Reading Level: Junior High

Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky always planned to be a swimmer. Her mother had been a swimmer for the University of New Mexico, and her favorite pastime was swimming with her brother, Michael. At just six years old, Ledecky began swimming competitively, but it did not come easily at first. One of Ledecky’s first races was 25 meters, and Ledecky could not go that distance without stopping to rest. To motivate herself, Ledecky set a goal to swim the whole race without stopping. But a bad earache developed before the race, and Ledecky’s doctor advised her not to participate. Despite this, she swam in the race and met her goal. This kind of determination fueled Ledecky in the coming years.   

At fifteen, constant practice and several junior championships prepared Ledecky for her first national competition. Many professional swimmers aspire to compete in this competition, but very few feel prepared to do so early in their careers. This was the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, where athletes from across the country were selected to participate in the 2012 Olympic Games. Ledecky won first place in the 800-meter freestyle, a victory that earned her a spot in the U.S. Olympic team. As the team’s youngest member, Ledecky took home the gold medal and set a U.S. record that year.  

Katie Ledecky’s biography is only 32 pages and concisely reviews her amazing career. Readers will follow Ledecky’s life story—from her beginnings as a six-year-old swimmer to an Olympic champion who swam in four Olympic games and won nine gold medals. The book is an easy read, with only two to ten sentences per page. Every page features a full-color photograph of Ledecky’s swimming events, and every other page features a “fast fact” about her career. For example, one fact mentions that Ledecky’s race time was less than a second shy of the world record. Katie Ledecky is the first in the Olympic Stars Series, a collection of short biographies that introduces young readers to various Olympic athletes. 

While a nonfiction book may turn some readers away, Scheff does an excellent job retelling Ledecky’s races in an exciting and engaging way. Scheff writes, “Ledecky dove in. She led by nearly two seconds after one lap. Seven laps remained. With each lap, Ledecky pulled farther and farther away from the field.” Katie Ledecky’s biography is an inspiring book that teaches readers the importance of trying your best no matter the odds. Although Ledecky was the youngest competitor in her first Olympic race, her diligence and tireless training prepared her to win first place. The book will appeal to readers interested in swimming and the world of Olympic sports. However, all readers will be fascinated by Ledecky’s story and accomplishments. If you are looking for an equally educational and exciting nonfiction book, Katie Ledecky is a terrific choice. To learn more about inspirational athletes, add Florence Griffith Joyner by Rita Williams-Garcia and She Persisted in Sports by Chelsea Clinton to your reading list. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Women in Information Technology

Women have made major contributions to science throughout history, including in the field of information technology. Learn about the lives of some of the most amazing women in information technology, from Augusta Ada King to Radia Perlman, as well as their exciting and important work. Discover what it takes to work in information technology. Find out about the opportunities women in the field have today. Read Women in Information Technology to see if following in the footsteps of the many brilliant women who have made their mark in IT is something you want to do. 

Women in Information Technology gives young readers an inside look at the career opportunities available in information technology. Each of the five chapters follows the same format. The first page lists words and definitions that appear in the chapter; these words include cyberattacks, professional association, and unauthorized. These words appear in bold gray font, which makes them easy to identify.  

One positive aspect of the book is the seven biographies of women who were pioneers in their industry, such as Grace Hopper and Ada Lovelace. The biographies also acknowledge women who are currently working in the IT field, such as Anita Borg, who “helped unite the skilled women working in IT so they could work together more easily.” Each biography focuses on the woman’s contribution to the industry. This allows readers to see how women, who are often overlooked, played a pivotal role in developing the first computers. Four of the women — Telle Whitney, Radia Perlner, Shafri Goldwasser, and Eva Tardos — have also written books that readers may want to read. Four biographies also include a QR code so readers can learn more about the women through educational videos.  

The book is straightforward and easy to understand despite the use of informational technology jargon. The short paragraphs are broken up with photographs of women at work that appear every one to two pages. In addition, the book has “did you know” blurbs that give other interesting facts, such as statistics about video games. Often, important information is presented in lists, such as IT-related jobs. The end of each chapter gives a research project and text-dependent questions that check for understanding.  

Women in Information Technology explains what qualities are necessary to work in the IT field as well as encourages readers to explore their talents by attending a summer camp (a short list of summer camps is provided). The book opens doors by showing readers the different career paths that exist in the IT field and giving examples of women who have made contributions to the field. Even though the book is about women in information technology, boys can also gain knowledge from reading the book.    

Middle school and high school readers who are interested in learning more about STEM careers will find Women in Information Technology an excellent source of information and encouragement. By highlighting different careers and women who have been successful in these careers, the book shows that the path to a job in the informational technology field is possible. To learn more about STEM careers, check out Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World by Reshma Saujani. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

High Score

My name’s Darius James – but everyone calls me DJ. At my old school, I was the go-to guy for all kinds of tricky problems that needed creative solutions. But at my new school, Ella Fitzgerald Middle, I’m just trying to blend in. 

Well, I was, anyway, until my best friend, Conor, got himself transferred to the Fitz, too. Now Conor owes 100,000 arcade tickets to Lucky, the biggest bully around, and he only has two weeks to make it happen. Impossible? Not with my head in the game. 

When Lucky, the school bully, threatens to “rocket boost” Conor, DJ doesn’t want to step in to help. However, DJ discovers that being rocket boosted is “not good. I mean, if you’re bullied, beat up, pushed around—that’s bad. That’s really bad. But you’re still in the fight. You can push back. . . But when you get rocket boosted, it’s like you don’t exist. You’re a ghost. You can’t fight back. . . It’s pretty much game over.” Because of the extreme consequences of being rocket boosted, DJ steps in to help Conor, but in order to make his plan work, he needs more help, so Conor and Audrey are recruited to the team 

Audrey, an actress who longs to play the part of the evil villain, adds a lot of fun to the story. Since DJ has a crush on Audrey, he doesn’t want to get her involved in his schemes. However, he needs her acting skills, and she plays a pivotal part in the heist. Middle-grade readers will relate to DJ, who occasionally acts awkward and weird around Audrey, which adds humor. Even though DJ is crushing on Audrey, she is a well-rounded character who readers will love and respect.  

While High Score’s heist focuses on getting arcade tickets, the book will appeal to many middle-grade readers because DJ is discovering who he is and determining who he wants to be. While he is wickedly smart and good at conning people, he doesn’t want to use his skills and has vowed never to hurt someone intentionally. However, one of DJ’s biggest obstacles comes from his best friend, Conor, who loves the thrill of setting up a scheme and wants DJ to continue using his skills to manipulate others. In the end, DJ learns who he is —a person of integrity who isn’t willing to bow to peer pressure.  

High Score is the perfect book for middle school readers who love a good mystery and want to enter a world full of surprises. While some of the happenings at Fitz are a bit exaggerated, middle school readers will relate to the characters’ conflicts, which revolve around peer pressure, school bullies, and not wanting to become a social outcast. Reading High Score will leave the reader feeling like they spent a day hanging out with their friends and never wanting the day to end. And, of course, there are plenty of laughs and ice cream. If you enjoy reading about smart kids solving interesting mysteries, you should also read the City Spies Series by James Ponti and Chester Keene Cracks the Code by Kekla Magoon. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • DJ’s teacher, Mr. Danvers, was “full-on arachnophobic. . . [because] he fell into a nest of spiders when he was, like seven.” DJ didn’t know this and put a spider on Mr. Danvers’ sleeve. “He knocked over so much paint. He ruined, like an entire periods’ projects. And then he just, shut down. Like he wasn’t even there. . . The nurse had to literally drag him out of the classroom, and he was off for two weeks.” DJ felt terrible and didn’t do anything like that again. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • For Halloween, DJ dressed up as James Bond, but most people didn’t recognize him. DJ thinks, “I’m Black, so I’m never gonna be a dead ringer for Daniel Craig, but I was carrying a martini glass!” 
  • A student sells candy at school. DJ refers to it as “Choi’s sugar cartel.”

Language  

  • DJ refers to people, including himself, as idiots. For example, when talking about his friend, he “thought the director would be an idiot if they didn’t cast her as Ariel.” 
  • Heck and dang are used several times. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Controlled Burn

Twelve-year-old Maia’s parents say she’s lucky she noticed something as early as she did. Lucky to have smelled the smoke, lucky to have pulled her sister, Amelia, out of their burning house. But is it really “lucky” when Amelia’s stuck in the hospital, covered in burns? And is it “lucky” when Maia knows it was her candle, left unattended, that started the fire in the first place? 

When she’s sent to spend the summer with her grandparents in Northern Minnesota while her sister heals, Maia discovers that her anxieties and demons are intent on following her wherever she goes. . . unless she can figure out how to overcome them. But what if she can’t? Maia barely knows her grandparents, she desperately misses her sister and home, and she’s not thrilled to be spending the summer with Grandpa Howard on his daily motorcycle rides out to the middle of the woods, where he spends all day keeping watch for forest fires. There are no kids her age in Gram and Pop’s small town at “the end of the road”—just the chatty nine-year-old neighbor who is intent on getting his Bear Scout badge at all costs, and a friendly, stray dog who’s been lurking around.  

But Maia will soon learn that nature is a powerful teacher, and sometimes, our greatest strengths show themselves when we have to be there for someone else. As she begins to figure out how to face her guilt and paralyzing fears, she’ll discover there’s a fine line between fear and adventure. And when danger strikes again, Maia must summon all her bravery and overcome her self-doubt if she wants to save those she loves most.  

Controlled Burn follows Maia’s journey to becoming stronger and less fearful. The first chapter begins with the fire, and afterward, Maia is taken to her grandparents, where she wrestles with nightmares and fears. Maia spends most of her time alone, and her only companion is a friendly dog named Bear. The solitude allows Maia to ruminate on her guilt over the fire and her many fears, allowing the reader to look intimately into Maia’s inner thoughts.  

The quiet story will appeal to readers with daily anxiety and unfounded fears. For example, Maia hasn’t learned to swim because she fears drowning in deep water. However, with the help of friends and her grandparents, Maia conquers her fear and learns how to swim. In addition, Maia’s grandpa helps her to understand that “you can’t prevent all bad things from happening, and you definitely can’t change things that have already happened. But what you can do is make the best out of a bad situation.” In addition, the book also highlights the importance of being able to forgive yourself.   

While Controlled Burn isn’t full of action and adventure, Maia’s emotional journey shows that with the help of others, overcoming fear is possible. In addition, Soderberg’s love of nature shines through and gives readers a unique perspective. Readers who love animals and want to explore fear through an animal’s perspective should read Odder by Katherine Applegate. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • While Maia and her sister Amelia are home alone, a fire starts. Maia goes to her sister’s room where “the fire had formed a sort of yellowish-orange ring around the base of the bed. . . she wailed as the flames caught her T-shirt and ripped into her hair.” Amelia is put in a medically induced coma and has to have skin grafts.  
  • A woman hits a deer, and Maia’s grandfather helps move the deer out of the road. Mia “stared at that deer, crumpled up on the side of the road. I didn’t need to touch it or even get close to know it was still warm. Blood oozed out of the side of the poor animal’s face, and its legs were splayed at an unnatural angle.”  
  • The deer was pregnant, so “Grandpa had bent over the dead deer and begun carefully slicing open her abdomen. . . [Maia] reached my hands into the dead animal’s belly, and helped Grandpa pull out a squirming mass of baby deer. . . There was goop and blood everywhere, but I hardly noticed.” The baby deer survives. 
  • Grandpa tells Maia about when his brother died. His brother was helping put out a fire when “one of the trees cracked off halfway up its trunk. . . It landed on my brother. James died instantly, I guess.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • While in the hospital, Maia’s sister is “pumped full of sedatives and medicine to stop her from hurting too much.” 

Language  

  • Maia’s grandfather has a pet dog. He said, “Some jerk abandoned it on the side of the highway.”  
  • Maia’s grandfather is injured “trying to keep up with that damn dog.”

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Maia’s grandma takes her to church. Before riding on a motorcycle, Maia “crossed my fingers, and hoped the prayers I’d said at yesterday morning’s church service would protect me today from certain doom.”  
  • When Maia’s grandfather helps with a dead deer, he says, “Thank God.” This upsets Maia, but Grandpa says, “It could be worse. Could have been severely injured and suffering.” 

Boy 2.0 #1

Win “Coal” Keegan has just landed in his latest foster home, with a big, noisy, slightly nosy family named the McKays. They seem eager to welcome Coal, but he’s wary of trusting them. So, he doesn’t tell them that he went for a walk with chalk in his pocket to cover a nearby street with his art. He doesn’t tell them that a neighbor found Coal drawing, pulled a gun on him, and fired it. He doesn’t tell them the police chased him. And he definitely doesn’t tell them that when everything went down, Coal somehow turned invisible.  But he did.   

Now he has to figure out how. Is he a superhero? Some kind of mutant? A science experiment? Is that why he has no family of his own? As Coal searches for answers and slowly learns to control his invisibility, he turns to the McKay kids and friends both new and old for help. But they soon discover they’re not the only ones looking for a Black boy with superpowers, and the situation is far stranger—and more dangerous—than they ever could have expected.   

From the very first page, readers are pulled into Coal’s life, which is full of mystery and danger. Being thrown into a new foster home would be difficult enough, but Coal is also in danger because he is Black. From the start, Boy 2.0 reminds readers that young Black people have a lot to fear—including the police. Despite being abandoned by his mother, living with strangers, and chased by the cops, Coal isn’t cynical. Instead, he desperately wants to understand his new “superpower” and discover why his mother abandoned him. Readers will relate to Coal’s struggle to understand himself and find a place where he belongs. 

Luckily, Coal has always been able to rely on his friend Door, who adds humor and heart to the story. In addition to Door, Coal begins to trust his new foster family. The kids band together and travel to Mirror Tech’s doors, a company that is conducting military experiments in genetic modification. Soon, Coal learns that he may be a product of one of the experiments, and now Mirror Tech and the military want Coal in custody. This adds suspense and shines a light on real-life issues such as global warming, cloning, genetic modifications, and the dangers that face all Black boys. 

Boy 2.0 is an action-packed story full of plot twists that will leave readers unable to put the book down. The mystery around Coal’s birth is compelling, but the characters give the story heart. He is surrounded by a group of interesting and likable characters who walk into danger with him. Unlike many books, Boy 2.0 showcases a villain that isn’t completely evil—instead, readers are left to wonder if the villain truly wants to help Coal solve the mystery of his power or if he wants to exploit Coal. Although Coal learns more about his heritage, the ambiguous ending sets up the next book in the series but still leaves the reader smiling as Coal realizes the power of friendship and family. Find your next adventure by reading the Jack and the Geniuses Series by Bill Nye & Gregory Mone and the Wild & Chance Series by Allen Zadoff. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Coal reads an article about Allana, a black woman who was killed during a traffic stop. The article doesn’t appear in the text. 
  • Coal’s former foster parent, Tom, has a mental disorder. Coal heard him yelling. Tom “said I should run, that they were coming to get me. . . His eyes were wild, looking in all directions like somebody was going to pop out of the bushes. And he started screaming that I needed to go. . . He pulled out a knife.” No one was injured, but Tom was put in a psychiatric facility.  
  • Coal was using chalk to draw in the middle of the road when a man pointed a gun at him. “As the chalk fell from his hand and hit the ground, Coal heard the crack of the gun. It was louder than he expected.” Coal runs away, frightened but uninjured. 
  • Coal’s mother tells a story about her uncle Saul, who lived in Montgomery, Alabama pre-civil rights. In the Jim Crow South, “successful Black people would find themselves lynched, their businesses burned, their families broken from terror and loss.”  
  • Uncle Saul knew a mob was coming to burn his shop. Saul watched as the mob appeared. “He knew if he ran, it would be torture first, and then murder.” Saul was saved, but “the mob broke everything in that shop and then walked off.” 
  • Saul’s son, Jonas, “was walking home from school when a bunch of white boys started to pelt him with stones. . . He started running. But they were bigger and faster, and he skidded down a slope to a little rivulet.” The boys didn’t find him. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Coal’s foster mom gives him melatonin “to help [him] relax and fall asleep.” 
  • Tom’s previous foster parent had a mental illness, and “he was on medication for a long time and that seemed to help.” 

Language  

  • Profanity is used rarely. Profanity includes crap, shit, and hell. 
  • Coal calls his friend a jerk. 
  • Coal’s foster brother calls a man “Dr. Jerkface.” 

Supernatural 

  • After getting shot at, Coal ran. When he sees cops, he is terrified and runs away from them. Even though the police are right beside Coal, they don’t see him. After the police leave, Coal “looked at his palms to check for scrapes and dirt. Only there were no palms. Or arms. Or a torso. His pants were standing on their own.” Somehow, Coal had become invisible. 
  • Being able to turn invisible is a hereditary trait in Coal’s family.  

Spiritual Content  

  • Coal’s mother tells a story about her uncle Saul. When in danger from a mob, “he put his hands together, and he prayed. He prayed that he would be safe, that he would be covered by the blood of Jesus, that somehow he would be spared what he knew was coming.” 
  • When the mob passed Saul, “he felt like he was burning, so he opened his eyes. . .” He had turned invisible. “Uncle Saul figured it was the Lord who saved him.”  
  • Saul’s son, Jonas, was in danger and prayed. He turned invisible but thought he was just covered in mud and debris. Jonas’ father “gave him a flogging on the spot for saying that and not believing that, once again, it was the Lord. Jonas went on to become a preacher. . .I think he believed his father would have found a way to come back from the grave and flog him again if he didn’t. Becoming a preacher, he said, kept his father’s ghost at bay.”  

Live and Let Dive

Quinn is a quitter. With the unfortunate nickname of “Quitt,” he is infamous for constantly quitting every new sport he tries, which disappoints his friend, sister, and, worst of all—his dad. Everything changes when Quinn decides to compete for the diving team. Although the sport is difficult and he is not very good, Quinn enjoys the action and challenges himself to finish the season. However, things go wrong when Quinn breaks his arm in a freak bicycle accident, throwing his diving season into jeopardy. Can Quinn overcome this injury and finish the season? 

Live and Let Dive is told from the perspective of Quinn, a young boy who loves trying new things but struggles with commitment. In the beginning, Quinn’s portrayal as a person who frequently gives up is uninspiring for readers. However, his character development is evident throughout the story, as he learns the power of determination and self-confidence to finish what he had started, making him feel realistic and admirable. At the end of the story, Quinn even acknowledges that “You have to keep looking for something you love, even if it’s hard. If you don’t find something you like right away, keep trying.” 

Despite Quinn’s unwanted reputation, he learns to push through the hardships and rewrite his narrative by successfully finishing the diving season. Not only does Quinn make his friends and family proud, but he also rebuilds his own self-confidence, demonstrating the importance of perseverance and determination. Quinn’s story ultimately urges readers to tackle their biggest challenges with an uplifting mindset and positive attitude. 

Live and Let Dive presents its story in an engaging graphic novel format. Each page contains two to six panels in a gorgeous comic-like art style, where the characters and settings are detailed enough without overwhelming readers. The book also incorporates several fun graphic novel aspects, such as movement lines and overlapping panels, to enhance its illustrations, giving the scenes a realistic feel. Although the story uses frequent dialogue with small text and an extensive vocabulary, the illustrations will help younger readers follow the plot, especially since each scene is illustrated in a precise and exciting manner. 

Live and Let Dive is part of the Jake Maddox Graphic Novel series, which focuses on inspiring lessons in sports and competition. Alongside its colorful illustrations, the book also features additional content, such as a glossary, fun facts about diving, and “Visual Discussion Questions,” which ask the reader to identify how the art style reflects the tension and emotion in each scene. Live and Let Dive is an exciting and inspiring story about diving and an engaging graphic novel that showcases the importance of perseverance, commitment, and self-confidence.  

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

The Night She Disappeared

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part-time as a delivery girl at Pete’s Pizza. One night, Kayla—another delivery girl—goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working. 

Gabie can’t move beyond the fact that Kayla’s fate was really meant for her. She becomes obsessed with finding Kayla and teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete’s. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn’t dead and hopefully to find her before she is. 

The Night She Disappeared is told from the alternating perspectives of Gabie, Drew, Kayla, and other minor characters. However, most of the story focuses on how Kayla’s kidnapping affects Gabie and Drew. The two characters are completely different, but the kidnapping draws the two together as they try to unravel the mystery of who kidnapped Kayla. Gabie is a lonely, good girl who does well in school but mostly goes unnoticed by her parents and peers. On the other hand, Drew is a poor boy with a drug addicted mother, who has little to look forward. While the two are unlikely companions, as they learn about each other’s lives, Gabie and Drew both change for the better.  

Some of the chapters are told from Kayla’s perspective, allowing the readers to see the horrors of being kidnapped. While the kidnapper is abusive, the abuse is not described in detail. However, readers will be able to understand Kayla’s fear and her desire to live. The kidnapper’s motives are murky, but one thing is clear—Kayla is not the first girl he’s kidnapped, and she won’t be the last.

At first, readers may have difficulty keeping track of the shifting perspectives, especially because there isn’t a clear pattern. In addition to different chapters with different characters’ perspectives, the book also includes a variety of snippets, such as newspaper articles, a police interview, and a website from a criminal defense attorney. The often chaotic changes in the book reflect the chaos that ensues after Kayla is kidnapped. In addition, the changing perspectives allows the reader to see how Kayla’s kidnapping affects everyone—her coworkers, her parents, the police, and others. The other snippets also help readers understand the wider ramifications of a kidnapping.  

Even though The Night She Disappeared focuses on the horrifying events of being kidnapped, the author’s descriptions avoid graphic details. Despite this, there are many examples of teens being murdered, and several of the characters die. Readers who want an in-depth exploration of being kidnapped will find The Night She Disappeared to be a fast-paced story that will send chills running through their bodies. If you enjoy thrillers, grab a copy of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards, and Pretend She’s Here by Luanne Rice. 

Sexual Content  

  • Gabie’s parents gave her “the condom lecture when [she] was thirteen.”  
  • Drew goes home with Gabie so they can talk about Kayla’s kidnapping. When Gabie begins to shake, Drew “put [his] arms around her.” Then, Gabie kisses him. “I feel like I’m drowning, or drugged, or I’ve gone someplace where things are beyond my control. Like I could fall inside Drew and never come out.”  
  • After Gabie kisses Drew, he is confused by the kiss, and he thinks about the other girls he kissed in a wooded area behind his house. “I’ve kissed a girl or two there. When it’s dark, you just need to hold on to someone because she’s warm and her mouth is soft.”  
  • Drew goes home with Gabie, so she’s not in an empty house alone. They start kissing, and Drew thinks, “I could get a contact drunk kissing Gabie. The Kahlua makes her mouth sweet and loose. After a while, I don’t know where she begins and I end. . . I’m on top of her, and for a long time, we didn’t say anything. At least now with words.”  
  • Even though Gabie is drunk and Drew is not, they continue kissing. “Her hands slide up under my shirt and urge it off. And then she takes off her own shirt. . . It’s pretty clear that I can do whatever I want and Gabie won’t do anything but say yes. But something stops me. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve never done it before. . .” Drew puts Gabie in bed and leaves.  
  • When Gabie wakes up with a hangover, she’s embarrassed by “how I licked his ear, and then told him I wanted him.” Gabie wonders if Drew “thinks I’m some drunk slut.”  

Violence  

  • A diver is looking for Kayla’s body at the bottom of a fast-moving river. He remembers “the feel of a human hand against his throat as he searched. . . he had finned directly into the outstretched arm of a dead six-year-old girl.” The diver briefly thinks about other dead bodies he found.  
  • Kayla is kidnapped and hit over the head with a rock. When she wakes up, she has a head wound. “The pain makes me shriek. It’s like someone just tried to scalp me. . . A warm trickle of blood curves down my neck. How bad is it? I’m scared to know.” Kayla shouts for help, but nobody comes.  
  • The man who kidnapped Kayla demands that she call him “master.” When she refuses, he slaps her. “He hits me so hard that I fall against the white wall. Stars bloom behind my eyes. My ears ring. On boneless legs, I slide down to the cheap-looking linoleum.” Afterwards, Kayla calls him master. 
  • Gabie thinks about a girl from school. “Her older brother took their dad’s gun, went downtown, and shot into a crowd waiting for a movie to start. He hit seven people, killing two, and then shot himself in the head.” 
  • Gabie reads an article titled “Body of Teen Found in Landfill Stuffed in Suitcase.” The 16-year-old girl’s murderer was arrested.  
  • A tweaker who was accused of killing Kayla shoots himself. The teen’s 911 call is included, as well as a one-page newspaper article about Kayla’s and the boy’s death.  
  • The man who kidnapped Kayla plans to kill her. “My plan is to strangle her, come in when she’s asleep, and be nearly done before she has a chance to struggle. I’ve fashioned a cord with two wooden handles on it. I won’t do it like the other one—too much blood. And she took forever to die.”  
  • Drew is driving Gabie’s car when someone crashes into the back of it. “The car is filled with foul-smelling powder. My face hurts. A huge white balloon is already deflating on my lap.” Unbeknownst to Drew, the man in the other car thought Gabie was driving and he was hoping to kidnap her. The man sees Drew and flees. 
  • In a multi-chapter conclusion, Drew, Gabie, and Kayla fight the kidnapper. Drew and Gabie discover the house where Kayla is being held captive. When they arrive, they hear Kayla screaming. Drew rounds a corner, and “light spills out of a doorway. . . But I only have eyes for the guy. He’s facing the light, with his back to us. . . His free hand comes away from his cheek, his fingertips dark with blood. Now he’s lifting his gun.”  
  • Gabie holds a gun and fires it at the kidnapper. “With his free hand, the guy swipes at the back of his neck. The undamaged back of his neck. . .” The gun that Gabie found wasn’t a real one; it was a BB gun.  
  • The kidnapper, Gabie, and Kayla “are a shouting, screaming, grunting blur on the floor. A girl cries out. . . The guy gets to his feet, pressing one hand against his bloody side where his shirt has been slicked open. . . He kicks Kayla. Hard. Then Gabie. They don’t seem to be moving.”  
  • To save the girls, Drew pulls the trigger of a gun. The police arrive, but “Drew is frozen, one hand holding a flashlight loose at his side, his other hand still wrapped around the gun, blood dripping from his arm.” Drew’s eyes are fixed on “the remains of the man who held me prisoner.”  
  • Kayla gave first aid to Gabie, who had been stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver. “There’s so much blood it looks fake, especially splashed around in this tidy room where the only things out of place is the blood-drenched people.” All three teens are taken to the hospital. The kidnapper is dead.  
  • When the cops search the kidnapper’s property, they find a girl buried “who had been shot in the head.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Drew and Kayla were caught “smoking weed in the cooler” at work.  
  • When a woman enters Pete’s Pizza looking for Drew, Gabie thinks, “Everyone at school knew you could buy weed off Drew Lyle. But it was all pretty casual, a couple of joints . . .But now it looked like he was selling to adults as well as kids. . .” 
  • The two teens who found Kayla’s car had “two six-packs of beer on the floorboards.”  
  • Drew has a pack of cigarettes because he “took them from my mom when we were arguing about how much she smokes.”  
  • A guy comes into the pizza place asking about Kayla. After he leaves, Drew says, “That guy’s a tweaker. . . Sometimes they get paranoid.” Drew says he can recognize a meth user because “of his teeth. . . My mom has some, um, friends that use it. They get skinny like that.” Later, Drew reveals that his mom also uses meth.
  • Gabie finds a bottle of Kahlua hidden in a cabinet. She drinks until she is drunk.  

Language  

  • Profanity is used rarely. Profanity includes ass, crap, hell, and pissed. 
  • “Oh, my God” is used as an exclamation a few times. 

Supernatural 

  • Kayla’s parents hire a psychic who claims that Kayla is dead. The psychic was on The Opal Show and discussed how she knew Kayla was dead. The shows three-page transcript is included. 

Spiritual Content  

  • A woman comes into the pizza place to ask about Kayla. The woman tells Drew, “We’re all praying for Kayla.” 
  • Gabie’s parents “don’t believe in ghosts or spirits or witches. Or God, for that matter. Only in what they can see and touch and measure.”  
  • Kayla plans on attacking her kidnapper so she can escape. Beforehand, “I pray for my family and my friends, letting their faces come into my mind one at a time. . . And I pray that I’ll be ready. Ready to kill him. Or to kill myself, if it comes to that. Because I’d rather draw my homemade knife across my wrists than take three months to die.”  
  • After Kayla is rescued, she thinks, “Thank God I didn’t draw that homemade knife across my wrist.”  

The Knight’s Enemies

Travel back in time with brothers Arthur and Finn to help stop the castle of Sir William Malory falling and prevent the death of his daughter Eleanor. The brothers arrive just as John the Withered attacks Wroxley Castle. With the castle under attack, Arthur and Finn must help defend the castle walls. When it becomes clear that Wroxley Castle will fall into enemy hands, the brothers must find a way to save Eleanor’s life by sneaking her out of the castle. But then Arthur and Finn are accused of being spies and thrown into a medieval dungeon. Will the boys escape after being imprisoned, save Eleanor, and succeed in changing the course of history?  

The Knight’s Enemies is told from the third-person point of view, allowing the story to switch between the two brothers’ perspectives. Including both brothers’ experiences gives a broader view of castle life. When called upon, the brothers show bravery by helping defend the castle. Between battles, Arthur and Finn try to figure out how to find and save Eleanor. The action-packed scenes create a gripping adventure that highlights the brothers’ bravery and shows the importance of friendship and loyalty.  

When Arthur and Finn travel to medieval times, the brothers land at different places. This helps build background knowledge of the castle and introduces various characters. At the beginning of the book, so many characters are introduced that readers will have to pay close attention to keep track of all of them. Even though one of the story’s villains is obvious from the start, readers will be surprised when the spy is revealed.  

Short sections are interspersed throughout the book, giving more historical information, such as how to defend a castle, steps to becoming a knight, and medical weapons. The information is detailed and includes how soldiers “poured boiling water over the enemy’s heads.” Another section describes the way an enemy tried to enter the castle, including “shooting dead animal corpses over the walls to spread disease [and] shoot the heads of dead enemy soldiers over the walls to terrify the poor souls inside the castle.” Defending a castle can be brutal, and the book doesn’t shy away from describing the battles, which may upset younger readers. 

Readers will hold their breath in anticipation, wondering how Arthur and Finn will fulfill Sir William Malory’s dying wish to save his daughter. The Knight’s Enemies weaves a compelling story with a typical damsel in distress trope. However, Eleanor is not a weak woman who needs to be saved. Although her appearance is short, Eleanor helps the wounded, cares deeply for her father, and bravely escapes certain death. The exciting battle scenes and the drama surrounding Eleanor perfectly blend to create a gripping adventure. But be advised, at 160 pages The Knight’s Enemies is a quick read that will leave readers excited to read the second book in the series, The Viking’s Revenge.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • The ghost of Sir William describes the siege of Wroxley Castle. John the Withered attacked the castle and kidnapped Sir William’s daughter, Eleanor. “They sent Eleanor’s head back to me the following morning.” 
  • When Finn travels back in time, he appears along the road to Wroxley Castle. He meets Thomas Shipton. Finn saves Thomas’ life by warning him about archers hiding in the forest. “Romas hunched down into the horse’s mane as an arrow hissed between the two boys and thudded into a tree.” 
  • Finn jumps onto the horse and “Thomas kicked the horse’s side to speed them away, but as he did so, the horse screamed and reared up.” Finn falls off the horse “while Thomas shouted in alarm as his horse staggered sideways on its hind legs and then toppled heavily to the ground, an arrow protruding from its flank. . .” The horse pins Thomas to the ground. 
  • Two men run towards the boys. To save his life, “Finn drew the string back, took aim at the bigger of the two men, and released. The man collapsed to the floor, gurgling horribly as he clutched at the arrow lodged in his throat.” The man presumably dies.  
  • The remaining man shoots more arrows at Finn and Thomas. Finn shoots another arrow. “The archer gave a shout of pain.” When Finn stands up, he sees “his enemy lay[ing] motionless on his back, an arrow buried deep in his chest.” The scene is described over four pages. 
  • Sir Ralph bullies Thomas. When Arthur defends Thomas, “Sir Ralph’s eyes widened in shock. . . He sprang forward and grabbed Arthur roughly by the throat. Arthur struggled, coughing and choking, pulling at Ralph’s hands in a desperate bid to free himself.” Another man breaks up the fight. 
  • John the Withered’s men use a catapult to attack the castle. “Something shot up from the catapult, and sailed high through the air across the divide between attackers and defenders. Finn noted with a sick feeling in his stomach that whatever it was appeared to have arms and legs. . . the first missile from the attacking army had been a horribly misshapen corpse.” 
  • Pots full of burning tar are catapulted over the castle wall. “One poor soul was running around in bigger and bigger circles, wrapped from head to toe in the flickering fire. Eventually someone managed to wrestle him to the ground with a blanket and extinguished the fire.” 
  • The castle archers release arrows. “Some men dropped to the ground, but their comrades did not falter and stepped across the bodies, marching inexorably on.” The soldier next to Arthur “screamed in pain and toppled backwards off the wall spouting blood from an arrow wound to the neck.”  
  • The castle soldiers began pouring boiling water “to burn any who tried to place ladders against the outer wall.”  
  • During the battle, Finn is hit with an arrow. “He lost his footing and with a cry for help he tumbled off the wall, his helmet knocked off his head as he fell. He landed on something soft, hit his head on something hard, and lost consciousness.” 
  • As the soldiers battled, the enemy used a battering ram to break the castle’s door. “The archers above kept up a relentless shower of arrows” and flung pots filled with burning tar at the enemy. 
  • Sir Ralph accused Arthur and Finn of being spies. When Arthur tries to defend himself, Ralph yells at him, “striking Arthur savagely across the face with the back of his hand and knocking Arthur’s helmet off as he did so. Arthur stumbled backwards, clutching his stinging face. . . “ 
  • When Arthur is thrown in the dungeon, he thinks about oubliettes. “An oubliette was a deep shaft in the ground with a lid on the top. The shaft was often so narrow that there was only room to stand and breathe . . . If they really wanted someone to suffer, they would lower the poor wretch into the oubliette, stick the lid on, leave them in total darkness, and forget about them.”  
  • During the battle, Sir William Malory receives a killing blow. As he lay dying, “he broke off and coughed more blood onto his chin.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • A spy plans to give Eleanor a potion to make her “sleep like the dead.” 

Language  

  • Several times a character calls someone a name, including calling people devils, insolent dogs, little rats, and smug fools. 
  • Sir Godfrey, receives a message that John the Withered wants the castle surrendered to him. Sir Godfrey says, “John has no claim to this castle save that he is a thieving, shriveled up rogue who bullies the weak. Leave now, scoundrel or I will have you killed.”  
  • During the battle, “all hell broke loose.” 
  • Several times, the characters “curse.” No profanity is used. 

