Elem. – Lupin Leaps In; Emmy Noether; Astronauts Zoom; The Big Break

Dunn, Georgia. Lupin Leaps In. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2019. 978-1-449-49522-0. $9.99. Grades 3-6.

It’s Cat Network, brought to you by Elvis, Lupin, and Puck! These three cats report their day-to-day lives, including all of the members of the household. Between the ceiling cats, the crazy outfits that they are forced into, and the newest addition to the household, Elvis, Lupin, and Puck are always getting into mischief and informing the world!

THOUGHTS: Honestly, this took me a bit to get into. Once captivated, each report was hilariously illustrated and explained how a cat may view the situation. A funny read that is short with each report, but full of a year’s worth of adventures.

Graphic Novel          Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD

 


Becker, Helaine. Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of. Kids Can Press, 2020. 978-1-525-30059-2. 40 p. $18.99. Grades 3-5.

This picture book tells the life story of a little-known female mathematician.  Emmy Noether always excelled in math even as a young girl growing up in Germany at the end of the nineteenth century. She preferred doing puzzles to playing the piano or doing things expected of girls at that time. Emmy wanted to attend university to study math, but this was not permitted at that time. Her father was a professor there, so she was allowed to sit in on classes. Even though the male students resented her because of her intelligence, they often asked her for help with homework without giving her credit.  Eventually she was accepted into the university, but even after earning a degree, she was not permitted to teach men. About this time, Albert Einstein was developing his theories of relativity and Noether helped solve one of the problems in his theory. While working on that problem, she thought about related laws of physics and discovered that the laws of symmetry and conservation are linked. Her work on the principle of symmetry became known as Noether’s Theorem. The author does an excellent job in explaining physics in terms that are easy to understand, aided by the illustrator’s appealing drawings which are hand drawn and digitally colored. For instance, the illustrator demonstrates symmetrical motion by showing Emmy on a swing. This book works well as a read aloud and uses a checklist format to begin and end Noether’s story.

THOUGHTS: This is an excellent picture book biography that shows how one woman overcame obstacles in order to reach her goals. This text could be used to introduce basic physics in science units. Becker’s work would also be a good choice for Women’s History Month. Elementary librarians should consider adding this one to their biography or math sections.

510.92 Mathematics          Denise Medwick, Retired, West Allegheny SD
92, 921 Biography                                                  


Rose, Deborah Lee. Astronauts Zoom! An Astronaut Alphabet. Persnickety Press, 2020. 978-1-943-97850-2. 38 p. Grades K-2. $16.95.

This is an engaging nonfiction picture book about the astronauts who live on the International Space Station. Using an alphabet format, the author explains what astronauts do while in space. Rose describes how astronauts work, play, relax, and take care of their hygiene in simple text. Featured words and their relevant letters are highlighted in the same color. The stunning colorful photographs are the winning aspect of the book. One image shows an astronaut reading near a window showing the Earth below, and readers will be amused by an astronaut who is juggling sixteen pieces of fruit at one time. The extensive back matter contains more details about each of the activities described. There is a long list of vocabulary words, but no definitions are given. Included is a section discussing how readers can make their own facsimile space station at home, in the classroom, or in the school library.

THOUGHTS: This nonfiction text works well for alphabet units or to introduce a science unit on space. Young readers will enjoy reading this book and examining the photographs on their own. Purchase where astronaut books are popular.

Click here to hear an astronaut reading this title on the International Space Station.

629.442 International Space Station          Denise Medwick, Retired, West Allegheny SD
629.45 Astronauts


Tatulli, Mark. The Big Break. Little, Brown and Company. 2020. 978-0-316-44055-4. 248 p. $12.99. Grades 4+.

Seventh graders Andrew Fineman and Russell Kahng live near the Pine Barrens, in New Jersey. Friends since second grade, they are now hard at work on their entry for the Middle Grade Viral Video Contest: “Terror of the Jersey Devil,” a mockumentary on the legend and its many rumored sightings. But phone calls, study dates, and hand-holding with Tara Wallbuck are pulling Russell’s attention away from writing and filming crucial scenes. Frustrated and left out, Andrew fears that more than just the movie is in jeopardy. A fresh round of Jersey Devil sightings (and an overnight excursion into the woods) might provide the push they need to recover from their friendship meltdown in time for a true surprise ending.

