Maddox, Jake. Second-Chance Soccer (Jake Maddox JV series). North Mankato: Capstone, 2014. 978-1-4342-9154-7.89 p. $24.65. Gr. 4 and up.
Alex has always wanted to be part of the Longhorn Lightning soccer team. But last year’s tryout didn’t go so well. He is working up the nerve to try out again, but he knows that they only take the best of the best. He also has to contend with a mean member of the Lightning team who consistently tells him he is not good enough. Then a new friend offers to help Alex practice for the try-out. Will he take him up on the offer? Can he improve and build both his skills and his confidence before the big day?
Sports fans will relate to many of the lessons in this book. Unfortunately, mean players and intense coaches who are driven to win are situations that many young sports players have to deal with. This was well written and the characters were believable. These are an appealing longer version of the popular Jake Maddox series. There are three others in this series with stories about baseball, basketball and football. These seem like great series that I want to have on my shelf to inspire some reluctant readers!
Realistic Fiction Donna Fernandez, Calvary Christian Academy
Eddleman, Peggy. Sky Jumpers: The Forbidden Flats (Book 2, Sky Jumpers Series). New York: Random House, 2104. 978-0307981318. 262p. $16.99. Gr. 3-7.
In the aftermath of World War III, the earth is surrounded by the poisonous gas known as the Bomb’s Breath. Only Hope and the other Sky Jumpers have figured out how to pass through it and survive. When a massive earthquake rocks the earth, the Bomb’s Breath begins to descend on White Rock. Hope and her friends need to pass through the crime infested Forbidden Flats in the Rocky Mountain wilderness to get the one thing that might stop it. Fans of book 1 will love book 2 even more! Great series for your young Sci Fi junkies.
Dystopian Science Fiction Robin Bartley, Davis Elementary
Mullarkey, Lisa. Trail Ride Troubles ( Storm Cliff Stables Series). Minneapolis: ABDO, 2014. 978-1-62402-052-0. 112p. Grades 2 and up.
Mullarkey, Lisa. Campfire Capers ( Storm Cliff Stables Series) Minneapolis; ABDO, 2014. 978-1-62402-049-0. 112 p. Grades 2 and up.
Mullarkey, Lisa. Horsenapped ( Storm Cliff Stables Series) Minneapolis; ABDO, 2014. 978-1-62402-0510-3 112 p. Grades 2 and up.
Mullarkey, Lisa. Gold Medal Glitch ( Storm Cliff Stables Series) Minneapolis; ABDO, 2014. 978-1 62402-050-6. 112 p. Grades 2 and up.
Avery, Bree, Esha and Jaelyn are four friends who are spending their summers at Storm Cliff Stables summer camp. They are very different girls, but their love of horses brings them together to solve mysteries and save their beloved camp. Each girl has her own talents and fears, but the “Core Four” encourage each other to do their best, and forgive each other when they mess up. These are sweet stories of friendships, overcoming fears and difficult family situations all woven together with a love of horses. These would definitely appeal to my horse lovers from late first and early second grade up.
Realistic Fiction Donna Fernandez, Calvary Christian Academy
Armstong, K.L. and M.A. Marr. Odin’s Ravens: The Blackwell Pages Book 2. New York: Little Brown, 2014. 978-0-316-20498-9. 342 p. $17.00 Gr. 4-7
NOTE: I reviewed the ARC (advanced readers copy from the publisher; a proof that sometimes contains errors). Fan of Rick Riordan are sure to find adventure with the second novel in the Blackwell Pages series infused with Norse mythology. The novel begins as the descendants of Thor and Loki are trying to rescue their friend Baldwin from Hel. This rescue leads them to face Jotunn, a multi-eyed dog, dead Vikings, and zombies from acid water. In order to prevent doomsday, the friends have to face both betrayal and disappointment to work together in battles.Students should read Loki’s Wolves first as this is not a standalone novel.
Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology Fiction Beth McGuire, Wendover Middle School
Ryan, Carrie and John Parke Davis. The Map to Everywhere. New York: Little, Brown, 2014. 978-0-316-24077-2. 423 p. $17.00. Gr. 3-6.
If only Marrill could find a cure to help her mother. Marrill is used to a life of adventure with her parents, but she unexpectedly enters a mysterious and magical Pirate ship in Arizona. Fin, an orphan, is used to being alone and forgotten, but when his path weaves with Marrill’s this causes a change. Their quest is to collect the five major pieces to create the Bintheyr Map to Everywhere and this process could last over 300 years. The Pirate Stream is ancient and mystical water which is how they travel as they try to put a halt to the end of the world. Fin finally has a friend, but what happens if the stream returns Marrill to her family? Readers could learn the components that make the map and they could be propelled to learn more about cartography. The novel has received star reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.
Fiction, Action, Adventure, Family Beth McGuire, Wendover Middle School
Dairman, Tara. All Four Stars. Penguin Young Readers Group. 2014.9780399162527. 288 pgs. $16.99. Ages 8-12.
Gladys Gatsby loves to cook and eat! You could say it’s her passion. Unfortunately, her parents don’t feel the same about food. Their idea of a good meal is a buffet that contains brown Jell-O. Secretly, Gladys has been cooking after school before her parents get home from work, but her parents arrived home early to find her using her father’s blowtorch on one of her recipes, which causes Gladys to branch out and explore new hobbies. Gladys makes new friends, writes an amazing essay, and is offered a job with a major newspaper, which requires her to become extremely creative. This is a great book that encourages kids to be different and explore their personal interests no matter what others may say!
