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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

Mist, Metal, and Ash (Ink, Iron, and Glass #2) by Gwendolyn Clare , 336 pages.  Imprint (Macmillan), Feb 2019.  $19 Language: PG-13 (33 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (some blood and bodies) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Elsa and the others were left behind and betrayed when Leo went off with his brother Aris and the edit book.  While Elsa’s heart hurts, she is determined to regain control of the editbook; if Aris learns how to use it, he and Garibaldi could destroy all the worlds. As she leaves on the hunt, she doesn’t realize that she is leaving the children in danger – something is wrong with Casa, too. Things get a bit more complicated in the second book of the series.  Not unexpected, of course.  Elsa spends her whole time trying to thwart Aris and Garibaldi and she unearths more complications.  I am wondering about the purpose of Casa going off the rails – hopefully that will weave in during the 3 rd book. Cindy, Middle School Libr

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

Jane Austen: Her Heart Did Whisper by Manuela Santoni , 95 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Graphic Universe (Lerner), 2016.  Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G. BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE  AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE This is the story of Jane Austen’s family dynamics, the discovery of her writing talents, and her romantic experiences. This graphic novel hinges on the axis of her relationship with Mr. Lefroy, who enters Jane’s life as an arrogant character. Jane falls in love with him, and he her. When he leaves town, they continue corresponding and get engaged, but when Jane visits him after their time apart she realizes she does not love him anymore. This relationship is suggested to inform much of her writing.  I want to love anything that even mentions Jane Austen, but this was only okay for me. I thought the lack of color, all the illustrations are black and white, was a little monotonous and boring given the high emotions of the story. It is interesting to learn

Coco Chanel : Pearls, Perfume and the Little Black Dress by Susan Goldman Rubin , 133 pages. NON FICTION Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2018 $18.99.  Content: G. BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL, HS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  Susan Goldman Rubin gives us a well researched biography of the famous designer. Beginning with her childhood, mostly spent in poverty, living with relatives or in an orphanage, through her schooling and eventual rise to fame as the designer for the rich and famous in Paris.   Rubin does a great job of separating fact from fiction; telling both Chanel's story and the researched history. Well illustrated with captioned historical photographs, includes a list of museums with artifacts, fashion firsts introduced by Chanel and an extensive bibliography.   Lisa Librarian 

Deceiver’s Heart by Jennifer Nielsen , 384 pages.  Scholastic, Feb 2019.  $18 Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (fighting) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Kestra accepted her role as the Infidante and tried to use the Olden Blade to kill Lord Endrick. When her plan fails, Endrick takes her memories to warp her into his puppet.  When she is again kidnapped by the Coracks, she has no idea who she was, nor who Simon is to her.  In order to restore her memories, she must dare to claim her magic.  But if she does, then she will lose Simon forever. Things get quite complicated in this second book.  I must admit I felt betrayed when Endrick took Kestra’s memories.  I know Kestra couldn’t just kill Endrick in the first chapter, but it felt like a trick.  I think I just have to accept that the magic and the danger takes a back seat to the romance - very convoluted romance. Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

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

In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natahsa Deen , 304 pages.  Running Press Teens, April 2019.  $18. Language: PG-13 (22 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Nira is barely making it through high school, with only Emily as her friend and Georgia, her pocket trumpet, as solace.  But things are changing – Noah, the local BMOC, and McKenzie, Nira’s chief tormentor, are horning in on the duo for some reason.  Even Farrah, her rich, stuck-up cousin, seems to be hanging around more. Between rocky friendships and the weight of her family’s expectations, Nira turns more to her music, but there is a chance for disaster. I like Nira quite a lot. Nira’s story is similar to many other previous stories about kids whose parents don’t want to leave any room for them to grow up and away and friendships that can – sometimes in good ways and sometimes away from each other. Who I don’t like is the jazz band teacher at her school – he is cal