THOUGHTS: Mark Tatulli depicted his own tween years to wonderfully universal effect in 2018’s Short & Skinny. In The Big Break he revisits the years between action figures and driver’s licenses, chronicling the friendship friction when one matures a little faster than the other. His latest has the perfect blend of realism and whimsy, in both plot and art style, to reach a wide audience. He brings an especially light touch to Andrew’s relationship with his widowed mom, who’s struggling to allow her son to grow up.

Graphic Novel          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD

YA – Kent State; Parachutes; The Lucky Ones; The Dark Matter of Mona Starr; A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Wiles, Deborah. Kent State. Scholastic Press, 2020. 978-1-338-35628-1. 144 p. $17.99. Grades 7 and up.

May 4, 1970. Sandy Scheuer, Bill Schroeder, Jeff Miller, Allison Krause. “Four dead in Ohio.” (“Ohio” by Neil Young, Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). At a time when much of the nation was protesting the war in Vietnam and invasion of Cambodia, students at Kent State had had enough. Beginning with campus protests on Friday, May 1, 1970, and the burning of the ROTC building to the burning of buildings in the town of Kent on Saturday, May 2, 1970, the protests in Kent culminated with the killing of four students and wounding of nine others on Monday, May 4, 1970, by the Ohio National Guard. Where were the protectors? For a war being fought around the globe, the Kent State shootings “brought the war home to American soil” (145). Author Deborah Wiles relives this fateful time in American history in Kent State.  Shared through conversation by those who experienced this horrific event, Wiles explores the event from the perspective of student protestors, student bystanders, black students, townies, and National Guard members as they converse and share their memories of this fateful event. Each voice is unnamed and poignant as their memories and understanding of those fateful days is shared. Using different print types, readers are immersed into the conversation as a listener, another bystander, hearing history come alive by those who lived it. Wiles explains in “A Note about May 4 and This Story,” how she used primary source documents and oral histories from the archives at both Kent State University and Kent, Ohio, to create a conversation of memories, hardships, fear, and regret. “What might have happened? We have no answers for that. We have only this moment, now. We can make decisions to be informed as citizens, not accepting what we hear or see or read until we’ve dug deeper on our own, for context, for truth. We can listen. We can share. We can make commitments to the tenets of democracy that say we have freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition in our public places” (146).

THOUGHTS: This is a must-have for all middle school and high school collections. Deborah Wiles brilliantly brings to life the tragedy of Kent State that not only engages readers in a turbulent time of American history but also forces readers to question what they know about history in order to better understand its application today. Wiles does not sugar-coat the violence of the period, nor does she ignore the various voices and experiences of those living in Kent as they experienced the protests. Much like her use of primary sources in The 60s Trilogy, Wiles’ use of primary sources to create a conversation of past experience leads to an understanding of the event while leaving the reader wanting more. This is a fabulous historical fiction novel to pair with informational texts about Vietnam and Kent State.

Historical Fiction        Erin Bechdel, Beaver Area SD

After conducting extensive research, Wiles recreates the chaos of Kent State University‘s campus on May 4, 1970, with distinct narratives (protestor, Guardsman, townie, student) to share many perspectives. An anti-war demonstration turned violent and resulted in the killing of four students and wounding of nine others. The fear and confusion, anger and sadness of those involved is portrayed through short snippets of free verse which encourages readers to approach history by considering many viewpoints. Each narrator is unnamed, and readers feel connected to their stories. Narratives are displayed in various fonts to differentiate.

THOUGHTS: This historical fiction belongs in high school libraries and would pair well with an American history reading collection of major events, especially those that may not receive as much attention.

Historical Fiction          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD


Yang, Kelly. Parachutes. Katherine Tegen Books, 2020. 978-0-062-94108-4. 496 p. $18.99. Grades 9 and up.

Yang begins this “story of [her] heart” with a letter to readers and a trigger warning about the book’s content (sexual harassment and rape).

