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Reviews Inside! SEPTEMBER 2014 COVER: JOEL ROBINSON
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Children’s
Planet Kindergarten By Sue Ganz-Schmitt, Shane Prigmore, Illustrator Chronicle Books, $16.99, 40 pages, Format: Hard
««««« This is a book about a boy starting kindergarten in a different planet. I just finished kindergarten, but I remember feeling the way this little boy did at the beginning of school too. I especially remember trying hard to stay in my seat and trying to be brave. I remember getting homesick just like the little boy in the story. My favorite part is when the little boy got to planet kindergarten and he saw a bunch of aliens from many galaxies. I love the pictures in this book; they are very colorful and make the book come alive. I love the expressions on the little boy’s face throughout the story. My favorite picture is when he is practicing his letters with his dog and seems a little frustrated. That picture really made me laugh. I wish I had a dog to show me flashcards. I think it would be fun to go to kindergarten on a different planet too. I would tell my friends to read this book and I would tell any kindergarten teacher to read it to her class. Reviewed by Drew, Age 6
Jonah and the Great Big Fish By Rhonda Gowler Greene Zonderkidz, $9.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
Children’s
«««« This book begins with God instructing Jonah to go to Nineveh. He needs to tell the people of the city to ask forgiveness. Jonah does not agree and therefore he flees. He climbs aboard a ship and sets sail. While sailing a great storm develops. Jonah is thrown overboard and is rescued by a great big fish. After spending three days in the belly of the fish praying to God, Jonah decides to go to Nineveh and announce the message that he has been given by God. I think the message to listen to God was made loud and clear. The book is written with a rhyming beat, which made it more enjoyable for me. It’s a good retelling of the bible story Jonah and the Great Big Fish. I really liked how the author changed the fonts for certain words (such as whipped, sinked, and wide) that made them stand out more, so my mom changed her voice when reading it out loud. I liked the illustrations but some of the people in the background were blurry and I couldn’t make out their faces. It would have been nice if the pictures were a bit sharper. Reviewed by Ben, Age 3
Ninja Boy Goes to School By N. D. Wilson, J. J. Harrison, Illustrator Random House Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
«««« This is a book about a boy who acts like a Ninja when he goes to school. He says it is hard to be a Ninja, because Ninjas need to be silent, strong, and be able to balance. The boy is dressed like a Ninja and acts like a Ninja at school. He tries to disappear when his teacher is teaching and not looking. He gets sent to the principal’s office and his Dad has to come pick him up. His parents take away his Ninja stuff and send him to his room. I don’t think he will try to go to school as a Ninja again! This book is easy to read. It is important to look at the pictures too because a lot happens in the pictures that is not said in the writing. The illustrations are really funny. I think most kids would like this book. Kids that like Ninjas would probably really like this book. Reviewed by Adam, Age 6
Early Reader
Monster School: The Spooky Sleepover By Dave Keane, Dave Keane, Illustrator HarperCollins, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««««« This book is about a little boy that is getting ready to have a sleepover at his school. His class won the contest of selling the most baked goods at the school bake sale. Norm wondered why the contest prize had to be so scary. All the kids at monster school were monsters except Norm, but that didn’t scare him. Norm missed his bed, he didn’t have his night light, his cat was not sleeping with him, and his mom was not there to hum a sweet tune for him. My favorite part was when Gary the Ghost’s pizza fell to the ground while he was trying to eat it. It was funny because Gary said he was still hungry. This is a perfect book to read if you are scared to try something new. I loved the book Monster School: The Spooky Sleepover. I have never been on a sleepover yet, so I think I would have a lot of the same feelings that Norm did in the book. I would tell my friends to read this book. I liked that it is an “I Can Read” book because I am hoping I will be able to read it on my own this year in first grade. I can’t wait to read more books about Norm and his monster friends in other Monster School books. Reviewed by Drew, Age 6
Never Girls #7: A Pinch of Magic (Disney: The Never Girls) By Kiki Thorpe, Jana Christy, Illustrator RH/Disney, $5.99, 128 pages, Format: Trade