Supernatural 

  • Arthur and Finn’s grandfather created a museum about warriors throughout history. The museum is haunted and when the grandfather died, “he started haunting the place too. He felt guilty about the trapped ghost warriors and vowed he would not rest in peace until all the other ghosts were laid to rest first.” 
  • When one of the ghost warriors touches the boys, “we get transported to the time and place where the ghost lived and died. And we can’t get back until we’ve fixed whatever it is that keeps the ghost from resting in peace.” 
  • The ghost of Sir William appears in the museum. “His scar face was smeared with blood that seeped down from under his chain mail hood, and the expression he wore as he cast his stare around the room was one of pure anguish.” A picture of the knight shows blood dripping down his face. 
  • Sir William wants Arthur and Finn to travel back in time to save his daughter. “A ghostly hand gripped each boy by the neck. The air filled with mist so thick that nothing of the room could be seen, the handle flickered and died, and the boys saw only darkness.” The boys travel back to Sir William’s time. 
  • When Eleanor is safe, a “mist enveloped [Arthur and Finn], growing thicker and thicker. . . the castle and their friends vanished completely.” When they see the mist, the boys know they are going home. 

Spiritual Content  

  • As Finn climbs down the castle wall using a ladder, he must jump into a river. He was “praying that he would clear the river bank and land in the water.”  

Lucky Leopards!: And More True Stories of Amazing Animal Rescues!

“Runa and Kata: Lucky Leopards!”: Meet Runa and Kata, two baby leopards who lost their home when a woodcutter chopped down a hollow tree. To make money, the woodcutter took the cubs home, but he didn’t know how to feed them. Luckily, someone told a forest department worker about the cubs, and they were rushed to a local wildlife rescue. Will workers be able to raise the cubs and release them back into the wild? 

“Koa: Turtle in Trouble!”: One day, Nadine stopped in Newport, Oregon. On the beach, she saw an endangered sea turtle that was cold-stunned and couldn’t move. To help the turtle, a man carried the turtle on his back and put him in the back of a car. The sea turtle was taken to an aquarium to receive treatment. Could the sea turtle be saved and returned to its home? 

“Crooked Neck: The Lone Loon!”: Neil and Alina were boating when they noticed a loon with a backward neck. They discovered that the Loon was caught up in the fishing line. They tried to catch the loon, but he was too fast of a swimmer. Without help, the loon would die of starvation. Will Neil and Alina be able to save the loon? 

Based on the hit feature in National Geographic Kids magazine, National Geographic Chapter Series features three true stories about animal rescues. Each story is broken into three short chapters. The book is packed with full-color photography, lists, and infographics. Some pages also include orange boxes that contain additional facts about the animals. For example, “Did You Know? Sea Turtles have lived in Earth’s oceans for about 150 million years.”  

While reading each story, readers will learn more about the rescued animal. However, each story reminds readers that they should not try to help an injured animal—instead, they should call in a professional wildlife rescuer. The interesting facts, dialogue, and short sentences make the stories easy to read. Despite this, emerging readers may need help pronouncing difficult words, such as binoculars, dehydration, stranding, and approached. And while the stories are easy to understand, adults will need to read the book to beginning readers. 

National Geographic Chapters Series is perfect for young animal lovers who are ready for short chapters with lively, true stories just right to carry in a backpack, share with friends, and read under the covers at night. Readers will be drawn into Lucky Leopards because of the cute animal photographs, but they will want to read every page because the book is engaging. The book makes learning about animals fun. So, whether you’re looking for a story to read with a young child or trying to engage an older reader, Lucky Leopards is the purr-fect book. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Runa and Kata were put into the wild, they “attacked [a] hen. They wrestled for it. They bit. They snarled and hissed. Kata finally won the prize. Then he carried his supper straight up a tree.”
  • When a dog came into the forest, “Runa and Kata teamed up and attacked the dog! It might seem sad, but in the jungle, ‘kill or be killed’ is a way of life.”

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Before Runa and Kata were released to the wild, vets “gave Runa and Kata medicine to put them to sleep.” Then vets put radio collars on the cats. 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Prince of Song & Sea

Before Prince Eric’s mother, the Queen of Vellona, went missing two years ago, she reminded him of the deadly curse that plagued his entire life. The curse? If he were to kiss someone other than his true love, he would die. With a neighboring kingdom looking for any excuse to invade their shores, plus rumors of ghost pirates lurking the seas, Eric is desperate for any information that may help him break his enchantment and bring stability to Vellona. The answers he has been searching for come to him in the form of a letter that reveals Eric must find his true love—the one with a voice pure of heart—or kill the sea witch responsible for cursing him in the first place.

Now, Eric sets off on a quest to find the Isle of Serein, the witch’s legendary home. But after he is rescued by a mysterious young woman with a mesmerizing singing voice, Eric’s heart becomes torn. Does he enter a battle he is almost certain he cannot win, or does he chase a love that might not even exist? Then, when a shipwrecked young woman with flaming red hair and a smile that could calm the seven seas enters his life, Eric discovers true love isn’t something that can be decided by magic. 

Prince of Song & Sea retells the story of The Little Mermaid from Prince Eric’s point of view. However, most of the story focuses on Eric’s backstory, allowing Eric’s personality to become fully formed. Eric hasn’t been able to have normal relationships because of the witch’s curse. However, he does have two close friends who follow him in his quest to find the sea witch. His two friends add humor and depth to the story. Although Eric wants to break the sea witch’s curse, his reasons aren’t purely selfish. When he discovers that the sea witch wants to control Vellona, Eric puts the needs of his country above his own. Ultimately, Eric’s quest allows his bravery and compassion to shine.  

Anyone who loves The Little Mermaid will find Prince of Song & Sea a fun read. While it stays true to the Disney version of the story, focusing on Eric’s life adds an interesting perspective that allows readers to understand why Ariel was willing to risk her life for Eric’s love. Ariel is not portrayed as a love-sick teenager but as a curious, brave, and selfless woman. While some readers may miss Skuttle and Sabastian in this version of the story, Ariel is still a loveable character. 

Fans of fairytales will be swept into Prince Eric’s life and enjoy seeing what the world looks like from his point of view. While Prince of Song & Sea is an enjoyable read, it mirrors The Little Mermaid, which makes the story less suspenseful. Despite this, readers who love fairytales and mermaids will find Prince of Song & Sea entertaining. 

Sexual Content  

  • Eric thinks about kissing Ariel. Eric thinks, “She was wild and beautiful, hair damp with the sea. As they stared at each other, her tongue wet her lips, and Eric couldn’t help wondering what they would feel like against his own. They both leaned closer, her eyes fluttering shut. Eric reached for her, and – the boat tipped.” 
  • One of the female pirates flirts with another girl, and later, the two marry each other. 

Violence  

  • Pirates attack the ship Eric, and his friends are sailing. “A footstep cracked behind Eric. He twisted away, the blade of a short sword piercing the railing where he had been. . . Eric rammed his hilt into [the pirates’] temples.” 
  • Eric’s adviser, Grimsby, fights a pirate named Sauer. “Grimsby plunged his hand into his coat. A shot rang out. Sauer fell backward, blood splattering across the rail. They steadied themselves, blood dripping down their badly grazed cheek, and covered their faces with a hand.” Sauer is injured but doesn’t die. 
  • The pirates tie up the crew. “A purple welt marred Vanni’s cheek, and Gabriella’s bottom lip was busted. Not a single person had died, but neither were they unharmed.” The pirate battle is described over five pages. 
  • After the pirates capture Eric and his crew, they encounter sirens, which can make people see what they most desire. One of Eric’s friends, Gabriella, “lunged toward the edge of the ship…A wide, glassy grief lit her eyes, and she choked back a sob.” 
  • A supernatural storm batters the ship. “Another wave washed over the ship, rocking it to its side, and half the crew vanished in a blink.” The ship breaks up during the storm, and everyone climbs into a rowboat. Eric hears his dog, Max, and climbs back onto the ship. “His foot plunged through the wood, and he tossed Max as hard as he could. The dog vanished over the side of the ship. . . Pain shot through his ankle, and his heart stopped with each clunk of the loose barrels rolling across the fiery deck. . . And the world exploded.” Eric reawakens on the beach. 
  • The crew is attacked by “a malformed tentacle made up of eels. Hundreds of them were knotted together in one monstrous mass, the tangles so tight that blood rained. . . The tentacle curled over the ship, snapping rope and ripping away part of the sails, and gripped two of the masts tight.”  
  • The eels are able to generate electricity. “A terrible crack split the air. . . suddenly the eels along the tentacle bared their teeth. Eric lunged at it, butting through one of the small eels.” When Eric kills the eels’ leaders, “they untangled themselves from the knot of eels, and the electricity fizzled out.” No person is seriously injured. The scene is described over five pages. 
  • Ursula, the sea witch, disguises herself as Vanessa and compels Eric to marry her. But before the wedding, seagulls attack. “The flock swooped again, dropping half-eaten fish and seaweed on the deck. Vanessa shrieked, and the guests scattered. . . the world became a swirl of white feathers. . . A pair of sea lions barreled through the crowd, sliding across the deck and into Vanessa.”  
  • Ursula changes into her true form, grabs Ariel, and jumps into the sea. Eric follows on a dinghy. Ursula “had pinned Ariel against a rock, jabbing the trident at Ariel’s neck. . .[Eric] hauled his arm back before launching the harpoon. It sliced through Ursula’s arm, drawing a hazy cloud of blue blood.” Ariel escapes. 
  • Ursula’s eels grab Eric and “pulled him deeper and deeper, and salt burned in Eric’s eyes. He struggled against his hold, but teeth nipped at his hands every time he tried to break free.” A fish rams into the eels, and Eric gets free. 
  • Ursula causes a whirlpool that “pulled Eric in, sucking him beneath the waves and the holey hull of an old ship passed over him.” Eric pulls himself onto the ship. Before Ursula can kill Ariel, “Eric screamed, muscles aching at the grip it took to keep the ship steady. . . the bowsprit cut through her stomach, impaling her, and the pale waters ran sapphire blue with her blood.” Ursula dies. The battle is described over 14 pages.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • When a storm arrives, a crew member asks, “Which one of you pissed off Triton?” 

Supernatural 

  • Eric’s mother “saw a body floating in the surf. It was a child, small and chilled to the bone. . .” Eric’s mother saved the child, but a witch claimed that the child was hers. When Eric’s mother refused to hand the child over, the witch cursed her unborn child. The witch said, “If that thing in your belly ever kisses someone without a voice as pure as their spotless soul, someone who isn’t its true love, then it will die, and I will drag its soul to the bottom of the sea.”  
  • Before going on a voyage, Eric’s friend Gabriella “tipped a full bottle of wine into the sea before they left the bay as tribute to King Triton of the Sea, and there had been clear skies since.” 
  • Eric hears rumors of a Blood Tide and a ghost ship. “Once you acknowledge the ghosts are there, they ensnare you and force you to make a deal with them. Used to be they just offered. Now you have no choice.” The ghosts use their voice to control people.  
  • The legend behind the Blood Tide and the witch is explained. People would “make a deal with something in the depths so they could live their wildest dreams. The costs, though, were always souls.” 
  • There is a debate about whether ghosts are people who are dead. The pirates capture a ghost, who is “as translucent as a spiderweb in the wrong light.”
  • The witch captures souls, and “they require no maintenance other than a space to store them.” The witch turned Eric’s mother, Eleanora, into a ghost. “A ribbon of seagrass burrowed into her chest. Her form spun and shrunk, bones cracking and mouth open in a silent scream. She condensed. . . all that was left in her place was a ragged brown blade of grass with two branches like flailing arms. It shimmered with trapped magic.” 
  • The witch knows how to use magic in various ways, including how to compel people. At one point, the witch changes into a beautiful woman who uses her voice to control Eric. In addition, “the witch can transform people into whatever they want.” 
  • Nora discovers that one of her parents was from the mer world. Because of this, Nora transforms into a mermaid when she goes into the ocean. A merman explains, “You should’ve been taught how to control the transformation so that it became as natural as breathing. Most children who are part human and part merfolk transform every time they leave or enter the sea, but it can very much be controlled.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

City of Wishes

Make a wish. . . During the New Year’s break, Plum and her friends travel to fancy, fashionable Nakhon City to stay with Sam and his mother, the powerful Lady Ubon. The New Year always brings food, parties, and the grand old tradition of making a wish. 

At first, Plum is dazzled by the big city. But under the glittering surface, many secrets lurk. Mysterious tremors that shake the ground are growing worse by the day. Nakhon’s troubles give Plum a chance to fulfill her own New Year’s wish: to do something big and meaningful with her Guardian powers. But how far will she have to go, and what will she have to give up, to make that wish come true? 

City of Wishes follows Plum and her friends as they travel to Nakhon Island, which is overpopulated. Plum and her friend Cherry are excited to explore Sam’s world—one of wealth and power. Their fun is interrupted when the city experiences several tremors that endanger the citizens. Plum and her friends discover Master Render, an ancient rock creature who is responsible for the tremors. Unfortunately, Master Render acts like a small child whose primary concern is food. Master Render’s appearance adds little to the story other than helping Plum escape from Nakhon Island.  

Sam’s mother, Lady Ubon, offers Plum an opportunity to become a leader for the city. In her quest to become someone important, Plum loses sight of what is important. When trouble erupts, Plum realizes, “Wanting something—wanting it with your entire heart—could make you forget everything else was important.” Even though the villain works for Lady Ubon, Plum and Sam are confident that the villain works alone. This trust doesn’t feel authentic because Lady Ubon knows that the problems surrounding overpopulation have no clear solution. To solve the problem, the villain is determined to take over Lotus Island so the residents of Nakhon Island can relocate. 

Rella, a girl who was expelled from the Guardian Academy, makes another appearance. Plum and most of the other students believe that Rella is untrustworthy. In the end, Rella helps Plum and her friends escape the island, and she serves as a reminder that some mistakes cannot be fixed. Rella knows she can never return to the Guardian Academy and says, “I wish I could do everything differently. But I can’t. Those are wishes that will never come true.”   

City of Wishes feels a little disjointed because the story lacks focus. Plum and her friends explore the island; however, their adventures are not described in detail, which may make it difficult for some readers to visualize the setting. However, black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the book to give readers a visual of the diverse characters and some of the key scenes.  

Readers who have read the other books in the series will enjoy seeing the characters in a new light. City of Wishes concludes with Master Render, Plum, and Cherry leaving Nakhon Island and traveling to an unknown destination, which sets the scene for the next book in the series, Temple of Secrets. Adventure-loving readers ready to jump into books with a more advanced plot should read the Legend of the Animal Healer Series by Lauren St. John and the Explorer Academy Series by Trudi Trueit.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Plum and her friends discover that a man plans to use hoverbots to attack Lotus Island. To stop the hoverbots, Plum and her friends turn into their Guardian forms. The hoverbots “were becoming mirror images. . . of us. . . Each of the hover bots had shifted their shapes to mimic our Guardian forms.” 
  • The hoverbots attack Plum and her friends. Plum changes into a roan. “Suddenly it reared back on its hind legs and charged straight into me. I lowered my antlers just in time to take the shock. . . The roan-bot slammed its head against mine. Stars flashed at the edges of my vision as I staggered back.”  
  • A sloth-bot attacks Mikko. “The sloth-bot reared its blocky fist back, aiming a blow straight for Mikko’s face. . . Before the punch could land, the bot was tackled by a large mass of gray fur. . . The bot was fighting an enormous wolfhound.” The battle is described over six pages; no one is seriously injured. 
  • Using Guardian magic, Rella changes into shadows. “The shadows pulsed like they were alive. . . The shadow mass oozed towards [the hoverbots], wrapping itself around them until they disappeared into the dark.” Rella disables the hoverbots. 
  • Rella uses her magic on the villain. Shadows “wove themselves around him, covering him like a cloak. We heard his muffled cries from inside the shadows, but we couldn’t see him at all.” Plum and her friends flee. It is unclear what happens to the villain. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • “Holy pomelo seeds,” “holy celery,” “Holy fern fronds,” and “holy smokes” are used as exclamations. 
  • A girl is called a “sneaking skunk.” 

Supernatural 

  • The students learn how to turn into mythical creatures, such as a fox bat and a gillybear. When they’re in their guardian form, they have special powers. 
  • One of Plum’s powers is to strengthen the other guardian’s powers.  
  • When Plum’s friend is in danger, Plum touches a yamyam tree and “pictured a golden thread running between me and the yamyam tree. I imagined my energy flowing from my antlers, through her bark, deep into her green heartwood. . . Decades of time flashed in seconds and the tree grew tall, then taller still.”  
  • Plum’s mother put a wish in a shell. When the shell becomes hot, Plum blows into its opening, and a “tiny pinprick of light” appears within the shell. Plum hears her mother’s voice, and then “the white light floated out of the shell and hovered in front of my face.” Plum and her friends follow the light to a cave. Once there, they meet a rock creature. Plum is the only one who can talk to the creature. 
  • Hoverbots say ancient chants that turn them into guardian forms. 
  • Plum strengthens Rella, one of the Guardians. “The moment her paw touched my hoof, I felt a zing. It was stronger than what I had felt with the others, like an electric jolt. . .” Rella can create and control shadows. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

How to Speak Cat: A Guide to Decoding Cat Language

We know cats are beautiful, secretive, and independent … but even the most loyal cat owners are often baffled by their own pet’s behavior. With veterinarian expert Dr. Gary Weitzman as guide, this fun book helps kids understand what cats are trying to communicate by their body language and behavior. So, if you’ve ever wondered what Fluffy means when she’s purring or moving her tail emphatically from left to right—this book is for you! It’s full of insights, expert advice, and real-life cat scenarios. It also showcases more than 30 poses, so you’ll soon learn what each meow and flick of the tail means! 

