jordan. Paige makes fun of Alex for being a virgin. Paige says, “It’s just, we all know you and Jordan still haven’t slept together. I didn’t know what’s taking so long, honestly. His last girlfriends gave it up after the first week of dating.” 
  • Alex thinks about the night Jordan tells her that he loves her. “Kissing Jordan felt like swimming laps around a pool. No, more like diving into the deep end and not being able to find your way back to the surface.” That night, they go to the movies and sit in the back row. Jordan pulls Alex onto his lap, and he kisses her. “A shiver ran down my back from his touch and my lips brushed against his. He kissed me softly and then pried my lips open with his tongue, finding mine and encircling it as if he was tracing all the tiny bumps that coat the top.” 
  • Paige again encourages Alex to have sex with Jordan. Paige says, “I know you’re a virgin, and that’s super sweet and all, but you’re going to lose [Jordan] if you don’t do something. . . I have watched him have many girlfriends, and none typically last more than a few months. He’s a player, yes, but he’s a player with needs.”  
  • While at a party, Jordan pulls Alex into the woods, where he has spread out a blanket. Alex wonders how he got drunk so quickly. “He leans over and kisses me intently. . . I lose myself in his mouth. His hands are everywhere. . . until they reach around the front of my waist and start unbuttoning my jeans.” Alex finally yells at him to stop.  
  • When Alex refuses to have sex with Jordan, he gets angry and says, “We’ve been going out for months now, and you won’t even let me get to second base. Do you know how that makes me look?” He continues, “Look, I still like you. But a guy like me has needs, and I have a reputation to uphold.”  
  • Jordan tells Alex that if they don’t have sex after the homecoming game, he’s going to break up with her. She wonders, “Am I making it a bigger deal than it is? Does losing my virginity really matter in the grand scheme of things, when if I don’t do it, I’ll lose Jordan instead?” Alex is also worried that she’d lose her popularity if Jordan breaks up with her.”  
  • After being pressured by Jordan, Alex tells him, “I want to be with you. All the way. Why don’t we [have sex] after the game tomorrow?”  
  • Alex’s sister is excited about meeting a “cute girl.” 
  • Alex, Jordan, and a group of friends ride to the homecoming dance together. Alex overhears Jordan tell a guy that he “can’t wait to rip [her dress] off.” During the ride, Jordan sits next to Paige. Alex thinks, “Something about the way Jordan laughs at what Paige is saying, or how his eyes momentarily glance over her entire body, makes my stomach churn.” 
  • While riding to the homecoming dance, Alex pulls Jordan’s “face to my own and push my tongue against his, claiming him for everyone to see. The entire limo erupts into screams.”  
  • At the homecoming dance, Jordan disappears. Alex goes to look for him and finds him behind the stage curtains. She sees Paige and Jordan making out. “Her bare leg wrapped around the back of another pair wearing white pants.” Alex screams at them and “Jordan pushes Paige off his body so fast, it takes me a moment to register how intertwined they really are with each other. Paige pulls her dress down as if it’s an inconvenience, and not like she got caught making out with her friend’s boyfriend.” Alex leaves the dance in tears. 
  • After leaving the homecoming dance, Alex goes to a club and dances with a man wearing a mask. When she thinks the man might leave her, Alex “put my hands back around the base of his neck, pulling his face to mine. My lips crush into his and I’m met with a sweeter kiss than before. He tastes like tequila and a hint of cherry soda. . . His muscular arms wrap completely around my waist as they press my body into his own. . .” 
  • After the homecoming dance, Jordan and Paige start dating. While at a party, Alex sees Jordan “shoving his tongue so far down Paige’s throat I swore he was going to get it stuck there.” When Alex turns to flee, she bumps into a “couple making out.” 
  • Jordan follows Alex and says he’s sorry. “His lips brush mine softly, and all of a sudden the familiar feelings of safety and comfort rushes through me. I part my mouth to taste more of him as his hands find my hair. . . His hands are everywhere, moving from the back of my neck and down my back. . . his hands slide under my dress.”  
  • Alex meets up with a boy named Cameron. She thinks, “Every time he touches me, my skin burns with desire and my entire body aches when he pulls away.” They kiss. “Both of his hands are on the sides of my face, and he kisses me gently, so soft and quick that before I know it I’m staring back into his eyes again and he’s looking at me desperately.” 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Since the book has excessive drinking, with teens often getting drunk, not every instance is documented below. 
  • Even though Alex and her friends are underage, they party and get drunk every weekend. At a party, Alex is with her best friend, Blaze. When they hear the sirens, Blaze “finishes slurping down her beer.” Alex thinks, “This is another reason why I love Blaze. No matter how bad a situation we are in—aka the threat of going to jail for underage drinking right now—she didn’t have a care in the world, as long as she finished the drink in her hand.”  
  • During a party, the teens hear sirens. They jump into cars and leave in a panic. Alex gets into a car with a boy she has never met.  
  • One of Alex’s friends is dating a boy who got kicked off the football team for smoking pot. 
  • While at a party, Blaze pours vodka into a cup for Alex, who “take[s] a big swig and flinch[es], the clear liquid burning down the back of my throat.” Alex and Blaze drink “a quarter of it before we both tap out. At this point the room is spinning and I’m not sure which way is the front or the back of the house.” Alex jumps into the pool fully clothed.  
  • At one party, Alex arrives and is “thankful for the distraction of drunk guys and girls wearing little to no clothing as we get out of the car.” Blaze and Alex pour beer from a keg.  
  • While riding in a limo on the way to the homecoming dance, Alex and her friends drink champagne. Alex drinks and “the bubbles go straight to my nose. . . I find out the hard way it’s not a drink to be chugged. . .” When the glass is empty, she grabs the bottle and “take[s] another big gulp directly from the top. For a minute I wonder if the fizz will float to my head and I giggle at the idea of my brain being briefly filled with bubbles.”  
  • To get her mind off Jordan, Alex goes to a club with Blaze. Alex “downed almost two blue drinks, I’m starting to feel good.”  

Language  

  • Profanity is used frequently. Profanity includes ass, bullshit, crap, damn, hell, pisses, and shit. 
  • When Alex starts dating Jordan, a girl refers to Alex as “his playmate.” 
  • God is used as an exclamation four times. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • While at a club, a waiter brings Alex tequila, and she thinks, “Thank God.” 

The Disappearing Otters

Elsa Roth’s life at a seaside marine biology facility is about to change. There are new arrivals at Seaside Sanctuary: a group of river otters. But the adorable animals aren’t the only newcomers; a new group of volunteers is also starting at the sanctuary. When a new boy named Anson shows up in the group, Elsa is less than thrilled. He’s nothing but rude and doesn’t seem at all interested in animals. But soon, Elsa has bigger problems on her hands. One by one, the otters start disappearing. Can Elsa get to the bottom of things before more animals go missing? 

The Disappearing Otters begins with a map of Seaside Sanctuary and an entry from Elsa’s diary explaining her and her family’s role in running it. The story, which is told from Elsa’s point of view, uses a conversational tone that will appeal to young readers. In the first chapter, Elsa introduces the reader to Seaside Sanctuary, a group of volunteers, and the animals being rehabilitated, including five orphaned river otters. In the first few chapters, the story establishes the main characters, the conflict, and the mystery.  

Elsa and her best friend, Olivia, are hardworking and clearly love the animals at the sanctuary. When the girls first meet Anson, they’re instantly suspicious of his motives. However, Elsa discovers that the boy was injured in a fire, which has left him insecure about his scars. When Elsa gets to know Anson, she realizes, “I was starting to learn not to let myself be fooled by appearances.” This allows Elsa and Olivia to become his advocates when the adults accuse him of stealing the otters.  

To prove Anson is not a thief, the three kids investigate the disappearance of the otters. Through their investigation, they learn about the illegal exotic-animal trade. The story clearly distinguishes between wild animals and pets, explaining that wild animals should be rehabilitated and, if possible, returned to the wild. Additionally, readers get a brief snapshot of how exotic animals are used for entertainment.  

Elsa is a likable protagonist who learns from her mistakes and is willing to advocate for Anson. Her work at Seaside Sanctuary isn’t glamorized. Instead, she is seen inspecting fish before making fish milkshakes for animals too injured to eat solid food. Elsa isn’t just nice to the animals; she is also kind to Anson and helps build his confidence. By the end of the story, readers will connect with Elsa because of her kindness, positive attitude, and ability to use her voice. 

The Disappearing Otters will entertain and educate readers by blending scenes at the sanctuary with mystery and friendship. The story is told in ten short chapters, and each begins with a black-and-white illustration of the characters. The end of the book has a glossary, discussion questions, writing prompts, and even more information about otters. Readers who love animals will fall in love with Seaside Sanctuary and want to explore more books in the series.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • When a woman is trying to get the baby otters’ attention, a boy says, “They’re not stupid either. Unlike you.” 
  • A woman refers to Anson as an “evil boy.” 
  • Heck is used three times. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Elsa and her friends go to a woman’s house to investigate. “There were no cars in the driveway, and I prayed there were none in the garage either.” 

When Objects Talk: Solving a Crime with Science

When you think of the people involved in a murder investigation, you probably think of police officers, lawyers, and judges, but what about scientists? Forensic specialists use scientific tools and processes to help solve crimes. When Objects Talk looks at many of these procedures, including DNA testing, bloodstain pattern interpretation, blood testing, fingerprinting, ballistics, autopsies, and forensic anthropology. Combining facts and fictional storytelling to illustrate the theory and practice of forensic science, this book shows how science answers the important question: whodunit? 

When Objects Talk explains forensic science “as it relates to solving criminal cases, particularly murder.” While most of the book is nonfiction, there is a fictional case where two detectives are trying to solve a woman’s murder. This story is told throughout the book so readers can see how specific evidence ties to a murder investigation. Each time the book returns to the murder, there is a subheading titled “The Case” and a magnifying glass, making the transitions easy to follow. Additionally, the fictional investigation is printed in bold font. 

The fictional murder investigation will quickly grab readers’ attention, making the science of solving murders interesting and applicable. The two detectives, Elizabeth Sullivan and Mario Basquez, follow the clues, allowing readers to see how they connect the evidence to the murderer. Readers can see the detectives’ thought processes and learn about the detectives’ jobs. For instance, during an autopsy, one of the detectives must be present. However, detectives new to the job may not be able to handle watching the entire procedure.  

While the detective story is interesting, the explanations of the various scientific tools used in murder investigations are detailed, making the book best suited for readers with a strong interest in the scientific process. The book thoroughly explains the people and processes in this field. Unlike the television shows CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and NCIS, the methods are not glamorized, which may disappoint some readers.     

Even though When Objects Talk is written at a high reading level, the book explains many of the vocabulary words within the text. For example, “The word forensic means ‘relating to or concerning the law.’ Forensic science means using the tools of scientific study in law enforcement and court cases.” To help readers understand the criminal system, two pages explain the principal players, such as a homicide detective, a coroner, and a magistrate. Each detail of a murder investigation is explained, including the autopsy, which may upset sensitive or squeamish readers.  

Readers who love both science and crime will find that When Objects Talk offers a fascinating, unglamorized look at how murders are truly solved — though those sensitive to descriptions of autopsies and body parts should be forewarned. Fans of the genre will also want to add Scene of the Crime: Tracking Down Criminals with Forensic Science to their reading list for further exploration of the topic. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Edmond Locard, a French criminologist, was the first person to try to find evidence proving a person had contact with someone. After setting up a crime lab, Locard had a difficult case. “A young woman who had been strangled to death. Her boyfriend was the prime suspect. . .” After finding evidence that the boyfriend lied, he confessed. The paragraph explains what evidence was found at the crime scene. There is also a dead body lying in the grass. Everything is covered except the feet. 
  • In the fictional murder case, a woman calls the police because her neighbors haven’t been seen in days. When the police arrive, they find an unlocked door and “they discover the body of a woman. Ann Marlboro has been brutally murdered!” The detectives look at the blood splatter. On the next page is a picture analyzing bloodstain patterns. 
  • How an autopsy is performed is described over four pages. One paragraph describes how the medical examiner looks at the brain. “To expose the brain, the skull is cut open with a special electric oscillating saw. . . Then he or she lifts the brain toward the back of the skull and cuts the optic tracts and spinal cord. The brain is removed, weighed, and examined.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • During the investigation, the detectives find “a prescription for [the victim] from a European pharmacy. It was for sleeping pills, but the Europeans still use barbiturates. [The medical examiner] found barbiturates in her gastric fluid.” 

Language  

  • When the dead woman’s employer finds out she was murdered, he says, “Oh, my God.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Palace of Dreams

As far as Rosie Oaks and her friends know, the Earth is gone—swallowed by the Nothing King just after the heroes escaped to a faraway planet to regroup and seek help. Now Rosie, her friends Germ and Aria, her ghost friend Ebb, her mother, and her long-lost brother are relying on the leftover members of the League of Witch-Hunters, Wanda and Clara, to help them find a way out of this mess. But when they land at a hotel on the planet Glimmer 5, they discover that Rufus—the one man who may have the tools to defeat the Nothing King—is missing. Then, a messenger from the Nothing King arrives with unexpected news: Earth still exists, but only because the Nothing King hasn’t yet destroyed the Museum of Imagined Things, home of humanity’s dreams and healed souls. Once he does, Earth will fall with it. 

Rosie is a brave and intelligent protagonist who devises a daring way to find Rufus—by traveling through objects that are bigger on the inside. She discovers him hiding inside a memory, where he’s been concealing the Museum of Imagined Things from the Nothing King. He entrusts it to Rosie, and through the Museum’s power, she begins recruiting old friends and new allies while ferreting out a traitor in their midst. She rallies everyone on Glimmer 5 to join the fight, and on their journey back to Earth, they make a crucial stop in Limbo—a purgatory for ghosts—where they find even more reinforcements. 

Along the way, Rosie grapples with shocking surprises, strange betrayals, and the challenges that come with growing up. She learns to embrace who she is and all the oddities that come with being a thirteen-year-old witch hunter, all while battling the greatest and most terrifying supernatural entity their world has ever known. 

The Palace of Dreams brings the Thirteen Witches trilogy to a suspenseful climax, incorporating even more fantasy and science fiction elements—perhaps too many. While the language remains accessible, the abundance of fantastical elements and genre-hopping can feel excessive and over-complicate what could be a tighter story. That said, the book has real strengths. Rosie’s character development is nicely and believably constructed, building to a neat and satisfying conclusion. The supernatural elements, while plentiful, are thoroughly explained, and the characters feel realistic enough for kids to look up to. Most importantly, Rosie herself is a strong, opinionated, and compassionate hero that any reader would enthusiastically root for. 

Readers who enjoy magical space-travel, mysterious haunted hotels, and ragtag groups of heroes will love the fun banter, creative plot twists, and complex magic of The Palace of Dreams. The book is filled with supernatural creatures—from wicked, hive-minded crows to super-powered witch-hunters to ghosts—building toward a detailed and imaginative confrontation with the Nothing King, the last witch. 

Beyond the fantastical elements, Rosie demonstrates to young readers how to navigate the complexities of growing up while facing both internal struggles and external challenges. She’s a loyal friend with plenty of healthy relationships, embodying all the good qualities of a young hero. Ultimately, this is a highly original story with creative elements that come together to deliver a beautiful message: the only true way to defeat your demons is to trust yourself and your instincts, accepting yourself for who you are. Readers who want to get lost in another witchy fantasy should also read Curse of the Night Witch and The Okay Witch. 

Sexual Content  

  • Over the course of their journey, Rosie realizes that she has feelings for her ghost friend, Ebb. The tension culminates when Ebb confronts Rosie about her weird behavior around him, and she confesses her feelings. They kiss. Rosie thinks, “For now, he lets go of my hand, and brushes a piece of hair out of my face like he’s being brave. And I don’t turn away, because I’m being brave too. And when we kiss—since we’re made of the same magical stuff that’s brought us this far in the first place—I feel it.” 