Early Reader
««««« When Mia, Gabby, Kate and Lainey sign up for a block party, baking turns bad. The neighborhood was holding the block party to support the Davis family, whose house burned down in a fire. Kate signed up for games, Gabby chose face painting, Lainey did the pet spa, and Mia scribbled her name under the bake sale. After Mia put too much salt in the cookies, she asked Dulcie, a baking talent fairy, for her help. The girls and Dulcie decided to make white almond layer cakes with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream frosting. When they were at the grocery store, Dulcie was looking at cheese when she was nearly squashed by bananas! As the girls baked, Dulcie called out instructions. She accidentally buttered a pan by sliding back and forth in it, she dumped almond extract on her head, and then she left without giving the girls a frosting recipe. Can Mia finish the cakes without her? I would recommend this book to kids who like fairies and baking. I loved this book because I love fairies. The first chapter had something in it that freaked me out though. Reviewed by Murphy, Age 8
Celebrating Washington State: 50 States to Celebrate By Marion Dane Bauer, C.B. Canga, Illustrator HMH Books for Young Readers, $12.99, 40 pages, Format: Hard
««««« This was an awesome book about Washington State where my Nana and Papa live and where my mom grew up. I love visiting my Nana and Papa in Washington, and after reading this book there are so many things I want to go see next time I visit. I loved the part about the tulip fields because I have been to the tulip fields and have pictures of me with the tulips. The main character in the book is named Mr. Geo. He travels around Washington and tells about the different places. He taught me a lot of things I didn’t know, like about Olympic National Park, the World’s Fair, and the volcanoes. Next time I visit my Nana and Papa we are going to ride on a ferry and go whale watching. I also want to go to the top of the Space Needle and hopefully see Mount Rainier, if it’s not cloudy. I think this is a great book about Washington State and everyone who is going to visit Washington or just wants to learn more about Washington should read this book. Reviewed by Emma, Age 7
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Tweens
Magic Delivery By Clete Barrett Smith, Michal Dziekan, Illustrator Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, 288 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Nick and his best friend, Burger, are riding down the road when all of a sudden a delivery truck appears out of midair. It falls off the road, and Nick and Burger go to investigate. They find a bear and lots of costumes that have fallen out of the truck. They are scared of the bear and run off, but take two costumes with them. Later, they return to find all the costumes have been taken by Chet and his friends, the school bullies. Chet and his friends change into monster costumes, but it turns out the costumes are magic, and Chet and his friends become real monsters! They start scaring all the kids. Nick and Burger have to try to get Chet and his friends out of the costumes and save the day. Will they be able to do it? I thought this book was really funny, especially in the end, when they went back to the witch and made demands from her. That part was my favorite part. I think it was funny how they figured out how the costumes worked and how to use them to their advantage. Reviewed by Miriam, Age 10
Get to Know: Jesus By Nancy I. Sanders Zonderkidz, $6.99, 128 pages, Format: Trade
Tweens
««««« Get to Know: Jesus tells the story of Jesus Christ from a Christian perspective. It starts with events before He was born, tells us that archaeologists have dug up items from Jesus’ time that are referred to in the Bible, talks about His birth, His life, His teachings, His miracles, and His death, burial, and resurrection (coming back to life). There are pictures, drawings, and maps, and many difficult words are explained right on the page where they are used. Most of the facts are taken from the eyewitness accounts in the Bible. I thought that this was a pretty good book. I liked a lot of the facts and the pictures are really good. This would be a good book for people who don’t know very much about Jesus as they can get to know Him from this short summary of His life. Even though I go to church I learned a lot of new facts, too. It’s not too difficult to read. This book would be good for ages 8 to 12. Some of the words might be difficult for 7 year olds. Reviewed by Hannah, Age 8
Muddy Max: The Mystery of Marsh Creek By Elizabeth Rusch, Mike Lawrence, Illustrator Andrews McMeel Publishing, $9.99, 224 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Max lives with his parents, who don’t like mud. But why would people who don’t like mud move to the muddiest town in the country? But they did. His parents always want him to stay out of the mud. Then a bully starts picking on Max and he falls in the mud. Max reaches up to grab a branch, but the branch breaks! When he gets home, his parents see him that he is all muddy and they ground him. His friend came over, and they look around for hints about his parents. They go inside a top-secret room, and they look for some more clues about him when he was little. Max finally finds out that he has super powers when he gets muddy. But then the mud doesn’t come off him in some places, so he has to figure out how to get it all off. I like this book because I really like comic books and books that are with super powers that they don’t know about and they discover mysteries. I like those type of books, and books where people are hiding secrets. The pictures are funny and it is a funny story. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 7
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Young Adult
Outlaws of the Marsh Volume 1: Spirits and Bandits By Wei Dong Chen, Xiao Long Liang, Illustrator J R Comics, $9.99, 176 pages, Format: Trade ÂŤÂŤÂŤ.5 Outlaws of the Marsh Volume 1: Spirits and Bandits by Wei Dong Chen begins with a scene where mysterious evils persuade a man named Xin Hong to open a vault, releasing more than one hundred demons into China. The rest of the graphic novel gruesomely depicts the violent chaos that follows this event. From corrupt government officials to greedy tradesmen, the portrayal of human nature during the Song Dynasty is in a decidedly negative light. At the heart of it all is the question of justice under a corrupt administration. When innocents come to Major Da Lu speaking of their suffering and injustice, the Major considers it his duty to avenge them. However, his firm belief of due justice and punishment leads his actions to go astray, and he becomes isolated from the other people in the village, who now see him as a monster. The book raises the following question: Is it morally correct to fight violence with violence? Can someone like Major Da Lu, who grew up in such anarchic circumstances, change his violent ideals? Reviewed by Amanda, Age 14
Frida & Diego: Art, Love, Life By Catherine Reef Clarion Books, $18.99, 176 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Frida Kahlo had a very rough life. She survived polio, but had a short leg; she was hit by a streetcar and a hand rail was stabbed through her pelvis, and she broke her short leg in eleven places and lived the rest of her life having more surgeries and in a lot of pain. After the accident, Frida knew she had to find something to be other than a doctor and started painting. Frida married a famous painter, Diego, who was much older and spent his entire life painting, sometimes not sleeping for days. They had a rough marriage, but their love of art kept them together. She painted right up until she died at the age of forty-seven.
Young Adult
“I HOPE THE LEAVING IS JOYFUL- AND I HOPE NEVER TO RETURN.” San Diego just had a Frida Kahlo exhibition. It was the only place in the world where her paintings are in one place alongside five hundred of her possessions. Many of the paintings were never shown before now. This book definitely shows how strong a woman is and to never give up. It is filled with pictures of her, her paintings, and a timeline of her life. When life gets rough, just paint! Reviewed by Avery, Age 10
The Battle for WondLa (The Search for WondLa) By Tony DiTerlizzi, Tony DiTerlizzi, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 496 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Eva Nine and her friend Hailey have just discovered that Eva can talk to the animals and plants of the forest. At the Bijou, Hailey’s airship, they meet an alien named Caruncle, who says he will take them over the mountains to the ruins where Eva says she wants to go. They soon find out that Caruncle is not a friend of theirs, and is working for their nemesis, Loroc. Loroc has started a huge war, and Eva and her friends need to find a way to stop Loroc and bring peace to everyone on the earth again. It would have been helpful to read the other books before this one, because I was not really able to understand what was happening in this world, or where it was or why it was like it was. But it is really fun to read and you can understand the story of what is happening to Eva Nine and her friends. This book kept me really interested and I didn’t want to put it down. I felt like this was a good ending to the series; now I just have to go back and read the first ones! Reviewed by Miriam, Age 10
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