Every cat lover should read How to Speak Cat. Each page is packed full of information and illustrations that make learning about cats a delight. Even though the book covers a vast array of cat topics, the text is broken down into smaller parts and includes headlines, subheadings, lists, infographs, and “Dr. Gary’s Vet Tips.” Each two page spread features cats, colorful quotes, and bite-sized sections that are easy to read. How to Speak Cat is educational and engaging. Each page feels like you’ve opened a treasure chest full of sparkling knowledge, unexpected facts, and frame-worthy cat portraits.  

Anything you’ve ever wondered about cats can be learned in How to Speak Cat. However, the facts are so interesting and the pictures so adorable that the book will appeal to any animal lover. And if you have a pet cat, then How to Speak Cat is a must read because it will help you keep your beloved pet healthy and safe. And if you haven’t had enough cute cats after reading How to Speak Cat, the book includes a website that allows you to view cats in action. If you’re ready to take a deep dive into the lives of cats, then snuggle up with your favorite feline and read How to Speak Cat.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Dr. Gary informs readers on how to keep their cats healthy and safe. For example, “We need to worry about cats and cars. Besides the risk of being run over, cats love sleeping in or underneath parked automobiles. . . Many are horribly injured when their unsuspecting owners leave for work. The hiding cats either get cut by turning fan belts or thrown out of the wheel wells at high speed.”  
  • Cats’ hunting habits are described, and one full-page picture shows a cat with a dead mouse in its mouth. Cats “bring their trophy home to show their family and eat it later. Even mountain lions drag their prey into the woods. . .nibble it little by little. . . house cats return with their catch.”  
  • Hunting can be risky for cats. “A captured bird could poke her in the eye with its beak. A rat could bite her ears or face.” 
  • A cat’s whiskers help her hunt. “If all goes well, the cat will attack, deliver a killing bite, and savor his catch. . . a cat could end up with a live rat dangling from his mouth. Then the rat could turn on the cat and injure him badly.” 
  • Coyotes pose a threat to cats. “Coyotes regularly feast on cats—both feral and pets. . . [In Tampa, Florida] two coyotes grabbed hold of a pet cat—one grabbed her by the neck and the other by the tail. They were shaking her violently, when Jack the pitbull rushed into the fray. Jack scared off the coyotes and freed the cat, who suffered a broken tooth and swelling in the brain. But she survived. . .” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • When cats have lasting anxiety, “Prozac and other anti-anxiety drugs developed for humans also help cats.”

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • In Ancient Persia “the Egyptians worshipped the goddess Bastet, who is thought to take the form of a cat.” 
  • Pope Innocent VIII proclaims that “cats are witches in disguise. As a result, all over Europe, cats are tortured and killed on sight.” 

Unwholly

Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simultaneously providing much-needed organs for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question.

But unwinding is a big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished. And the minds behind unwinding have already begun pushing its boundaries.

Cam is the first “rewound,” a futuristic Frankenstein’s monster who does not technically exist and is made entirely out of unwinds’ body parts. He struggles with his identity and the question of whether he has a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter inextricably bind Cam’s fate with the those of Connor, Risa, and Lev, Cam comes to question humanity itself. 

Unwholly introduces several new aspects that shine more light on the practice of unwinding teens by introducing several new characters, including Cam. When people are first introduced to Cam, many of them believe he is an abomination and not human. However, Cam’s creator, Roberta, is a master of deception who uses the media and Risa to convince others that Cam is indeed a unique person worthy of admiration. When Cam compares himself to the monster Frankenstein, Roberta says, “That monster was made from dead flesh, but you are made of the living! That creature was a violation of all things natural, but you, Cam, you are a new world wonder!” At first, Risa hates Cam, but when she’s forced to spend time with him, she begins to view him as a person instead of a thing. This change allows Risa and the reader to see Cam’s humanity.  

Because human parts are in high demand, the black market has thrived. Nelson, a parts pirate, uses traps to lure in unsuspecting teens. Once they are in Nelson’s hands, their fate is sealed—they will be unwound, and nobody—not Nelson or his buyer—cares if the teen belongs to a loving family. Money is the prime motivator when it comes to providing parts to the wealthy. Readers will come to hate Nelson, as he is truly evil. However, Nelson is not the only new character who is easy to hate; Starkey a stork saved from unwinding, has grand plans to make storks the center of attention. In his quest to become the storks’ leader, he is willing to take down anyone in his path—including Connor.   

Unwholly allows the reader to understand how unwinding has become a part of society. Through the practice of unwinding, parents are allowed to play God. However, unlike God, parents are often selfish and are too caught up in their own emotional turmoil to make logical decisions. For instance, Hayden’s divorced parents sign the unwind papers because they’d rather see Hayden unwound than in the custody of the other parent. Other parents sign the unwind papers when cash is offered. When it comes to unwinding, Shusterman makes the reader look into the cruelty and compassion surrounding the teens sentenced to “a divided state.”  

The second installment of the Unwind Dystology is a disturbingly dark tale that forces the reader to ask questions about the value of human life. While the first installment focuses on Connor’s, Risa’s, and Lev’s fight for their life, Unwholly delves into the evil that exists in the world. While the story is gripping and thought provoking, it may inspire nightmares. Readers who want a tamer book should consider leaving the Unwind Dystology on the shelf.  

Sexual Content  

  • Mason Starkey tells his mom, “Hey, Mom, by the way . . . Dad’s late nights at the office aren’t really at the office. They’re with your friend Nancy.” 
  • Connor and Risa love each other. “With no other way to prove his feelings, he reaches forward with his own hand, pushes the hair back from her face, then leans in, giving her a powerful kiss.” 
  • Looking for a companion, Cam interviews a series of girls. One girl “fauns all over him” and says, “I’d would love to be your first. You can do that, can’t you?” 
  • Risa and Cam are talking when Risa “kisses him. It’s more than a peck, but only slightly more.” 
  • Cam helps Risa escape. Before she leaves, “she leans forward and kisses him on the cheek. He feels it like an electric shock in all the seams of his face.”  

Violence  

  • Throughout the book, many people are shot with a tranq gun. Not all examples are included below. 
  • When Mason Starkey was in fourth grade, he “flipped a boy off the top platform of the jungle gym. The kid had suffered a concussion and a broken arm.”  
  • Two Juvey-cops, whom Starkey calls Mouthpiece and Lady-Lips, pick up Starkey. While being transported, Starkey gets out of his handcuffs, and “slides the penknife he used to pick the lock out of his sleeve, grips it in his hand, and slashes it across Lady-Lip’s face. The man screams, and blood flows from a four-inch wound.” Starkey runs. 
  • Mouthpiece catches up to Starkey. “Mouthpiece turns him around and pushes him against the brick wall, hard enough to scrape and bruise his face. . . [Starkey] elbows Mouthpiece in the gut and spins around, grabbing the gun. . .” 
  • The gun goes off, and Starkey sees, “Blood! Blood everywhere! . . . In front of him, Mouthpiece’s face is a red, pulpy mess. The man goes down, dead before he hits the pavement and—” Another Juvey-cop arrives, and Starkey shoots him. The two Juvey-cops die. 
  • One of the characters is a parts pirate who traps kids to sell them. This man pretends to be drunk one night, and Starkey picks his pocket. Starkey “opens the wallet, and the second he does, a jolt of electricity courses through him with such power his feet fall out from under him, and he’s left semiconscious on the ground, twitching. A stun-wallet.” The drunk “shoves him in the back of a waiting van.” 
  • While being taken to a harvest camp, a girl named Miracolina sees “half a dozen people dressed in black with faces hidden by ski masks come leaping out of the woods from all directions. The chauffeur is hit with a tranq bullet to the neck and goes down like an overstuffed rag doll.” Someone grabs her, and Miracolina “kicks, and bites, and claws in terror and outrage.” Miracolina is shot with a tranq gun. Miracolina is kidnapped to save her life. 
  • Cam gets angry and begins “hurling a plate across the room, then another, then another. Roberta has to duck, and now the whole world is flying dishes and silverware and glass. In an instant, the guards are on him, pulling him back to his room, strapping him to the bed—something they haven’t done for over a week.” 
  • Connor confronts a man who works for the resistance. They argue, and Connor hits him. “The punch connects with the man’s eye, and he stumbles backward into the bulkhead. He looks at Connor not with contempt, but with fear. . .” The man leaves. 
  • Connor isn’t sure if he can trust Trace, a man in Connor’s inner circle. Connor plans to ambush Trace, but Trace “kicks Connor’s legs out from under him, grabs the gun out of his hand, twists him around, and pushes him cheek-first into the dirt, wrenching [Connor’s arm donor’s] arm painfully behind his back. Connor can feel the seam of the graft threatening to tear loose.” The two work out their problems, and no one is injured. 
  • A nicotine-addicted boy falls into a pit while trying to get cigarettes. For fun, the parts pirate pretends that he’ll let the boy flee, but “the tranq dart hits him right in the back of the neck, delivering a full dose directly into his brain stem. His legs buckle beneath him. . .” The parts pirate sells the boy to an illegal organ criminal market. Several other times, the parts pirates use different tricks to trap teens and sell them. 
  • A girl posing as a Girl Scout is let into Lev and his brother Marcus’ house. She detonates a bomb, and “the explosion blows Lev back against the wall, and the sofa flips on top of him, pinning him there. Shattering glass, crumbling timbers—and a shooting pain in his ears so bad he’s convinced his skull has split open.”  
  • Lev’s brother Marcus is in the kitchen with a beam embedded in his gut. “There’s blood everywhere—but Marcus is still alive. . . With all his strength, Lev lifts the beam. Marcus screams in pain, and Lev, holding the beam up with his shoulder, pushes Marcus out of the way. . .” Lev’s wounds are minor, but Marcus only survives because he gets parts from an unwound teen. 
  • During the explosion, Dan “was blasted backward against the wall. A huge bloodstain in the rough shape of his body marks his impact, and now he lies a lifeless heap on the floor.” 
  • When Miracolina [a girl scheduled to be unwound] tries to escape, she uses metal serving trays to stop the tranq guns from knocking her out. Lev catches her. Miracolina, “pushing Lev, scratching at him. She tears the platter from her chest and swings it. It connects with his head with a heavy band. He falls, but he’s right back up again.” The two run away together.  
  • While researching the Heartland War, Connor discovers that hundreds of thousands of teens were protesting. “Those same angry kids are calling for change, and when they don’t get it, they hit the streets, forming random mobs, burning cars, breaking windows, letting loose a kind of communal fury. . .” These events happened before the president was assassinated. 
  • Starkey and some others go to “rescue” Jesus LaVega. Jesus doesn’t know this, and “Starkey turns in time to see a baseball bat swinging at him. He ducks, and the bat breezes past an inch from his head. . .” Jesus swings the bat again and, “It connects with Starkey’s side. An explosion of pain. Starkey goes down. . .” 
  • When Jesus continues to swing the bat, one of Starkey’s teens hits Jesus with a “large football trophy and swings the marble base at his head. The heavy stone connects with the back of Jesus’s head, and he crumples to the ground instantly. . . Blood pours out of his head, soaking the carpet.” Jesus is dead.  
  • Upset that Jesus is dead, Starkey hits the boy’s father. “Starkey swings his foot, connecting with the man’s torso. . . Starkey kicks again and again. The man screams, the man moans, but Starkey keeps swinging his foot, unable to stop . . . The man, bloody and beaten, still has enough strength to crawl out the door.” Starkey sets the family’s house on fire as he leaves. 
  • In a multi-chapter conclusion, the “Graveyard,” where Connor and others sentenced to be unwound are hiding, is raided by Juvenile Authority. There is chaos with both cops and teens shooting tranq bullets and real bullets.  
  • Miracolina and a kid on guard duty are both hit with tranq bullets and go down. “Then out of nowhere, a police battering ram, its headlights dark, crashes through with such speed that the gates fly off their hinges. [A guard] dives out of the way just in time, and when he looks back, he sees his unconscious friend turned to roadkill by the wheels of the battering ram . . .”  
  • When the riot squad arrives, Connor’s team must take cover. “Connor’s there, but his brain won’t give rise to words. Beside him, [a girl] lies draped over the leg of the upended pool table with a tranq bullet in her neck—but worse than that is the horse-faced boy. He took a real bullet to the forehead.” 
  • While fighting a Juvey-cop, Connor “takes the Juvey out—not with a bullet, but with the butt of his rifle.” 
  • Hayden and a group of teens lock themselves in a plane. The Juvey-cops turn off the power so the plane heats in the desert sun. The teens say they would rather die than be unwound, but after one boy dies, Hayden shoots out a window, and they give themselves up to the Juvey-cops. 
  • Starkey and his loyal group leave the Graveyard on a plane that Trace is flying. The plane hits an armored riot truck. “The starboard landing tear clips the truck, sending it tumbling like a toy, and a huge chunk of the landing gear rips loose. . .” The truck blows up, presumably killing everyone on board.  
  • The plane that Starkey and his group are on makes a water landing. “The fire outside provides enough light for Starkey to see to the far recesses of the main cabin, and he wishes he hadn’t looked. The dead are everywhere. Blood is smeared on every surface, sticky and thick. . .” Starkey plans to leave the critically injured because they “are just liabilities.”  
  • Trace asks Starkey to help him escape the plane, but Starkey refuses. As the plane sinks into the water, “Trace cranes his neck, trying to keep his head above water as long as he can. Then he takes one deep gulp of air, holds it, and he’s underwater. . . His body burns through the last of its oxygen; then, resigned to his fate, Trace releases his final breath. . . It’s as awful as he imagined it might be, but he knows it won’t last long.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • One of the characters is angry that he remembers “when you were three years old, and your mom, all doped up on pain medication from your sister’s cesarean delivery, took you to a fire station and begged them to take you away and make you ward of the state.” 
  • An advertisement for unwinding includes information about a seventeen-year-old girl who “got drunk, crashed her car, and killed two innocent people.”  
  • Cam is given Tylenol-aspirin for pain. 
  • Cam is given “graft-grade healing cream” to erase his scars. “He can feel the tingling as the engineered microorganisms in the cream do their job.” 
  • When a boy is injured, he is given a shot of “epinephrine,” which is “the same as adrenaline.” 
  • When someone discovers who Risa is, she threatens to kill herself with “a subcutaneous cyanide pill.” Later, the readers learn that this is not true. 
  • Someone notices Connor’s muscles and says, “I hope to God you’re not shooting up those damn military steroids they have the boeufs [soldiers]  on; they shrink your testicles down to peanuts.” Connor isn’t using steroids. 
  • There is a reference to real Russian vodka and “Tequila from before the agave extinction.”  
  • To get out of handcuffs, Starkey intentionally breaks his hand and then takes morphine for the pain. 

Language  

  • Profanity is often used such as ass, bitch, crap, damn, goddamn, freaking, hell, and piss.  
  • Jesus, my God, good God, and for God’s sake are used as exclamations occasionally.  
  • There is some name-calling, including asshole, bastard, bitch, lowlife, idiot, moron, and pompous baffoons. 

Supernatural 

  • When a person is given a body part from an unwound person, the body part remembers what the person learned. For example, Cam’s brain was assembled using many different people’s brains. Thus, Cam often has flashes of their memories.  

Spiritual Content  

  • Pastor Dan and Lev talk to kids in juvenile detention. Pastor Dan says, “The Lord works in mischievous ways.” 
  • Pastor Dan left the church, but he said, “I still believe in God, just not a God who condones human tithing.” 
  • Miracolina, who is Catholic, has always known she would be tithed. Her priest tells her, “The Vatican has yet to take a position on unwinding, and so until it is either condoned or condemned, I can be as uncertain about it as I please.” 
  • Miracolina’s name means miracle. “She was named this because she was conceived to save her brother’s life. Her brother, Matteo, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was ten.” Her parents “made a pact with God that if you were born, and Matteo was saved, we would show our gratitude by gifting you back to God through tithing.”  
  • Miracolina is upset that she was “rescued” from being unwound. At one point, she thinks, “Perhaps that’s why I have been put on this path, to humble me and make me realize that I can be a hater, just like anyone.” 
  • While talking to Lev, Miracolina says, “Miracles are the property of God.” Lev answers, “Miracles are gifts from God. To call them property insults the spirit in which they are given.”  
  • Miracolina and a teacher discuss the soul. When a person dies, the soul goes to God. When a person is unwound, what happens to the soul? According to the teacher, “if your soul leaves this world, then voluntary unwinding is no different from assisted suicide—and in the Catholic religion, suicide is a mortal sin. Which means that by your own beliefs, you’d be going to hell.”  
  • When a storm is brewing, Miracolina “has to believe that God has brought this storm for her, so she can escape—so she can do what she was meant to do. And if she does get struck by lightning, well, that would be a sign from above too, wouldn’t it. So she says a silent prayer. ‘Lord, if what I’m doing is wrong, then by all means, strike me down. Otherwise set me free.’” 
  • Cam was programmed with the Bible in three languages. “Risa has to laugh at the audacity of his creators—did it occur to them that filling him with biblical knowledge while playing God was the ultimate hubris?” 
  • When Miracolina and Lev are captured by a parts pirate, Lev says, “Then maybe you should start praying. I sure am.” 
  • At one point, Lev realizes that “he did not need to be adored or pitied. He needed to be forgiven. Not by God, who is all forgiving . . . He needed to be forgiven by an unforgiving world. By someone who once despised him. Someone like Miracolina.” 
  • When Miracolina is shot by a Juvey-cop, Lev prays that she isn’t dead or maimed. 
  • As Connor and Lev flee the Graveyard, Lev thinks, “How stupid would it be, if, after all this, Connor and I both die in a car accident because I don’t know how to drive? He can only thank God the road is straight.” 
  • When Hayden and a group of teens think they are going to die, Hayden “says the Lord’s prayer. . . Tad and several others are quick to join in. . . Nasim begins to recite an Islamic prayer, and Lizbeth covers her eyes, chanting the Shema in Hebrew.” 

