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Guardians of the Gryphon’s Claw by Todd Calgi Gallicano , 373 pages.  Delacorte (Random), 2017.  $17. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G (some violence, without being graphic) BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Sam London has been dreaming about a gryphon – over and over.  When he pursues the dream to Death Valley, he finds not only a gryphon, but gets involved with a whole secret world of what he thought were mythical creatures.  With Dr. Vance Vantana, Sam sets off on adventure to save the Gryphon’s Claw – the object that stops most humans from seeing magical creatures – from the evil creatures who want to rule over humans.   Sam’s first adventure is a whole lot of fun.  And danger. Kids who like Brandon Mull or Chris Colfer will also enjoy this. Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

One Day a Dot: The Story of You, the Universe, and Everything by Ian Lendler , illustrated by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb . PICTURE BOOK. First Second (Roaring Book Press), 2018. $18. 9781626722446. BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Starting with the appearance of a simple dot, that then got so excited it burst into lots of other dots, that then joined together and made light, and eventually...the world as we know it came to be and we all exist. This is a simplified--and fantastic!--explanation of evolution, taking the readers from the very beginnings all the way to their own life on earth today. The author leaves us with the one thing no one can agree on or explain today--where that first dot actually came from. I liked this the first time I read it, and loved it the next time I gave it a go. The illustrations are colorful, artsy, and perfect for the material. The way a somewhat complex topic like evolution is simplified down here is great an

She Dared: Malala Yousafzai by Jenni L. Walsh, 128 pages.  Scholastic, 2019.  $7.   Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.   B UYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE   AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE    Malala lived in Pakistan with her parents and two brothers.  She dreamed of becoming a doctor and loved everything to do with school.  When the Taliban leaders start to infringe on the rights of the people in her community, Malala starts to speak out against the oppression.  She is targeted by the Taliban and shot while taking the bus home from school.  She received medical care in England and has used her experience to try and bring attention to the needs of girls around the world.   This is a great succinct biography about Malala’s life.  I especially enjoyed the ending that includes all the ways that she has reached out and helped since this experience.  Her story is inspiring and courageous and this version of the story is well done without being scary.   C. Peterson

Her Right Foot By Dave Eggers , Art by Shawn Harris, 104 pages. PICTURE BOOK, NON FICTION Chronicle Books 2017 $19.99 1452162816  BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL  AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  The Statue of Liberty has been welcoming people in the harbor for over 125 years. But there's more to her than we think. Eggers describes the construction in Paris, the transportation and reassembly in New York, even why she is green. but then, he goes on to tell about the symbolism of her right foot - have you noticed, she's in stride! Where is she going?  Eggers writing style makes the reader feel smart! Full of "you probably know" and "you may have noticed" the text practically begs the reader to share the information they just learned (or already know but had forgotten). Harris's illustrations are the perfect companion to this amazing quick read about acceptance. I'll never see the statue of liberty the same way again. Includes a bibliography for further

Tangled in Time: The Portal by Kathryn Lasky , 384 pages.  Harper Collins, March 2019.  $17 Language: PG (7 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content:G ; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS - OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW Rose’s life has been turned upside down by her mother’s death.  Now she is surviving the mean girls in her new sixth grade class who are jealous of her online fame as a fashion vlogger.  Her new guardian, her grandmother, is forgetful, except when the two of them are working in the greenhouse.  Something is strange, though, and one day Rose finds herself going back in time to the court of King Henry VIII, in the household of the princess Elizabeth.  Rose has no control over when she moves between one realm or the other, but she does have a goal – to find the father she has never met. Lasky knows everything about historical princesses and courts – its when Rose is in the past that the book really shines.  Magic, however, is not her strong suit.  Magic needs even a few simple ru

The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Monster Mall  (Margo Maloo, #2) by Drew Weing , 120 pages.  GRAPHIC NOVEL  First Second (Macmillan), 2018.  $16.   BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE   AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH    Charles is fairly new to Echo City, but what he has learned of the place is that there are monsters hiding throughout the city and not many people know they are there.  Charles had to get help from Margo Maloo for a problem he was having in his own home and ever since he has decided that he wants to alert all the kids in Echo City of the monsters in their midst.  Margo agrees to let him shadow her as she mediates between the humans and the monsters, so that Charles can get information to share with others so that everyone can get along.  Charles and Margo concentrate on the abandoned mall that has a lair of vampires.   What a fun read! Margo is a capable character who is cloaked in mystery and Charles is a cute nerd who is being introduced to this new way of looking at