Due to her posh lifestyle in Shanghai, Claire Wang may seem oblivious to many of the typical woes of being a teenager. Claire holds a lot of pressure on her seventeen year old shoulders. Her father has a not so secret mistress – she actually reached out to Claire on WeChat – and her mother, hides her dissatisfaction by spending money on fancy clothes and trips to upscale restaurants. Family pressure and preparation for the gaokao (Chinese college entrance exam) drive Claire’s life; she doesn’t understand how teens in American movies seem to have so much free time, as her days are dictated by endless hours of homework and tutoring. Despite all of these outward pressures, Claire manages to spend time with her boyfriend and a group of friends. After an unfortunate assignment result and despite Claire’s wishes, her parents decide she should be foreign educated, attending American Preparatory school in LA, where she will live with a host family. Afterwards, Claire will “stand out” upon her return to China, and as an added bonus, she’ll avoid the gaokaos, having a better shot at getting into one of the UCs. Dani lives in East Covina, CA and is a student at American Preparatory, where she participates in band and shines on the Debate Team. Like her grandmother and great grandmother before her, Dani and her mom both work as maids, and Dani does not shy away from the hard work. This helps them afford living expenses and send $500 a month to family in the Philippines. It isn’t easy being a maid to the elite students of American Preparatory, but Dani needs the money to be able to travel to the Snider Tournament for debate and to afford Yale, the college of her dreams. To help the family with increasing expenses, Dani’s mom decides to rent out their spare room to a nice girl from China who will attend school with Dani: Claire. Told in alternating narratives, Dani and Claire don’t interact much; they are from entirely different worlds. Despite drastically different circumstances, Dani and Claire must learn to live together and even learn how to understand each other.

THOUGHTS: Parachutes is a beautiful YA novel that intertwines two painful narratives. This is a must have for all high school library collections. Be sure to read the author’s note too!

Realistic Fiction          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD


Lawson, Liz. The Lucky Ones. Delacorte Press, 2020. 978-0-593-11849-8. 352 p. $18.99. Grades 9 and up. 

“The Lucky Ones is a book about what happens after the news cameras leave and the reporters stop calling.” May McGintee is a “lucky one,” though she feels like anything but lucky. Wracked by PTSD, May is also angry. She’s the only survivor to walk out of the band room on the day when her twin brother and closest friends are killed during a school shooting. Feeling guilt, an immense amount of loss, as well as constantly fearing for her safety, no one could possibly understand how May feels – even after eleven months and therapy sessions. She finds ways to process her anger, but others see them as destructive. Zach’s life hasn’t been the same for the last eleven months either but for a very different reason. Zach is angry too. As a result of his mom’s decision, he lost everything, and his home, the only place he can be himself, is being vandalized. It doesn’t help that his mom is never home, and his dad is an absent parent, barely able to get himself out of bed or even get dressed. Zach and May each have one friend that sticks with them through everything. With their support, Zach and May just might be able to find a way to move forward.

THOUGHTS: This book tackles a heavy topic, well-covered in the young adult genre, but the fresh approach of looking at the aftermath when news cameras have moved onto the next big story gives this debut a worthy spot in high school libraries.

Realistic Fiction          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD


Gulledge, Laura Lee. The Dark Matter of Mona Starr. Amulet Books. 2020. 978-1-419-73423-6. 192 p. $22.99. Grades 8+.

High schooler Mona Starr suffers from depression, which feels like an encompassing fog of “Dark Matter” that invades every crevice of her thoughts. It makes Mona feel overwhelmed, alone, and insignificant. Her best friend Nash has recently moved to Hawaii, but at his and her parents’ urging she begins seeing Dr. Vega, a therapist who helps Mona study her Matter and forge a path toward health. After emergency surgery to correct a rare condition, Mona also learns to embrace the support of her “Artners:” her partners in Art, though not without some additional growing pains. “Maybe art can help transform embarrassment and suffering into insight,” Mona realizes, “one heartbreak at a time.” Some readers will find Mona’s progress frustratingly halting, but depression is a very frustrating disorder and that is realistically portrayed here. Laura Lee Gulledge’s pencil-shaded illustrations, with golden spot color, are so stunningly evocative that readers will catch themselves just staring at the pages. Her portrayal of Mona’s internal world is brilliant, especially the panel that captures how it feels to be an introvert.

