Monthly Archives: October 2022

MG – The Road to After

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Lowell, Rebekah. The Road to After. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022. 978-0-593-10961-8. 180 p. $16.99. Grades 5-8.

This middle grade novel is a powerful story of a young mother and her two daughters who have been kept hostages in their own home unaware of the reality outside their walls. Their father has monitored their activities, interests, and movements their entire lives so that the girls know nothing else. Their mother gains the courage to leave the home and everything behind to start a better life for the three of them. The oldest daughter, Lacey, discovers her love for nature, animals, and freedom. The story is about hope and survival.

THOUGHTS: This debut novel is beautifully written. It flows so smoothly that students will keep reading to find out what happens to Lacey and her sister. It is written appropriately for a middle grade audience and is filled with hope.

Realistic Fiction  Victoria Dziewulski, Plum Borough SD
Novel in Verse

Elem. – My Brother Is Away

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Greenwood, Sara. My Brother Is Away. Random House Studio, 2022. 978-0-593-12716-2. Unpaged. Grades K-3. $18.99.

Drawing from her own family background, Greenwood has penned a story which will resonate with children experiencing feelings of loss and abandonment due to the incarceration of a family member. The unnamed narrator is a young girl who is sad that her brother no longer lives with her and her parents. She misses his storytelling and remembers when they would fly kites or when he carried her on his shoulders as they gazed at the stars. Her classmates and the neighborhood children ask where he is, but the only answer she gives is that he is busy, even though she would like to say that he is at a job or with friends. One day a student reveals to everyone on the school playground that the “brother did something bad,” and the young girl goes through the emotions of embarrassment and then anger directed at her brother. Her parents comfort her and explain that they will visit her brother soon. After a long trip, the family arrives at a “building ringed with silver fences,”-a prison. The siblings reunite, and the girl understands that even though he is not at home he still loves her. As she sees the other family visitors, she realizes she is not alone in this situation. In the author’s note, Greenwood reveals that her own brother was incarcerated for eight years when she was a child. Just like the narrator in this story, the author felt alone and was comforted by seeing other visitors at the prison. Uribe’s illustrations are done in Photoshop. The colors are soft and muted, which help create a melancholy, but reassuring, tone.

THOUGHTS: This picture book handles a sensitive topic in a way that is accessible to young children and will be appreciated by families and guidance counselors. A touching story that is a must-have for elementary collections.

Picture Book          Denise Medwick, PSLA Member, Retired

Elem. – I Cannot Draw a Horse

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Harper, Charise Mericle. I Cannot Draw a Horse. Union Square Kids, 2022. 978-1-454-94594-9. 48 p. $17.99. Grades PK-3.

In Charise Mericle Harper’s I Cannot Draw a Horse, a simple shape is turned into a cat, who DESPERATELY wants the author to draw it a horse. But the author cannot draw a horse, so she instead draws a variety of other creatures from the same shape, who then send the cat on a romp through the pages of the book. Fear not!  Charise Mericle Harper is nearby with her pencil to draw helpful features like hills and skateboards, all which develop the story. At the end, cat is delighted when the author realizes she CAN draw it the horse of its dreams.

THOUGHTS: In addition to being a fun read-aloud that will make readers laugh through its pages, the illustrations in I Cannot Draw a Horse will encourage readers to try their hand at creating characters as well. The message is straightforward: Anyone can draw…if they only try! This book will provide young artists the inspiration and confidence they need simply to TRY (and succeed!). Recommended for anyone looking to add humor and art themes to their collection.

Picture Book          Hannah J. Thomas, Central Bucks SD

Elem. – Hiking to the Top:  What’s Happening on the Mountain

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Varnai, Elizabeth S. Illustrated by Kate Hartley. Hiking to the Top: What’s Happening on the Mountain. Vista Court Books, 2022. 978-0-962-84224-5. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades PK-3.

Young readers explore and discover with a mother and son as they hike to the top of Lookout Mountain in Hiking to the Top: What’s Happening on the Mountain? by the author of Good Morning, Loon. Hiking challenges, such as climbing rocks and balancing on fallen trees, and common animal discoveries such as water striders and fawns are detailed in the text and illustrations. Camouflaged animals also are highlighted on many pages with names and thought bubbles. Throughout, the author and illustrator depict a sense of joy and discovery in being outdoors and spending time together while also sharing basic hiking information and nature facts. Back matter expands on the text for older readers, including information on hiking safety as well as natural history information on each of the animals in the book and additional sources of information.  