Violence  

  • Rosie discovers her aunt Jade’s betrayal from the account of a ghost named Bo. Bo tells her that her aunt requested the Time Witch kill her father. Bo tells Rosie, “I’ll never forget what she said after that. She said she wanted the Time Witch to take away the very next person her sister had come to love after her. The Time Witch said she already knew who that would be. She said she knew of a sailor. She said she’d make it look like a sinking so that no one would ever suspect the truth—or their bargain.”
  • As Rosie and her friends confront the Nothing King, they’re attacked by a swarm of crows. Rosie’s new pet bird, Flit, “becomes a cat and devours [a crow].” They escape the swarm, and no one is badly injured. 
  • When the Nothing King kidnaps Rosie’s brother Wolf, Rosie’s new friend Rufus confronts the Nothing King. But “the Nothing King’s arm shoots like a vine toward him, and hits Rufus’s skull with bone-cracking force. Rufus falls with a sickening thud to the floor.” Rufus dies.  
  • In another confrontation with the Nothing King, his pet crows eat most of Rosie’s ghost allies. “As they surround the ghosts, the crows dive in from all sides, pecking, devouring, smothering. And soon the ghosts are lost and buried in the sheer number of the birds, and we can’t see them or their crackling light at all. . . The ghosts are gone. Swallowed. Just like that.” 
  • When Rosie finds Wolf and tries to save him from the Nothing King, Wolf has his own tricks up his sleeve. Using a magical net that he created, he traps the Nothing King. “Wolf is on the Nothing King’s back, his jagged weapon wrapped around the witch’s neck. He is flapping his crow-wing cloak and trying to drag the Nothing King backward [into a black hole]. He’s failing. The Nothing King is fighting him off, trying to shape-shift and pushing him away.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • This series follows Rosie and her friends as they defeat witches to save the world. Naturally, this means that there are a fair number of supernatural elements. The Nothing King controls crows and creates black holes. Additionally, ghosts aid Rosie and her friends in fighting the Nothing King.  
  • There is space and time travel, as well as cloud shepherds and the Brightweaver, who collect dreams and mend souls. They serve the Moon Goddess, who is more of a magical figure than a religious one.  
  • Rosie, along with the other witch hunters, has special abilities that allow them to fight witches. For example, Rosie’s witch-hunting ability is the power to bring her stories to life. She often manifests a bird as her pet and friend that helps her fight witches. On the new planet, Rosie wakes one morning to find a new bird, since her old one passed away. The bird is “standing on the foot of the bed, blinking at [Rosie] with [the bird’s] head tilted to one side (either groggily or dizzily, [Rosie] can’t tell). . .  glowing, translucent, magical.” 
  • The book opens following the conclusion of the previous installment, when the Nothing King was freed, and Rosie and her friends escape by traveling to a different planet. Rosie thinks to herself about “the war against the witches on the beach. The blanket made of nothing left behind. The black hole opening above the Earth. [Rosie and her friends] gaze at each other, in shock. Is it all gone? The sea? Our town? Countries? The world?” 
  • After escaping Earth, Rosie’s new witch hunter friend Wanda explains, “The Nothing King’s been imprisoned in his own black hole, locked up there by the Moon Goddess for millennia, but now these twin black holes have been connected across the universe like a tunnel, so the Nothing King could come through it and drag Earth in. . . and obliterate it. If that hasn’t happened yet, I imagine it soon will.” 
  • Confused and disoriented, the heroes explore their new planet, and they stumble upon a hotel staffed by ghosts. “Wanda taps her wooden leg and is lifting her finger to ring the bell again, when suddenly we hear a tut, tut, tut down one of the halls. It takes another moment, but eventually a shining ghost materializes through the wall behind the desk and comes to float his elbows just beside the bell. He has a goatee and round eyeglasses, over which he gazes at us in distaste. He busies his hands with his wrinkled bow tie.” 
  • While trying to find the missing owner, Wanda and Rosie find a pair of socks in his old room, and Wanda suggests he might be hiding in them. She explains that, “Size and space and time and place don’t mean what you used to think. And neither do the boundaries between them.” She and Rosie decide that they need to go inside the sock to find him, but they fail to find him. 
  • One of the hotel’s services is a shuttle to Limbo. Rosie’s ghost friend, Ebb, tells Rosie that Limbo is a haven for ghosts, but with a downside. Ebb says, “Well, once a ghost enters Limbo, they can never leave. Which means never moving Beyond.” 
  • The hotel also has a magical vending machine that gives any guest whatever they want. When Rosie “find[s] one old penny at the bottom of a hole in [her] pocket, [one of the ghostly hotel staff] shrugs. ‘That’ll get you something, just nothing glamorous. Push the green button and it’ll show you your options.’” Rosie describes the machine: “Several rows of prizes turn in circles before my eyes, dotted with flashing lights like a casino. Everything is in miniature: bags of Doritos the size of my thumbnail, but also cars, thimbles, what looks to be a Jacuzzi, a tiny roller coaster, a castle. . .” 
  • When Rosie and Wanda go inside the magic sock to find the hotel’s owner, they find themselves trapped in a memory in an old train station. A tornado attacks them, and they have to leave the sock. Rosie thinks, “A crashing, ripping sound surrounds me. Something flies across my vision and strikes my chest, and I scream, crumpling to the ground, trying to grasp what’s happening. Wanda appears a moment later, and she too is knocked off her feet and onto her back. We’re being battered—by wind, I realize. So strong that it pins us where we lie.” No one is harmed. 
  • Eventually, Rosie has an idea of where to find the hotel owner. When she finds him, he reveals that he’s in hiding to keep a secret from the Nothing King. Before the Nothing King escaped, the Brightweaver gave the hotel owner, Rufus, the Museum of Imagined Things. “He nods and opens the lid. A glow comes from within, illuminating our faces as we peer into its depths. Within the hollow of the basket, mist swirls, sparkling and flashing, like lightning in a cloud. I look up at Rufus, squinting in confusion. ‘It’s the Museum of Imagined Things,’ he says, as if I should recognize it. ‘It’s a palace filled with all of the world’s dreams.’” Rosie “remember[s] the Museum of Imagined Things from that one and only time [she] visited the Brightweaver, a towering building made of clouds that reached so far into the sky, [she] couldn’t see the top of it.” The Brightweaver reshaped it into a basket before the Nothing King came, so it’s a smaller item to transport.  
  • The book describes what the Earth is like under the Nothing King. “It’s been twenty-five days since the moon disappeared. In the moon’s absence, night animals roam daylit highways, winds rage through streets once untouched by storms, tornadoes rip up ancient woods. In waterfront towns and cities, the ocean is eating the shores, and people retreat inward. At first, they don’t see the invisible creatures that travel alongside them, iridescent hummingbirds and chameleons and peacocks. . . the familiars of eleven dead witches, returning gifts that once were stolen.” 
  • As Rosie ventures inside the Museum of Imagined Things, she meets an old ghost friend, Homer. He explains how he and other ghosts got to the Museum. “Well, what ye’re seeing when that happens is a doorway, a thin place in the invisible fabric where real and unreal meet. By stepping into a certain painting, or a certain story, ye can reach the place its maker imagined.” He pauses. “Well, that is, if yer a ghost. Given what ghosts are made of, we’re the only ones that can. Of course, all those places are stored here, in this museum.” 
  • Inside the Museum, there is a room full of mind maps, or maps of people’s minds. Rosie finds her long-lost aunt’s mind map and describes it, “most of it is too clustered, tangled, and minuscule to make out. But I do see that one particular place is dim and gray, with an etching of two little girls. The branching paths around them are scribbled out, as if something there is better left forgotten. Near one of the scribbles is a drawing of a crow.” 
  • While in the Room of Mind Maps, Rosie meets a cloud shepherd. “A cloud shepherd is peering around at me from behind a shelf about fifteen feet away, holding his misty finger to his misty lips. He’s an elderly-looking blob of white fluff, pointed at the top like a dollop of whipped cream. He floats out from behind the shelf.” 
  • When the Nothing King finds Rosie and her friends on their new planet, he launches an attack. Rosie describes him as a “man in a crow-feather cape that looks like it contains pure emptiness, a feather hood over a shadow where a face should be. He stands still for a moment, his blank face steady as it’s turned up toward us. And then he disintegrates into the ground and vanishes again.” 
  • As they leave the new planet, running from the Nothing King, Germ hands Rosie her teddy bear. “After a moment, to please Germ, [Rosie] give[s] it a hug. When [she] do[es], it begins to glow. And the glow wraps all around [Rosie], making [her] go warm and soft. And [she] feel[s], suddenly, okay.” Germ’s witch-hunting ability is making others feel brave and safe.  
  • In need of reinforcements, Rosie and her friends go to Limbo to recruit ghosts. When they get there, Homer meets them. “[Homer] winks at [Rosie], then takes a deep breath to concentrate. He raises his hands and, using the technique he’s clearly just learned from Ebb, uses them to push the mist back. . . and back. . . and back. As the clouds curl away from the dock, [Rosie sees] that Limbo’s not a lonely place at all, and [her] heart soars. Thousands of ghosts are gathered before [Rosie and her friends], hovering in a crowd and waiting.” 
  • To save the world from the Nothing King, Rosie must become one with her witch-hunting power. Rosie “open[s] up [her] palms, and [her magical pet bird] slips inside [her] skin, lighting up [her] arms as [the bird] travels to [Rosie’s] heart. The boundaries between [them] fall, no line where [Rosie] end[s] and [her bird] begins. [Rosie] glow[s] with the strength of her [pet bird], and [the bird] stretches with the strength of [Rosie]. [Rosie] spread[s] [her] arms, and they are wings, not attached to a cape like Wolf’s but a part of [her]. [Rosie] stretch[es] [her] feet, and they are claws.” 
  • To thank them for saving the world, the Moon Goddess appears in front of Rosie and Germ. “[The Moon Goddess’s] standing on [Rosie’s] lawn, as silver as the moon itself. [Rosie] open[s] [her] mouth and close[s] it again, too stunned to talk. The goddess keeps her distance, her face smooth and silver and expressionless, though not unkind. Her eyes are somehow soft and sharp at the same time, as if she sees everything at once, as if she has bigger things to think about than [Rosie and her friends]. As if the whole world, maybe the whole universe, is in her eyes all the time.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Kate Schuyler

Is It Real? The Loch Ness Monster

Nestled in the lush green hills of the Scottish Highlands lies Loch Ness, a deep, murky lake with a storied history. It is also the home of the Loch Ness Monster. Numerous stories and photographs by people claiming to have spotted the mysterious monster have surfaced, often gaining immediate fame. But after decades of countless expeditions, documentaries, firsthand accounts, pictures, and videos, the mystery of Nessie continues to haunt us. 

Now, Sibert Award-winning author Candace Fleming invites you to become a detective and join the race to uncover the truth. You’ll learn how real-life detectives and scientists conduct their investigations to solve the greatest mysteries as the principles of the Scientific Method and more tools for boosting critical thinking and analysis are introduced. You will consider the evidence, see if you can tell the difference between fact and fiction, and maybe you can answer this age-old question about the Loch Ness monster: Is it real? 

Is it Real? The Loch Ness Monster instantly engages readers by putting them into the narrative, saying, “You are an investigator for the Black Swan Scientific Investigation (BSSI) team. Your job is to unravel—if you can—the natural world’s greatest mysteries.” Readers will delve into the case files, which include witness statements, expert accounts, media reports, pertinent documents, and other relevant information. Each piece of evidence is broken down into clear sections, often accompanied by graphics, photographs, and illustrations to aid readers in understanding the text. For example, one witness report is similar to a scene in the silent movie The Lost World. A still photograph from the movie allows readers to see how the Loch Ness Monster resembles the prehistoric creature depicted in the film. 

When new information is presented, Fleming expertly guides readers through the thought process, enabling them to determine whether they believe the evidence. For example, readers will learn the difference between direct evidence and circumstantial evidence. A sample case undergoes detailed analysis, illustrating how the evidence can be interpreted in various ways. Throughout it all, readers must use critical analysis skills. Readers are reminded that, “[Evidence] seems far-fetched, but as an investigator, you follow every lead. You don’t decide if something is true or not until you have all the facts. You never make assumptions.”  

While the book presents real evidence about the Loch Ness Monster sightings, it also includes scientific facts that help readers understand and process the information. For example, some may accuse a witness of lying to gain attention. However, using a photograph that some believe is of the Loch Ness Monster, Fleming explains how the human brain sees significant things in random images. By using the actual photograph of the monster, readers can see how the cropped, blurry picture of another photograph could be the monster, a log, or something entirely different.  

One of the best parts of Is it Real? The Loch Ness Monster is that Fleming presents and explains the evidence without adding her opinions. Instead, the information is presented in an unbiased manner, allowing readers to interpret the evidence independently. The text also defines words and concepts, making the book easy to read. Some of the skills readers will learn include: 1) how to gather evidence, 2) how to determine if a person is a credible witness, 3) how to analyze photographs, 4) how to compare a reporter’s notes to a news article, 5) how to ask good questions, and 6) how to spot a lie. 

In today’s world, the media frequently attempts to manipulate people by employing fake news, emotional appeals, and other deceptive tactics. Today’s children need to develop media literacy and critical thinking skills that will help them make informed decisions and become responsible adults. Is it Real? The Loch Ness Monster is a must-read because it teaches readers how to analyze every side of a story and then make their own decision on whether the Loch Ness Monster is real. Readers who want to learn even more about the Loch Ness Monster should also read Behind the Legend: The Loch Ness Monster by Erin Peabody. Readers can fall into the world of other mythological creatures by reading The Unicorn Rescue Society by Adam Gidwitz.  

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb

During the reign of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun ruled and died tragically young. In order to send him on his way into the afterlife, his tomb was filled with every treasure he would need after death. And then it was lost to time, buried in the sands of the Valley of Kings. His tomb was said to be cursed. 

Centuries later, as Egyptomania gripped Europe, two Brits—a rich earl with a habit for gambling and a disreputable, determined archaeologist—worked for years to rediscover and open Tutankhamun’s tomb. But once it was uncovered, would ancient powers take their revenge for disturbing and even looting the pharaoh’s resting place? What else could explain the mysterious illnesses, accidents, and deaths that began once it was found? 

When most people think about Egypt, they think about the pyramids, and the mummies hidden within them. However, very few consider how the political and social context of the 1900s enabled wealthy British aristocrats to plunder Egypt’s treasures. Among the wealthy who were allowed to excavate in the Valley of Kings was Lord Carnarvon, who had no experience in archaeology and lacked the knowledge to dig scientifically. To help him find treasure, Lord Carnarvon hired archaeologist Howard Carter, who meticulously recorded every aspect of his excavations. Many of the photographs taken of King Tutankhamun’s burial chamber are included in the book, allowing readers to experience the excitement of discovering the boy king’s treasures.  

The Curse of the Mummy conveys the British lack of respect for Egyptian people and culture. For example, Howard Carter understood the importance of each precious item that was placed on King Tutankhamun’s body. However, Howard Carter and Dr. Douglas Derry “pawed through the mummy’s thirteen layers of wrapping,” plundering every item of value. To make matters worse, “the team could not remove all the jewelry. So they cut off its arms in order to slide off the bracelets. They cut the torso in half, too, and sawed off the head, before using a chisel and hammer to gouge out each body piece.” After reading about King Tutankhamun’s treatment, readers can understand why some believed in the mummy’s curse. 

Even though The Curse of the Mummy is packed with information, the text is broken into manageable pieces. To help readers visualize the events, the book includes large pictures from Tutankhamun’s burial chamber, as well as photographs and artwork that appear every two to nine pages. In addition, at the end of each chapter is a short segment about some of the deaths and misfortunes that were attributed to the mummy’s curse. For example, Lord Carnarvon’s personal secretary, Richard Bethell, was at the opening of Tutankhamun’s burial and was found dead seven years later. The cause of death was unknown. “Police were baffled, but those who believed in the curse weren’t. They knew the cause of death.” However, at the end of the book, Fleming debunks the curse by explaining the lack of scientific evidence to support the notion that the curse is real. Fleming explains, “Science and logic have shown there is no such thing as the mummy’s curse. It is nothing but a knot of rumors and superstitions.” 

As part of the True Stories in Focus Series, The Curse of the Mummy is specifically written for a middle school and high school audience, utilizing rigorous research to provide accurate and compelling content for young readers. The True Stories in Focus Series emphasizes sharing true stories and focusing on real individuals and their authentic experiences. These books aim to help young people understand the world, develop critical thinking skills, and connect historical events to the present. 

Anyone interested in ancient Egypt should read The Curse of the Mummy. Fleming includes fascinating facts and photographs that allow readers to step into King Tutankhamun’s tomb and see its grandeur. While Fleming doesn’t demonize the British, readers will be exposed to the harsh realities of the time period, a time when Britain looked down upon anyone who wasn’t an aristocrat, including the Egyptians and archaeologist Howard Carter. While The Curse of the Mummy takes a deep dive into the archaeological excavation of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, there is very little information about the boy king himself. 