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

The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea , 364 pages. Delacourt Press, 2018. $16.99.  Language: PG (1 swear, 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.  BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE  AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  The kids from The Perfect Score are back for their 7th grade year. This year is all about secrets; everyone has secrets: Gavin is finally playing football, but the coach has something against him and won’t let him play - Gavin tells everyone football is great, but Scott knows otherwise - Scott’s football experience is also not as expected, he is terribly bullied by other team members. Randi has been invited to an elite gymnastics camp where she meets an unexpected relative. Natalie wants to get Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta back together - but she’s been told their problems are a secret so this is harder than she anticipated. And Trevor . . . Brian has moved out, but Trevor is afraid Brian is headed for big trouble.  Buyea has written another engaging story, well told through th

Eleanor Roosevelt: Fighter for Justice by Ilene Cooper , 184 pages. NON-FICTION. Abrams, 2018. $18. Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G. BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE  AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE This book covers the span of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life, with a focus in the second half of the book on her activities toward equality. As a youth, Eleanor experienced the deaths of many close to her, including both her parents and a sibling, as well as a transient lifestyle, moving from house to house. In her later years she battled against the prejudice of her youth by educating herself about the state of disadvantaged populations - women, children, immigrates, and people of color.  I appreciated the balance in this book, in that the author was honest about the racist things Eleanor had done, but explained how she moved past old beliefs and educated herself on compassion and representation. The book does go in to limited details on Eleanor’s husband’s affair, which may be a

Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo : The Middle-Route Run by Ben Costa and James Parks 208 pages GRAPHIC NOVEL Alfred A. Knopf 2018 $20.99. Language: PG (2 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (sword play, battles)  BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL  AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH   Rickety Stitch is captured by a witch who uses his skeleton arm to reanimate what turns out to be the minion of the Gloom King - bad idea. The witch restores Rickety's arm with a different one - so he's got that skeleton's memories and an arm that digs and digs and digs. Now, this arm has a mind of its own and has dug it's way into another adventure, as Rickety and Goo search for more clues about what happened to them and why he is a walking, talking skeleton.  Another grand adventure! No mature content in this one, just great battles, surprise villains and heroes and another fine mess for Rickety and Goo. Includes an appendix with a link to listen to the songs online and a descri

Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo : The Road to Epoli by Ben Costa and James Parks , 208 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Alfred A. Knopf 2017 $14.99. Language: G (0 swears, 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG  BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE  AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  Rickety Stitch is a minstrel. He is also a "living skeleton" with a mind of his own - very unlike the other skeletons who work in the mines. When he and his friend the Gelatinous Goo are fired from their job in the torture chamber, Rickety goes on a quest, to find out who he really is (or was for that matter).  A little mature for elementary (some of the humor is a bit crude, but not too much for middle school) this delightful story is sure to be picked up in your library. Rickety dreams about a song which the reader can download online to hear the tune and enhance the reading experience. An appendix of sorts gives more detail about the characters and possible storylines for future installments. I'm

Hull Metal Girls by Emily Skrutskie , 311 pages.  Delacorte (Random), 2018.  $18. 9781524770198 Language: R (44 swears, 24 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (implied sex); Violence: PG (some fighting) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH Aisha is desperate to help her little brother – so desperate that she allows the government to transform her into a Scela – a humanoid mechanical charged with upholding order with the vast space-faring fleet that is all that’s left of the human race. Key on the other hand doesn’t remember her life before being transformed, which can be a huge problem when forming a bonding with a group.  Each group member, but especially Key and Aisha have secrets they are eager to keep from the others.  Then they stumble on a secret that the highest level of the Fleet will do anything to stop from being revealed. If you have a science fiction reading clientele, then you definitely need this.  I’d give this to anyone who has finished Ender’s Game or milita

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

Rebel With a Cupcake by Anna Mainwaring , 208 pages. KCP Loft (Kids Can Press), 2018. $11. 9781525300332. Language: PG-13(24 swears, 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Jesobel Jones loves food--cooking it and eating it and how it makes people happy. Her love of food aligns with her chubby body shape and she's never before had a problem with it--until a cute boy at school seems to notice her, and a perfect girl bully gets in her face, and she actually considers what it might be like to look more like her "perfect" sister, Cat. Thus begins a 3-week journey of dieting, exercise, crazy drama, and an end result she doesn't expect. Teenage novels focused on romance, friendship, and self-worth are fairly cliche and predictable. Mainwaring's book adds some fresh air to the genre while still not branching too far out. I enjoyed the author's voice through Jesobel Jones, and appreciated the stro

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