The Three Rules of Everyday Magic by Amanda Rawson Hill , 190 pages. Boyds Mills Press (Highlights), 2018. $17.95 Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE For Kate, nothing has been right since Christmas—before her father left, before her Grammy stopped remembering things, and before friendships became complicated. With everything falling apart, Kate feels helpless. But then Grammy starts teaching her about everyday magic. Maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay. I love how Hill is able to capture the difficulty of life and the challenge of trying to figure out how to deal with everything that happens. Every challenge we face adds up, and sometimes it takes a while to know how to move forward. As Kate learns and teaches us, though, it is okay to hope and it is okay to change. Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Odd One Out: Fiendishly Tricky Spot-the-difference Puzzles to Boggle your Brain . PICTURE BOOK. Penguin Workshop, 2018. $10. 97815247900882 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH This book includes a variety of different visual searches - sometimes you are looking for matching illustrations, something you are looking for the smallest illustration, sometimes you are looking for the odd-ones-out, and so forth. Each search also contains a fun fact about the item you are searching for and through.  This book is deceptively hard. My kids kept picking it up with confidence because the illustrations are so cutesy, but were repeatedly surprised how hard they had to look at and study the pictures. This is the perfect book in small doses. I loved the simple addition of the facts included with each puzzle. Did you know that “when it drizzles on a sunny day in Hawaii, locals call it ‘pineapple juice?’”   Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

Cook’s Cook: The Cook who Cooked for Captain Cook by Gavin Bishop .  PICTURE BOOK.  Gecko Press, 2018.  $18. 9781776572045 BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE In 1768 James Cook one ship and 94 men to search for a giant continent south of New Zealand.  When they returned home in 1771, 56 men were still alive. Cook’s cook, John Thompson, had to be thrifty, ingenious, and pragmatic to cook for so many men for such a long period of time. Unfortunately Thompson didn’t not live to see England again. A great way to show students how long travel used to take place and what life might be like on a sailing vessel.  Be warned -- they do talk a couple of times about eating dog and also kangaroo.  Unfortunately there is no back matter to help you with further research, nor to know how perfectly true the narrative is. A bad oversight indeed. Cindy, Middle School Librarian

Charlotte’s Bones: The Beluga Whale in a Farmer’s Field by Erin Rounds , illustrated by Alison Carver . NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK.  Tilbury House, 2018.  $18.  9780884484851 BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE As the ice age ended, the now fields of Vermont were covered by a massive inland ocean.  When one Beluga whale got caught in the grassy marshes, she was left behind as her pod swam away.  Left to discovered in a farmer’s field in 1849. What a great introduction to the fossil record, archaeology, the Ice Age, or many other topics.  I will be sharing this with my middle school science teachers to see who needs it for their classroom use for sure. Cindy, Middle School Librarian

Lu : Sometimes You Gotta Jump Anyway  by Jason Reynolds ,  218 pages. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018 $16.99. Language: G (0 swears, 0 'f') Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Lots of mean bully speak)  BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL  AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  Lu is learning to run hurdles - he's fast, but the hurdles throw him - or rather trip him - or stop him from jumping at all. He's Lightning Lu! Born to parents who thought they couldn't have children, plus, he's an albino - lightning struck twice in the same place. He knows he's special, but, like the others on his track team, Lu is dealing with issues. His dad is a former drug dealer, mom is expecting another "miracle" baby, and Lu can't see past the bullies or the hurdles.  Jason Reynolds crossed the finish line on this series with style and finesse. Lu is a great voice, the message isn't heavy handed and all the problems aren't neatly solved, nor is the story completely w

Prince Harry & Meghan: Royals for a New Era by Jill Sherman , 48 pages. NONFICTION. Lerner Publications, 2019. $32. 9781541539457.  Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: EL, MS - AVERAGE This is a short informational/biographical text of Prince Harry of Wales and his now-wife, US-born Meghan Markle. Basic information is covered about both of them--with more emphasis on Harry than Meghan--and colorful photographs illustrate every step of the way. The book ends with their royal 2018 wedding. The back of the book has a timeline, source notes, and a basic index and bibliography. This was a great nonfiction biography at a perfect level for upper elementary and middle school readers. Those who are interested in this famous royal couple (and who isn't?!) will get the basic info they want; the numerous pictures are appropriate and add a nice touch. I liked the writing style and overall feel like this is a good fit

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner, 334 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL  Simon and Schuster, 2018.  $22.   Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.   BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE   AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH    AJ really likes a girl named Nia Winters, but he feels like he is too boring for a cool girl like Nia.  AJ can tell that Nia is interested in vampires, so to make himself more interesting to Nia, he starts to alter his appearance in an attempt to look more like a vampire.  When AJ and Nia get paired together for a project, they both realize they have a lot in common and become friends.  What AJ doesn’t know is that Nia is a vampire slayer and she has been noticing his changes, so in a funny twist AJ has to convince Nia to like him for himself.   This graphic novel was a quick read which was totally enjoyable. The humor added to the creative story about being true to ourselves and not changing for other people.  The illustrations are bright and attractive and the cover will gra