Realistic Fiction Krista Goodzinski/Mars Centennial
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. New York: Amulet Books, 2014. 978-1-4197-1189-3. 217 p. $13.99. Gr. 4-8.
Greg Heffley is back with another dose of “wimpy kid” in The Long Haul. The ninth addition to the series sees the Heffley family embarking on a road trip inspired by mom’s “Family Frolic” magazine. While the magazine article promises a family bonding experience, the Heffley family seems to attract bad luck and their trip is far from the educational, wholesome trip of which mom is dreaming. Greg knows that the trip is going to be a trying experience when his mom whips out a Flat Stanley to accompany them on the trip and pops in the “Learn to Speak Spanish” CD’s as she hands out their Mommy Meal lunches (another “Family Frolic” idea). The gang returns home mostly unscathed after a few run-ins with seagulls, the Beardo family, a small fender bender. Fans of the series will no doubt enjoy Kinney’s latest addition.
I love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series for the excitement that it inspires in many different readers and also because the books are just hysterical. I didn’t laugh quite as much with this book as I have in the past but there’s no doubt that it’s funny. The series wouldn’t be the same without Kinney’s cartoon drawings which are really half the fun. Buy a few copies—it will fly off the shelves.
Fiction Lindsey Long, Nye & Conewago Elementary Schools
Auxier, Jonathan. The Night Gardener. Amulet Books. 2014.9781419711442. 368 pages. $16.95. Ages 10-14.
Molly is a great story teller, but no story she has ever told compares to the story she is getting to live in real life. She and her brother Kip are orphaned and must leave Ireland in order to find work. Molly agrees to work for a well-known family that is down on their luck and lives in the old family mansion that seems to be taken over by the tree in the front yard. Little do they realize the power of the tree and how it is transforming the family, and now Molly. With the help of everyone in the house, they must find a way to stop the ‘night gardener’ and free the family of the curse the tree has over all of them. You may not want to read this before going to bed! It is a little scary, but a true page turner!
Folktale/Mystery Krista Goodzinski/Mars Centennial
Salisbury, Graham. Under the Blood Red Sun – Exclusive Teacher’s Edition. 978-0-553-521624. New York: Ember/Random House, 2014. 246p + un-numbered teacher resource pages in the back. $6.99. Gr 6+.
It’s September 1941 and Tomikazu “Tomi” Nakaji is a 13-year-old growing up on Oahu. Tomi’s mom keeps house for the Wilson family, and the Nakajis live in a tenant bungalow on the Wilson’s large property. Tomi and his best friend Billy are most interested in baseball, doing well in school, and tending the Nakaji’s racer pigeons. Tomi’s parents and Grampa were all born in Japan but Tomi and his little sister Kimi were born in America. Being Japanese-looking in Oahu is no big thing; so many people there are from somewhere else. Then everything changes for Tomi, his friends, and everyone on the island on December 7 when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Tomi’s dad is a fisherman who was out to sea when the bombing happened. Will he come back or is he a casualty of the attack? Now the Wilson’s don’t want Tomi’s mom to work for them any longer, and the Nakaji family is worried the Wilsons will evict them from their property. Public school is called off indefinitely as the island scrambles to make sense of the attack and shore up defenses. Teenager Keet Wilson has long been Tomi’s tormentor but now Keet’s bullying takes on a more insidious and sinister form. Everywhere Tomi goes he’s subject to verbal barbs, “Buddha head,” “Jap,”…but he’s an American!
In 1994 Under the Blood Red Sun won the Scott O’Dell award for historical fiction, and this is the 20th Anniversary re-release and Teachers Edition. Salisbury, who grew up in Hawaii, tells Tomi’s story in the first person, which beautifully conveys one family’s personal pathos as well as transporting the reader to that time, place, and circumstance. I especially enjoyed Salisbury’s use of “Pidgin,” Hawaii’s “official” slang dialect, to add authenticity. Teacher resources at the end of the book include an extensive list of sources for further investigation, a pre-reading activity regarding internment of Japanese-Americans, questions for group discussion, 3 pages of suggested activities, vocabulary notes, and an interview with the author. Highly recommended for your middle-grade through high school readers who enjoy history, and would also be an excellent class or Lit Group required reading selection. Salisbury wrote a whole suite of companion books: House of the Red Fish (sequel to Under the Blood Red Sun), Eyes of the Emperor, and Hunt for the Bamboo Rat (review below).
Historical Fiction Kathie Jackson, Plymouth Meeting Friends School
Salisbury, Graham. Hunt for the Bamboo Rat. 978-0-375842665. New York: Ember/Random House, 2014. 321p + glossary. $16.99. Gr 6+.
This book is a novelization of the true story of Richard Sakakida’s undercover military service during WWII in the Philippines. Like Under the Blood-Red Sun, tells the story of a teenaged Japanese-American boy living in Hawaii in 1941 whose parents were born in Japan. But in this book the protagonist Zenji Watanabe joins the army and is recruited to spy on the Japanese in the Philippines. Award-winning author Salisbury’s dialog-rich writing style provides quick character development and realism.
I’d heartily recommend Hunt for the Bamboo Rat for history buffs grade 6 and up. The book would also work well as a history class or Lit Group selection. Salisbury wrote a whole suite of companion books: Under the Blood-Red Sun \(review above), House of the Red Fish (sequel to Under the Blood-Red Sun), and Eyes of the Emperor.
Historical Fiction Kathie Jackson, Plymouth Meeting Friends School