Reviews
A Midterm Night's Scheme: Book 6
“Don’t bother trying to explain it to your friends. Just tell them it’s hilarious.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
Nicholas Hoult: Beast of the Silver Screen
“Shorter than many easy-read biographies, these volumes are jam-packed with information yet manage to avoid a busy appearance on the page and information overload.” —VOYA View →
Move Your Body!: My Exercise Tips
“Though the first-person narratives, which flow easily and contain clear, direct language, are not conventional nonfiction in format, they still convey useful information. Eye-catching full-color illustrations match the text and aid comprehension, while red text boxes emphasize… View →
Tools and Treasures of Ancient China
“[T]hese books provide basic introductory information and a good visual history of each culture’s material treasures, making them strong additional purchases for elementary schools.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Surviving Natural Disasters
“This high-interest series provides fast-paced stories of survival in different scenarios and also offers solutions for readers if they ever find themselves facing dangerous situations. . . . Though this entertaining, informative series does not discourage adventure, it reminds… View →
Rock Crawling: Tearing It Up
“There’s a surprising amount of detail in the simply written text, supplemented by excellent graphics and photos. . . . These well-written books will appeal to a wide audience.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Flickr Cofounder and Web Community Creator Caterina Fake
“These short books, written in a simple and straightforward style, will appeal most to middle school-aged readers and should find equal popularity among both males and females.” —VOYA View →
Fighter's Alley
“Although the series is aimed at reluctant readers, it is exciting enough to interest voracious readers as well. The Bareknuckle series would be a worthy addition to middle school libraries and libraries serving the tween population.” —VOYA View →
“Friedman’s portrayal of the emotions experienced by a young teenage girl… is sure to connect with young teen readers…. The short, engaging chapters will be especially appealing to reluctant readers.” —VOYA View →
The Loch Ness Monster
“Vanessa’s story is one of two worlds—the real world and the world of folktale and mythology—across which she must manage bravely but, for the most part, secretly.” —VOYA View →
Gabriel Gets a Great Deal
For Math Awareness month, check out three series that guide students on the path to financial literacy. In Lisa Bullard’s Gabriel Gets a Great Deal (Ill. by Mike Moran, Millbrook Press, 2013, 24 p. 978-14677-0766-4), Gabriel needs new sneakers, but the ones he wants cost too much.… View →
The Patchwork Torah
“Surprisingly inventive and genuinely uplifting, this story beautifully and subtly ties together two key Jewish precepts: l’dor v’dor (generation to generation) and tikkum olam (repair the world).” — Publisher’s Weekly View →
Elan, Son of Two Peoples
“Hyde (Feivel’s Flying Horses) uses spare but heartfelt prose to show how Elan’s family bridges, but never blurs, their two cultures. Prevost’s (Trouble Talk) watercolor and collage artwork combines beautifully subtle craftsmanship (the first rendering of the Acoma mesa View →
Where's My Tushy?
“Captain Underpants look-alikes return with a caper sure to tickle preschool funny bones at storytime.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
“[T]here’s a pugnacious grit and scrappy energy to the prose, and the general theme—who, if any, of these raiders can be trusted?—will keep readers on their toes until the final pages.” —Booklist View →
Poison Alert!: My Tips to Avoid Danger Zones at Home
“[Y]ounger readers will find healthy doses of useful information about good practices, safe storage of potential poisons, and what to do in case of emergency—all delivered with melodramatic relish . . . rather than bland, forgettable cautions.”—Booklist View →
Jack the Castaway
“In Doan’s entertaining debut, Jack’s misadventures begin once his absentee parents show up and whisk him off to the Caribbean. . . . Doan’s swiftly paced narrative is well matched by Stevanovic’s cartoony illustrations.” —Booklist View →
Mud Truck Racing: Tearing It Up
“Readers will rev up over this title, feeling the engines thrum and the mud splatter on every page. . . . Grab this one for aspiring racing buffs, but don’t be surprised if it comes back showing signs of ‘field research.’”—Booklist View →
Curiosity's Mission on Mars: Exploring the Red Planet
“An informative, useful look at a current and ongoing mission to explore our nearest neighbor in the solar system.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio
Skead, Robert. Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio In 1936, the New York Yankees asked Negro Leagues pitcher Satchel Paige to test a rookie player, Joe DiMaggio. The contest, which resulted in DiMaggio being brought up to the majors, demonstrated… View →
If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems
“Wonderfully crafted and illustrated: a delightful, effective primer for budding poets.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews View →
The Milo & Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Superstar Scam, Lewis B. Montgomery, 2013. Ages 7–11, 112 pp., $6.95 paper. ISBN 978-1-57565-519-2. The Kane Press; www.kanepress.com. Second- and third-grade students would love to follow Milo and Jazz,… View →
The Burnouts
“[A]s a capper to this undersung ‘psycho soap opera,’ it sure does its dirty job.” —starred, Booklist View →
Friends in the Wild
“A solid, engaging series that makes the topic interesting and accessible to young readers.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →