Reviews
Sarah Emma Edmonds Was a Great Pretender: The True Story of a Civil War Spy
“Jones succeeds in keeping the complicated narrative at a level appropriate for young readers. Based on Edmonds’s own writings as well as secondary sources, the book presents a believable account of the woman’s actions. While some speculation is included as to her… View →
The Littlest Mountain
“A solid choice for Judeo-Christian collections that may be enjoyed in secular settings as well.” —School Library Journal View →
Big Bouffant
“Warm tones and colorful patterns result in rich illustrations that carry Annabelle’s exuberance and determination through the pages. Shadow and texture layer the story, and panels help readers move along visually. This rhyming text will delight fans of Robert Munsch’s… View →
Afikomen Mambo
“Black’s playful song ‘Afikomen Mambo’ is presented here as an illustrated book-and-CD combo. The music uses a Latin beat to add to the fun of the search, and listeners will want to get up and dance…. This kid-friendly book and CD will be popular with… View →
Seven Wonders of the Rocky Planets and Their Moons
“This book is highly recommended for the capable and/or talented reader in middle school, and up through high school.The text is readable but the content is deep and the information is wide–ranging and detailed. It would provide many anecdotes and interesting detail for the teacher View →
Seven Wonders of Space Technology
“This book is highly recommended for the capable and/or talented reader in middle school, and up through high school. The text is readable but the content is deep and the information is wide-ranging and detailed. It would provide many anecdotes and interesting detail for the… View →
Six Sheep Sip Thick Shakes: And Other Tricky Tongue Twisters
“Tongue twisters constitute one of the few challenges in which failure is as much fun as accomplishment, and here Cleary offers two dozen originals that should reduce the most eloquent youngster to a state of giggling babble. . . Surely there’s a phonics lesson in here… View →
What Can't Wait
“A timely, realistic and unflinching portrayal of an unfortunately pressing problem for many immigrant teens.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books View →
Seven Wonders of the Gas Giants and Their Moons
“This book is highly recommended for the capable and/or talented reader in middle school, and up through high school. The text is readable but the content is deep and the information is wide–ranging and detailed. It would provide many anecdotes and interesting detail for the… View →
Monster Trucks on the Move
“The accessible texts are simple but informative.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
Elmer and the Hippos
“The elephants get upset when hippos move into their river. Patchwork elephant Elmer, put in charge of finding out why the hippos’ river has dried up, enlists both hippos and elephants to help remove a pile of rocks blocking the water. McKee’s story, while a little… View →
Seven Wonders beyond the Solar System
“This book is highly recommended for the capable and/or talented reader in middle school, and up through high school. The text is readable but the content is deep and the information is wide–ranging and detailed. It would provide many anecdotes and interesting detail for the… View →
Day and Night
“Information is very brief and basic, appropriate for first report writers.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
Scorpions: Armored Stingers
“All in all, this middle school book would be a great addition to any teacher’s classroom library.” —NSTA View →
Ancient Transportation Technology: From Oars to Elephants
“The information in this series would be very good for a cross–curricular lesson, for example, relating science to social studies.” —NSTA View →
I, Emma Freke
“Atkinson’s account of Emma’s journey to self-discovery is sincere and relatable.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
What Can Live in the Ocean?
“Simple text and large font geared toward beginning readers explain different attributes of various animals living in a particular habitat.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
The Absolute Value of -1
“Brezenoff explores the characters’ interactions honestly and head-on, without neat intersections or happy endings.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
Alien Contact
“Zack is recalled to duty when his boss, Sorn, goes missing. With his parents’ blessing, along with the support of a flying alien cat and a new human friend, Zack must evade enemy aliens and Homeland Security, find Sorn, and keep humanity from realizing aliens exist. The… View →
Open the Jail Doors — We Want to Enter: The Defiance Campaign against Apartheid Laws, South Africa, 1952
“These series entries address three struggles in the worldwide history of civil rights. Strong texts provide readers with essential background information on such topics as the ILGWU, apartheid, and Chinese government oppression; the activist… View →
Draw the Dark
“This cold-case-meets-magical-realism narrative is a suspenseful tale and a critical examination of how history is written.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
Earth's Water Cycle
“First-time report writers may find this series useful.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
The Freak Observer
“Woolston draws a realistic picture of a family in trouble while focusing firmly on her deeply cerebral protagonist. Readers will be won by the vivid characterization of Loa and her strong narrative voice.” —The Horn Book Guide View →