THOUGHTS: The Dark Matter of Mona Starr is an intimate, moving depiction of Mona’s journey toward emotional and physical wellness, embracing her unique self, and accepting the loving support of people who care most about her. Gulledge even includes a Self-Care Plan template at the close of the book so her readers can implement some of the practices that guide Mona in her journey.

Graphic Novel          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD


Jackson, Holly. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Delacorte Press. 2020. 978-1-984-89636-0. 400 p. $17.99. Grades 9-12.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a good girl: high achiever, faithful friend, devoted daughter, and big sister. So it’s a bit out of character for her to solve a murder for her senior capstone project, especially because it’s one that’s already been solved. Five years ago, high school senior Andie Bell disappeared from their small town of Fairfield, Connecticut. Her body was never found, but the remains of her boyfriend, Salil “Sal” Singh, were discovered in the woods along with evidence that he had killed Andie and then committed suicide out of guilt. Pippa’s instincts, honed on true crime podcasts and documentaries, tell her that Sal is innocent. She aims to raise enough doubts about Sal’s guilt to convince the police to revisit the case. With the help of Sal’s younger brother, Ravi, Pippa susses out one lead after another, untangling clues and connections hidden within interview transcripts, journal entries, and text messages. Meanwhile someone with much to lose is watching their every move — and he (or she?) is unafraid to follow through on threats against what Pippa holds dearest when she refuses to stop digging. Holly Jackson skillfully weaves the elements of a solid mystery into her debut: suspense, red herrings, breathless amateur surveillance, and even a spooky dark alley. A huge twist, revealed just when the crimes have seemingly been solved, propels the pace right to the final page.

THOUGHTS: Mystery fans, take note: You’ll be hooked from the “Murder Map” that appears on page 29! This fast-paced whodunnit is perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus’ thrillers, especially Two Can Keep a Secret. Note that this novel’s potentially sensitive topics include suicide, sexual assault, and an animal in peril.

Mystery          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD

Elem. – My Fourth of July; Ancient Aliens; Goodbye, Friend;

Spinelli, Jerry. My Fourth of July. Neal Porter Books, 2019. 978-0-823-44288-1. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3

My Fourth of July follows an unnamed boy as his family and town get ready for Fourth of July. The activities include a parade, food, fireworks, as well as a town baseball game. The book has a small town America feel to it, with both the story as well as the illustrations done by Larry Day. The dreamy quality to the illustrations adds to the feel of the story and makes the story come alive as you are reading. The plot has a dreamy quality as well, and added with the illustrations, it all comes together to create a book that feels timeless.

THOUGHTS: This book is lovely and would be a wonderful addition to any picture book collection. The illustrations are beautiful, and students will enjoy discovering all the extra items that are included in each illustration.

Picture Book          Mary Hyson, Lehigh Valley Charter Academy


Science Fact or Science Fiction? Checkerboard Library, 2019. $20.00 ea. $120.00 set of 6. 32 p. Grade 4 and up.

Borgot-Spaniol, Megan. Cryptozoology: Can Unexplained Creatures Be Real? 978-1-532-11539-4.
—. ESP: Does a Sixth Sense Exist? 978-1-532-11540-0
—. Time-Travel: Is Visiting the Past and Future Possible? 978-1-532-11541-7
—. UFOs: Are Alien Aircraft Overhead?
Felix, Rebecca. Artificial Intelligence: Could Computers Take over? 978-1-532-11538-7
Thomas, Rachel L. Ancient Aliens: Did Historic Contact Happen?  978-1-532-11537-0

This review is for Ancient Aliens: Did Historic Contact Happen? The book talks all about aliens, different pieces of aliens such as UFOs, artificial intelligence, and more. Each book in the Science Fact or Science Fiction? series contains a table of contents, timeline, glossary, index, as well as some extra resources at the end of each book. The book contains nonfiction textual elements with high interest topics, so this would be a good series to introduce those elements to students. If you have students who are interested in aliens and unexplained phenomenon, this would be a great series to give them.