Deep Water

Six hours. One marathon swim.

That’s all Tully Birch needs to get her life straightened out. With the help of her best friend, Arch, Tully braves the waters of Lake Tahoe to break the record for the youngest person ever to complete the famous “Godfather swim.” She wants to achieve something no one in the world has done, because if she does, maybe, just maybe, her mom will come back.

The swim starts off well—heart steady, body loose, Arch in charge of snacks as needed. But for Tully, all that time alone with her thoughts allows memories to surface. And in the silence of deep waters, sadness can sink you. When the swim turns dangerous, Tully fights for her survival. Does she keep going and risk her own safety and Arch’s? Or does she quit to save them both, even if it means giving up hope that her mother will return? 

Tully is a likable protagonist who struggles with her mom’s disappearance. She decides to make the swim to prove to her mom that “I am HERE, and I am ALIVE, and I’m worth showing up for.” Tully thinks her mother abandoned her because she didn’t love her. Since the story is written from Tully’s perspective, the reader gets an in-depth view of Tully’s emotions and thought process, which allows readers to empathize with Tully’s situation.  

Tully’s friend, Arch, reluctantly agrees to help Tully secretly swim the “Godfather swim.” He helps Tully navigate, tells her stories, and tries to keep Tully from overthinking. However, his presence also increases the story’s tension by highlighting the dangers that Tully faces in the water. In addition, Arch is left to intercept text messages from both of their parents. While Arch doesn’t reveal Tully’s whereabouts, his parents use his phone’s GPS to locate them. Tully’s dad and the Coast Guard use this information to find the two teens. When they arrive, Arch’s relief is understandable.  

Deep Water compassionately explores the difficulties of living with a parent with a mental illness. Knowing that her mother has a mental illness doesn’t lessen Tully’s hurt and confusion when her mother disappears, especially because her family “has things we are not supposed to talk about that sit in the corner of the room like a pile of dirty clothes which has been there so long you stop seeing it.” The story’s conclusion doesn’t give a solution to Tully’s inner turmoil; however, the ending hints that Tully will learn how to navigate her emotions with the help of her father, her friend, and a counselor.  

Tully’s story comes to life in verse, which keeps the story moving at a fast pace and enhances Tully’s emotions. Occasionally, the text is placed to create a visual element that enhances the story’s emotion. For example, when a lightning storm threatens Tully, the text is written to look like a lightning bolt. Deep Water uses a unique premise to explore family dynamics and mental illness. In the end, Tully realizes that, “Maybe perfection isn’t possible without sacrifice. But I don’t want to be perfect if it means ending up alone.”  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Brent is mean to Tully’s friend, she “gave Brent a gentle shove, which just so happened to cause him to trip, because Brent’s ego is so big it makes him lose his balance.” Tully was suspended for two days. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Tully’s mother took medication for a mental illness. However, the mental illness and medication aren’t named. 

Language  

  • Tully thinks that if her mother died, people would say things like: “She’s at peace now.” Tully thinks words like this are “a load of crap.”

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • When Tully picks a date to swim her marathon, she “prayed to the weather gods to bless our journey.” 

Glass: A Cinderella Tale

In a grand glass house, there was a girl named Bess whose power would, one day, change the fate of her family. . . Bess Wickham has always felt like a bit of an outcast among her family of extraordinary glassblowers, but then an immense, magical power that’s lain dormant in her bloodline begins to emerge. So, when she suspects her family’s business has taken a sinister turn, Bess must find the strength to defeat dark magic and save a certain cinder girl. But will she shatter under the weight of such evil or get her happily ever after? 

Glass is a prequel to the Cinderella story from the perspective of the young fairy godmother, Bess. While readers will sympathize with Bess’s situation, many readers will have difficulty connecting with Bess. Bess’s family does not understand her, so she often escapes into the forest with her animal friends. Much of the conflict revolves around Bess’s inner turmoil, and when she eventually runs away, she spends most of her time alone. Unfortunately, Bess’s personality isn’t given much room to shine, and although she eventually becomes Ella’s fairy godmother, their connection feels weak and forced. 

When Ella’s grandfather dies, Ella is forced to leave the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and go to live with her distant cousins, the Wickhams. Soon, Ella is forced into slavery. Luckily, Bess’s owl friend Ulli sweeps in and saves Ella’s life by bringing her warm clothes, blankets, and food. Although Bess knows about Ella’s horrible situation, she is too fearful to confront her family about their cruel behavior. Like Bess, most of Ella’s interactions with the family are described second-hand, which makes it difficult to understand her suffering. Likewise, when Bess finally decides to help Ella, her motives are unclear. This makes their happy ending seem like a coincidence that lacks a reason to celebrate. 

One of Bess’s attributes is her love of the natural world, including plants and animals. Unfortunately, Bess’s love of plants leads to long descriptions, which slow the plot down. Likewise, Ella loves the stars and dreams of becoming a comet chaser. Like Bess, Ella describes the night skies with excessive detail. Both Bess’s and Ella’s descriptions are full of jargon, and some of the language will be difficult for readers to understand. For example, one page uses the following words: social stratifications, keenly, pertaining, astral tables, relics, curators, spectroscopic studies, and lickspittles. 

Readers who want an exciting and adventurous story will find Glass lacking both. However, readers who love the natural world and exploring characters’ inner thoughts will enjoy Glass because of its unique twist on the Cinderella story. Since the book includes complicated magic and long descriptions, Glass is best suited for strong readers who don’t get discouraged when encountering new vocabulary. Readers who want a more playful story and are eager to enter the fairytale world can find magical stories by reading Maggie and the Flying Horse by E.D. Baker, If the Shoe Fits by Sarah Mlynowski, and The Prince Problem by Vivian Vande Velde. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • An owl gets impaled by a glass plant. “The blossoms were red, bloodred, and the needles were sharp. And there, hanging from the needles, was the owl she had seen. The owl her father had cursed and threatened to shoot now hung bleeding from the Blood Thorn lilies. Its white-speckled breast feathers were drenched in blood.” Bess treats the owl’s wounds, and it heals. 
  • One of Bess’s animal friends, a wolf, is shot. Afterward, Bess’s mother says she will taxidermy “just the head, my dear. They’re cutting it off and sending it over. But we are also going to make a glass casting of it.”  
  • Bess’s mother traps a titmouse and turns it into a figurine. Bess’s sisters “glanced at the shattered mirrors and the torn-up body of the titmouse. With one wing askew, the other was caught in a strange wild flight of its own, with no body attached. A glistening vaporous cloud began to form in the mirrored box over the remnant body parts of the titmouse.” A few seconds later, the titmouse had lost its soul. 
  • When Ella reveals her glass slipper, her family “seize her.” Ella “felt her dress ripping as Charles seized the skirt. Then Olivia grabbed her hair. The two together were wrestling her to the ground. . . [Ella] sunk her teeth into Olivia’s ankle. Charles was cursing her and reached down to grab her neck, but she raised her knee and kicked him in the groin.”  
  • To help Ella escape, Bess uses magic. “Estrella gasped as she watched Rose, Olivia, and their parents suddenly grow rigid and, then within seconds, turn transparent. Their eyes glared in a glassy, paralytic horror. . . The noise grew louder and was followed by the din of shattering glass as the Wickham family, one by one, crashed to the floor.” Bess had turned them into glass. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Bess’s father says, “My Lord” one time. 
  • Bess’s father describes her as being hek-ish. “He touched his heart as he said the dangerous word—as he did any word to do with witches or witchish things. It was an ancient custom to touch one’s heart when one said a forbidden or dangerous word like hek-ish.” Later, he says, “Hek-ish, by God!” 

Supernatural 

  • Some people believed that Bess’s grandmother was a witch. Grannie said, “Witchcraft nonsense. Your mamma would have lost that hand she burned when she was learning to take the glass off the blowpipe if I hadn’t bound it in sphagnum.”  
  • Bess talks in the wolf’s language and then faints. Her father says, “It was as if you were seized by some. . . some unnatural spirit.”  
  • Bess worries when her father uses the term unnatural spirit. “Two words from the witch-burning times in England. . . Surly her parents didn’t think she was a witch.” Her parents do believe Bess is a witch.  
  • Bess’s family uses magic to trap animal’s souls and turn them into glass figurines. “The creature is fed an ominous brew of melted crystals sweetened with honey. The animal quickly becomes addled and loses its bearings. If it’s a frog, it might hop backward or sideways. Jumping up when it means to go down. . . They surround the creature with mirrors. Handblown glass mirrors. It becomes confused and finally smashes into the mirrors, which then break. This is the sign that the soul has been extracted.” The smashed glass is turned into a figurine.  
  • Bess goes to visit her Grandmother’s grave. “When the trees bleed white with frost and every limb and pine needle is shrouded in ice, it is said that the hoar spirits come like ghosts from the frost in the night.” That night, Grannie speaks to Bess and gives her a magic wand.  
  • Bess’s grandmother knew druid rituals. For example, when Bess’s parents were married, “Grannie drew the sun around us for good luck and happiness. She held up the wand and made a circle over our heads in the direction of the sun. . . I know Pastor Filkins was simply mortified. Only heaths do these old druid things.”  
  • Bess learns how to use the magic wand by casting a spell: “Cruthaichidh mi mar a smaoinicheas mi agus a labhras mi.” In order to make the magic work, Bess has to imagine what she is trying to create. “One had to think something, figure it out, before the magic worked. One could not just wave a wand around and babble some spell.”  
  • Bess’s sister, Olivia, puts a three-tine fork under Bess’s bed. A three-tine fork “was sometimes considered a tool of the devil. To use them meant to invite temptation and evil into a house, but to throw them away could also cause evil across the land.” 
  • While transporting the three-tine fork, “a sprig of heart wort” was put in the box with it. 
  • When Bess was born, “the birth sac was around her head. . . that is supposed to be good, bring luck. It means a gifted child.” Bess’s mother believes it was a curse. “There is a particular way one must bury the sac, and I’m not sure Grannie did it right.”  
  • Bess learns how to become invisible.  

Spiritual Content  

  • After Grannie dies, Bess believes she is in the Summerlands. Bess doesn’t know what that is, but Grannie “used to talk about the Summerlands sometimes. . . I think it’s something from long ago. . . in the time of the druids.” 
  • When Bess asks about the shape of a spoonbill’s beak, she is told, “The roseate spoonbill’s beak was designed by the good Lord so it could scoop up the delectable delights of the shallows. . .”  

See-Through Mummies

From the pyramids at Giza to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, mummies—those ancient and awesome figures of the dead—are among the most fascinating and surprising mysteries of the ancient world. Now you can travel back in time and look beneath the mummy’s bandages as it goes from dead to perfectly preserved, all in just a few months.  

Featuring clear pages that allow the reader a glimpse beneath the surface, See-Through Mummies will show you the secrets, legends, methods, and the exact step-by-step science of the practice of creating ancient mummies. Readers will not only learn how and why mummies were made, they will also unravel the secrets of the Book of the Dead, the legend behind Egyptian gods and goddesses, the inside story of Osiris, the very first mummy, and will glimpse the riches of tombs treasures as only a see-through page can show them. 

So, open your eyes and prepare to be amazed. With this book, you won’t just see mummies; you’ll see through them.  

See-Through Mummies is a beautifully illustrated book that breaks the Egyptian’s beliefs and mummification process into short informational sections. Each section has a bold title that clearly labels what the text is about. Illustrations show the mummification process with captions that explain each illustration. In addition, many pages have an infographic titled “Mummy Matters.” The infographic uses a bullet point list with additional facts, such as, “The valuable heart was left in the body. The worthless brain was thrown away.”  

The book gives step-by-step instructions on how to mummify a person and explains the Egyptian’s beliefs regarding the afterlife. For example, before being allowed into the afterlife, each person’s heart would be weighed. If they lead an evil life, they would be condemned to a second death. “The prospect of dying for a second time filled Egyptians with horror. It was the worst thing that could possibly happen to them.” Ammut was a monster called the “‘devourer of the dead’ because she ate the hearts of those who had led wicked lives. She was feared by all, and everyone knew that once she had eaten a person’s heart, they could never reach the afterlife.” Squamish readers may find the descriptions of the mummification process upsetting. 

The book’s format will instantly engage readers with the illustrations that mimic an ancient scroll. Each page has a border with brightly colored symbols, but the illustrations use earth tones. While none of the illustrations show gory detail, several of them include blood flowing from a body. Each illustration helps the reader understand the Ancient Egyptian’s beliefs. For example, the journey to the afterlife illustrates the steps involved in the weighing of the heart ceremony, along with captions explaining the illustration. The transparent pages are strong and will not tear; plus, they give the mummification process an added element because they allow the reader to see each step.  

Everyone who is interested in Ancient Egypt or mummies should read See-Through Mummies. This fascinating book breaks facts into easily manageable sections, and the illustrations help readers understand the Egyptians’ beliefs. Learn more about Ancient Egypt by reading The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, the TombQuest Series by Michael Northrop, and the Kid Detective Zet Series by Scott Peters. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • The God Osiris was married to his sister Isis. Their brother Seth was jealous of Osiris and tricked him into getting into a coffin. “Seth shut the lid and threw the coffin into the Nile River, and Osiris drowned. . .” Later, Seth found the body and “ripped his body into fourteen pieces, which he scattered across Egypt.”  
  • Isis was sad that Osiris was scattered over Egypt, so she searched for the body parts. “She found them all save one, which a great fish had swallowed.” Osiris’s body was mummified, and Isis “blew life into Osiris, and he was reborn, not to live in this world, but to live for all time in the afterlife.” 
  • During the embalming process, the brain was removed. “It was pulled out in bits through the left nostril or scooped through a hole in the base of the skull.” 
  • Some people believe King Tutankhamun was murdered.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • During embalming, “the body could be washed with wine made from the fruit of palm trees.” 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • After a person “entered the afterlife, he or she was able to use supernatural powers. These powers could be put to good use, helping to solve problems for the living. However, they could also harm the living, causing them illness or trouble in the form of curses.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • The ancient Egyptians believed in many gods. The book references the gods Horus and Thoth. “Horus, who was the son of Osiris, was the god of eternal life. Thoth was the god of wisdom and writing.”  
  • After a person died, embalmers took away the body, and “priests attended to the body of a dead person, offering spells and prayers, and preparing it for the embalming process.” 
  • While a person was being embalmed, “priests recited sacred words from the Book of the Dead. This was a collection of around three hundred spells, all of which were designed to help the dead person travel to the afterlife.” 
  • When a body was wrapped in linen, “Amulets and spells were placed between the layers. . . During the wrapping, priest chanted spells each time a new piece of linen was put in place. . . the spells were also designed to protect the person’s akh, helping it on its way to the next life where it would live again.”

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You

Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a “pleasure to have in class.” It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She’d never send them of course — she’d rather die than hurt anyone’s feelings — but it’s a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie’s work. 

All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating co-captain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. “You’re attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you’ve been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft . . .” Sadie doesn’t have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them . . . that is, until they’re accidentally sent out. 

Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It’s her worst nightmare — now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they’re not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there’s one person growing to appreciate the “real” Sadie — Julius, the only boy she’s sworn to hate . . .  

Sadie is a classic overachiever who worries about getting into her dream college, but of course, she keeps all her worries to herself. When her vicious emails are sent out, Sadie and Julius make a scene at a school assembly, and as punishment, the principal gives them a list of tasks they must complete together. Through it all, Sadie realizes that she doesn’t know herself, or Julius, as well as she thought.  

While the plotline of two sworn enemies forced to work together and fall in love isn’t new, I Hope This Doesn’t Find You throws the two competitive overachievers together in a surprisingly fun way. The story is told from Sadie’s point of view, which allows readers to understand all of her frustrations, fears, and insecurities. Sadie is convinced it’s up to her to save her family, but she unfortunately never has an open and honest conversation with them. This is similar to Sadie’s school life; she pretends everything is perfect despite harboring hard feelings. Through it all, Sadie learns to be real with herself and those around her. 

One reason Sadie tries to be perfect is because her parents divorced when she was young, and Sadie blames herself for her parent’s riff. Sadie’s parents never fought, so she was shocked when her father left. Her mom discusses how things aren’t always what they seem. Sadie’s mom says, “I almost wish that we had fought more, that we’d cared enough to challenge each other and bicker over the little things. Better that than just swallowing our resentment and staying quiet until we couldn’t take it anymore.” Not quelling her emotions is one of the major lessons Sadie learns. In addition, Sadie realizes the harmful effects of being a pushover. “What I’m realizing is that if you’re quiet about the things that hurt you, people are only going to mistake your tolerance for permission. And they’re going to hurt you again and again.” 

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is a feel-good romance that wraps up important lessons with some laugh-out-loud moments. Even though Sadie and Julius aren’t always nice—especially to each other—everyone can relate to their fear of rejection and their unexpected feelings for each other. Ultimately, they both realize that being vulnerable isn’t the same as being weak. And when it comes to love, you have to take risks to win the game. For more swoon-worthy romance, grab a copy of I Believe in A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo and Maybe This Time by Kasie West.  