However, readers can learn more about King Tutankhamun by watching National Geographic’s documentary “King Tut’s Treasures: Hidden Secrets Rediscovered.” Readers interested in learning more about Egyptian culture should also read The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld and See-Through Mummies by John Malam. Readers who want to explore ancient Egypt through fiction should grab a copy of The Boy Who Could Draw by Scott Peters or the TombQuest Series by Michael Northrop. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Sections explain the myths behind the curse of King Tutankhamun. During excavation, Lord Carnarvon, a wealthy British aristocrat, found a mummified cat. Afterwards, “One of his servants had been stung by a scorpion. . . Delirious from the insect’s poison, he claimed a large gray cat was chasing him.”  
  • Some thought London’s British Museum was under a mummy’s curse. The cursed item was “the coffin lid of a priestess of Amen-Ra. According to newspaper accounts, anyone who gazed upon the object felt its unseen force.”  
  • Five treasure hunters bought the coffin lid, and Arthur F. Wheeler took ownership of it. Three days after getting the coffin lid, one of the treasure hunters, Thomas Douglas Murray, had an accident. “His gun exploded for no reason, blowing off his left hand.”  
  • Arthur F. Wheeler received a “telegram telling him that two of his servants had unexpectedly died.” Wheeler gave the coffin lid to his fiancée. “She soon came down with a mysterious ailment. Then her mother suddenly died, and her pets went insane.” More suspicious events followed the coffin, which are explained over three pages. 
  • Lord Carnarvon’s guests believed that “The cat was angry for being disturbed.” This idea was reinforced when the cat’s coffin had fallen open, and the cat’s bandages, “had been ripped open around the neck as if the spirit of the dead feline had burst out of them.” 
  • Howard Carter was put in charge of caring for the monuments of Upper Egypt. One evening, “a group of drunken French tourists forced their way into a site after attacking the Egyptian guards. Carter told the guards to fight back. The result was a rowdy brawl that left men on both sides with black eyes and bloody noses.”  
  • To maintain control over the Egyptians, the British did not permit protests. “In one instance, after a handful of Egyptian villagers pelted a group of British soldiers with rocks, authorities rushed in. They arrested fifty-two of the villagers. . . Four rock throwing villagers got the death penalty, two went to jail for life, and the remaining received forty lashes with the whip.” 
  • After World War I, the Egyptians sought to expel the British. The Egyptians organized protests and strikes. “At first, the British had responded with their usual harshness—suppressing demonstrations and killing hundreds of protestors.”  
  • A terrorist shot the British commander of the Egyptian Army. The British used this as an excuse to “seize control of the country. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Some believe priests would put poison in the tombs. “Maybe they’d drench the mummy’s bandages in cyanide made from peach pits, or laced tomb objects with scorpion venom.” Despite the speculation, “archaeologists have found little or no evidence of poison placed in tombs.” 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • According to some, Tutankhamun’s mummy was cursed when the “high priest carried out mysterious rituals. As specified by The Book of the Dead, they had summoned protective demons and placed charms in the tomb’s walls. They had recited spells and prayers.” 
  • Some people said that “the curse was carved above the tomb’s entrance and read: Death will Slay with its wings / Whoever disrupts the peace of the pharaoh.”  
  • Others said the curse was written on the sarcophagus: “O anyone who enters this tomb, / who will make evil against this tomb: May the crocodile be against him on water, / and the snake against him on land.” 
  • Others said the curse was written on a magic brick. The curse read: “It is I who drives back robbers from the tomb with flames of the desert. / I am the protector of Tutankhamun’s grave, / and I will kill all those who cross this threshold.” 
  • Many deaths were blamed on the mummy’s curse. The book has a large number of events that could be attributed to the curse. Therefore, not all of the deaths are listed below. The first person to die of the curse was Lord Carnarvon. A mosquito bite led to an infection that killed Lord Carnarvon. Towards the end, “delirious, he muttered over and over, ‘A bird is scratching my face. A bird is scratching my face.’” Some believe Lord Carnarvon’s death was caused by the curse of the mummy. 
  • The curse of the mummy struck George Jay Gould, a wealthy American, who toured King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Almost immediately afterward, he fell sick with a fever and a cough. “As the dying man struggled for breath, he claimed to be surrounded by the ‘spirits of the pharaohs,’ and that Anubis, the Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife, ‘drew the last breath out of him.’” 
  • A wealthy man named Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey visited the tomb and joked about the curse. “Just months after his visit, on July 11, 1923, his wife of six months shot him in their London hotel room. . . Hours later he died.” 
  • Howard Carter brought a pet bird to Egypt. Some believed the bird brought Carter luck. However, when Carter opened King Tutankhamun’s tomb for the first time, a servant “brought news of a tragedy. A cobra had slipped into Carter’s house” and ate the bird.  
  • Lord Carnarvon was receiving advice from a psychic. “Carnarvon was getting advice from beyond the grave. Or so he believed.” Lord Carnarvon believed the psychic was passing on “ghostly communications.”  
  • Cheiro, a psychic, told reporters that the night King Tutankhamun’s tomb was opened, “a shadowy form was taking shape. Slowly, it materialized into the ghost of a beautiful woman.” Cheiro believed it was the ghost of an Egyptian princess, who wanted Cheiro to warn Lord Carnarvon “not to remove any relics from the cursed tomb. If he did, he would suffer from a swift and terrible sickness that would kill him.” The scene is described over two pages. 

Spiritual Content  

  • The Egyptians believed in many Gods, which are mentioned in the book. For example, a collector had a statue of “Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess who tore men to pieces at the request of the sun.”  
  • The Egyptians believed the resting place of mummies was “crucial. Egyptians believed a tomb was an important symbol of continuity, of eternity, of a ruler passing from the living world to that of the gods. For this reason, it was important that a king’s body not be disturbed after it had been laid to rest.” 
  • Before Tutankhamun became king, the Egyptians believed “the gods had turned their backs on the land. . . But Tutankhamun had stepped forward to rebuild the temples and sanctuaries. He’d offered nourishing foods to the deities.” The Egyptians praised Tutankhamun for “restoring the traditional religion of the land. . .” 
  • During mummification, the heart was left in the body because “it was believed the heart was the ‘seat of the mind,’ and that the god Osiris would judge it against a ma’at feather, the symbol of truth and rightness.” 
  • One of the death rituals performed was the Opening of the Mouth. “Using what the Egyptians believed was a magical adze, [a high-ranking official] touched the mummy’s face mask. This, it was believed, allowed the dead king to breathe, walk, and talk in the afterlife.” 
  • During the early 1990s, Spiritualism was practiced all over Europe and the United States. Lord Carnarvon had “been hiring clairvoyants and holding séances at his estate. He also employed palmists to read his palm, and fortune-tellers to glean his future from the depths of their crystal balls.” 
  • During one of Lord Carnarvon’s séances, the psychic medium’s “face convulsed. Her eyes rolled back and she turned white as a corpse. Her lips worked spastically. . . then, in a guttural voice not her own, she spoke.” The psychic spoke in Coptic, “a type of language descended from the ancient Egyptians.” 
  • Howard Carter unwrapped King Tutankhamun’s mummy. “A pair of golden hands, sewn to the wrappings, held a crook and flail. And across its chest lay a large golden bird, its wings spread wide as if in flight. The ancient Egyptians believed that at death the spirit flew free, but that it returned to the body when it was ready to enjoy eternal life. . . [The body] needed to be perfectly preserved so the spirit would recognize it when it returned to the tomb.” 
  • A wishing cup found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb was inscribed with a prayer: “May your spirit live, may you spend millions of years, you who love Thebes, sitting with your face to the north wind, your eyes beholding happiness.” 

Journey of the Pale Bear

The polar bear is a royal bear, a gift from the King of Norway to the King of England. The first time Arthur encounters the bear, she terrifies him. Yet, strangely, she doesn’t harm him—though she has attacked anyone else who comes near. So, Arthur finds himself taking care of a polar bear on a ship to England. 

Tasked with feeding and cleaning up after the bear, Arthur’s fears slowly lessen as he begins to feel a connection to this bear, who, like him, has been cut off from her family. But the journey holds many dangers, and Arthur knows his own freedom—perhaps even his life—depends on keeping the bear from harm. When pirates attack, Arthur must make a choice—does he do everything he can to save himself, or does he help the bear to find freedom? 

Told from Arthur’s point of view, Journey of the Pale Bear takes readers on an exciting adventure that forces Arthur to decide what is most important in life. When Arthur runs away from home, he plans to travel to Wales, where he will be given his father’s land. However, with no food or money, Arthur steals from a sailor. This action leads to Arthur meeting the doctor, who notices the boy’s special connection with the bear. While on a ship heading towards England, Arthur must contend with the sailor’s cruel behavior as well as his own fears and insecurities. 

Even though the primary story focuses on Arthur’s relationship with the bear, many readers will still relate to the boy’s problems. Arthur misses his dead father, deals with bullying from multiple people, and hopes for a better future. Throughout the story, readers will come to love the bear and admire Arthur’s devotion. With every hardship, Arthur learns more about friendship, found family, and sacrifice, while showing the importance of following your heart. 

Journey of the Pale Bear features many tense, exciting scenes interspersed with Arthur’s thoughts, which allows readers to understand his emotions and reasoning. However, Arthur’s inner thoughts and lengthy descriptions sometimes slow the pacing. Additionally, some readers may be confused by the book’s advanced vocabulary, such as scrim, converged, rouse, and potentate. Nevertheless, the story does an excellent job of showing what life was like in the 1200s and knowing that it is based on true events makes it even more interesting. 

Throughout his journey, Arthur meets several interesting people, including sailors, the doctor, and the English King. However, none of the supporting characters are well-developed. At the beginning of the story, the doctor promises to care for Arthur throughout the journey. Even though the doctor is an important character who shows how essential the father-son relationship is, he doesn’t appear enough for readers to get a picture of his relationship with Arthur. When the doctor offers to care for Arthur, teach him a trade, and give the boy stability, the moment lacks emotional impact. Likewise, when one of the sailors apologizes for mistreating Arthur, the reasons for his apology are unclear, leaving the reader confused. 

Journey of the Pale Bear will appeal to strong readers who love animals and adventure. Arthur is a likable character who is admirable because of his dedication to the bear. This coming-of-age story illustrates how everyone—Arthur, the bear, and the King of England—can never be truly free. However, the heartwarming conclusion highlights that friendship and love create the moments that make life wonderful. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • After stealing food from a sailor named Hauk, Arthur runs off. Hauk and his friend follow Arthur. Hauk grabs the boy and Arthur “kick[s] Hauk’s shin—twice—but then he belly-punched me, and I doubled over from the pain.” 
  • After stealing food, Arthur wonders what will happen. Would a constabulary “put me in the stocks? Blind me in one eye? Draw and quarter me?”  
  • A man takes Arthur to a tavern where “the drink had had its effect, for now there was singing, there was dancing, there was stomping. . .” Two men were fighting, “biting, poking at eyes, grabbing for hair and ears.” 
  • When a sailor named Hauk calls Arthur “Dung Boy,” Arthur “put down my head like a bull and plowed into Hauk’s belly. . . he staggered backward. I laid about him with fist and foot, and felt a satisfying thump as one fist landed squarely on his ribs and then another. . . I fell upon him again, kicking and swinging, but now his hand was on my face.” Another sailor breaks up the fight, but not before “a river of blood was gushing down my chin.” Arthur’s eye is swollen shut, he has cuts on his lip and cheeks, and bruised ribs. 
  • Pirates attack the ship that Arthur is on. One of the pirates captures Arthur and demands to see the king’s treasure, not knowing that it is a bear.  “A flash of steel—and then the bear was upon him. The man spat out a curse; then his body rose into the air and seemed to hang there in the thinning fog before it plummeted to the boards and bounced with a sickening thud.” Two men try to stop the bear, “but then a slash of the bear’s great claws had both of them on their backs and one of them spurting blood.” Someone shoots the bear with arrows.  
  • After pirates attack, Arthur sees a “body still and broken-looking, lying in a pool of blood. Not far from him lay two other bodies; I saw bloody claw marks where one man’s tunic had been torn.” It is unclear how many people die.  
  • After calling Arthur “Dung Boy,” Hauk pushes Arthur into him. “I was on top of him, raising my fist to cuff him hard. He cried out and covered his head with his arms. I checked my punch and flung myself at Hauk, tackling him about the knees.” Hauk grabs a knife, but another sailor breaks up the fight. 
  • A group of villagers shoots arrows at the bear. One of the arrows hits Arthur’s ear. “I touched a finger to my wounded ear. It came away wet. . . A hand’s length to the left, and I would have been dead.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Several times, Arthur goes to a tavern where men are drinking.  
  • When the bear is injured, the doctor puts sleeping herbs in fish.  

Language  

  • A captain of a ship calls Arthur a “rapscallion,” a “little scoundrel,” a “little weasel,” and a “useless boy.” 
  • A sailor calls Arthur a “clumsy oaf.” 
  • Because Arthur has to clean the bear’s cage, two of the sailors call him “Dung Boy.” 
  • Sailors load the bear onto a ship, but they are not careful. The doctor says, “Fools. She’s a living creature, not a tun of ale.” 
  • The captain calls the bear a “blasted beast.”  
  • After being given to the king, the bear refuses to eat. Arthur tells the bear, “Don’t be a dunderhead—eat!”  

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • After going days without eating, Arthur steals food from a tavern. He runs off “praying that the sailors behind me would be too lazy or too drunk to follow.” 
  • After agreeing to take the bear to England, the captain says, “God only knows what that creature will do in heavy seas. God only knows if the boy will be able to soothe it then.” 
  • After pirates attack, Arthur sees a sailor lying on the ground and wonders if he’s dead. “I could feel him breathing beneath me, praise be to God.” 
  • Before presenting the bear to the king, Arthur has to change his clothes in front of “God and everyone.”  
  • A man tells Arthur to tell “God’s truth,” meaning not to lie. 

Ready to Wear

Zoey Webber is a creative, inventive, and fearless middle schooler whose world shifts when she receives a summer letter announcing that her school will no longer require uniforms. What begins as an exciting shopping trip with her best friends to find back-to-school outfits quickly turns frustrating when Zoey cannot find anything that truly matches her style. Encouraged by her friends, she decides to learn how to sew her own clothes, designing imaginative outfits and sharing them on her blog. Before long, her blog takes off. Soon, Zoey is given the chance to design and sew a dress for her school’s fashion show fundraiser. But just as the opportunity feels within reach, the unthinkable happens, and everything falls apart. Can Zoey rise above the setback and turn disappointment into opportunity? 

Ready to Wear is the first in a series featuring the young protagonist, Zoey, a true DIY fashionista navigating school life, friendships, creative expression, and the early days of social media. “What if I were a designer someday?” she often daydreams. Written twelve years ago, the story reflects a time when blogging was central, before platforms like Instagram reshaped how teens share creativity online. The tools may have changed, but the core themes of creativity, ambition, and finding your voice are timeless. 

Ready to Wear unfolds with a steady, engaging narrative that introduces a rich network of positive role models in Zoey’s life, including the lasting influence of her mother, who passed away when Zoey was young. A talented seamstress and artistic spirit, her mother’s creativity lives on through the clothing she left behind, which continues to inspire Zoey. Alongside this quiet legacy, Zoey is supported by Aunt Lulu and her immediate family, her two best friends, and her best friend’s mom, Mrs. Mackey. She is encouraged by the new school principal, Ms. Austen, and a knowledgeable mentor at the fabric store who helps her as she learns the basics of sewing. Together, these relationships underscore how essential a supportive network is for teens as they explore identity, take creative risks, and grow into who they are becoming.  

“Standing out from the crowd was kind of scary,” Zoey admits to herself after her first handmade outfit is met with a less-than-warm reaction from other teens on the first day of school. Instead of letting the criticism discourage her, Zoey chooses the high road, using the moment as motivation rather than defeat. The story explores the well-known mean girl trope, a familiar experience for many young readers. One classmate, whose behavior is especially unkind, resurfaces later in the story, prompting Zoey to consider empathy, restraint, and what it means to choose her own path.   

Ready to Wear provides chapter-opening illustrations that offer a visual impression of what Zoey’s sketches might look like, without directly depicting her sketchbook or blog. Zoey uses her blog as a kind of diary, sharing candid reflections with her followers about the ups and downs of creative expression. As she learns to trust her instincts, she realizes, “The only thing worse than an unfinished look was a look that was overdone.” It’s a feeling many creative teens will recognize, since it’s easy to push an idea too far when you care about making it perfect. Zoey’s blog becomes a place where she shares projects and ideas, turning followers into an encouraging fan community. In a line that neatly captures the heart of the moment, she says, “The point is, we finally have the chance to wear whatever we want. After years of dressing alike, we can finally be ourselves.” 

In the final chapters, Zoey has just two weeks to design an original dress for her school’s fashion show fundraiser. Readers follow her creative process as she finds inspiration, commits to an idea, and gets to work. When something goes wrong, she is briefly overwhelmed by tears and frustration, but Zoey does not give up. A surprising act of kindness helps turn the moment around. Guided by her dad’s saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemon meringue pie,” Zoey shows how the steady support of those around her has shaped her optimism and confidence. Still, she finds herself reflecting on what happened, considering how to respond with integrity while remaining uncertain about the right choice. 

As the story progresses, sewing-specific vocabulary is intentionally introduced, including terms such as “seam guide,” “feed dog,” and “seam ripper.” The text also incorporates fabric terminology like “notions” and “dress form,” along with charming examples from fashion such as “muumuu” and “epaulette.” These specialized terms are supported through clear textual context, allowing readers to build understanding and reinforce new vocabulary without disrupting comprehension. 

As the first book in a series, Sew Zoey: Ready to Wear offers all the ingredients of a captivating read and leaves readers excited to continue the journey. The book concludes on a cliffhanger, pulling readers toward the next story and offering a creative setting where teens can explore identity, take risks, and discover who they are becoming. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Maureen Lowe 

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia

He was Tsar Nicholas II of Russia: the wealthiest monarch in the world, who ruled over 130 million people and one-sixth of the earth’s land surface, yet turned a blind eye to the abject poverty of his subjects.

She was Empress Alexandra: stern, reclusive, and painfully shy, a deeply religious woman obsessed with the corrupt mystic Rasputin.

Their daughters were the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia: completely isolated and immature girls who wore identical white dresses and often signed joint letters as OTMA, the initials of their first names.

Their only son was Tsarevich Alexei: youngest of the Romanovs, heir to the throne, a hemophiliac whose debilitating illness was kept secret from the rest of the world.