THOUGHTS: This would be a good series for students to use if they are doing research about aliens or any of the topics contained in the series.

001.942 Ancient Aliens                Mary Hyson, Lehigh Valley Charter Academy


Doerrfeld, Cori. Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! Dial Books for Young Readers, 2019. 978-0-525-55423-3. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades PreK-1.

Saying goodbye can be very hard, but every goodbye leads to a hello. Charlie is new at school and soon meets a friend who had been lonely from goodbyes.  Now, together, the friends say goodbye to seasons and hello to fun games.  Goodbye to daytime fun in the sun and hello to stars. Goodbye to pets and hello to memories. Goodbye to spectating and hello to joining. Together the friends realize all of the easy goodbyes and fun hellos they experience together. But, when one friend must move, goodbyes become harder until a new family moves in leading to a new “Hello.”

THOUGHTS: Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! is an excellent picture book exploring how things change in our lives. It helps readers understand that for every goodbye is a hello. It supports positive interactions and positive self-image. This is a wonderful resource for classrooms, libraries, and families.

Picture Book        Erin Bechdel, Beaver Area SD

MG – Nazi Saboteurs; Fighting for the Forest

Seiple, Samantha. Nazi Saboteurs: Hitler’s Secret Attack on America. Scholastic Focus, 2019. 978-1-338-25924-7. 224 p. $17.99. Grades 4-8.

In June 1942 eight men came ashore in New York and Florida. Their mission: to carry out acts of sabotage on American industries working to support the war effort. These German born men had all spent time in America but had returned to Germany for a variety of reasons, before they were recruited to be saboteurs. Their mission was doomed almost from the start. Though well equipped with explosives, their training in sabotage and spycraft had been mere weeks. The group members distrusted one another and some even wanted to kill their leader. It seemed almost inevitable that the group landing in New York had the misfortune to run into a Coast Guardsman on patrol immediately when they walked ashore. Though they managed to escape, their sabotage plans were quickly abandoned. Within a week, their leader George Dasch, had turned himself into the FBI. Within two weeks, all the men were in custody. Shortly thereafter, they were tried by a military tribunal. The verdict: six were sentenced to death; two were sentenced to prison terms. The book includes short biographical profiles of the saboteurs as well as a selection of historical photos. The title concludes by discussing how military tribunals have been viewed as controversial throughout U.S. history and discusses the use of tribunals in the case of 9/11 conspirators.

THOUGHTS: This title sheds light on a story from U.S History that I doubt many students have heard of before. Part WWII story, part spy thriller, and part bumbling/inept criminal story, it is sure to hold appeal for World War II aficionados and history buffs.

940.54 World War II          Elizabeth Henry, Lampeter-Strasburg SD


Pearson, P. O’Connell. Fighting for the Forest: How FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps Helped Save America. Simon & Schuster, 2019. 978-1-534-42932-1. 197 p. $17.99. Grades 5-8. 

When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in 1933, the outlook across the nation was bleak. Millions of Americans were without work. People went to bed at night hungry. Working with his Cabinet (and with the cooperation of Congress), Roosevelt proposed and implemented various New Deal policies to reform industries, bring relief to Americans, and put people to work. One such program was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). A cooperative program of the Departments of Interior, Labor, Agriculture and War (Defense), the CCC recruited young men in need of jobs and put them to work building parks and working on conservation projects in forests and on farmland. The men were paid a wage and provided with housing, uniforms, and meals. Readers learn about the operation of the CCC by examining one CCC project–Shenandoah National Park. First person accounts of CCC boys who lived in the CCC camps and worked on the park helps to bring the story of the CCC to life. While the CCC had many positive impacts, the author also presents information on racial inequalities within the CCC and how some of the Corps projects may have ultimately had unintended  negative impact on the environment. The text is supplemented by numerous photographs as well as sidebars spotlighting selected topics.

THOUGHTS: This title does a great job of explaining and bringing the CCC to life for today’s readers. Since many CCC recruits were teens, readers will be able to relate to the first person accounts shared within the book. Recommended.

333.75 Forestry, Parks          Elizabeth Henry, Lampeter-Strasburg SD