Sexual Content  

  • A girl shows up at a party with “blue mascara streaked down her cheeks. The word has since spread that she’d been dumped by a girl on her gymnastic team for one of the glamorous equestrians at another school.” 
  • During the party, some of the teens play truth or dare. Someone dares Sadie to kiss Julius. Sadie kisses him. “It’s so fast, so light that I only have time to register the startling softness of his lips before I’m reeling back again.”  
  • After Sadie kisses Julius, he asks, “You call that a kiss? That was barely anything?” Embarrassed, Sadie wants to “slap that smug look off his face,” so she kisses him again. “I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him to me. This time, when our lips meet, I don’t back away. I deepen the kiss, letting my fingers slide up his neck, curl into his hair. . . Then he kisses me back, presses me closer, and something inside me slides off-balance.” 
  • Sadie tells Julius that she kissed a boy at coding class. Afterwards, Julius says, “Why would I be jealous? I would rather die than kiss you again.” Sadie feels shame. She describes, “I lurch forward and do the first thing I can think of: I kick him. Hard, right in the knee. The sound of the impact is even louder than I anticipated. . .” Julius is shocked but not injured. 
  • At Sadie’s party, “three couples are making out on the couch in one row, as if they’re in a competition to see who can make the most disturbing sounds or flash the most skin.”  
  • One of Sadie’s friends is upset that her sister’s boyfriend is cheating. “Not with one person, but multiple people.”  
  • Sadie and Julius are planning where to go for the senior trip. Julius doesn’t want to go to the beach because “the probability of teenagers sneaking into each other’s rooms and hooking up increases by zero-point-four when you put them in a scenic beach setting.” There are several other sexual innuendos in the conversation. 
  • Julius’s brother tracks him down by using Julius’s search history. Julius is upset so his brother says, “Calm down, it’s not like you were searching up the closest brothel.” Later, Julius’s brother tells him to “hook up” with Sadie and “get it out of your system in order to focus on what matters.” 
  • While on the senior trip, Julius and Sadie meet up in the hallway. As they talk, “he murmurs against my neck. His lips graze my skin, and his other hand slides up, tangles in my hair, his nails lightly scraping my scalp. . .” Sadie gives Julius permission to kiss her, and then “his mouth is on mine in an instant, desperate, urgent. And I cave in. . . My brain is buzzing, but all of my thoughts are floating, nonsensical fragments as he deepens the kiss, wraps a hand around my waist . . .” The kiss is described over a page.  

Violence  

  • A student, Danny, comes to school with a black eye. Later, Sadie sees Julius’s knuckles, which are “split open and raw red . . . [his injury] looks more unnatural, more deliberate as if he’d slammed his fist into something hard. Like Danny’s face.” Later, Sadie finds out that Julius punched Danny.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Sadie decides to throw a party, but she’s worried no one will come. Her friend says, “There’s no quicker way to bond than over cheap beer and good music.”  
  • Sadie’s party has “giant cartons of alcohol lined up along the couches.” At the party, the teens get drunk.”  
  • At the party, Julius tells Sadie not to drink a bottle of alcohol. “I uncap the bottle, holding his gaze the whole time in challenge, and take a long, deliberate swig. The liquid burns my mouth, so much stronger than I’d been prepared for. It tastes like fire. Rushes straight to my head. . . My body starts to warm up from within, and my head starts to spin.” Sadie drinks an entire bottle of bourbon and gets drunk. 

Language  

  • Profanity is used often. Profanity includes ass, bullshit, crap, damn, hell, piss, and shit. 
  • Oh my god, oh god, and god are used as exclamations often. 
  • One of Sadie’s classmates writes, “Sadie Wen is a bitch” on the bike shed. 
  • When Sadie’s friend is upset about a cheating boy, Sadie says, “You couldn’t have known. It’s an unfortunate feature of douchebags that they’re good at hiding their douchebag tendencies.” 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Cleopatra Rules!: The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen

Most of what we’ve known about Cleopatra—and what crept into art, film, and literature—came from her enemies, the Romans. Ascending to the throne at young age of 17, Cleopatra proved to be a brilliant negotiator who forged alliances that kept her in power and in control of her kingdom.   

Readers will be surprised to learn that Cleopatra was more of a bookworm than a seductress. The text is divided into small sections, with headlines announcing each topic. In addition, some sections answer common questions such as, “Was she beautiful?” To answer the question, the author refers to ancient documents. According to Plutarch, the ancient biographer, “The charm of her presence was irresistible, and there was an attraction. . . with a peculiar force of character. . . [that] laid all who associated with her under its spell.” 

Even though Cleopatra Rules is written at a high reading level, readers can use context clues to understand most words. Even reluctant readers will be able to enjoy the book because it features many sidebars and color illustrations: maps, photos of ancient artifacts, and artwork from many historical periods. The book is written in a humorous tone that can appear flippant. For example, the text explains the mummification process: “The organs, stuffed into special jars, stayed near the body. They pulled the brains out through the nose. After all, who needed brains?” 

Since Cleopatra’s life was entwined with both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, readers will also learn more about Rome and the period’s politics. Anyone who loves history or is curious about Cleopatra will fully enjoy Cleopatra Rules because it presents history in an easy-to-read format that is engaging and educational. However, readers need to beware: Cleopatra Rules will make you want to dig deeper into ancient Egypt’s and Rome’s history because the political leaders are fascinating.  

Sexual Content  

  • In ancient Egypt, it wasn’t unusual for siblings to marry each other. Cleopatra’s father “probably expected the two to marry when the boy got older. And the eww factor gets even worse. After all, Cleopatra’s mother was likely also her aunt, her father’s sister.”  
  • The ancient Egyptian gods were often married to their siblings, which is why pharaohs often married each sibling. “All pharaohs were the human embodiment of Horus, sharing his divinity. When pharaohs died, they became fully divine. . .” 
  • The Romans believed Cleopatra was a “harlot.” However, she only had two romantic relationships.   

Violence  

  • When Cleopatra and her father went to Rome, Cleopatra’s sister Berenice claimed the throne. “It was a dumb move because as soon as Daddy regained control of the throne, Berenice parted with more than her crown. She parted with her life, too. . . she was executed for treason.” 
  • To gain Caesar’s favor, Cleopatra’s brother “had Pompey the Great—one of the most powerful leaders in Rome—beheaded on Egyptian soil.” When Caesar arrived in Egypt, “the boy king’s advisers shoved Pompey’s pickled head into his face.”  
  • Egypt attacked Caesar because he refused to leave Egypt. To escape, Caesar “jumped into the choppy waters and swam to a boat farther out to sea . . . Arrows and spears flew, nearly blotting out the bright Egyptian sun.” Caesar escaped, but Cleopatra’s brother drowned, and her sister Arsinoe was arrested. 
  • When Caesar became too powerful, “Twenty-six senators knifed Caesar to death at a senate meeting.”  
  • Mark Antony received a note saying Cleopatra was dead. “Antony then took the sword and stabbed himself in the belly,” causing “bleeding and gasping in pain.” When he discovered the note was false, he asked his servants to take him to Cleopatra.  
  • When Octavian captured Cleopatra, she “grabbed a dagger hidden in her dress and tried to stab herself, but Octavian’s man was too quick. She’d been captured.” 
  • After Antony died, Cleopatra “finished her ritual prayers at Antony’s tomb.” Then, she killed herself by letting a snake bite her. However, scholars debate whether this is true or if Cleopatra took poison. 
  • After Cleopatra died, her son was a threat, so Octavian “had him hunted down and murdered.” 
  • Cleopatra’s only grandson, Ptolemy of Mauretania, was murdered because he “wore a purple cloak that was prettier than” the Roman Emperor Caligula’s cloak. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • When Cleopatra and Mark Antony were together, they threw parties where “tasty wine flowed.” 
  • Mark Antony drank heavily.  
  • The Romans celebrated a war victory with “food and wine. Party time!” The celebrations could last for days. The partying even had a religious vibe because the conquering hero was likened to a god.

Language  

  • By killing a Roman general, Cleopatra’s brother made a “boneheaded move.”

Supernatural 

  • To Egyptians, jewelry was “a form of fancy magic. . .They figured the more jewelry you put on, the safer you were from bad things happening. . . Almost every piece of jewelry had some sort of symbolic meaning or magical power.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • The ancient Romans worshiped many gods, including Montu, the Egyptian god of war. “The Buchis bull was believed to be the incarnation of the war god, Montu. When a Buchis bull died, it was mummified and placed in a special tomb. . . “ Cleopatra celebrated in a ceremony for the Buchis bull. 
  • The Buchis bull was “papered” because Egyptians believed it “helped cure the sick and delivered oracles.” 
  • When Cleopatra became queen, she “dressed as Venus, lay beneath a canopy of gold cloth, with boys costumed as Cupid stood on either side, fanning her. Beautiful girls posed as minor goddesses, and sea nymphs burned sweet incense to perfume the air around them. . . To the Egyptians, she was Isis, the main goddess of Egypt. And, as in a religious experience, everyone was hushed in awe at the sight of the goddess-queen.” 
  • The Egyptians worshiped “a healer god of perfume—Nefertem.”  

The Thieves of Ostia

Flavia Gemina is a natural at solving mysteries. The daughter of a ship’s captain living in Ostia, the port of Rome, in AD79, she and her three friends, Jonathan, a Jewish boy (and secretly a Christian); Nubia, an African slave girl; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy, must work together to discover who is beheading the watchdogs that guard people’s homes, and why.

One of the best qualities of The Thieves of Ostia is the interesting and diverse characters. While Flavia is the main protagonist, the addition of Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus adds interest and allows the reader to see how people in different social groups interact. Despite coming from different backgrounds, Flavia, her father, and her friends treat Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus equally. This highlights the importance of treating all people kindly and allows the reader to see Flavia’s compassion.  

When Flavia first sees Nubia, who is naked and chained, Flavia decides to purchase Nubia instead of buying an expensive book. From the start, Flavia treats Nubia like a friend instead of a servant. Likewise, when Lupus enters the scene, he’s in filthy, threadbare clothes and is unable to talk because his tongue has been cut out. Despite this, Lupus is treated with care and quickly joins Flavia’s friend group. Flavia’s friend Jonathan is also well-developed, and through him and his family, readers learn how Christian Jews are discriminated against. This topic isn’t explored in detail. Instead, the story affirms the importance of treating everyone with respect. Flavia’s father explains how Jonathan’s family has different customs that must be respected. Flavia and her father accept each other’s differences and create a welcoming atmosphere that allows friendships to bloom.  

In addition to the interesting characters, The Thieves of Ostia revolves around a fast-paced mystery with Flavia and her friends roaming different parts of Rome. This gives a glimpse into the harsh realities of life, including slavery and death, which were common during this period. These scenes are often graphic and may upset some readers. One character who is especially cruel is Venalicius, a slave trader who is rumored to kidnap children to sell as slaves. In one terrifying scene, Venalicius sends his men to capture Flavia and her friends. This heart-pounding scene shows the perils of children who live in Rome. 

The Thieves of Ostia has many positive aspects, including interesting characters, a compelling mystery, and several positive life lessons. Through Flavia and her friends’ adventures, readers will learn the importance of forgiveness. In addition, the story’s conclusion shows the dangers of judging people based on their appearance. One reason people did not suspect the culprit was because he was attractive. Flavia says the criminal was “polite and handsome. . . It just never occurred to me that he might be bad.” Readers who get squeamish by graphic descriptions will want to avoid reading The Thieves of Ostia. However, readers who are ready to delve into the hard topics of death and slavery will enjoy The Thieves of Ostia because of the exciting action and adventure.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • A pack of dogs chases Flavia into a tree. While she’s trying to figure out how to move to safety, “One of the yellow dogs yelped and leaped to his feet, as if stung by a bee. Then the leader snarled and writhed in pain. A stone had struck him!” A boy slung rocks at the dogs until they “slunk off.”  
  • When Flavia goes into town, she sees “terrifying men with broken noses, mangled ears, and meaty arms. Some had lost arms or hands or legs.” It is unclear how the men were injured. 
  • \While by the port, Flavia hears “the crack of a whip and clink of chains. Out of the mist emerged a pitiful sight, a line of women, naked and chained at the neck. . . Some had open sores.” The women were naked and wore “wooden tags with prices scrawled on them.” 
  • Venalicius is known to kidnap children and sell them into slavery. It was rumored “that he had kidnapped a nine-year-old girl named Sapphira and sold her to a Syrian merchant.” 
  • Venalicius had one ear “bitten off by a slave he had afterward crucified, if the rumor was true.” 
  • Flavia sees a young girl who is being sold by Venalicius. Flavia asks her father what will happen to the girl, and he says, “She may become a lady’s maid. Or a cook’s assistant. Or perhaps someone will buy her for a wife. . . You know that eleven or twelve is not too young for slaves to marry.”  
  • When Shanakda, a slave girl, was too afraid to walk the gangplank, “without warning, Venalicius had furiously unlocked her collar and pushed her into the water, though her hands had still been tied. . . Nubia would never forget the sight of bitter seawater filling Shanakda’s screaming mouth and silencing her forever.” 
  • Flavia’s family’s cook “had died shopping for leeks in the forum when a donkey kicked him in the head.”  
  • Flavia’s neighbor, Cordius, was an officer in Germania, and “his whole family had been slaughtered by barbarians. A lovely wife, three fine young sons, and a baby girl, now all gone to the underworld. . .” 
  • Jonathan’s family’s watchdog is killed. Jonathan tells Flavia not to look because “someone has cut off his head and taken it away.” Later, another dog is found with its head cut off.  
  • Avita, a young girl, “died horribly, in great pain, of hydrophobia. . . The disease is also known as rabies.” Avita’s mom says, “Avita lost her appetite, and then she began to be terrified of the sight of water. She even refused to drink. Finally, she began to see things that weren’t there. But the end, when it came, was peaceful.” 
  • Avita’s father goes to several taverns, gets drunk, then travels to a lighthouse and jumps off. “There was a cry from the onlookers as the figure struck the edge of the first tier, bounced, and tumbled like a rag doll down to the concrete below.” 
  • A young boy climbed a tree to get away from a pack of dogs. Someone begins shooting arrows at the dogs. “One of the dogs yelped, leaped into the air, then fell back with a shaft in his gut. . . the second arrow struck the leader. . . Two dogs with arrows in them lay writhing on the ground.” Jonathan’s father, Mordecai, grabs a sword and “cut the dog’s throat with a single stroke, putting her out of her misery.”  
  • The other dog “leapt directly at Mordecai’s face. Jonathan’s father reacted by instinct. The bloody sword flashed again, and the dog’s head and body fell in two separate places.”  
  • Flavia befriends an orphan boy who cannot talk because “someone has cut out his tongue.” The reason for this is never stated. 
  • Flavia’s dog begins to whine. Then, Flavia sees “a trident, the kind fishermen use to catch fish. Its base was wedged tight between paving stones, and its three prongs pointed up toward the cold stars. On each of the three points was planted a severed dog’s head.” Flavia faints. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Jonathan uses marjoram oil for his asthma.  
  • When Flavia hurts her ankle, an adult applies ointment to help it heal. 
  • Flavia and her father purchased a young slave. Flavia “bathed the sores on her neck with a sea sponge and applied some of Mordecai’s soothing aloe balm.”  
  • At Flavia’s birthday dinner, the adults drink wine, and the children drink “well watered” wine. Jonathan becomes “slightly tipsy.”  
  • Flavia lives close to the graveyard. “She often went there with her father to honor her mother and twin brothers. . . Wind could be poured into [amphora] necks to refresh the ashes of the dead below.” 
  • A boy follows Avita’s father to several taverns, where he sees men drinking and gambling.  
  • Flavia’s family has friends over for dinner, and they drink wine. Flavia notices that her father has drunk too much wine. 

Language  

  • An adult exclaims, “Great Neptune’s beard!”  
  • “By Hercules” is used as an exclamation twice. 
  • Flavia and Jonathan both exclaim, “by Pollux” one time. 

Supernatural 

  • A boy overhears a soothsayer talking to Avita’s father. The boy “guessed the soothsayer was poking at chicken entrails or staring into a sacred bauble.” The soothsayer tells the father, “Unless you offer a sacrifice to the god Anubis, your daughter’s spirit will never be at rest. . . May the gods curse you!” 

Spiritual Content  

  • Flavia wears an amulet. “One day, when she married, she would dedicate this bulla to the gods of the crossroad.” 
  • When Flavia finds her father’s signet ring, she says “a silent prayer of thanks to Castor and Pollux,” who are deities and the patrons of athletes. 
  • Jonathan’s family is Jewish. When Flavia meets his father, he is reading the Torah. Jonathan says the family moved after “our old neighbors wrote things on the wall of our house, and once they threw rotten eggs at Father.” 
  • Jonathan’s family are Christians who aren’t allowed in the synagogue. The Rabbi tells Jonathan, “I suppose you can’t be blamed for your father’s misguided beliefs. Besides, the Master of the Universe, blessed be He, tells us to act justly and to love mercy. . .” 
  • Flavia tells Jonathan, “I’ve heard that Christians eat their God, and my father says they burned Rome.” Jonathan defends Christianity. He says, “Christians are peaceful. We are taught to love our enemies and pray for them.” 
  • Jonathan’s father, Mordecai, encourages the children to forgive. He says, “Our faith teaches that if you say sorry to God for the wrong things you have done, and if you forgive the people who have done wrong things to you, you will be forgiven.” 
  • When eating at Flavia’s house, snails are served. When Jonathan asks if he can eat them, his father says, “God has made all things clean.” After a discussion that lasted a page, “Flavia closed her eyes and tried to imagine which god she was speaking to. Finally, she settled on the beardless shepherd with a lamb over his shoulder.” 
  • While discussing the criminal who killed the dogs, Mordecai says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”   
  • Flavia’s father sets off on a journey after he “visited the temple of Castor and Pollux, to make sacrifices for a good and profitable journey.”  
  • Avita’s mom says, “I believe that after we die, we will go to a place more wonderful than we can imagine. Not the cold, dark underworld, but a sunny garden, a paradise. I trust Avita is there now. She was also a believer.” This implies that Avita’s mother is a Christian.  
  • Flavia and her friends talk to a sea captain who sailed through a terrible story. The captain says, “All of us are thanking whatever gods we believe in that we’re alive . . .” 
  • When the slave dealer sends his men to capture Jonathan and his friends, Jonathan prays that they reach safety. 
  • When Emperor Vespasian dies, he says, “Oh, dear, I think I’m becoming a god.”  