Candace Fleming deftly maneuvers between the plight of Russia’s poor masses and the extravagant lives of the Romanovs, from their opulent upbringings to the crumbling of their massive empire, and finally to their tragic murders. Using captivating photos and compelling first-person accounts throughout, The Family Romanov is history at its most absorbing. 

The book begins by focusing on Nicholas II’s childhood and the influence of his father, Tsar Alexander III. Unfortunately, Alexander was embarrassed by Nicholas’s small stature and gentle demeanor. The tsar refused to allow Nicholas to participate in government business because he considered him “a bit of a girlie” and “a dunce.” 

Not only was Nicholas unprepared to be tsar, but he also alienated many who were unhappy with Nicholas’s choice of wife—a shy woman whom the Russian people viewed with distrust and who initially failed to produce a male heir. To make matters worse, on the day Nicholas was crowned as the new tsar in May 1896, an accident occurred that killed an estimated fourteen hundred people. This tragedy was interpreted as a bad omen, and many peasants predicted that Nicholas’s reign “would be beset with troubles from God.” Initially, readers will sympathize with Nicholas, who appears overwhelmed by circumstances beyond his control. However, this sympathy quickly fades as Nicholas makes increasingly unwise and cruel decisions.  

Interspersed throughout the book are first-person accounts from Russia’s poor that paint a vivid picture of human suffering. Peasants faced starvation and were forced to send their children to work in factories for long hours and inadequate pay. The poor lived in constant fear of becoming attached to their children because of the high mortality rate. These descriptions give readers a stark understanding of the vast divide between Russia’s wealthy nobility and its impoverished peasants. When comparing these two worlds, it becomes clear why the Russian Revolution was inevitable.  

When the poor began protesting for better working conditions, Tsar Nicholas showed no compassion. Instead, he blamed the workers for the problems and told his troops they were “obligated to fire” on protesters. Nicholas’s only concern was silencing dissent rather than addressing legitimate grievances. 

Instead of helping people, Nicholas took away people’s rights. “If Russians so much as grumbled about the government, they could be arrested and exiled to far-off frozen Siberia without recourse. To keep the peace and protect order, the tsar censored the press, banned books, limited public speech, and refused people the right to assemble for political reasons.”  

Nicholas’s attempts to quell unrest proved ineffective because he refused to acknowledge the underlying problems, which only fueled further discontent. The working class refused to remain silent. Despite book bans in Russia, workers continued reading authors like Jules Verne and James Fenimore Cooper. These books allowed them to “envision a better life” and taught them critical thinking skills. “These literate workers were now able to picture a government more responsive to their needs.” 

By the end of World War I, Tsar Nicholas and his government had completely lost the people’s trust and were overthrown. Even under house arrest, the Romanov family continued to live in luxury. They still had “footmen in elaborate ornate livery [who] still bowed and served meals; expensive wines from the imperial cellar still appeared on the table; maids still came to help [Empress Alexandra] change into lace gowns and lengths of pearls.” While readers may be horrified by the Romanovs’s eventual murders, the book clearly illustrates the causes that led to the family’s downfall. 

The Family Romanov transforms complicated history into an engaging account divided into four parts. The text is broken into manageable sections with headlines announcing each topic, making it less overwhelming for readers. Short, firsthand accounts from the working class and peasants reveal the horrendous suffering they endured. The book also includes 28 pages of photographs featuring the Romanov family and key figures in their lives, as well as images of wounded soldiers, injured protesters, and Rasputin’s “battered corpse.” 

While many may believe their government—whether democratic or monarchical—will never fail, no government is invincible, making The Family Romanov essential reading. The book not only helps readers understand Russian history but also highlights the failures of Tsar Nicholas that ultimately led to his downfall. The Family Romanov is well-researched and provides a comprehensive examination of the past that helps readers fully understand why Imperial Russia collapsed. Discover more about Russia by reading these exciting books: Swimming with Spies by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, Stalin by Sean McCollum, and Spy Runner by Eugene Yelchin. 

Sexual Content  

  • The holy man, Gregory Rasputin, was accused of molesting “numerous women—maids, noble women, even nuns. And according to one member of Rasputin’s family, the report contained obscene photographs.” Tsar Nicholas did not believe the rumors. 

Violence  

  • Since the book covers both World War I, the Russian Revolution, the civil war, and the tsars’ violence, not every instance of violence is documented below. 
  • In 1881, a man “hurled a bomb at the imperial carriage. Miraculously, [Tsar Alexander] went uninjured, but many in his retinue were not as lucky.”  
  • When Tsar Alexander stepped out of the carriage to help people, a second bomb was thrown. “This one landed between his feet. An explosion of fire and shrapnel tore away Alexander’s left leg, ripped open his abdomen, and mangled his face.” He was taken to the palace, where he died. 
  • A peasant boy was afraid of his father, who often got drunk. “He would drink to the point where he was seriously ill, and there were even occasions when he was close to death. . .” While drunk, the boy’s father “fell upon my unfortunate mother. . . [I] prevented him from beating her. This. . . usually ended up with Father beating me up as well.”  
  • When the new tsar, Nicholas, was to be sworn in, hundreds of thousands of peasants attended. “Panic broke out. . . The crowd pushed forward, eager to grab their share [of food and gifts]. Some wooden planks that had been placed over several deep ditches gave way. Men, women, and children tripped and fell. Unable to rise in the mass of pushing, shoving bodies, they were trampled, crushed, suffocated.” Approximately 1,400 people died. Later, the tsar wrote a letter to his mother detailing his plans to “crush the rebellion by sheer force. . . and that would mean rivers of blood. 
  • The working class and the peasants suffered from terrible working conditions and a lack of food. They protested, hoping that Nicholas would intervene. Instead, soldiers fired on the crowd. “Bullets shredded the flags, and icons, and portraits of Nicholas. Bodies fell to the snow-covered ground. . . When the shooting stopped, between 150 and 200 men, women, and children lay dead. Between 450 and 800 were wounded.” This event is known as Bloody Sunday. 
  • On the day the October Manifesto was proclaimed, the Russian government promised reforms, including the right to peacefully demonstrate. Additionally, many political prisoners were released from prison. Moscow workers marched in the streets. A mob of supporters of the tsar, called the Black Hundred, attacked the Moscow workers and newly freed prisoners. “The mob pulled out knives and brass knuckles. Within minutes, the workers’ triumph turned to terror as they were slashed and beaten. . . When the attack was over, one of the prisoners lay dead, and dozens more were injured.”  
  • The Black Hundred continued to attack people, and the most vicious attacks were perpetrated against the Jews. “Russian subjects, provoked by the Black Hundred, rose up against their Jewish neighbors, burning homes, looting shops and synagogues, and murdering innocent men, women, and children. . . government officials looked the other way.” 
  • On Easter Sunday, a leaflet “printed under the supervision of Nicholas’s minister of the interior and paid for with the tsar’s money” was given to people. The leaflet said, “Let us massacre these. . . monsters.” Monsters referred to Jews in this letter. The Christian attack lasted three days. “When peace was finally restored, fifty-seven Jews (including two babies and a twelve-year-old) lay dead, and five hundred more were wounded.” Jewish homes and businesses were destroyed. When told of the deaths, Tsar Nicholas said, “Good. The Jews need to be taught a lesson.” 
  • One Jewish person wrote about the Easter Sunday riots. One group of people, including “the glazier Grienschpoun” hid in an outhouse. “The rioters rushed for the shed. . . A neighbor . . . was the first to stab the glazier in the neck. . . they finished him off with sticks and clubs.”  
  • To get away from the mob, three Jews named Chiaia, Macklin and Berlatsky climbed onto a roof. “Finally all three were tripped over the edge of the roof. Chiaia fell on a pole of feathers . . . escaped with her life. The wounded Macklin and Berlatsky lay writhing with broken limbs on the pavement, where the cowardly crowd finished them off with crowbars.” The event is described over three pages. 
  • The tsar’s police arrested the leader of the Soviets, who was against the autocracy. Russian peasants and workers protested by barricading their section of town. Nicholas deployed a fighting unit. “The tsar’s troops were ruthless. Bringing up artillery, they bombarded the workers’ section until the whole district was nothing but smoldering rubble. . . Their orders were to shoot anyone who had not already fled. Men, women, and children were systematically mowed down. . . More than a thousand people had been killed, and thousands more were injured.”  
  • World War I started when a terrorist “calmly stepped out in front of Archduke Ferdinand’s car during the prince’s ceremonial visit to the city of Sarajevo. . . fired twice. The archduke’s wife, Sophie, instantly crumbled, and blood gushed from the archduke’s neck.” Both died. 
  • During World War I, Alexandra and her two oldest daughters became nurses so they could help wounded soldiers. One person wrote, “I have seen the empress of Russia assisting in the most difficult operations, taking from the hands of busy surgeons amputated legs and arms, removing bloody and vermin-ridden field dressings, enduring all the sights and smells and agonies of the most dreadful of all places, a military hospital in the midst of a war.” 
  • Rasputin had become so powerful that some believed he was the puppet master, making decisions for Nicholas and Alexandra. Three nobles—Yusupov, Purishkevich, and Pavolvich—decided to assassinate him. Yusupov shot Rasputin in the back. They thought Rasputin was dead, but he wasn’t. 
  • Rasputin staggered “to his feet, his mouth foaming, [he] lunged at his would-be murderer. His long, bony fingers dug like steel claws into the prince’s shoulders. Terror-stricken, Yusupov struggled to break free from the death grip.” Yusupov fled. 
  • Rasputin attempted to flee. Purishkevich said, “I fired [at Rasputin]. . . I missed. I fired again. Again I missed. . . I fired a third time. The bullet hit him in the shoulder. . . I fired a fourth time and hit him in the head.” The three nobles cut a hole in the ice and put Rasputin’s body in a river. The book contains a picture of Rasputin’s dead body.  
  • A group of men took the Romanov family and their servants into a basement. The family thought they were going into the basement for their safety. They were lined up in two rows. Chief executioner of Emperor Nicholas II, Yakov Yurovsky, “jerked the Colt pistol from his pocket. . . He shot the tsar. Nicholas crumpled to the floor just as the other men raised their guns and fired. Alexandra died as she tried to cross herself.” 
  • The Romanov children had hidden so many jewels in their clothing that they were essentially bulletproof. “Incredibly, bullets aimed directly at both the girls’ and Alexei’s chest merely bounced off and jumped about the room like hail.” 
  • Alexei couldn’t run. His chair tipped over. “He moaned and clutched his father’s arm. Minutes later, Yurovsky shot him in the head.” 
  • The girls tried to escape. “Crawling through the thick cloud of gun smoke that now filled the room, [the girls] searched frantically for a way out. Only their outlines could be seen, and the men began firing randomly at anything that moved. . . Olga and Tatiana, arms around each other, huddled in a corner. Bullets soon took their lives.” 
  • Marie and Anastasia “pressed themselves together. Both girls screamed for their mother. The murderers moved forward. They slashed at the ‘Little Par’ with bayonets before silencing them both with gunshots.” The bodies were hidden in the Koptyaki Forest.

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • During many of the royal parties, alcohol such as champagne, cognac, and wine was served. 
  • Occasionally, the book describes men as being drunk. For example, many of the poor became drunkards. Many of the poor would go to “the neighborhood tavern, they tried to drown their misery by squandering precious kopecks on cheap vodka and watered-down beer.” 
  • While in the military, Nicholas “focused on what he enjoyed most — laughing and partying with his fellow officers.” Once, he got so “stewed” that “the Officers carried [him] out.”  
  • While pregnant, Empress Alexandra drank “bitter herbal concoctions,” “prayed,” and “even bathed in the moonlight” in the hopes that this would allow her to have a son. However, she delivered another daughter. 
  • According to Rasputin’s security detail, the holy man did not always act holy. “Rasputin took part in a drinking party with some [college] students. . . A musician struck up, and there was singing, and Rasputin danced with a maid-servant.” Rasputin was often seen “dead drunk.” 
  • To kill Rasputin, his assassins “plied [him] with wine that they thought was laced with cyanide.” Later, the assassins learned that the wine was not poisoned.  
  • When the Romanov family was exiled, they packed “vials of holy water; boxes of smelling salts; laxatives, morphine, and even a year’s supply of bath oil and cologne.” 

Language  

  • The tsar Nicholas derisively called Jews “the Yids” and encouraged people to attack them. Nicholas said, “[They] must be put in their place.” 
  • When Nicholas realizes that he will be executed, he says, “Lord, oh, my God! Oh, my God!”

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • For the Romanov family, religion was a daily part of their lives and appeared often. Because of this, not every reference is below.  
  • The poor did not feel guilty about stealing food from the wealthy people’s forest. They believed, “God grew the forest for everyone.” 
  • The Romanovs believed that “God had given them this power, had chosen them to rule the Russian people. As God’s representative on earth, they maintained, the tsar should be left to run the country according to his own ideas of duty and right.”  
  • The tsar had two restrictions. “He had to abide by the teachings of the Russian Orthodox Church. . . and he had to follow the laws of succession.” 
  • After her mother died, Empress Alexandra became “obsessed with God and the afterlife.” 
  • After a peasant boy’s mother died, he was distressed because he fell asleep before he could read the Psalter forty times. “According to popular belief . . . you have to read the entire Psalter forty times over to [send a soul to Heaven.]” 
  • To marry Nicholas, Empress Alexandra had to convert from Lutheranism to Russian Orthodoxy, a branch of Christianity. “To toss [being Lutheran] aside would, she believed, be an insult to God.” Finally, after much prayer, Empress Alexandra decided, “She wouldn’t really be changing faiths, she reasoned. She would merely be changing the way she expressed that faith.” 
  • Alexei, Nicholas’s son, had Hemophilia. “Nicholas believed Alexei’s illness was God’s will, and so he accepted it passively. ‘My own fate, and that of my family are in the hands of Almighty God,’ he said.”  
  • Empress Alexandra collected icons. “Believing, as the Church taught, that God and the saints helped and healed people through these icons, she surrounded herself with them, then spent hours each day on her knees in prayer. She also began putting her faith in so-called holy men—hermits, soothsayers, wandering monks, and faith healers. They were, she believed, a direct link to God.” 
  • Empress Alexandra thought that the Russian Orthodox Church “believed in seers, holy men, martyrs, and living saints as well as visions, miracles, and speaking in tongues. . . It had [been] taught that God often blessed ordinary men with the divine ability to heal bodies and souls, in addition to the ability to act as spiritual guides to the rich and powerful.” 
  • Even though Empress Alexandra believed a daughter was a “miracle of God,” she prayed “before icons, begging God for the miracle of a son.” 
  • Empress Alexandra was introduced to “Dr.” Philippe by relatives who “dabbled in the occult, the two were notorious for the midnight seances. . . both women believed in a host of psychic phenomena—ghosts, astrology, even magic.” It was believed that “Dr.” Philippe could “heal the sick by chanting, predict the future by praying and make himself invisible just by donning a magic hat.” 
  • “Dr.” Philippe told Empress Alexandra that she would have a son if she “Prayed to Seraphim of Sarov.” Three months later, Alexandra was pregnant. “She was convinced it was because of ‘Dr.’ Philippe. He had interceded with the Almighty on her behalf, and God blessed her. This event cemented her belief in mysticism.” 
  • Nicholas believed “God’s will must always be accepted without complaint. After all, everything that happened in life was God’s will, so it was pointless to question the meaning of events.” 
  • However, Alexei’s illness made Alexandra question God. “But after she’d waited so long and prayed so hard, why had God allowed this terrible thing to happen?” She believed that Alexei’s illness was because of her “unworthiness.” To become holier, “She began to pray longer and harder, spending hours on her knees in the palace chapel. . . She covered the walls of the nursery, and even baby Alexei’s crib, with hundreds of icons and religious images.” 
  • When the working class and the poor began to rebel, the tsar believed that he was not the problem. Instead, “It was the fact that people had turned against the autocracy and their holy tsar. ‘We have sinned. . . and God is punishing us,’ he said. Therefore, strikes were not a sign that the country needed democratic reform. Rather, they were God’s way of telling the country it needed an even stricter autocracy.” 
  • Because a peasant’s life was so hard, when an infant died, a common saying was, “Thank goodness the Lord thought better of it!” 
  • Gregory Rasputin was a peasant farmer who “claimed to see a vision from God.” He left his family and went to a monastery in Greece. When he returned, “he declared himself to be what Russians called a starets—a holy man.” Some believed he was a healer and a prophet. Empress Alexandra put her faith in Rasputin and often followed his advice. 
  • After the prime minister was assassinated. Alexandra believed this proved that “Those who offend [Rasputin] may no longer count on divine protection.” 
  • During the three hundredth anniversary of Romanov rule, the royal family threw a jubilee. During the ceremony, they saw two doves circling overhead. Nicholas and Alexandra believed this was a religious sign. Nicholas said it was “a symbol that the blessings of God, after three centuries, continue to rest on the Romanov[s].” 
  • Orthodox Church outside of Russia “largely ignored [Tsar Nicholas’s] anti-Semitism, poor leadership, and brutal suppression of his subjects.” The church wanted to declare the family “martyred saints.” The Orthodox Church outside of Russia did not agree. Three pages discuss the conflict. 