Bah! Humbug! : A magical retelling of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Tony Ross , 192 pages. Walker Books Candlewick Press, 2017 $15.99. Language: PG (4 swears, 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.  BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Harry is starring in his middle school production of A Christmas Carol. He is well prepared and excited, but his dad, Ray, has his mind on work - all the time. So when Ray schedules a meeting during the production, he leaves the show to talk with "Mumbai", and starts his own private version of A Christmas Carol, seeing himself for what he has become - not the father he set out to be. Dickens's A Christmas Carol script is interspersed with this family story to give the reader perspective, however, the pages of dialogue from the play were a bit tedious. Is there an expectation that the reader already knows A Christmas Carol? I wish Ray had been a child or teenager. I&#

Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon by John August , 384 pages.  Roaring Brook (Macmillan), FEB 2019.  $17. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (danger) BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Its been six months since Arlo arrived in Pine Mountain and found out about the Long Woods.  One day Arlo finds a strange passage and sees himself and his friends across the chasm.  Before he and the others can puzzle out what as actually happening, they must first head off to Ranger summer camp.  Unfortunately, they have a newcomer in their patrol – Thomas, which means they can’t discuss or investigate the earlier mystery.  Nothing is as it seems at camp either.  The danger is imminent and the mysteries abound.   There is certainly plenty of mystery in Arlo’s second book.  While we learn a bit more of Arlo’s family history, The Long Woods are not much explored, which disappointed me.  There is plenty of danger and wonder.  And August pulls off the time traveling pr

Unwritten by Tara Gilboy , 200 pages.  Jolly Fish Press, 2018.  $12. Content: G ( a little bit scary, but nothing over the top) BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Gracie is in the 7 th grade and she knows that her mother and she escaped from the land of Bandoff from within the pages of a book when she was little.  Now the author of that book is coming to Gracie’s town and she wants answers.  Despite her mother’s warnings and threats, Gracie storms off and involves the author, starting a chain reaction involving the evil within the book and pulling all of the characters – and the author – into the story.  But Gracie is not who she thought she was in this world.  She will have to defy her own nature in order to save those she loves and right her wrong. A nice enough “within these pages” story.  There is no new territory covered here, but it is a good paperback option for those kids who like the Land of Stories and Half Upon a Time series. Cindy, Middle School

The Collector by K.R. Alexander , 217 pages. Fiction (Mystery, horror!) Scholastic Books, 2018. $4.95.   978-1-338-21224-2 Content: G (tense, but not too scary) BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH Josie, her mom and her little sister Anna move from Chicago to the country after her mother loses her job. The family moves in with Grandma Jeanie who needs some care, she seems to be suffering from Alzheimer or dementia. Josie has a difficult time adjusting to her new school but finds a friend in spite of it all.   The story carefully twists to bring the reader to the belief that maybe Grandma Jeanie knows more than Josie thinks. Josie is put in a scary position where she must save her little sister Anna and ends freeing the town from decades old curse.  I don’t usually like scary books but I do like a good mystery and this one was well told.   L. Moeller English Teacher and Librarian 

Dear Sister  by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Joe Bluhm . GRAPHIC NOVEL. Antheneum, 2018. $14 Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G. BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL  AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE This book is a collection of ripped notebook papers and scrap paper, each with a note and drawing from a big brother to his little sister. For a while the notes describe a baby who cries a lot, but the notes gradually get more tender as their relationships ages and grows. Most of the drawings are humorous or clever illustrations of their life.  I got teary-eyed in this book. It is not easy to have younger siblings, and I know a lot of young readers will identify with the narrator, but the best part is that they will also find inspiration to do a better job at being a sibling. This book highlights how much the younger sibling craves a relationship with the older sibling and I predict this will be eye-opening to many old sibling readers.   Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

The Sands of Shark Island (School of Tobermory, #2) by Alexander McCall Smith , 243 pages.  Delacorte Press, 2016. $16  Content: G   BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE   AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE    The school class on the ship Tobermory has a short break from the ship.  The McTavish kids take their friends home with them and have a close call while helping their parents drive a submarine.  After they are on land the friends have an adventure trying to evade Tanya’s mean aunt and uncle.  When returned to the school ship, they go on a crazy trip to the Caribbean and meet new friends and battle old foes.   I think this book is a fun, clean and enjoyable read.  I like the little bit of mystery and the good values shared by this group of friends.  There are fun little illustrations in each chapter and some interesting facts about sailing at the back.   C. Peterson  

The Hotel Between by Sean Easley , 352 pages. Simon Schuster, 2018. $16.99.  Language: G, Mature Content: G, Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS – OPTIONAL. AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Walking home from school Cam happens upon a glamorous hotel in an otherwise empty strip mall. The emblem on the door matches the coin given to him by his father before disappearing many years ago. Cam knows there’s a connection between the hotel and his father’s disappearance. When Nico, the bellboy, invites him into the Hotel Between, Cam has no idea what awaits him. The hotel itself is an intricate layout of corridors and doors that enable guests to move between countries instantly. But the hotel is losing its magic and doors are disappearing. Cam wants to help, but he doesn’t know who he can trust. He must go with his gut and take a risk, if there’s any chance of finding his father. The book cover alone will make you want to read this book. It’s gorgeous and the first few chapters will capture your int