You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Gladiator!

This interactive story makes readers part of the story by inviting them to become the main characters. The story warns: watch out as a barbarian fighting against the Romans, you are about to be captured, sold as a slave, and trained to become a Roman gladiator.  

Tips from the experts:  

  • Train hard — your life will depend on your fighting skills.  
  • Eat porridge, barley, and ash to become fit and strong!  
  • Don’t get caught if you attempt to escape — the punishments are severe.  
  • Fight well or face the consequences! 
  • Win every contest and live long enough to retire.  

If you’re ready to jump into the life of a gladiator, You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Gladiator!  will teach you how to fight, kill, and die in a suitably sporting manner to entertain the Roman crowds. If you survive, you could become a hero but don’t count on it.  

You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Gladiator! introduces readers to the dark and violent life of a Roman gladiator. Instead of depicting the horrors that gladiators face in a dark, dreary mood, the illustrations use humor. While fighting is illustrated, the men have exaggerated facial expressions, and no wounds are included. One page does show two men being chased by wild animals, and one of the gladiators is on the ground while a tiger is about to pounce on him. The book’s light tone allows readers to learn about this important era in history without traumatizing them with gory details.   

The book’s format is perfect for reluctant readers. Each page has one large illustration as well as several smaller illustrations. On each two-page spread, a large paragraph explains what is happening to the reader. Along the edges, there is more information about a gladiator’s life. For example, one page includes an illustrated list of what happens when a gladiator is getting ready to “fight to the death.” In addition, each two-page spread has a “Handy Hint” that gives even more information, such as “keep oon fighting—if you don’t, your trainer will send a slave to whip you or prod you with a hot poker.”  

You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Gladiator! is an interactive book that uses humor and illustrations to make learning about history fun. While some readers may not understand all of the words, context clues and illustrations will help them understand their meanings. Plus, there is a glossary at the back of the book. For more information about life in ancient Rome, you don’t need to search for an ancient scroll; instead, read the nonfiction book Ancient Rome and Pompeii by Mary Pope Osborne & Natalie Pope Boyce. Readers who want to experience a fictional gladiator’s life should read Ranger in Time: Danger in Ancient Rome by Kate Messner.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • The Romans and Gauls fight; the Romans enslave the prisoners who “are chained at the neck and led away to begin a new life as slaves.” An illustration of the fight is included.  
  • When the slaves are sold at the market, they are forced to work in the mines, in the quarry, as gladiators, and in other difficult jobs. The slaves are chained and must wear a collar with their owner’s name and address. 
  • Several times, the book mentions that slaves were whipped if they didn’t work hard enough.  
  • If a slave tried to escape, “a runaway will have FHE (for Fugitivus Hic Est) and the initials of his owner, such as LT (for Lucius Titius) burned into his forehead.” 
  • A list of the different types of gladiators is included. Each gladiator appears with the weapon that he would use. One gladiator pictured is a woman. “An uncommon sight, but women fight as gladiators, too.” 
  • If a gladiator didn’t want to fight, “your trainer will send a slave to whip you or prod you with a hot poker.”  
  • When you fight another gladiator and feel as if you will lose, “appeal to the emperor. As you raise your left hand, the emperor will turn to the crowd and let it decide your fate. . . If people turn their thumbs down to the ground, as if swiping a sword through the air, then the defeated man must die.” The picture shows a gladiator on his back with another man holding a sword against his neck. 
  • If you survive until midday, “you’ll have a chance for a rest, when you’ll be able to watch criminals fight to the death.” 
  • Some gladiators fought wild animals such as lions, tigers, and elephants, but “those who are criminals have no means of defense.”  
  • The Colosseum could be flooded so battleships could fight. “From a distance, you will shoot burning arrows at the enemy ship. Then, when you are upon them, you will use hand to hand combat.” Some men are seen jumping into the water, and it is implied that they will drown if they do not know how to swim. 
  • At the end of the games, “men drag away the bodies of the dead and dump them in a pit. . . Dying gladiators are killed by a man dressed as the mythical character Charon from the underworld.”  
  • At the end of the reader’s fight, “your body is dragged from the arena, the victorious gladiator is presented with his prize.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • The night before the gladiators’ fight, they are given meat and wine. 

Language  

  • A man yells at a gladiator, “Fight, you lazy dog.”

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • When the Romans and Gauls are about to fight, you are captured. An unnamed narrator gives you this advice: before the battle, offer a gift to your gods by throwing a weapon into a bog. This is the entrance to their underground world. 

The Valiant #1

Princess. Captive. Gladiator. Always a Warrior. 
 
Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary fighter Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed by the armies of Julius Caesar.
 
On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister’s footsteps and earn her place in her father’s war band. She never gets the chance.
 
Fallon is captured and sold to an elite training school for female gladiators—owned by none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who destroyed Fallon’s family might be her only hope of survival.
 
Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, deadly fights in and out of the arena, and perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier and her sworn enemy.  The Valiant recounts Fallon’s gripping journey from fierce Celtic princess to legendary gladiator and darling of the Roman empire.  

The Valiant jumps right into the action and proceeds at a breathtaking pace until the very end. Overnight, Fallon’s dreams are obliterated, and her life falls apart. As a captive, Fallon’s fierce determination to free herself is admirable. While Fallon’s pain is understandable, her strength and bravery never falter. Fallon takes the reader on her adventure, which leads her to several eye-popping surprises and forces her to question her beliefs while retaining her strength of character. 

Told in first person, The Valliant focuses on Fallon, who must learn about Rome’s culture and politics. At one point, Fallon meets both Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. This adds an extra layer of interest. As a strong woman, Cleopatra reinforces one of the book’s themes: “A woman ought to be able to chart her own course in life.” In addition to Caesar and Cleopatra, the book has many characters that play a significant role in the story but are not well developed. Despite being underdeveloped, Fallon’s romantic interest, Cai, has several swoon-worthy scenes that break up the battle scenes. 

The Valiant is an entertaining book that follows a brave protagonist worthy of rooting for. However, the book deals with dark topics, including slavery, murder, and worshiping the Greek god of death. And while the gladiatrix fights bravely, war is not glorified. Cai reminds Fallon, “Honor is nothing but a dangerous lie, Fallon. In battle, there is no honor, not really. Caesar never won because he was honorable. He isn’t. He won because he was clever and tenacious and used whatever means necessary. . .” Mature readers who aren’t squeamish about violence will enjoy following Fallon’s adventure into the Roman empire. For a less bloody adventure, read the Protector of the Small Series by Tamora Pierce and The Royal Ranger Series by John Flanagan. 

Sexual Content  

  • Fallon and Mael hope to one day get married. After practicing for battle, Mael kisses her. “His lips on mine silence my apology, muffling words with his sudden, hungry kiss. My eyes went wide. . . then drifted shut, plunging me into a red-lit darkness. . . My pulse surged loudly in my ears, and my fingers tangled in his long hair as I drew him down to me again.” The kiss is described over a page.  
  • Fallon’s father betrothed her to Mael’s brother, Aeddan. After the announcement, Aeddan “spun me around and kissed me hard on the lips.” Fallon does not kiss him back. Later that night, he brings wine to Fallon’s house to celebrate. 
  • When Aeddan tries to kiss Fallon again, she “jammed my knee into his groin, shoving him away as he gasped in pain and staggered back.” Before Aeddan can try to kiss her again, Mael appears and uses his sword to push Aeddan out of the house. 
  • A Roman officer, Cai, meets Fallon, who wanders the gladiator school’s grounds. “He took me again by the shoulders, drawing me toward him. . . Cai’s hands lightly moved up my arms, over my shoulders and down my back to my waist, tracing my body through the thin material. . .” Fallon flees before Cai can kiss her.  
  • After Fallon breaks Cai’s ribs, she goes to the infirmary to apologize. “Cai pulled me tightly to his bandaged chest and held me there. . . and he kissed me with a hungry desperation that tore the breath from my lungs. His hands tangled in my hair, and my arms tightened around him. . . he didn’t stop kissing me. Not for a long, dizzying while.” 
  • When Fallon goes to have a slave collar removed, Cai goes with her. Afterward, “Cai reached up and ran his fingertips along my skin, and I shivered at this touch. . . his hand shifted to slide into my hair, and he brought his face down to mine and kissed me. The kiss thrilled me all the way to my toes.” 
  • After professing his love for Fallon, Cai kisses her. “His mouth was nectar-sweet as he kissed me, and we fell back together into the soft, cool grass beside the stream.” 

Violence  

  • Mael and Aeddan fight over Fallon. “Suddenly, Aeddan reared back and head-butted his brother sharply. Mael reeled away in pain, blood running down his face. . .” Aeddan stabs Mael with a blade, and Mael “opened his mouth, and a dark gout of blood bubbled up and spilled down his chin. Aeddan wrenched the dagger out of his brother’s flesh, and Mael collapsed.” Fallon assumes Mael dies.  
  • Fallon was lost in the forest at night when “a broad-shouldered man swung his fist like a mallet at my head. I fell, consumed by a dark red tide.” When Fallon wakes, she tries to scream, but the man “pressed a knife blade up under my left ear. The scream building in my throat died instantly.” Fallon is kidnapped and sold to a slave trader. 
  • The man who kidnapped Fallon hit her. “A short, sharp jab to my stomach. . . his thick fingers fumbling at the lacing of my tunic. I kicked and swore at him, but I was chained, and he was much stronger.” The man intended to rape her, but the slave master stops him.  
  • The Varnini are a tribe of fierce women fighters. Fallon and Varini girl are put into a wagon and chained together. They get into a fight. Fallon describes, “She lashed out at me with one long leg, the leather sole of her sandal slapped painfully against my thigh. . .” The girl hit Fallon’s face, and “pain exploded from my left cheek, and a red mist descended in front of my eyes. . . I howled in fury and swung my clenched fist in a double blow that caught the Varini on the temple and sent her reeling.” The fight is described over three pages. 
  • Because of Fallon and the Varini’s fight, the wagon tips over. The slave driver’s “head was bent at an unnatural angle, and his mouth was frozen open in a silent cry of shock. A slick of dark blood painted the sides of his face, and his eyes were empty and staring.” 
  • When the Varini was first captured, she attacked the slave trader. She said, “I bit off half his ear and kicked him in the balls so hard he still limps.” 
  • Fallon and the Varini girl, Elka, run, but they are still chained together. They try to hide, but a group of men find them. “The man reared back again, and while his attention was focused on Elka, I sprang forward with a low, darting thrust that tagged him solidly on the upper thigh. . . I pulled my sword and blood spilled down the front of his leg.” The fight is described over two pages. 
  • Charon, the slave master, finds the girls who are being attacked. “With one swift motion, Charon had grabbed the brigand by the shoulder and yanked him around. Two moves and the man lost first his sword hand. . . and then his head. . . The man’s head toppled from his neck and bounced away into the undergrowth, the whites of his eyes glittering in the moonlight.” 
  • Pirates attack the ship that the slaves are in. The slaves are locked below deck. Fallon watched as “the body of a man fell across the grate. His mouth and eyes were frozen open in a horrible death grimace. Wind-dark blood flowed from a gaping wound to his chest. . .”  
  • Fallon breaks out of the ship’s hold and enters the fighting. “A legionnaire gutted one of the pirates not three strides in front of me, and the man twisted in a horrid dance as his guts spilled. . . Legionnaires in their uniforms [were] hacking and slashing and killing.” 
  • When being sold as a slave, Fallon and Elka are chained together. Two other slaves are given weapons and told they will be freed if they can kill the two women. When one of the men attacks Fallon with a pike, “with a powerful thrust of [Elka’s] long legs, Elka had launched herself toward us, howling with battle madness. The point of her sword blade disappeared up under the man’s helmet chinstrap. . . then the man’s chest bloomed suddenly with a dark crimson that flooded down over his painted skin.” 
  • During the attack, Fallon “swung up at a sharp angle and met my attacker’s weapon, screeching up its length in a flash of sparks. . . I brought the sword back around and down in a vicious slash across the man’s extended forearm. Blood spurted, crimson, and sparkling in the sunlight.” The fight is described over three pages. One man dies. 
  • While being trained to be a gladiatrix, a group of women attack Fallon. “Another crack of the whip and a line of fire licked across the backs of my legs. I fell to my hands and knees with a grunt. . .” When Fallon falls, “the girls kicked and punched at me in the darkness, and I curled into a ball to try to avoid the worst of it. . .”  
  • Enraged at her attackers, Fallon grabs two torches. “I spun circles of flames in the dark air, batting the whip away from me and almost setting the retiarius net aflame. . . One girl screamed in alarm as my torch set her tunic hem smoldering.” The next day, Fallon “hobbled out to the practice yard, where the throbbing, livid bruises on my legs and arms went glaringly unremarked upon.” The attack is described over three pages. 
  • After the swearing-in ceremony, two women were eager to use their weapons. One woman accidentally injures her sparring partner. Fallon sees “the crumpled body of a girl lying in a pool of blood, shockingly red against the white-gold sand. . .” The girl, Lion, lost her hand. Someone “was on her knees, tearing linen into strips and wrapping Lion’s arm tightly as she could while crimson spurted in time with the beating of the girl’s heart. . .” While in the infirmary, the doctor, Heron, “and his assistant worked to stanch the flow of blood. . . He returned with a bronze brazier full of angry red coals and a metal bell-shaped tool that had been heated until it glowed.” The woman survives. 
  • Cai is angry that Fallon will not allow him to buy her. He spars with her. “He was relentless, he was humorless. . .” Fallon tricks Cai, who looks away. “I wound up with all the strength that I could muster and delivered a slashing blow to his exposed flank. I heard his rib crack like a slap of a hard-shot arrow. Cai dropped to one knee in the sand. . .” Cai’s rib is broken.  
  • The end of the book has several gladiator tournaments described in long, bloody detail. Not all of the battles are described here. During one fight, “one gladiator’s trident had gone straight through the guts of his opponent. Two of the tines stuck out obscenely from his back, dripping wet. . .” The wounded gladiator’s “face [was] rigid with pain, and gestured for the mercy blow”. . . his opponent picked up his sword and “thrust the point through the other man’s neck.” 
  • During Fallon’s first gladiatrix battle, she is knocked down by the Fury. Fallon is “down on all fours in an instant, sucking sand-gritty air through my teeth. . . In the very last instant before her attack, I slammed the hilts of my twin swords together and thrust them out before me. . .” The swords went into the Fury’s ribs. The Fury’s “body slammed into me, throwing me back down to the ground. . . I thrashed and struggled and heaved her off me.” Fallon watches as “blood bubbled up and spilled out the sides of her mouth, staining my fingers.” The Fury dies. 
  • At a party, two gladiators fight. One of the men, Ajax, “looked down to see two blades protruding from his chest, the points red with his own blood.” Later, Fallon sees a group of men huddled around the body. “They had split Ajax’s torso open like the roasting carcass of a wild boar. I glimpsed the white gleam of his rib cage grasping like rigid fingers at the shadows, and I could hear the wet, gluttonous sounds of feasting.” 
  • A fellow gladiatrix named Nyx tricks Fallon and Elka into drinking spiked wine, Elka is flogged. Afterward, Fallon finds Nyx in the laundry. Fallon “went straight for trying to drown her in the tub. I used my shoulder to hit her from behind square in the middle of her back, and she fell face-first into the water. . . I grabbed a length of sodden linen and slapped it hard across her torso, knocking her over.”  
  • Fallon and Nyx are in a reenactment of one of Julius Caesar’s battles. However, they are on opposite sides. During the battle, Fallon attacks Aeddan. Fallon “rammed the butt of my spear into his side. The breath left his lungs in a whoof as he stumbled sideways, and I followed up with a series of swift, vicious jabs.”  
  • Fallon gets into a chariot and demands that Aeddan drive it. “Aeddan steered so that we would pass within arm’s length of Nyx’s chariot on our right. . . Nyx’s whip cracked, and I ducked instinctively . . . The wasp-kiss of the whip left a crimson welt on my upper arm.”  
  • After several passes, Fallon tells Elka to send a spear into Nyx’s chariot. “The chariot shot upward, arching through air like it had been unleashed from a legion catapult. . . Nyx screamed, arms and legs flailing frantically as she sailed up and over her horses’ heads.” Nyx is injured but not killed. The final battle is described over ten pages.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Every two years, the tribes come together to feast and drink alcohol, and many become drunk. 
  • Alcohol, usually wine, is often served with dinner. 
  • Fallon confronts her sister, Sorcha, who “strode over to a side table that held a wind jug and goblets. She sloshed a generous measure of dark red wine into one of the goblets and took a long drink.” 
  • After drinking the spiked wine, Fallon passes out on the side of the road. A group of girls finds her and takes her to their house. When Fallon awakes, she is at “a house of whores.”