American Dog: Brave

Dylan’s life is changing. Ever since middle school started, his friend Jaxon hasn’t been the friend Dylan thought he was. With his dad overseas and his mother working, Dylan doesn’t know who to turn to. After a particularly bad hurricane, Dylan stumbles upon a stray dog, starved and scared, and decides to take him home. Dylan names the dog Brave and begs his mom to keep him. Dylan’s mom proposes a plan: either Dylan takes Brave to the pound or spends his after-school hours training him. If Brave isn’t trained in a few days, he’ll go to the pound. Brave suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and any kind of loud sound sends him into a destructive panic, so Dylan has his work cut out for him. 

Dylan finds himself asking Grace Garcia, a fellow classmate and a rancher’s kid, for help. Growing up on a ranch, Grace has plenty of experience with animals, especially with training dogs. However, Dylan and Jaxon weren’t nice to Grace in the past. The only way she will help Dylan is if he works on her family’s ranch and experiences what it’s like to put in hard work—a far cry from making fun of her and her family as he’s done in the past. Along the way, Dylan learns how much better things can be when he’s honest and has supportive friends who accept him for who he is. Brave has a very long way to go in his recovery, but Dylan and Grace are determined to keep him in a loving home. Dylan is convinced that the storm brought Brave to him for a reason. 

Dylan is a sweet protagonist who’s trying to find his way in the world. He’s young and naïve, but over the course of the story, he finds the strength to stand up to bullies and refuses to give up when all seems lost. His development is well-executed, and he is a protagonist readers can root for. They can especially root for Brave’s recovery and Dylan and Brave’s budding relationship. The story itself is a little two-dimensional. For example, Jaxon’s character development feels thin and hasty instead of careful and thorough. Jaxon is a textbook bully, with obvious issues of his own, but the second Brave and Dylan show him kindness when they don’t have to, he learns the error of ways, which is quite unrealistic. His redemption arc is virtually non-existent.  

While the ending is sweet, the story’s conflict is resolved too quickly and simply for what it is. It doesn’t feel like the characters go through enough to properly reach the ending they receive. Putting this aside, the story is entertaining and will inspire younger readers. In addition, Dylan is a good role model for kids trying to figure out how to cope with change. The setting is well-described and evokes the Wild West. The language is simple and explains Brave’s PTSD in a way that is easy for younger readers to understand. The book might make readers feel brave as it encourages them to care for animals when they’re in need.  

Readers who enjoy loyal animals and inspiring moments of bravery will love the heartwarming recovery of Brave, the true friendship between Grace and Dylan, and the fun Texas setting. This book demonstrates the power of quiet, loyal support that animals provide for human mental health. Dylan is an inspiring character who grows when challenged, learning his own moral principles and the importance of discipline and responsibility as he matures. Brave helps Dylan find his way and Dylan helps Brave heal. Overall, this is a good story with a beautiful message: the best friends are always there when you need them, especially when you take care of them in return. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • There is some bullying. Dylan’s friend Jaxon is the main culprit, and Dylan is often either the victim or a bystander. For example, after his first adventure with Jaxon, Dylan describes Jaxon’s behavior: “With his new status, Jaxon had been pushing boundaries lately, as Dylan’s mom would call it—asking Dylan to stay out late, skipping his homework, and thinking up elaborate pranks. Dylan liked having fun, and Jaxon always acted like whatever he had in mind was going to be the most fun thing ever. And if Dylan or one of the other guys hesitated, Jaxon was quick to tease them in front of everyone else.” 
  • When Jaxon pressures Dylan to throw water balloons at cars as an after-school activity, the pair cause a car to veer off the road and Brave to run off. “Then it all happened at once. The pickup truck screeched to a sudden stop, its nose pulling hard to the right. Brave flinched at the sound and backed away from the railing, barking like mad, then shot off the bridge and down the street. And Dylan saw the driver of the truck rolling down the window so he could find the source of the object that had just hit his car.” The driver isn’t injured, and Brave is soon found. 
  • While out looking for Brave during a storm, Jaxon finds himself in danger. He slips and falls into a flash flood. Brave rescues him, mostly unharmed. “All of a sudden, Brave broke through the surface, paddling and kicking hard and pulling Jaxon by the sleeve. Jaxon took a huge gulp of air and flailed his hands around until he got ahold of the log bridge. He pulled himself up onto it as Brave scrambled up next to him, his claws scratching at the wood.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Phrases like “you suck” and “darn it” appear frequently. 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Kate Schuyler 

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

It is January 1947, the Year of the Boar in China. As the Wong family prepares to celebrate the Chinese New Year, they receive a letter in the mail. Sixth Cousin, a young girl, realizes it is from her father, who has been living in the United States for some time. The contents of the letter make her mother smile, her grandmother cry, and her grandfather angry. She learns that this is because her father had decided to stay in America permanently, and she and her mother would be joining him. Sixth Cousin adopts the American name Shirley Temple after the famous actress, and soon she and her mother embark on a ten-thousand-mile sea journey to New York City, where her father is waiting at their apartment in Brooklyn. 

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, author Bette Bao Lord tells a wholesome, feel-good story about a girl who learns to balance her Chinese heritage with her new American life. The story is informed by Lord’s own experiences as a Chinese immigrant in the late 1940s, making the book feel authentic. It is divided into twelve chapters, one for each month of the Year of the Boar—a format that effectively shows the progression of Shirley’s adjustment to a new language, school, and culture.  

Although Shirley is extremely excited to explore her new home, adjusting to life in a new country proves challenging. She starts a new school in the middle of the year, not knowing English, and must navigate her way home through the busy, often hectic streets of New York. These challenges make her victories—improving her English, making new friends, and succeeding at school—all the more satisfying to read about as Shirley becomes more acquainted with life in America. 

One of the most compelling aspects of the story is Shirley’s growing fascination with baseball and her admiration for her hero, Jackie Robinson. What began as a game of stickball with her classmates soon developed into a passion for America’s pastime. Shirley becomes a huge fan of her hometown team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and its star player, Jackie Robinson. Shirley feels inspired not only by Robinson’s triumphs on the baseball diamond but also by his triumphs breaking the color barrier as the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. Shirley often listens to the games on the radio with her classmates—celebrating every win, lamenting every loss, and finding baseball to be an effective way to bond with her new friends over a common interest. 

 As Lord writes, “Suddenly, Shirley understood why her father brought her ten thousand miles to live among strangers. Here, she did not have to wait for gray hair to be considered wise. Here, she could speak up, question even the conduct of the President. Here, Shirley Temple Wong was somebody. She felt as if she had the power of ten tigers, as if she had grown as tall as the Statue of Liberty.” 

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • One day at school, Shirley accidentally ran into her classmate Mabel, causing them both to fall. Mabel is described as “the tallest and strongest and scariest girl in all of the fifth grade.” After a verbal confrontation full of profanities, Mabel “drew back her fist and punched Shirley square in the eye.” Then she punched Shirley a second time. The incident left Shirley with two black eyes.  

Language 

  • After colliding with Shirley, Mabel screamed: “Who the **** do you think you are? You ********”” She would also say, “You ********. Why don’t you **********?” Shirley would curse back at Mabel in Chinese, though the exact language she used isn’t stated. The expletives are censored with stars in the quoted text.  

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Supernatural Content 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • Throughout the book, Shirley refers to the Chinese Goddess Kwan Yim. For instance, “Then, muttering thanks to the Goddess Kwan Yim, she flung her weary self into the armchair to seek solace in the uninterrupted enjoyment of the last inning.” 

by Nicholas Paragano 

Louder Than Words

What happens when your fresh start depends on keeping your worst mistakes buried? Jordyn Jones is about to find out. She made mistakes in her first couple of years of high school—mistakes she and her friends desperately want to forget. Yet on her first day at Edgewood High, everybody already seems to know who she is and that she was expelled from her previous school. Luckily for Jordyn, she makes new friends who give her the benefit of the doubt. She meets a cute soccer player, Zay, who likes art as much as she does. She helps a new friend run for student body president, and life begins to improve. That is, until the school’s anonymous podcast, Tomcat Tea, reveals some harmful secrets and rumors about Edgewood students—many of whom are Jordyn’s friends. 

Some of the rumors are true, while others are lies, including the rumor that Zay uses performance-enhancing drugs that could affect his college scholarship. To redeem herself for past mistakes, Jordyn decides to hunt down the podcaster and stop the harm from spreading. Jordyn’s quest to create a culture of acceptance throws her into the spotlight—and earns her dangerous enemies. As the tension builds and the podcast continues, Jordyn risks her happiness to bring down the podcaster. But what she did at her old school is too hideous for anyone to know, and the more she challenges the podcaster, the more the mysterious online character threatens to reveal Jordyn’s past. Secrets will come out; the only question is when. 

Jordyn is an inspiring protagonist who tries to make amends for her mistakes through both words and actions. Her bravery in risking her own secrets to save everyone else’s is admirable and makes the reader root earnestly for her. On the school wall, she paints a mural that encourages students to anonymously reveal their own secrets, taking power away from the podcaster. However, Jordyn’s new friends feel two-dimensional and quickly abandon her when bad news comes out, showing they lack the loyalty real friends would show. They ostracize her and barely give her a chance to explain herself. Some of this may be attributed to teenagers’ fickleness, but their automatic distrust of Jordyn feels flat and underdeveloped. That said, this is the book’s only flaw. Overall, Louder Than Words is endearing and entertaining. 

Readers who enjoy scandalous secrets, high school mysteries, and proud revolutions will love the lengths Jordyn goes to change the culture at Edgewood High. The book navigates the themes of redemption and secrets realistically, and Jordyn’s path makes it easy for the reader to empathize with her. Jordyn is a likable character who encourages students to be honest with themselves and each other. Louder Than Words points out that acceptance takes time and that teenagers need to adapt to betrayals and hard truths slowly to best process them. The book is full of second chances and heartwarming moments of acceptance. The ending and the twist revealing the podcaster’s identity make the story worth reading. There are mentions of suicide and bullying, but Jordyn and her fellow students work hard to eliminate the bullying around them. This book is a must-read because of its strong protagonist, fun twists, and strong message: secrets don’t define who you are, and acceptance and redemption are possible when you’re brave enough to pursue them. 

Sexual Content  

  • After cheering for him at a soccer game, Jordyn and Zay kiss. Jordyn describes the event, “I’m leaning in, closing my eyes, pressing my lips against his. Our mouths are warm, but he somehow tastes minty and cool, and I immediately want more. When I grab for his shirt to pull him closer, I can feel him smiling without breaking contact, which makes me smile too, our joy as brilliant as the light that was just all around us and exploding within this unexpected kiss. My arms float up and I cup the back of his head. He grips my hip, almost lifting me into his lap.” The scene ends without further description of the kiss.  
  • After this, all other sexual content in this book is limited to one sentence-descriptions of kissing. Jordyn and Zay kiss a couple of times, but the description is light. For example, during their date, Jordyn goes “up on [her] tiptoes to kiss Zay in the middle of the mess [they] made together.” As Zay tells Jordyn about his ex, he mentions that he “just kissed her.”  

Violence  

  • In a flashback, Jordyn remembers being a bystander to bullying at her old school. Her former friends, Elise, Yasmine, and Lilly, would bully a girl named Aubrey. “When Aubrey opened the door of her stall to attempt an escape, Lilly tossed more than half [a] container [of makeup] in her direction. The tawny powder caked Aubrey’s thin hair, face, and white collared top instantly, sticking thanks to the water, making her look like she’d just been unearthed, dug up like a fossil; probably ruining her uniform for good. Elise smiled maliciously.” 
  • In another flashback, after Jordyn and her former friends find out about Aubrey’s attempted suicide, Jordyn responds to Elise, who blames Jordyn for the entire thing. Jordyn points out that it was mostly Elise’s fault, and things get physical. “So, [Jordyn] grabbed [Elise’s] wrist, just to get her to turn around and see that [Jordyn] wasn’t going to let [Elise] get away with lying. But as soon as [Jordyn] touched her, [Elise] flipped out, shook [Jordyn] off, and pushed [Jordyn], hard. And [Jordyn] fell backward into the door. The handle dug into [Jordyn’s] back, and it hurt like hell. When [Jordyn] recovered, [she] punched [Elise] right in the face. Gave [Elise] a black eye.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • The podcast, Tomcat Tea, spread a rumor about Zay. “Word on the street is that Zay is using performance-enhancing drugs, among others as well.” The rumor is false, but this sparks a conversation about drugs and drug testing.  
  • Under extreme stress, Jordyn confesses to her aunt that being a bystander to bullying made her partially responsible for a girl’s suicide attempt. When Jordyn found out about the attempt, “[my former friends and I] were all crowded into Principal Valentine’s office, just standing there, and Dean Murphy just said it so casually. He’s like, ‘Aubrey Day was found unconscious in her room last night. She’d taken an entire bottle of her mother’s painkillers. She’d written a note.’” Aubrey survived, and there is no further mention of pills.  

Language    

  • Language includes frequent profanity such as hell, damn, and asshole. 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Kate Schuyler 

What Were the Twin Towers?

For much of the late 20th century, the Twin Towers stood as powerful symbols of New York City and the United States. Rising above the Manhattan skyline, the towers represented economic strength, innovation, and global connection. However, their story is also tied to a tragic day in American history. What Were the Twin Towers? explores both the construction of these iconic buildings and the lasting impact of their destruction on September 11, 2001.  

The book explains how the idea for the World Trade Center emerged in the 1960s. At the time, New York City leaders wanted to reestablish the city as a center of global trade and business. Minoru Yamasaki was chosen to design the towers, and his involvement led to the blueprints for two buildings, each 110 stories tall. The chapter “Up They Go” takes readers into the chaos of the construction, from collapsing cranes to the addition of 43,600 windows. Readers interested in construction will enjoy learning about the process of assembling what were, at the time, the tallest towers in the world and how they symbolized ambition and progress.   

Throughout the book, readers are introduced to the people who worked in, visited, and admired the Twin Towers. For example, in 1974, a tightrope walker secretly rigged a wire cable between the two towers. At 1,350 feet high, he walked from one side of the tightrope to the other as crowds watched from the ground. The author also highlights that the building was not only for office spaces but also a popular tourist destination, with observation decks and restaurants offering sweeping views of New York City. These details will help readers understand how deeply the towers were woven into everyday life and why they were so meaningful to a variety of people.  

The book has twelve chapters that carefully build towards the events of September 11, 2001. When addressing the attacks, the author presents the information in a factual, yet sensitive manner that is appropriate for young readers. Chapter 9 explains how hijacked planes struck the towers, leading to their collapse and the loss of thousands of lives. “After the second plane hit the South Tower, it became clear that this was an attack. That’s when first responders—rescue teams—began arriving. They rushed into the buildings to save trapped workers and give first aid.” Rather than focusing on graphic details, the book emphasizes bravery, resilience, and the ways people helped one another during and after the tragedy.  

In addition to discussing the attacks, What Were the Twin Towers? also explores the aftermath. Readers learn about how New York City and the nation mourned, rebuilt, and honored those who were lost. The book explains the creation of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, helping readers understand how the memory of the Twin Towers is preserved. This focus on remembrance allows young readers to grasp the importance of honoring history, even when it is painful.  

Like other books in the What Was? series, this book includes black-and-white illustrations and photographs that support the text. Images of the Twin Towers during construction, photographs of the skyline, and pictures from memorial sites help readers visualize the buildings and their significance. These visuals are especially helpful for children who benefit from seeing historical events alongside reading about them.   

Overall, What Were the Twin Towers? provides a thoughtful and accessible introduction to an important moment in modern history. By balancing architectural history, personal impact, and respectful discussion of tragedy, the book helps young readers understand both what the Twin Towers were and why they continue to matter today.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • On September 11, four planes were hijacked. “Everyone in all four planes was killed, including the nineteen men who had hijacked the flights and carried out the attacks.” In total, 2,977 people died on September 11, 2001. 
  • In 1993, a small group of people planned to destroy the North Tower by driving a van packed with 1,200 pounds of explosives into the parking garage. “The van exploded. It blew a hole through five underground levels of the building and killed six people.” 
  • Al Qaeda is a terrorist group that “was founded in the late 1980s by Osama bin Laden and other terrorists.” Bin Laden approved the plan to hijack jets and fly them into the towers, and members of Al Qaeda were trained to take over the crew and control passengers.    

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Madeline Hettrick 

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes. . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.
 
Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption—yet she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So, when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed. . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship? 

Celine Bangura and Bradley Graeme were once best friends, but their relationship fractured when Brad joined the soccer team and embraced a new social circle. Now Celine’s life revolves around two goals: beat Brad academically and become a corporate lawyer to outdo the father who abandoned her family. When she learns about Katherine Breakspeare’s elite leadership program—where winners gain admission to any university—Celine sees her path forward. 

Brad, meanwhile, secretly envies Celine’s passion and her mother’s support. While everyone sees him as the perfect student destined for law school, he dreams of becoming a writer. His family can’t support a struggling artist, and his father insists on law school. But the Breakspeare program offers something Brad desperately needs: free tuition to pursue his own dreams. 

