Reviews
Swish: The Quest for Basketball's Perfect Shot
“This book explores basketball’s shooting stars and the development of hoop shots from the two-handed set shot to the dunk. The text also explains how the twenty-four-second rule transformed a largely defensive sport into a fast-paced, high-scoring offensive game. Especially… View →
Maccabee!: The Story of Hanukkah
“With its ‘little engine that could’ vibe and comic book-style illustrations, Maccabee! is sure to entertain young readers as well as inform them on the origins of Hanukkah. Harrington’s bold art creates a sense of energy and determination while… View →
“An interesting approach, this provides a way into history for classrooms.” —Booklist View →
Ruby Valentine Saves the Day
“The story is as warm as the fire over which people are roasting marshmallows at the book’s conclusion. Avril’s ink-and-and-watercolor pictures, highlighted with pinks and reds, go for both tenderness and giggles and get readers into the spirit of this special… View →
Ferrets and Ferreting Out: Book 2
“This trilogy exudes shelf appeal…. The anime-inspired art will grab attention. Alta Donna and its fashion-forward citizens are crisply rendered in pastel hues…. These titles are visual standouts.” —School Library Journal View →
Open the Jail Doors — We Want to Enter: The Defiance Campaign against Apartheid Laws, South Africa, 1952
“Presenting an in-depth view of groundbreaking events and movements in world history, these volumes are loaded with archival quality photos, quotes from key players, and eyewitness accounts. details historical background information is provided so that students understand the… View →
The Hispanic American Experience
“This series offers an introductory overview of various cultures, including famous people, recipes, religion, and their impact in America. The content includes text, photographs, and excerpts such as graphs and stories from USA Today. These would be useful View →
John Greenwood's Journey to Bunker Hill
“These very readable stories personalize important events and give children a feel for the times they take place. Easier to approach than historical novels, these books will appeal to children encountering the great events of American history for the first time…. These books… View →
Lightning, Hurricanes, and Blizzards: The Science of Storms
“This series would be attractive to students interested in weather and would work well for reports. It would be a nice addition to any library collection that is lacking up to date information about weather.” —Library Media Connection View →
Brooklyn, Burning
“A gritty but nuanced story of two years in the life of a street kid whose world veers from dream to nightmare and back again. Like Brooklyn in the summer, Brezenoff’s book is hot and intense.” —Ellen Wittlinger View →
Ruby Valentine Saves the Day
“[Ruby’s] enthusiasm and generosity are infectious.” —Publishers Weekly View →
“Evil mastermind Vordak the Incomprehensible shares his ‘evilosity’ with aspiring supervillains in this hilarious spoof on superheroes.” —School Library Journal View →
Open the Jail Doors — We Want to Enter: The Defiance Campaign against Apartheid Laws, South Africa, 1952
“These titles are notable for the level of care in both their content and production.” —VOYA View →
Draw the Dark
“The author paints vivid depictions of Christian’s mind, and the reader will be right there with him along for the ride. The ending will leave the reader holding on for dear life. The author has a few loose ends, but something this enthralling should never be expected to end neatly View →
The Absolute Value of -1
“The Absolute Value of –1 begins with Suzanne Fisher viewing the audience at her father’s memorial service. In front is her high school sophomore brother, Simon; his girlfriend, Lily, to whom he is indifferent; and best friend for lack of any other, Noah. In three… View →
The Ancient Formula: A Mystery with Fractions
“For the middle school student embarking on the exploration of multiplication and division, the book is a nice read…. Readers who are just learning about multiplication and division or who have recently learned these topics could begin to understand the usefulness of… View →
Notes from the Blender
“[T]his light-hearted novel will prove popular.” —starred, VOYA View →
The Freak Observer
“A unique, disturbing, creative story.” —School Library Journal View →
Ruth and the Green Book
“Cooper’s soft, stippled illustrations capture both the pathos of the bigotry and the warmth of the support the family encounters, and a substantial closing note on the Green Book itself invites the audience to explore it further online. This will be a fascinating addition to View →
Everything I Was
“This is a lovely story about a strong, courageous young woman and a wise grandfather—kindred souls who, together, forge new lives.” —Patricia MacLachlan, Newbery-winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall View →
Ruby Valentine Saves the Day
“Splattered with pink and hearts, the cartoon art is joyful and energetic while the landscapes have a Seuss-like quality. . . . This good-natured story shows what really matters during holidays: spending time with people you love.” —School Library Journal View →
Journey into the Deep: Discovering New Ocean Creatures
“This heavily illustrated title contains a wealth of information about the fascinating science of ocean life. . . . Along with the 250,000 species that are presently known, there is also the lure of the estimated 10 or even 50 million more species waiting to be discovered, and… View →
Frozen Secrets: Antarctica Revealed
In a wide-angle survey of our least-explored continent, the author of Written in Bone (2009) and other perceptive accounts of researchers in the field examines the methods and discoveries of scientists studying Antarctica’s geophysics, prehistory, biota, and long- and… View →