Language  

  • Profanity is used rarely. Profanity includes arse, bitch, damn, and bastard. 
  • “Oh dear goddess” and “Lugh’s teeth” are used as exclamations once. 
  • Another gladiatrix convinces Fallon and Elka to go to a party. As they walk to it, they consume wine. Fallon “took another swallow, and my urge to run faded as the liquid heat from the wine coursed through my limbs.” Later, she discovers the wine was spiked with mandragora, “a powerful intoxicant.”  

Supernatural 

  • Fallon’s tribe has both men and women warriors. “The legions thought of the Island of the Mighty were demons, aberrations whose corpses they burned in heaps after battles so that their black souls could never escape to inhabit another body.”  
  • When Fallon’s sister, Sorcha, was alive, she spent “time with the chief druid. . .The druiddyn were sages and mystics of our tribe. They dealt with portents and prophecies. . .” 
  • After Fallon kills a woman in battle, she is shaken. Her friend, who has killed before, tells her, “His shadow visits me almost nightly in my sleep. We’re so familiar with each other now, he’s almost a friend.” Later, Fallon “said a silent prayer for the Fury and thanked her for giving me the fight that would send me hurtling toward my destiny.”  
  • To frighten Fallon, someone nails a raven to her door. Some think it is an omen of “ill luck.”

Spiritual Content  

  • Fallon often refers to Morrigan, “goddess of death and battles.” Fallon had a dream that Morrigan visited her and called her daughter.  
  • Sorcha explains why she allowed her family to believe she was dead. Afterwards, Fallon “heard the sound of wings beating overhead. I looked up, the sky was clear. Empty. But in my mind, a throaty voice whispered, ‘Daughter’ and ‘Victory.’” Morrigan’s voice reassures Fallon.  
  • After being taken captive, Fallon prays to Morrigan, the triple goddess of blood and battles. “Mach. Red Nemain. Badb Catha . . . hear me. Wind, carry my words. Shadows and darkness, see my plight. Let the Morrigan hear my pleas. Give me strength to vanquish my enemies and wreak my vengeance.” 
  • After someone vandalizes Fallon’s room, “I whispered a prayer of thanks to Morrigan that I’d had the foresight to take the box of Charon’s armor directly to the quartermaster.” 
  • A woman died in a gladiator fight. During her funeral, someone says, “Last night the goddess Nemesis, she of the midnight brow, in her great wisdom called Ismene to the realm of heroes and sent forth Mercury to guide her there. She feasts now in the halls of Dis, she spars with Minerva. . .” 
  • When a gladiator is killed in battle, “the gladiator’s body was dragged from the arena by hook-wielding men dressed in outlandish headdresses meant to resemble long-eared desert dogs. . . the men were playing the ritual part of an Egyptian god of the dead called Anubis.”  
  • Fallon tells her friend, “Morrigan hates me.” Her friend replies, “Your goddess has brought you this far. Maybe this is her way of telling you she thinks you’re worth the effort.” 
  • During a battle, Fallon realizes that “The Morrigan had not forsaken me. She wasn’t against me. The true Morrigan had shown herself to lead me to victory.”  

Lost in the Jungle

Dr. Hank Witherspoon has disappeared. When Jack and his genius siblings, Ava and Matt, find Hank’s lab ransacked, they uncover clues pointing them to Brazil—but many questions remain. Why was Hank studying dangerous electric eels? And who is trying to steal his inventions? Their investigation leads them to a soccer prodigy, his savvy sister, a business tycoon who zips around on motorized boots, and a strangely incompetent riverboat captain.

In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, the three siblings and their new friends must overcome deadly piranhas, stealthy jaguars, and the dreaded “Trail of Pain” to save Hank . . . and make it out alive. 

Readers familiar with the Jack and the Geniuses Series will enjoy seeing Jack and his siblings take on another adventure. However, Lost in the Jungle has less science and fun gadgets. Instead, the siblings spend more time trying to locate Hank. Along the way, Jack has “mind drifts” where he thinks about random things; some readers may find the mind drifts irritating because they are so random. For example, after hearing about a sloth legend, Jack thinks, “. . . I started wondering what sort of creature I’d want to be in the rainforest. A vampire bat? A boa constrictor? The howler monkeys had amazing beards. It would be fun to yell all the time, too. . .”  

The adults in the kids’ lives are mostly absent. For example, Jack and his genius siblings rely on Hank; however, Hank gives them little guidance and leaves them alone for long periods. Hank doesn’t share his plans with the kids; instead, he leaves for the rainforest without a word. After not hearing from Hank for weeks, the siblings decide to find Hank. This causes them to put themselves and others in danger. Even though Hank is irresponsible, the story reinforces the idea that Hank and the kids are family despite not being biologically related. The conclusion proves that love can be found in some surprising ways. 

Lost in the Jungle is a fast-paced story that teaches how the Amazon is being destroyed by illegal logging and how this leads to global warming. While each book in the Jack and the Geniuses Series features a new location and a new dilemma, the books are best read in order so readers can understand the family dynamics of the kids. Readers who love adventure and science will enjoy learning about the Amazon by reading Lost in the Jungle. Readers can jump into another fast-paced adventure by reading the Explorer Academy Series by Trudi Trueit and Tom Swift Inventors’ Academy Series by Victor Appleton. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • Someone breaks into the lab. When Jack and his siblings find him, the man puts Jack in a headlock. “The man clamped down harder on my head. My ears hurt. He yelled at them to back down the stairs as he dragged me out of the room.” The man threatens to drop Jack from the second story. Jack thinks, “One easy shove and I was going to sail right off the platform and splatter like a water balloon on the polished concrete.” The man leaves without injuring anyone. 
  • A man tries to kidnap Jack, Ava, Matt, and their two friends. The kids jump out of the vehicle to get away, but the man follows. “The driver started to charge, splashing with each heavy step, and then [the sibling’s friend] leaned forward, flicked the stone into the air with his left foot. . . and struck. His leg moved like lightning and the stone flew through the air. . . striking the driver directly in the side of the head. Instantly the man dropped to his knees, twisted, and fell forward in a puddle.” The kids flee. 
  • While lost in the rainforest, Jack follows the sound of voices and runs into a “burly and bearded” man. The man “kept shouting at me in Portuguese. He held his boot above my stomach like he was going to stomp on me.” The man pulls out a gun, but he doesn’t hurt anyone. 
  • When Ava and the other kids find Matt, one of the bad guys, Alex, “dropped his arm across my chest and held me up like a human shield. Then he grabbed the gun off the ground and pressed it into my neck. The blood rushed from my head.” Jack passes out. Everyone is gone when he comes to, and Jack runs into the forest to hide.  
  • Jack and the kids find several bad guys fighting over a flash drive. “Roger’s right fist flashed forward as quickly as a golden lancehead and smashed into Bobby’s forehead. He dropped like a puppet without string.” Two bad guys “showed us the pistol once more” and demanded that the kids take their shoes off. The kids comply.  
  • One of the bad guys, Bobby, plans to take a boat and leave the kids stranded in the jungle. As Bobby waded to the boat, “the giant electric eel wrapped itself around his right leg and pumped him full of nine hundred volts. Every muscle in his body instantly tensed. His eyes bulged. . . [he] fell face-first into the water.” Bobby isn’t seriously injured.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • In a woman’s office, the kids see that “a thick, half-smoked cigar rested in a silver ashtray on the desk.” 
  • In a crowd outside of a soccer match, “two old dudes chewing on cigars scurried alongside our car.” 
  • During intermission at the opera, “a few dozen operagoers rushed outside, reaching for their cigarettes, cigars, and phones.” 

Language  

  • One of the bad guys calls a woman a “greedy old hag.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Wren

For generations, Wren’s family has lived in an ancient Welsh castle in the mountains. The wind whistles through the halls, and the walls sing to Wren. The cold never leaves, and the sea is just outside her door. Wren is busy inventing things, and her father is busy disapproving.   

But the castle contains a mystery and as Wren is drawn further into it, she realizes the answer lies in the very foundations of her home, foundations that are being shaken to their core. Wren knows something powerful is trapped in her house. Just like Wren. Flight may be the answer, but what if only one of you has wings? 

Wren is a dark, gothic adventure set on the island of Anglesey in North Wales that features a fantastical beast—a dragon. Unfortunately, the dragon rarely appears, which will disappoint some readers. Instead, the story focuses on Wren and her family—her father, her aunt Efa, and her brother Tudur. 

Readers will sympathize with Wren, who is lonely and grieving her mother’s death. Wren’s brother is mean, and her aunt’s only concern is being fashionable. Wren also struggles to understand why her father is so critical. For instance, her father criticizes Wren because she prefers going to sea on her boat rather than being an obedient daughter.  

Due to family dynamics, Wren believes happiness can only be found by running away from home. When her father threatens to send her to a school for misbehaving students, Wren decides to build a flying machine to escape—even though her mother died after crashing her own flying machine. Since Wren feels she cannot trust anyone, she becomes adept at sneaking around and keeping secrets.   

Wren’s character is marked by her determination and curiosity, qualities that make her a compelling protagonist. When she discovers the dragon, she immediately sets her mind to freeing it, devising a plan to teach the dragon how to fly. While some aspects of the story remain unexplained, such as Wren’s father’s frequent references to an ancient relative named Gruffudd ap Bleddyn ap Llewelyn, readers will find themselves cheering for Wren as she persuades her father to do the right thing and set the dragon free.  

The story acknowledges Wren’s grief over her mother’s death and points out that when someone dies, the person lives on. This is showcased when Wren realizes that her mother is still with her—in her memories and her heart. In addition, when Wren is flying, she hears her mother’s voice giving her instructions and encouragement. The memory of Wren’s mother gives her the courage to go against society’s norms.  

Lucy Hope grew up in North Wales, and her love of the outdoors is evident in her writing. Some readers may struggle with the advanced vocabulary such as dauphinoise, abhorrence, obsequious, tetchy, eiderdown, and soporific. However, the writing style is straightforward, so readers shouldn’t have any difficulty understanding the story. Wren will be enjoyed by readers interested in flying, friendship, and finding their voice. Readers looking for a book focusing more on a dragon should instead read Rise of the Dragon Moon by Gabrielle K. Byrne, Rise of the Dragons by Angie Sage, and the Dragon Rider Series by Cornelia Funke. 

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence  

  • Wren’s father takes her to church, where a man takes her to the front and compares Wren’s chin to the chin of a skull that was of “Gruffudd ap Bleddyn ap Llewelyn,” the King of Wales in the 1000s. Next, they know, “a blast of air fills the room, followed by the arrival of dozens of gulls. Soon, the church is full of the creatures, flapping, swooping, and dive-bombing the ladies’ hats and splatting on the shoulders of the top-hatted men.” 
  • At the church, the birds attack a man named Airey, who “swipes at the birds now attacking him, tugging at his cowl, pecking at the hairy protrusions sprouting from his ears.” Airey and the other people flee the church. 
  • When Wren takes her flying machine into the air, she crashes and is knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, she discovers that her glasses “caused a few little cuts here and there. . . And you took quite a blow to your head, judging by the egg you have up there!” 
  • After the crash, Wren looks in the mirror. The eyeglasses caused “jagged cuts below and above each eye. My cheeks. . . are now a dozen shades of red, yellow, orange and purple, with another giant bruise running from my forehead all the way down to my collarbone.”  
  • Wren’s brother is mean to her, so she calls him a “ridiculous little boy.” As she glares at him, she has an urge to “kick the pale, skinny shins sticking out from his shorts.” 
  • One of Wren’s relatives from way back was killed “in a brawl over a horse.”  
  • After the dragon breaks free of a house, several men prepare to attack it. “Groups of men are now creeping across the lawn towards the dragon, wielding rakes and hoes and anything they can get their hands on. At least two are carrying shotguns.” The dragon moves towards Wren, but “some of the men bark commands to each other and run round the dragon like sheepdogs.”  
  • The dragon tries to escape, but a man “delivers a blow to her exposed underbelly with his stick.” Wren’s father then “yanks a garden fork out of a nearby rose bed and points it at the [man]. ‘You stay away from that dragon. . . And my daughter,’ he hisses.” 
  • To show the dragon how to fly, Wren takes off in her flying machine. When she leaves, “One of the [men] gives [the dragon] another sharp prod with his stick. . . She lifts one of her giant legs, scoops up the [man], and hurls him towards the water.” Someone goes out into the river to save the man. The men attacking the dragon is described over 10 pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Wren’s aunt takes a “slurp of red wine” at dinner. 
  • Wren’s father shows up at dinner and “smelled of wine before he’d even had a drink at the table.”  
  • Wren watches her father in his office. “He slumps into his old leather armchair, picks up his glass of wine and tips what’s left of it into his mouth.”  
  • A man is blackmailing Wren’s father. The man tells him, “His lordship should be more careful who he shares his secrets with after a skinful of claret.” 
  • After Wren crashes her flying machine, a chemist puts “daily application of oil of earthworm, foul-smelling vinegary poultices and . . . horse-dung tonic” on her wounds.

Language  

  • Several times, the book says an adult “swears,” but no specific swear words are included.  
  • The adults say blasted a few times. For example, Wren’s father says, “You’re too like your blasted mother.” 
  • Damned is used once. 
  • “Dear God” and “Good God” are both used infrequently. 
  • Poppycock is used as an exclamation once. 

Supernatural 

  • When Wren flies for the first time, she can feel her dead mother’s presence. “As I ease the cords through their pulleys with cold fingers, I feel callused hands on mine, guiding them, reassuring me.” Wren’s mom tells her, “Keep an eye on your tail. Watch your height.”  
  • One of Wren’s relatives from a long, long time ago found an egg. He put the egg in the basement and built a house on top of it. Several generations later, the egg hatches, and a dragon is born. As the dragon grew, “it became entangled within the area that protected it—your house. . . And as it grew, every part of it . . . grew into and around the stonework of your house, until the two became one.”  
  • For the dragon to fly, it must sing to the mountains. “As she began her life in the belly of the mountains, she is the child of the mountains. She cannot fly until they respond. Until they call to her.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • Wren prays several times. For example, when she plans to use her boat as part of a flying machine, Wren prays, “It’ll still be seaworthy after my fight.”  
  • Wren’s friend gets trapped in the house, which is crumbling around him. “Without thinking I tear at the pile of stones with my bare hands, praying the roof doesn’t collapse on top of me.” 

Behind the Legend: The Loch Ness Monster

Behind the Legend looks at creatures and monsters throughout history and analyzes them through a scientific, myth busting lens. Behind the Legend debates whether or not the sightings and evidence provided are adequate proof of the monsters’ existence.  

In The Loch Ness Monster, readers learn about all the sightings and proof of the Loch Ness Monster, from famous photographs to huge “footprints” found by the Loch. It also discusses the history surrounding the monster, such as how Nessie became a major figure in popular culture and other mythical beings that arose in Scotland. Complete with engaging anecdotes, interesting sidebars and fantastic illustrations, kids won’t want to put this book down! 

Author Erin Peabody uses a humorous and conversational tone that makes reading The Loch Ness Monster enjoyable. The oversized text and short passages are easy to read. Plus, large black-and-white illustrations appear on almost every page. The black and white drawings bring the legend to life. Scenes depicting the Loch Ness Monster attacking people are humorous, highlighting the lack of scientific evidence proving that the monster exists. The text does an excellent job of explaining how the culture of the 1900s helped reinforce belief in the existence of large creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster.  

Even though The Loch Ness Monster uses difficult vocabulary, the text is easy to understand since the book defines unfamiliar vocabulary and gives familiar examples. For instance, the root for cryptid is crypt, which “comes from the Greek word kryptos, and means ‘hidden’. . . There’s ‘Kryton,’” the home planet of Superman and Supergirl.  

In a time of fake news, The Loch Ness Monster explores how “pop culture, greed, and the temptation to trick and deceive can influence public opinion.” Thus, the book explains the importance of using scientific evidence in proving that a new species exists. Peabody also includes other sources readers can use to learn more about the Loch Ness Monster. 

The Loch Ness Monster uses many interesting stories and examples to explain why some people believe the monster still hides in the depths of the deepest loch in Scotland. The book includes sightings of the mysterious monster and explores how people have tried to gain proof of the monster’s existence. “Yet, despite all of the inventive, tech-savvy methods tried, not a single beastie bone, fossil, or other form of solid evidence ever turned up.” Even though there is no scientific evidence that the Loch Ness Monster is real, people are still trying to find proof of its existence.  

The Loch Ness Monster is a must-read for anyone who believes selkies, wizard shackles, or the Loch Ness Monster still find their home in Scotland. Spending an afternoon reading The Loch Ness Monster will be entertaining and educational. Plus, the book will give you many different ideas on how you can explore the legend of the Loch Ness Monster in more detail. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • If a child got onto a kelpie’s back, “their fates were sealed. Instantly, the children would become stuck to the animal, which would then race into the water, not stopping until they’d dragged their poor victims to the bottom to drown. And then the kelpies would eat them.” 
  • The only way a child could escape a kelpie was by “cutting off his own fingers.” 
  • Scotland also has selkies, sinister shapeshifters, that lured “their victims into love affairs that would tragically end.”  
  • In Scotland, the wizard shackle, a nine-eyed eel, would wait for a human or horse “then lunge, twisting itself around its victim’s ankles and dragging its prey underwater to drown. . . the leechlike slitherer would suck its victim’s blood.” 
  • The boobrie is a carnivorous bird that “ambushes its victims [with its] large hook-shaped beak.” The boobrie eats lambs, calves, and children. 
  • When writing King Kong, George Spicer used “an exact description of Nessie. And the Nessie look-alike in the film is quite terrifying. In one scene, it seizes a raft full of men in a lagoon, savagely killing them in its apparent thirst for blood.” An illustration shows Nessie eating a sailor. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. ...
  11. 46

Latest Reviews