The parallel structure of their goals—both chasing the same prize for opposite reasons—creates compelling dramatic irony. While Celine runs toward law to prove something to an absent father, Brad runs toward anything but law to escape a present one. This reversal highlights how parental pressure manifests differently: abandonment can drive ambition just as forcefully as overbearing expectations. 

As the competition unfolds, Brad and Celine discover unexpected common ground. They forge new friendships, rebuild their old connection, and eventually develop something deeper. Both characters are interesting, complex characters who are flawed in ways that make them relatable and easy to root for. Their journey from enemies to something more feels authentic and earned.  

The wilderness survival program serves as more than just a romantic backdrop—it’s a leveling ground where social hierarchies dissolve, and both characters must confront who they are without their usual armor. Stripped of Brad’s perfect-student persona and Celine’s defensive competitiveness, they rediscover the people they were before external pressures shaped them. 

The book is well-written with clear, accessible language and satisfying character development. However, the story suffers from too many location changes that are difficult to track, and the transition from the Breakspeare program to the characters’ everyday lives feels rushed. 

Readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers dynamics, ambitious protagonists, and competitive banter will find much to love here. Beyond the romance, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute teaches about independence and self-definition. By showing two teenagers trapped by different forms of parental influence—one by absence, one by presence—the novel highlights that living authentically requires rejecting others’ scripts for your life, whether written by those who leave or those who stay. In the end, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute delivers a meaningful message: live for yourself, not for others, and pursue what truly matters to you. 

Sexual Content  

  • After Brad realizes his romantic feelings for Celine, he works up the nerve to confess. Celine kisses him. “Then [Celine] very gently presses her lips to [Brad’s]—only for a second, the single softest second of [his] life. An electric shock runs from [his] head to [his] toes and [he’s] vibrating with it. . . [then he kisses] her. Longer. Harder. [Celine’s] mouth is warm and silky and her breaths come quick. [Brad’s] brain falls out of [his] head. She holds [his] wrist again, and [he] can feel [his] pulse against her fingers, and it is very fast.” They kiss a couple more times, but this is the most detailed description.  
  • While discussing the other high schoolers who have been eliminated from the Breakspeare program, Celine’s friend Aurora tells the remaining teens that she “heard [one of the eliminated teens] was caught last expedition having sex with someone in the laundry room. Apparently, they used a Mars bar wrapper and a rubber band as protection.” 
  • Brad notices Celine more after they kiss. During one of the expeditions, he notes, “her Breakspeare-issued rucksack is doing magnificent things to her boobs.” 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • In order to throw a proper eighteenth birthday party for her new friend, Aurora, Celine has Brad acquire alcohol for the party. While there are a couple of minors at the party, this story takes place in the United Kingdom, where most kids are of drinking age. Celine describes the layout of the party, “One of the beds is covered in cans of Coke and Sprite and packets of popcorn, and on the desk, there is a single can of gin and tonic beside a Tupperware box.” Aurora is the one to have the gin and tonic, but a couple of the other teens have a sip. 
  • While Brad is in the hospital after falling down a hill, his father is concerned about Brad’s pain. His father yells, “CAN WE GET SOME MORE PAINKILLERS FOR MY SON, PLEASE?” After Brad gets out of the hospital, there are a couple more references to him still taking painkillers.  

Language  

  • Profanity is used frequently and includes fuck, dick, shit, crap, and arse. 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • In Celine and Brad’s philosophy class, their professor tells them, “As you can see, we’re beginning with arguments for and against the existence of the god of classical theism.” 
  • Religion comes up again in philosophy class. Celine describes how “Mr. Taylor tells [them] all about C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity.” 

by Kate Schuyler 

Cameron Battle and the Escape Trials

After the capture of the evil enchantress Amina, Cameron Battle escaped the magical kingdom of Chidani with his two friends, Zion and Aliyah. However, the death god Ekwensu still wants to tear down the magical barrier between Chidani and reality and conquer everything in sight, and Cameron, the Last Descendent, is the only one who can stop him. However, Cameron also must go to school—at least until he’s called back.   

Middle school is not what Cameron is expecting. Bullied by Vince, Cameron must keep his head down and avoid fighting back with the magical fighting style Dambe, which would reveal magic to his entire school. The intelligent, laid-back Zion supports Cameron and helps him see the consequences of retaliation. Yet one evening, Vince attacks the trio on their walk home. During the fight, Vince reveals he’s possessed by a mmo, a terrible supernatural creature working for Ekwensu. The only way to save Vince is to return to Chidani. With this urgent mission, Cameron finally calls forth the Book of Chidani, opening a portal for himself and his friends, Zion and Aliyah.  

In Chidani, the kind and determined Cameron has his priorities straight: retrieve Vince from the Crystal City, heal him, and send him home. The friends encounter the gods Ala and Anyanwu and brave tricky trials, impressing the gods enough to win both Vince’s freedom and clues to magical relics that could defeat Ekwensu. Throughout these escapades, Aliyah proves especially helpful, cleverly outsmarting trials and saving her friends. After sending Vince home with their new clues in hand, Cameron and his friends set out to find the relics and protect Chidani. Along the way, Cameron grapples with his responsibility as the Last Descendent, learning to balance his desire to see his parents with the need to protect an entire kingdom. 

While this novel brilliantly brings Igbo gods and magic to life, the plot is more convoluted than it needs to be. Cameron experiences growth, but Zion and Aliyah don’t develop much as characters. The conflicts are more complex than the character development supports, and Cameron’s happy ending doesn’t quite align with his journey. That said, the accessible language and quick explanations of unfamiliar terms keep readers engaged.  

Fans of all things mythical will love the fierce fight scenes, elaborate magic system, and loyal friendships. Supernatural creatures—from spirits of the dead to violent sea serpents to gryphons—fill the pages. Cameron faces the wrenching choice of whom to protect and is forced to find a solution that benefits everyone or lose everything. Overall, this powerfully creative story delivers a strong message about leaning on friends and the importance of responsibility and decision-making, making it worth reading for its magnificent worldbuilding and entertaining adventure. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • At school, Cameron encounters a bully named Vince, who pushes him. Cameron describes the experience, “Something pushed me, hard, from behind, and I fell to the floor, dropping my gym bag in the process. I turned around and there was Vince, standing over me, that same smirk on his face. I thought I saw a red tinge of light surround his body, flickering in and out in the space.” 
  • While walking home, Cameron and his friends, Zion and Aliyah, are again attacked by Vince, and they realize that he is possessed by a mmo, a supernatural creature bent on destroying Cameron. “Zion grabbed Vince by the legs and pulled him back to the ground with all his strength. Vince maneuvered out of Zion’s hands and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying through the air. Dambe seized [Cameron] as [he] moved. . . [Cameron] caught Zion right before he fell; he clutched at his midsection, yelping in pain.” At the end of the battle, Zion, Cameron, and Aliyah barely have any injuries, and Vince’s condition is unknown since he falls through a portal to Chidani.  
  • While attempting to rescue Vince and Zion, Cameron and Aliyah fight off a monster serpent, called a mgbaji. In Cameron’s words, “I tried to grab the mgbaji once again, but I was too far away now. . . With a swipe, [the serpent] reared around and slammed its tail against my chest, sending me flying to the other side of the pool, my back striking the marble. . . The mixture of water and air slammed into me, sending me hurtling backward, right into the marble again. This time, though, I crashed through the wall and sunk into the rock. Pain radiated through every part of my body as my head jerked from left to right. I tried to gain my bearings, but I shook so violently from dizziness that I retched all over my clothes and into the water around me.” Cameron and Aliyah defeat the serpent, though Cameron has a concussion.  
  • In the journey to find the last magical relic, Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah encounter more evil mmos they need to fight. “[Cameron] connected with two mmo almost immediately, the thought of seeing [his] parents again guiding [his] movements. When [Cameron] slashed [his] sword down, [Cameron] cut them both at the same time, slicing them right across the chest. They screamed, and when they died, they burst open, magma falling to the sandstone.” The fight lasts a full chapter, though none of Cameron’s friends sustain serious injuries. Cameron breaks his nose. 
  • A former Descendent describes her experience with slavery and mmo to Cameron. “After I escaped slavery, I went to Chidani alone. When I grew older, I tried to Summon my [family’s souls] through the barrier, to bring them back to me after years of being the Descendant. I almost destroyed the Book in the process. And I lost my life. You see, if I had succeeded, that which gives us power would be no more, the barrier would cease to exist, and the mmo would take over everything.” 
  • Growing desperate to find the Book, Amina lets the god of death, Ekwensu, possess her. In this form, she battles Cameron for possession of the book. “[Cameron and Amina] engaged in battle again, an equal match. When [Cameron] grabbed her by the shoulders, a look of surprise crossed her face. . . the mmo slashed at [Cameron] with gnarled nails, lifting [them] into the sky to escape [the mmo]. She punched [Cameron] multiple times, but [Cameron] continued to hold [Amina].” The whole battle for the Book and control of Chidani lasts three full chapters. In the end, the Palacia is reduced to rubble, Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah have minor injuries, and Amina dies.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Language is very tame, using words like stupid, idiot, and hell infrequently. 

Supernatural  

  • The book is about three kids who travel to a magic kingdom to save it; therefore, there is magic on nearly every page in this book. There are also supernatural creatures, gods, and humans with magical powers. All characters use a mystical fighting style called Dambe that gives them enhanced abilities and instincts as they fight, no spells needed.   
  • Debating what to do in the aftermath of their first adventure, Aliyah asks Cameron to summon the Book of Chidani to consult it. Cameron describes the experience, “A deep intentional feeling settled upon my shoulders and then into my chest as I willed the Book forward, from its hidden place in my soul. An image of Agbala, the goddess of healing and justice, emerged in my mind as I pushed even deeper. Sweat beaded against my forehead with the effort.” 
  • While being bullied, Cameron notices something strange about his bully. “Vince sneered, staring at me. There it was again, that red glint in his eyes.” This later proves to be a sign that a mmo is controlling him. Cameron explains Vince’s appearance. “His appearance had started to change, to morph into something else. In one second, a dark smoke emerged from his body and a ruby illumination covered him. In another, it disappeared, and Vince became normal again. I knew what this was, but I was too scared to say it aloud, because if I did, then that meant it would be true.” 
  • Vince, Cameron, Aliyah, and Zion are all pulled into Chidani. Cameron describes the portal: “Vince and I continued to struggle as we spiraled through lightning, darkness, and rain. The rip opened into a void; it was full of shadows, swirling around and around, the wind threatening to pull us apart. The tornado we flew in kept us afloat, but I had a horrible suspicion that if we stepped out of its confines, we’d fall into the spinning darkness.” 
  • As Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah reunite with their friends from the Palacia in Chidani, their friend Makai explains that time runs differently between Chidani and the real world. “‘What’s going on?’ Zion asked, struggling out of Makai’s hug. ‘How long have we been gone? For us it was about two months.’ ‘You were gone for just a few days,’ Makai said.”  
  • Amina is being held in a magical dungeon. Queen Ramala takes Cameron and his friends to the dungeon. “The sun encircled [Amina] like chains, binding her into one place as she floated above the ground.” 
  • Going to rescue Vince, Cameron, Zion and Aliyah visit the Crystal City, home of the goddess Ala and the aziza. The aziza are “[magical creatures who] nestled their kingdom in the trees of the Igbo people, hiding in secret, but honoring their duty to the humans by healing them when needed. People believed in them, but none had ever seen them, for they had retreated once it was known that colonizers had breached Nigeria’s waters.”  
  • Later, Cameron describes an aziza. “Soft wings flew behind [the aziza], the color of night. He was tall, taller than an aziza should’ve been from what I had seen. A curved sword was hitched to the side of his clothing, which consisted of a ruby brocade vest, tight shokoto trousers, and light armor. He approached gracefully, almost as if he were floating across the ground.” 
  • While in the Crystal City, Ala binds Zion to the city to incentivize Cameron and Aliyah to participate in the trials. Ala snaps her fingers and “[Zion] gasped and choked, holding on to his neck. He fell against [Cameron]; [Cameron] caught him as his eyes closed, but he felt different. Light. As if all his weight had turned to nothing.” 
  • When they leave the Crystal City, Ala blesses Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah’s gryphons, Ugo, Ike, and Odum respectively, to better aid them in the battle ahead. “[Ugo’s] snow-white color had turned the color of flame, a mixture of different shades of oranges and reds. Connecting to [Ugo] felt familiar, though, as if [he and Cameron] were one. By the time [Cameron] was done marveling at Ugo, Aliyah and Zion had jumped on Odum and Ike. Flames covered our entire area of the desert for miles, the gryphons’ wingspans so large that they encompassed everything.” 
  • After the Crystal City, Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah go to the Sun Kingdom to find the last magical relic they need to defeat Amina. Cameron discovers a special ability—that he can summon gods to him. He summons Anyanwu, the sun god. Cameron describes the encounter, “[Anyanwu] had changed his appearance again, his gigantic nature of earlier now human size. But, even looking at him now, he was nothing resembling normal. An emerald agbada flowed from his neck to his feet, while his hair spilled down his back, golden beads drawn through it. He produced flame out of thin air before walking around the small room, lighting the candles hanging on the ancient sconces in the wall.” 
  • Traveling back to the Palacia with all three magical relics, the trio meets more mmos, supernatural creatures created by Amina to destroy Chidani. “The mmo stepped out from the shadows, some falling to the floor, and some suspended in the air. They were dark-and-gray creatures, their eyes a deep scarlet, their skin the color of stone. Cloaks of darkness shrouded their shoulders as they materialized. However, these mmo were different from those [Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah] had encountered before; their bodies blazed with fire, flames reaching to the sky in place of their hair. Skeletal arms reached out toward us, mixed with gristle and marrow.” 
  • Cameron discovers he can also summon souls and tries it on a volunteering friend, Bakari. “A grunt escaped Bakari’s mouth as it fell open. A white, filmy substance floated out, flying toward [Cameron’s] hand. [He] grasped it, caressing it, as it flitted in and out of [Cameron’s] hands. [Cameron] marveled at it, feeling life teem within [him]. It took much effort to control it, but it was Bakari’s soul. When [Cameron] looked down at [Bakari], [he] noticed that the substance was still attached to [Bakari’s] mouth as he stared at [Cameron], the life in his eyes mostly gone.” Cameron decides not to use this power after this experiment.  
  • With a helpful tip from a god, Cameron discovers that his dad is alive in the underwater kingdom, living as a mondao (a kind of mermaid). “When [Cameron] looked down, [Cameron] noticed that [his dad] only had one foot. A mondao tail snaked to the sand in place of his left one, corded with diamonds and rubies. But when [Cameron] blinked, it changed into a human foot as Daddy took a step forward. While a beautiful necklace surrounded his neck, a deep wound marred his bare chest, right in the middle.” 
  • Growing desperate to find the Book, Amina lets the god of death, Ekwensu, possess her. She offers her soul for the power to destroy Chidani. Amina says, “Use me. Use my body and soul. Fuse yourself with me to directly intervene in the quest to kill the Descendant, Ramala, and take the barrier for ourselves. The pain would be great, but the victory would be greater. I admit I couldn’t do it the first time on my own; if you help me, we can and will win. Just think, if we are able to successfully kill the Descendant and steal the gifts. . . ” There is no description of this physical process. 
  • At the end of the great battle, Cameron meets his mother’s ghost, freed from mmo form. “[His mother] stepped out of the shadows, the most beautiful thing [Cameron] had ever seen in [his] life. She was dressed in a white robe that swept the floor as she walked, as graceful as an angel. Her braided hair fell down her shoulders and to the center of her back. A single necklace wrapped around her neck. A pinkish aura surrounded her.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • The traditional Igbo religion is a spiritual system predating Christianity, centered on a supreme creator god (Chukwu/Chineke) but also involving numerous lesser deities (Alusi) linked to nature, ancestors (living dead), and a personal spirit (Chi). It’s a pantheistic/polytheistic faith, deeply tied to community, nature (like the Earth Goddess Ala), and morality. Cameron meets several of the Igbo gods. 
  • Just like the first book, when Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah travel to Chidani, they encounter elements that have roots in the real world, like the gods of the Igbo culture. They fight with some gods and work with others to save the kingdom from the Queen’s treacherous sister Amina. Given this, the book discusses many creation myths and Igbo religious references. There are also the occasional vague references to Christianity and ghosts. 
  • The Book of Chidani serves as both a guide to the kingdom and a religious text. An example excerpt from the Book reads, “Agbala created the Descendants when she gave the Book to the enslaved Igbos as they were forcefully taken to the Americas. The Book followed them across the ocean, and Nneka was the first one who touched it, becoming the first Descendant, tasked with power and knowledge, to keep Igbo history alive.” 
  • Cameron has a vision of the goddess Mmiri. “[Mmiri] was undeniably beautiful, and immediately recognizable. A crown crested her head, covering it from side to side, silver spikes striking the air around her. A star sat on top of the middle spike, its light almost blinding [Cameron]. What looked like seashells were fastened to her chest and upper arms, multicolored and heavy. Her midriff was almost bare, with a tattoo in the form of a sun emblazoned around her naval. Her iro was cerulean, a skirt that flowed along the wooden floor [Cameron] was lying on. [Cameron] gasped when she stepped forward, as one of her legs was in the shape of a mermaid’s tail.” 
  • In the Crystal City, Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah meet the goddess Ala and another god, her son Anyanwu. “[Cameron, Zion, and Aliyah] took a step back, stunned as [Ala] towered above [them], much taller than any god [they’d] seen so far. ‘Humongous’ was a word that came to mind, but even that didn’t embody all that Ala was. [Cameron] tried to avert [his] gaze from her to the male god behind her—who somehow was firmly asleep—but she snapped her fingers, bringing us back to attention.”  

by Kate Schuyler 

Pocket Bear

Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his becoming: the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, hopefully, a good luck charm.

Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured, where stuffed toy animals are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved. He and his best feline friend Zephyrina, known far and wide as “The Cat Burglar,” have seen it all, and then some. 

Told from Zephyrina’s point of view, Pocket Bear tells readers a sweet, gentle story about the hardship of war and the importance of bravery. When she was a kitten, Zephyrina didn’t have a home or a family to help care for her. This makes her slightly cynical and standoffish toward her human family, Elizaveta and Dasha. However, Zephyrina is completely loyal to her best friend, Pocket. Throughout the book, the cat looks to Pocket for guidance, who wisely says, “Sometimes, the most precious things in life are right under our noses.” With the bear’s help, Zephyrina transforms from a lonely, self-serving cat into a strong, capable leader and a loving pet who comforts Dasha. 

The beginning of the story focuses on Zephyrina, Pocket, and the other stuffed animals living in the Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured. At first, readers may assume that these stuffed animals are just a random collection brought together by chance. This could not be further from the truth. Elizaveta, Dasha, Pocket, and another stuffed animal named Berwon have all been impacted by war. In a twist of irony, Pocket’s soldier served in the “war to end all wars,” World War I. In the story’s conclusion, Pocket reveals that his soldier had died in the war. 

Dasha’s story unfolds slowly, ultimately revealing that she and her mother, Elizaveta, left Ukraine after a bomb injured Dasha and her father died. Dasha’s story unfolds through Zephyrina’s eyes, which softens the effects of the war. Additionally, Dasha doesn’t like to talk about the war because, “Unless you’ve been through it yourself, you can’t really understand.” In the end, the book doesn’t describe what happened during the war; it focuses on the war’s aftereffects, allowing readers to understand that war doesn’t just affect soldiers—it also affects innocent children like Dasha. 

Pocket Bear conveys an important theme: Bravery comes in many forms. For instance, Dasha considers Pocket a hero because, “He has been through a lot. But he is still kind.” However, Pocket is not the only hero. Zephyrina shows courage when she saves Berwon from being auctioned off. Additionally, the bears and Zephyrina show the importance of loyalty, kindness, and friendship. One of the most heartwarming parts of the story is when the cat helps Pocket stay with Berwon, even though Zephyrina must say goodbye to Pocket forever. 

Black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout the book. These drawings help readers understand not only what the stuffed animals look like, but also Pocket’s tiny size compared to them. Readers will adore the illustrations, but the beginning of the story drags, and younger readers may struggle with the difficult vocabulary, such as disemboweled, tenant, arctophiles, and decipher. Many of the words cannot be easily deciphered from context clues; however, some are explained in the text. For example, when Zephyrina reflects on Dasha, she thinks, “People say cats are inscrutable. But I’ve learned some people are equally hard to read.” 

In the author’s note, Applegate discusses the importance of recycling stuffed animals and other toys. “About 80% of stuffed animals and other toys worldwide are eventually thrown away, making up 6 percent of plastics in landfills across the globe.” Applegate also lists organizations that would provide a home for “gently-loved” stuffed toys. After reading the unforgettable story, readers will gain a new perspective on toys and those who have suffered the effects of war. The book will also empower readers: even if you feel like a “small speck,” with others’ help, you can make a difference in someone’s life, and that is heroic. If you know a child who has been affected by war, reading The Day War Came and Survival Tails: World War II may help them process their emotions. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Zephyrina finds a stuffed bear, she carries it home by using her teeth. On the way home, a dog named Goofus gives chase. “Goofus loped over, all spittle and stink. Goofus and Zephyrina play tug-of-war with the bear. Zephyrina was not in the mood for a game of tug-of-war, particularly with a dog who enjoyed eating his own poop.” The bear isn’t hurt because “everyone knows toys can’t feel pain.” 
  • To get Goofus to leave, Zephyrina “slashed him across the nose with a claw. . . It wasn’t a dramatic swipe. . . But it was enough to get my message across.” Goofus leaves. 
  • When a family takes in Zephyrina, she’s thankful. “To show my gratitude, I brought them deliveries of mice and rats, grasshoppers and salamanders, baby birds and newborn opossums. Still alive, ideally with just enough squirm to keep them interesting.” 
  • Zephyrina thinks about the stuffed toys she’s found. “Most of the stuffed toys I’d known had been through a lot of . . . stuff. . . They’d been slobbered on and tossed aside and buried in toy boxes. They’d had their eyes yanked out and their tails chewed off and their stuffing spread around the family room like little snowballs. They’d been left alone in playgrounds while squirrels chittered at them and raccoons gnawed on them and dogs peed on them.” 
  • Zephyrina lives in a house with a child named Dasha. Pocket tells the story of her injury. “Dasha’s leg had been badly injured when a bomb hit her house.”

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • Heck is used twice. 
  • When reflecting on Pocket, Zephyrina thinks, “He was my teacher. My coach. The guy who (gently) reminded me when I was being a jerk.” 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Christopher Columbus and the Americas

In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. Or did he? Look at all the facts and discover the fiction through primary sources, infographics, and leveled text. Readers will learn the full story about Christopher Columbus’s famous voyage. 

Columbus sought a faster route to Asia because Europeans “liked the exotic spices and were willing to pay a lot for them.” King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella funded his journey as “an opportunity to gain wealth.” When Columbus reached land, he didn’t realize he had missed Asia entirely. His search for gold and other riches proved fruitless. 

Christopher Columbus and the Americas dispels many myths surrounding the famous explorer. Contrary to popular belief, people in Columbus’s time knew the Earth was round, and he wasn’t the first sailor to reach the Americas. In fact, there is little to celebrate about Columbus, given his cruel treatment of Indigenous people. “For the Taino living in the Caribbean, Columbus’s explorations would have a devastating effect.” His men killed many Taino, while countless others died from disease. Survivors faced enslavement. “The Spaniards committed many acts of horrific violence against the Taino. Columbus did nothing to stop it.” 

Public perception of Christopher Columbus has begun to shift. “Through the work of Indigenous and non-Indigenous activists and historians, people are remembering the darker side of his story,” including his brutal behavior and broken promises. Despite four expeditions, Columbus “was disappointed with his failures” and “left behind a trail of broken promises and crimes against Indigenous peoples.” 

Visually appealing with large black-and-white illustrations, colorful section titles, and concise paragraphs, the book includes fact boxes, a glossary, and a timeline that enhance the reading experience and help readers trace Columbus’s voyages. 

This historically accurate account reveals important truths about Columbus’s treatment of native populations that may surprise many readers. Rather than accepting traditional celebrations of the explorer, Christopher Columbus and the Americas encourages critical thinking about whether his legacy deserves honor. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Columbus kidnapped “some Taino people and displayed them before the royal court.” 
  • When Columbus left Hispaniola, he left men behind. “While he was away, the Spaniards he had left behind had become violent toward the Taino. . . The fort was burned to the ground, and all 39 of Columbus’s men had died.” Columbus killed many Taino “to try to stop any resistance to his rule.” An illustration depicts Columbus’s men with swords and the village in flames. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • One reason King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella funded Columbus’s journey was because “they wanted to spread the Catholic religion.” 

Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About America’s Westward Expansion

1805: Explorer William Clark reaches the Pacific Ocean and pens the badly spelled line “Ocian in view! O! the joy!” (Hey, he was an explorer, not a spelling bee champion!) 

1836: Mexican general Santa Anna surrounds the Alamo, trapping 180 Texans inside and prompting Texan William Travis to declare, “I shall never surrender or retreat.” 

1846: A band of travelers, including the soon-to-be notorious Donner family, becomes trapped in the Sierra Nevada, forcing them to decide whether it is better to eat each other or starve to death in the snow. 

1861: Two railroad companies, one starting in the West and one in the East, start a race to lay the most track and create a transcontinental railroad. 

Get the feeling the world’s changing quickly? Welcome to the thrilling, tragic, and downright wild adventure of America’s westward expansion. 

Which Way to the Wild West? covers Western Expansion in 11 chapters and is jam-packed with information that will leave some readers’ heads spinning, even though each chapter is broken into smaller sections with clear titles like “Santa Anna Does It Again.” The book covers a vast cast of historical figures, including future presidents, religious leaders, and commoners. While all this information will thrill history buffs, other readers won’t have enough stamina to keep track of the rapid change of topics. 

Many books that discuss the founding of America gloss over the violence that permeated throughout early America. Which Way to the Wild West? isn’t shy about showing how immigrants’ greed for land and gold shaped the country and negatively affected minorities and Indigenous people. For Indigenous people, the gold rush was “like an invasion.” The miners drove away the deer and game that they relied on for food. “They chopped down forests and polluted salmon streams. When some Native Americans tried to join the search for gold, they were violently driven away from good mining spots.” To make matters worse, “newcomers brought new diseases that devastated the native villages.”  

Many readers will be shocked at the Americans’ cruelty when it comes to the Native Americans. To force the Plains Indians off their land, the U.S. government supported buffalo hunters because “once there were no more buffalo to hunt, Plains Indians would no longer be able to roam freely across the plains. Unable to live their traditional way of life, they’d be forced to settle down on reservations.” When this plan did not work, the U.S. military slaughtered Indigenous women and children. In the end, many Native American leaders—Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Chief Joseph—could not win against the U.S. military, and their way of life ended. To learn more about the Native Americans’ struggle to keep their land, read Native American Heroes: Osceola, Tecumseh, & Cochise. 

The founding of America was only made possible because of violence, greed, and broken promises. Which Way to the Wild West? discusses the events in a matter-of-fact tone that often uses humor. Despite this, many of the quotes from primary sources show the gravity of the situation. For example, soldiers killed many of the Lakota people who were unarmed. One soldier said, “It was a thing to melt the heart of a man, if it was of stone.” 

Western Expansion ended when all of the Indigenous people were forced onto reservations, the cowboys retired, and the land was divided and fenced “into farms, and ranches and towns.” By the end of the book, readers will have a better understanding of how Western Expansion shaped the country in both positive and negative ways. Readers who want to learn more about American history can also read the fiction books Will’s Race for Home, In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse and Alamo All Stars. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • The book contains many deaths due to animals, accidental shootings, and murder. The deaths that are not described in detail have been omitted from the list below. 
  • James Beckworth, a mountain man, was attacked by a grizzly. “The bear smacked Smith around like a doll, smashing several of his ribs. Then it took Smith’s head in its teeth and shook him back and forth. . . The scalp had been ripped from Smith’s skull. One ear was hanging on by a twisted strip of skin.” Someone sewed the ear back on, and “Smith’s ear stayed on.” 
  • During the Alamo, the Texans surrendered. “Santa Anna’s soldiers killed all 183 Texas soldiers—stabbing many of them with bayonets after they had surrendered. . .” The Mexican soldiers defeated another town. “Mexican soldiers marched the prisoners to an open field, shot and bayonetted all of them, and set the bodies on fire.”  
  • After the Alamo, the Texans attacked the Mexicans and surprised them. After the attack, “It took Houston’s officers a while to get the Texans to stop killing Mexican soldiers. When it was all over, nearly six hundred Mexicans were dead compared with only nine Texans.” 
  • While the Donner party was in the desert, two of the men fought. “A man named John Snyder attacked James Reed with a whip. Reed stabbed Snyder, killing him.” Reed was kicked out of the group but survived.  
  • The Donner Party took a cutoff and was snowed in at Donner Lake. “Fifteen of the strongest members of the party” went for help but got lost. “Someone brought up the question on everyone’s mind: Should they kill and eat one member of the group in order to save the others?” They didn’t kill anyone, but when one of them died, “They cut the flesh from the bodies, roasted it, and ate it.” Only seven of them made it out of the mountain alive. 
  • Marcus and Narcissa Witmore were missionaries. When the Cayuse Indians began to die of disease, they killed Marcus. Then, the Cayuse men attacked other settlers. “Then a bullet came through the window, piercing Mrs. Witmore’s shoulder. . . Clasping her hands to the wound, she shrieked with pain and then fell to the floor.” The orphans whom the Witmores were caring for had to hide in the attic. Thirteen people died. Later, “The Cayuse men were tried for murder, found guilty, and hanged.” 
  • A Mexican miner named Joaquin Murrieta was accused of stealing horses and mules. When the Americans confronted him, they “pulled Murrieta off the horse, tied him up, and dragged him to his brother’s cabin. They wrapped a rope around his brother’s neck and hanged him from a tree. Then they tied Murrieta to the same tree and whipped him while his brother’s body swung back and forth from the branch above.” 
  • Murrieta survived and went on a killing spree, killing the men who had attacked him. “The governor of California offered a five-thousand-dollar reward for his capture.” A group of men “cut off Joaquin’s head, put it in a jar of brandy, brought it back to town, and charged people a dollar to see it.” No one was really sure if it was actually Joaquin’s head in the jar. 
  • Wilson was carrying mail for the pony express when Indians attacked him. Wilson was shot in the head with an arrow. “His friends tried to pull out the arrow, but the pointed stone stuck fast in his skull.” Wilson’s friend thought he would die, so they left him under a tree. When they returned, “Wilson lay unconscious for the next eighteen days” but he survived.   
  • As more settlers moved into the Indians’ land, tension mounted. “A group of Indian warriors killed a family of four in Colorado. Furious settlers brought the bodies into Denver and put them on display.” John Chivington, an army officer, led seven hundred soldiers to a Cheyenne camp that was primarily composed of women and children. Chivington told his men: “Kill and scalp all, big and little.”  
  • Chivington and his men attacked at night. “The Cheyenne fighters were nearly surrounded by American soldiers and were slowly driven out of their camp.” Some U.S. soldiers were “killing women and children, cutting off their scalps, and slicing up their bodies.” The death toll was over one thousand. Despite conducting a “dastardly massacre,” Chivington was not punished. 
  • Crazy Horse and his warriors wanted to attack a fort, so they waited for soldiers to come out to collect firewood. “Crazy Horse retreated to the top of a hill, trying to tempt Fetterman [a soldier] into attacking him. . . Fetterman led his men on a charge up the hill—and right into Crazy Horse’s trap. . . In less than thirty minutes of brutal combat, Fetterman and all his men were killed. About two hundred Indian fighters were killed or wounded as well.”  
  • The railroad companies hired Chinese men to do dangerous work that often ended in death. For example, men set off dynamite to dig through the mountain. “Chinese bodies flew from the cave as if shot from a cannon. Blood and flesh were mixed in a horrible mess.” Ten men died in that explosion.  
  • Two girls killed their stepmother “by pouring melted lead into her ears.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • A man was called “Big Drunk” because he was tall and often drunk. 
  • During a battle between the Mexicans and Americans, some of the soldiers seized someone’s brandy and “downed it in quick gulps.” 
  • During the California gold rush, “the price for a glass of whiskey was one pinch of gold dust.” 
  • When a man became ill, he was given brandy. 
  • Railroad inspectors were given whiskey. One inspector got really drunk, and when the inspector woke up, “he gave his official approval to the tracks.” When the tracks were completed, “there was a great abundance of champagne.” 

Language  

  • An adult uses “Great God” as an exclamation. 
  • A miner told his wife, “I am willing to stand [the hard work of mining] to make enough to get us a home, and so I can be independent of some of the darned [censored] that felt themselves above me because I was poor.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • The first women to travel to Oregon were two missionary wives. Their goal was to teach Christianity to the natives. 
  • Some settlers believed in manifest destiny and that all the land should be theirs. “Some were convinced that God wanted it that way—that it was God’s plan to have the American style of democracy spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean.” 
  • When the two railroads were connected, a gold spike was set in place. The spike had an inscription: “May God continue the unity of our country as the railroads unite the two great oceans of the world.” 
  • The Nez Perce believed that “We came from the earth, and our bodies must go back to the earth, our mother.” They also believed the Great Spirit made the world.  

Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild

Seeds of Hope presents a diary account of fourteen-year-old Susanna Fairchild’s life in 1849. After losing his wife and money during their steamship journey from New York, Susanna’s father succumbs to gold fever and abandons his plan to establish a medical practice in Oregon. Instead, he takes his two daughters to a mining camp, where they face danger from untrustworthy men and wild animals. 

Susanna and her sister Clara are devastated by their father’s decision, but after losing their mother, they want to stay close to him. The sisters are often left alone as their father searches for a more productive claim. Though afraid, they spend their time transforming their cabin into a home. Susanna’s diary chronicles both her fears and her grief over her mother’s death. 

Despite difficult circumstances, the Fairchilds find friendship within the camp. The girls occasionally visit Rosita and her family, who are from Peru. This friendship allows the book to illuminate the era’s discrimination. When people from other countries began arriving in California, Americans complained “that the foreigners are taking up space and if allowed to step on Californian soil, they will be trespassing. Since the gold belongs to the United States, they will be thieves, plundering what is not theirs.” Greed drove some miners to steal from, beat, and sometimes kill minorities. These harsh realities may be upsetting to some readers. 

Few women lived in California during the Gold Rush, which gives Seeds of Hope a unique perspective and highlights the daily dangers they faced. Death from accidents, gunfights, and murder occurred frequently. Despite this violence, Susanna and Clara show kindness to others. When a family friend steals from the Fairchilds, this saddens them, but it also demonstrates that “true character often isn’t revealed until a person is faced with temptation.” 

Seeds of Hope reveals the bleak reality for many individuals who hoped to improve their circumstances through sudden wealth. This creates a depressing tone, especially as Susanna’s father becomes increasingly obsessed with gold and neglects his daughters. Despite the dangers, he leaves the girls alone for long stretches while he searches for gold. Eventually, he realizes that wealth cannot bring happiness. He abandons mining, returns to practicing medicine, and decides to move to Oregon as originally planned. 

Although Seeds of Hope features fictional characters, it depicts significant events in American history and helps readers imagine the daily lives of young girls during the Gold Rush. While Susanna is a likable protagonist, she frequently writes about mundane tasks such as food preparation, laundry, and household chores. Even though Seeds of Hope is not full of action and adventure, Susanna’s diary allows readers to peek into the past and see how gold fever affected one family. True to history, the story highlights the difficulty and sometimes deadly nature of searching for gold. The story’s slow pacing and depressing atmosphere make Seeds of Hope best suited for readers already interested in the Gold Rush. Despite these limitations, the book conveys a meaningful message: when given a choice, always prioritize family and friendship over money. Readers seeking more information about this era should consult the non-fiction book Sutter’s Mill and the California Gold Rush. 

Sexual Content  

  • One of the minor characters is a lady who works at a dance hall. “Her dress was satin, her cheeks and lips were painted red. Papa wouldn’t look at her, and he told us to never go near that place.” 
  • Clara stops wearing a corset because “she didn’t like so many men staring at her womanly figure.” 
  • While on a ship, Susanna tripped and “fell against Sam. But before I could gather myself, he enfolded me in his arms and bent down to kiss me. . . I burst out laughing. I don’t know why.” Later, Sam and Susanna get married. 

Violence  

  • While sailing to California, Susanna’s mother died when “a wave broke over the bow, sending such a flood of water on deck that we were all swept off our feet. . . She threw up her arms in surprise, and passed us swiftly in green water. . . she was swept away.” 
  • Clara mentions several gunfights but doesn’t describe them all.  
  • Boys were kicking a baby donkey. When Susanna and Clara see them, Susanna picks up “some stones and threw them at the boys’ feet, not to hurt, but to let them know we meant business. Clara peeled a thin branch from a tree and began whipping their legs.” The boys ran away. 
  • Susanna mentions that “three men were killed last week when the mine they were digging caved in on top of them.” 
  • In a mine, there was an explosion. “Three boys were killed right away, but Sam was rescued from underneath some rocks.” Sam’s leg and ribs are broken. “Because the broken bone is exposed to the air, Sam is in so much pain he keeps slipping in and out of consciousness.” 
  • Sam’s leg has to be amputated. “Clara and I prayed with the boy and gave him a good swig of laudanum.” Susanna, Clara, and another man hold Sam down. Later, “Papa’s clean shirt was spattered with blood. So were the bed and floor. . . The friend dug a hole beyond the cabin to bury the damaged leg.” Sam recovers. 
  • Foreigners were often beaten and robbed. “Chinese especially.” Rosita, one of Susanna’s friends who is from Peru, had all of her cooking things stolen. Rosita describes how two Chinese men were robbed and a “Yankee cut their hair off. To shame those poor boys.” 
  • Susanna’s father is a doctor. In the past, he “cut off a man’s broken foot that had turned black with gangrene.” 
  • There are several murders in the gold camps. A storekeeper says, “A young blacksmith had been murdered last night behind one of the saloons.” Later, a dance-hall lady finds the body of a man who “was shot. He bled all over the stairs.” 
  • There is a shoot-out at a Saloon that “landed four men in the hoosegow and four full of bullet holes. Their bodies were displayed on Main Street. . . Their faces were purple and bloated. Flies swarmed over the wounds.”  
  • Susanna and her sister are in the river when a man floats by them. “He was on his back with dead staring eyes.” He has a knife in his chest. 
  • Men ran off “foreigners” who were panning for gold. “When some of them put up a fight, vigilantes found a tree and hanged five of them! Then they jumped their claims and stole their gold.”  
  • A bear attacks two sleeping men. One dies. “The other lost his right ear and right eye and most of his scalp. Papa was able to stitch up his cheek where the bear had clawed him.” The dead man’s “face was completely gone and one shoulder had been eaten.” 
  • Two kids are playing with a gun when they “accidentally shot off three fingers of [a miner’s] left hand.” 
  • After a palm reader’s prediction, a young man is hanged for murder, even though there was no proof. Afterwards, the dance hall lady is so upset that she confesses, saying, “I am guilty of one death, not three. He was a thief, a man without integrity.” She apologizes for not admitting the deed earlier. “Suddenly, the thick rope was put around her neck, like a brown collar that came up to her chin. . . [Papa said] the woman died instantly.” 
  • After the dance hall lady dies, Papa explains how he had to treat cuts on her hands. “Someone had stolen her money, then tried to stab her. When she held up her hands to stop the blows, the knife made deep wounds.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Susanna’s father smokes a pipe. 
  • When Sam is injured, his friends give him whiskey for the pain. He is also given laudanum, which is “opium mixed with alcohol.”  
  • The town is setting up a fight between a bear and a bull. Susanna and Clara cannot watch because Papa “did not want us to be around men guzzling whiskey or eating the spoils of a bear fight.”  

Language  

  • “My god” is used as an exclamation twice.
  • The Peruvians working on a ship are often referred to as “Tar Heads.”   
  • Someone says a murderer is a “no-good Mexican.” 

Supernatural 

  • When three murders take place, “the palm reader studied tea leaves to help the vigilantes catch the killer of those men. She said he would be a foreigner who lives alone.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Susanna and her sister pray before they go to sleep. 
  • When someone needs medical help, Susanna and her sister go to find their father. “We are praying that God will guide us to him.” 
  • When Susanna and Clara find gold, they do not file a claim, and others take it. “Papa said that some injustices we must leave up to God to make right.” 
  • After a friend named Jesse Blue steals Papa’s money, Susanna thinks, “I know anything is possible with God, but I don’t know if Jesse Blue cares.” Later, Susanna writes to Jesse Blue’s wife, telling her about his thieving ways. “I pray that his heart will change. . .” 
  • Susanna wonders why “thieves and vigilantes run free,” but her mother died. “When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask God about all this.” 
  • Susanna and her sister boil a fish for dinner. Afterwards, they find gold in their cooking pot. Papa “thanked God for providing the fish with gold in its belly.” He prays, “Lord, please grant us enough money so we won’t have to steal to eat, but not so much that we’ll forget you. Thank you, amen.” 
  • While the house is empty, a man steals the family’s money. Afterward, Papa keeps his gun by the cabin’s door. “He said he will trust God to deal with the thief, but he must still be ready to protect us from him.” 

What is the Constitution?

In 1783, thirteen American colonies officially became states in an independent nation after winning the Revolutionary War against Great Britain. However, this newfound freedom brought unexpected challenges. The states struggled to unite, with many citizens identifying more strongly with their individual state than with the United States as a whole. What is the Constitution? explores how the United States addressed these challenges and created a document that would unify the nation. 

In the summer of 1787, fifty-five elected men from twelve states met in Philadelphia with the goal of revising the Articles of Confederation—the United States’ first constitution. These men faced weighty questions: “Who decided if the United States would go to war again? What powers should be given to the head of government?” With the nation’s future in their hands, they wrote a new, more effective constitution. 

Demuth introduces readers to the framers of the Constitution, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and George Washington. While Washington and Franklin are described as bringing a sense of “calm and dignity,” Madison is portrayed as being “no bigger than a half piece of soap. Yet his intellect impressed all who knew him.” Young readers may recognize these historical figures and enjoy hearing more about their different personalities and contributions. 

The book is organized into nine chapters, each delving into different aspects of the Constitution’s creation. Chapter three, for instance, discusses the rules the delegates established to ensure a respectful and productive debate. One important rule required secrecy, allowing delegates to speak freely without fear of public backlash. Another rule allowed delegates to change their minds after voting, encouraging open discussion and repeated debate. This chapter not only explains how the Constitution was formed but also teaches readers the value of discussion and compromise—skills that remain relevant today.  

In addition to the main chapters, the book includes two supplementary sections titled “Photographs” and “Timelines.” The “Photographs” section features portraits of key figures, paintings of the Constitutional Convention, and images related to the era, helping visual learners imagine what the experience may have been like. The timeline begins in 1787, when delegates arrived in Philadelphia, and extends into the 1870s, highlighting key amendments such as the Fifteenth Amendment, which granted African American men the right to vote. This section provides readers with a clear and accessible overview of the Constitution’s lasting impact. 

What is the Constitution? is an engaging and informative book for young readers interested in American history and government. By combining clear explanations, historical storytelling, and helpful visuals, Demuth presents a complex topic in an accessible and meaningful way. Understanding the Constitution is essential for everyone because it remains the foundation of American democracy and protects our fundamental rights. This document governs how our government operates, defines the relationship between citizens and their leaders, and establishes the principles of freedom and justice that shape daily life. By learning about the Constitution’s creation and purpose, readers gain the knowledge needed to participate as informed citizens who understand their rights and responsibilities. This book makes that vital learning both enjoyable and achievable for young minds. To more fully understand this time period, read Forgotten Founders: Black Patriots, Women Soldiers, and Other Thinkers and Heroes Who Shaped Early America. You can also explore Sneak Peek’s reviews on other books about the American Revolution, George Washington, and other aspects of early American history.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Madeline Hettrick 

Forgotten Founders: Black Patriots, Women Soldiers, and Other Thinkers and Heroes Who Shaped Early America

The founding of America was not accomplished by a handful of people; it required the heart, soul, and grit of an entire nation. Today, we rightfully honor the work of the Founding Fathers, but what about everyone else who sacrificed for the cause?  

Introducing Forgotten Founders, the inspiring book of stories about the heroic women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, and others who played pivotal roles in America’s birth. Make no mistake: these were no historical footnotes. These were brave men and women without whom the war simply could never have been won, and the new republic never begun. 

Readers will meet: 

  • Sybil Ludington, the sixteen-year-old girl who rode all night to warn of a British attack 
  • Nancy Hart, the indomitable woman who captured six Loyalist soldiers 
  • Cuffee Wells Saunders, the talented physician who won his freedom and saved lives serving in the Continental Army 
  • Phyllis Wheatley, the gifted Black poet whose work was praised by Voltaire and George Washington 
  • Deborah Sampson, the colonial woman who dressed as a man to enlist in the Continental Army 
  • Peter Salem, the former slave who became the hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill 
  • and many more patriots, soldiers, thinkers, and heroes!
  • Read, learn, and discover in beautiful new ways that America’s origin story really is everybody’s story. 

Forgotten Founders begins with a brief history of the Revolutionary War, the people of colonial times, and a timeline of slavery. Each two-page spread then introduces a person who played a role in making America a free country. One page provides a brief explanation of why the person is significant, while the other features a large, full-color illustration along with short excerpts from historical documents. Each spread also includes a “Think Better” quote box that invites readers to think critically. For example: “Could you have imagined that music would play such an important role in the army? What talents or abilities do you have? How might they be helpful in a cause that’s important to you?” 

Anyone interested in the Revolutionary War or the Colonial period will enjoy Forgotten Founders for its unique perspective. The book’s bright colors and pleasing layout clearly distinguish different types of information. Many pages include fascinating facts, such as how the Culper Spy Ring used invisible ink to send messages. Since the biographies are short, readers eager to learn more can consult the works cited page at the end of the book. 

Through engaging text and illustrations, each person’s unique story reveals the creative ways ordinary people contributed to America’s victory. By highlighting these diverse voices, Forgotten Founders reminds us that the fight for freedom belonged not to a few celebrated heroes, but to countless individuals whose courage and ingenuity shaped our nation’s beginnings. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Nancy Hart was home, six Loyalist soldiers barged into her house and “demanded that she cook her only turkey for them. . . Nancy grabbed a rifle and ordered them to stay still. When one moved, she shot and killed him. When another made a move toward the weapons, she shot him, too, and held the rest at gunpoint until her husband and neighbors showed up.” The men were hanged.  
  • Salem Poor, a slave who fought for freedom, “was given credit for firing the shot that hit British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie, who later died.” 
  • Prince Estabrook, the first Black man to fight in the Revolution, was shot in the shoulder during a skirmish between the British and Americans. “He fully recovered and was back in action.” 
  • During a battle, a British major was commanding the rebels to surrender when “a Negro soldier stepped forward and, aiming his musket at the major’s bosom, blew him through.” The Patriots lost, but the British “had twice as many casualties as the Americans and lost many officers.” 
  • Crispus Attucks was the first person in the Revolutionary War to be killed. Crispus “became part of an angry Patriot mob throwing stones, clubs, snowballs, and ice at the British soldiers guarding the Customs House, where taxes were collected. . .” Someone yelled fire, and “the British opened fire and five men fell dead. The first was Crispus Attucks, with two musket balls in his chest.” 
  • Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and fought in the army. “Once, near New York City, she was gashed in the head by a sword and hit with two bullets in her thigh. . . She let doctors treat her head wound, but then slipped out of the field hospital, dug one of the bullets out of her leg with a penknife, and closed the wound herself with a sewing needle!” She lived to fight in other battles. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • “Apothecaries often used lavender, mint, basil, dill, thyme, rosemary, and sage to treat patients.”  

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • “Quaker beliefs forbid violence. During the American Revolution, Quakers who wanted to fight for the American cause often changed their religion so that they could. Many became Episcopalians.” 

I Am George Washington

George Washington is known as the first president of the United States, but he had to overcome many challenges to reach that position. His father died while he was very young, and his cold and distant mother raised him. As a teenager, he finally moved in with his older half-brother, Lawrence. What followed was an idyllic upper-class childhood at Mount Vernon, a tobacco farm, where George lived with Lawrence and his wife. George faced his challenges—working hard on the farm and struggling in school—but the real trouble didn’t start until Lawrence died of illness. After losing his half-brother, George enlisted in the army. 

During George’s time in the army, he experienced his greatest failures as he led his men into defeat after defeat. Though a natural leader, George didn’t believe in himself. He lost many battles during the French and Indian War, which deepened his self-doubt. Haunted by the violence and tragedy of the war they had just won, he took time off to marry and live at Mount Vernon with his new wife and her children. However, when England began taxing the colonies unfairly, George was once again called into action—first in the First and Second Continental Congresses, then as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.  

During the Revolutionary War, George ultimately led the army to victory, but along the way, he suffered numerous defeats and lost many men. George was respected because he had led the Continental Army, was a virtuous man, and was eternally loyal to his country. After the war ended and the United States declared independence, George was named the first president. Even while serving as president, he questioned whether he was the right man for the job and had to be persuaded to accept a second term. 

George served as president for eight years and died shortly after stepping down. Now he is remembered for leading the country in the right direction. Washington helped unite the young country and did his best to prevent division. He was an instrumental part of setting up the government so no one man could have all the power, and so the people always had a voice. He persevered through challenges and failures, never letting them stop him from doing what he believed was right. He was a good leader because he cared about the people. Readers will learn that making sacrifices is necessary for leaders and that doing the right thing is always worth it, even when you don’t believe in yourself. 

This biography is divided into five short chapters with black-and-white illustrations on almost every page. Highlighted vocabulary words are defined in a glossary at the back. Other features include twenty fun facts, a timeline, a map, and illustrations of the important people in George’s story. There is also a section on places to visit and references to how he laid the groundwork for our current government. Through clear writing, engaging illustrations, and supplemental information, young readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of George Washington—not just as a founding father, but as a flawed human being who grew through adversity and whose legacy of principled leadership continues to shape our nation today. Readers who want to learn more about George Washington and the Revolutionary War should also read George Washington’s Spies, Night of Soldiers and Spies, and George Washington’s Socks. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Many men died in battle during the French and Indian War. “A hundred soldiers on the side of the British died. Washington had no choice but to agree to a humiliating surrender.” 
  • Later in the French and Indian War, British troops were ambushed by the French and Indian troops. “More than nine hundred men were killed. . . George was unharmed even though his coat was shot four times, his hat was shot once. . . and two horses were killed while he was riding.” This battle cemented George as a war hero, even though he lost. The British later won the war.  
  • George Washington owned slaves, and the book describes slavery: “They were treated like property, no better than horses or plows, and sometimes even worse. Slaves were beaten and humiliated to a point where they were afraid to rebel.” 
  • During the Revolutionary War, many men died. In the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, “two hundred and fifty-nine soldiers died trying to defend New York.” Many other men died from starvation, illness, or the cold. “Many of their frostbitten feet had to be amputated.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

by Abigail Clark 

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