Reviews
Hannah G. Solomon Dared to Make a Difference
This engaging, informative biography casts a well-deserved spotlight on a Jewish woman who achieved much, but is not well-known today. It should be read widely. View →
Ava, a Sephardic Jewish girl, and Nadeem, her Muslim cousin, are best friends. After Ava and Nadeem are bullied at school, a mysterious button helps them travel back in time to medieval Morocco where they learn more about their roots and begin to take pride in their unique identities;… View →
Fly Back, Agnes
“Fly Back, Agnes is a charming novel that I read in one sitting. Elizabeth Atkinson has crafted a quirky yet tender story that also manages to explore some of the deep challenges faced by today’s youth. I loved this book and am ready to pack my bags and head off to… View →
Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens
“A delightful collection of trustworthy and accurate information that tweens and teens need today, all told in a sort of quirky, sometimes goofy, and always approachable tone. . . a fun, easy to read, and occasionally hilarious guide that should be available on a shelf in every… View →
Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens
“Reading this new edition today I learned more than a few things about our fabulously diverse queer culture, and especially the younger generation, that everyone should know.”—Terry Beswick, Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society Archives… View →
The Life Heroic: How To Unleash Your Most Amazing Self
“Elizabeth Svoboda’s The Life Heroic is the most masterful treatment of heroism available today. This book is a must-read for both children and adults—it is a true tour-de-force.”—Scott T. Allison, Psychologist and Author of Heroic Leadership View →
The Edelweiss Pirates
“The Edelweiss Pirates is indeed an interesting look at a group of resisters that most people have never really heard of, and although they didn’t start out as saboteurs, by 1938, they were beginning to increase their subversive acts against the Nazis. I liked… View →
What Can't Wait
By day, Dr. Sarah Derry manages the SC STEM Hub and a busy family life. Still, she makes time to read each night, and her choices often involve books with a STEM element. Today, she’s sharing one of her favorites: What… View →
Alice + Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis
‘Alice + Freda Forever’s’ Alexis Coe on a Shocking, Forgotten Case of Teenage Lesbian Murder Books | By Karen Abbott | October 9, 2014 Karen Abbott, the author of the new Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, and Alexis Coe,… View →
Gangsters, Bootleggers, and Bandits
“This series is very visually appealing and fits easily into the preferences of style common to today’s readers by using concise text with easy-to-read language that features interesting voice….This set is a great way to add some fiendish fun to a collection of… View →
Overexposed
Series Review: While fairly short and to the point, this series of low-reading-level, high-interest fiction titles are interesting to read and worth having in any teen collection. The topics covered are hard hitting, controversial, and may fill a need in most teen collections. Each… View →
Oopsy, Teacher!
http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/blog/BlogSinglePost/reading-today-online/2012/08/22/back-to-school-book-reviewsMr. Bungles is having a bad day just like he did in Calmenson’s earlier book about Mr. Bungles, Late for School (2008). He… View →
The Beatles: Music Revolutionaries
“The Beatles might not make the kids crazy like they once did, but there’s no doubt that anyone seriously interested in music needs to know about rock’s foremost revolutionaries…. Pertinent articles culled from USA Today and plenty of… View →
The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon
“The problem: people who see George Washington’s inaccurate image on their currency perceive him as stuffy and boring. The mission: remedy this misconception with three accurate, life-size models of G.W. as a nineteen-year-old surveyor, a forty-five-year-old general, and a… View →
Anorexia and Bulimia
“This series mimics USA Today in its readability, though the books’ length and breadth render them more suited to fact-finding than to pleasure reading. The language is straightforward and objective.” —School Library Journal, Series… View →
Senses on the Farm
“Author/photographer Rotner skillfully combines two topics into one clear and vivid picture book.” —Reading Today View →
Used Any Numbers Lately?
“This picture book gives 26 different ways in which numbers are used in ordinary life.” —Reading Today View →
My Name Is Hamburger
The title of Jacqueline Jules’s highly recommended new novel-in-verse reflects the ironies of growing up Jewish in a small southern town in the mid – twentieth century. Trudie Hamburger has loving parents and close friends. Her father’s German accent and her family’s… View →
It's Cloudy Today
“The content is appropriate and interesting to kids, made accessible by the clear layout. . . This book, and by extension the whole series, would be an excellent vehicle for combining early reading with science content.” — View →
Double Cheeseburgers, Quiche, and Vegetarian Burritos: American Cooking from the 1920s through Today
“. . .easy to read and delightfully illustrated, this food story will enrich any social studies and home economics class and inspire students to study further what we often take for granted.” —VOYA View →