THOUGHTS: This book will appeal to both animal lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike and provides a strong introduction to outdoor adventures for classrooms embarking or expanding on an outdoor or nature center field trip. Kate Hartley’s realistic watercolor illustrations immerse readers in the book’s setting and entice readers to step beyond the page into their own adventure. In addition, the detailed back matter provides a launch point for research. A strong option for populations with access to outdoor adventure.  

Picture Book          Hannah J. Thomas, Central Bucks SD

Elem. – Drawing Outdoors

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Buitrago, Jairo. Drawing Outdoors. Greystone Kids. 2022. 978-1-771-64847-9. $18.95. Grades K-3.

In many places, schools may have a gym, library, computers, and a playground. Deep in the mountains, however, is an extraordinary school that is a little bit different. It does not have the items a typical school would have. It does have an amazing teacher who leads the class outside on a drawing adventure. What will they draw? Why dinosaurs of course!

THOUGHTS: A unique book about a drawing adventure! What student would not want to go outdoors to draw dinosaurs? A fun story that young dinosaur lovers will enjoy.

Picture Book            Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD

Elem. – Home is Where the Birds Sing

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Rylant, Cynthia. Home is Where the Birds Sing. Beach Lane Books. 2022. 978-1-534-44957-2. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Home means many things to many different people. Home is where the birds are singing, or where you take a nap. Home can be the place where you are called “Sweetie” or “dear” or where there are stories to listen to and stories to tell. The sweet part of home is when you are gone, home is the place you return to and finally feel… at home.

THOUGHTS: A sweet book about the deep feeling of being home. In the diverse world we live in, home can be a lot of different things for different people. Home, no matter what it may look like or sound like, is the place where you simply feel at home.

Picture Book            Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD

Elem. – Antarctic Animals (Series NF)

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Hansern, Grace. Antarctic Animals series. Abdo Kids, 2022. $22.95 ea. or $137.70 for set of 6. Grades K-3.

Adélie Penguin. 978-1-098-20937-7.
Antarctic Shag. 978-1-098-20938-4.
Gentoo Penguin. 978-1-098-20939-1.
Leopard Seal. 978-1-098-20940-7.
Southern Minke Whale. 978-1-098-20941-4.
Wandering Albatross. 978-1-098-20942-1.

The Antarctic Animal series features some of the most impressive animals on Earth: those that can survive the freezing cold Antarctica. This series spotlights some amazing animals and the characteristics that make them unique. This reviewer read the Antarctic Shag book which features information about Antarctica, then focuses specifically on the Antarctic Shag, a bird that is the only one of its species to live in Antarctica. The book informs readers about diet, size, shape, coloring, babies, and other interesting features of this bird.

THOUGHTS: This series is a great starter to learning about several different animals that live in Antarctica. Full photographic illustrations, large words, and additional information located in the back of the book make this series a great nonfiction series for younger readers.

598 Birds          Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD

Tags:  Animals, Antarctica, Science, Technology

Elem. – I’d Like to be the Window for a Wise Old Dog

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Stead, Philip. I’d Like to be the Window for a Wise Old Dog. Doubleday Books for Young Readers. 2022. 978-0-593-37509-9. $18.99. Grades K-3.

I wonder if I’ll ever be, I wonder if I’ll ever see are all common questions in this book. I wonder if I will be the dawdle of a penguin or the tumble of a honeybee. Throughout all of this, the reader knows that I would like to be the window for a wise old dog. The questions and wondering of things that are possible or things that are not possible are filled in this book, making the reader wonder about these impossibilities, too.

THOUGHTS: This is a book filled with the thoughts of things we can never be and wondering what it would be like to be those impossible things. It is gentle book, with colorful illustrations decorating these questions, presenting the reader with imaginary thoughts.

Picture Book          Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD

Elem – Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

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Rockliff, Mara. Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Random House Studio, 2022. 978-1-524-72064-3. $18.99. Grades 2-4.

Georgia Gilmore was cooking away when the news broke that Rosa Parks was arrested because she would not let a white man sit in her seat on the public bus. The outrage was loud, with radios urging people to boycott the bus on December 5, 1955. Throughout the protests and concerns, Georgia continued to cook and feed the protesters and raise money for support. Even when Georgia herself was fired, she continued to cook to do her part to help support the movement that was so critical to her and many Americans.

THOUGHTS: A nicely illustrated biography about Georgia Gilmore and the help and support she gave throughout the bus boycott. She personally met Martin Luther King Jr. and received support from him throughout this important part of American history. Overall this book is a great view of the bus boycott of Montgomery through the eyes of a person readers may not know about.

323.092 Civil Rights Leaders          Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD
Biography
Picture Book

YA – Pretty Dead Queens

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Donne, Alexa. Pretty Dead Queens. Crown, 2022. 978-0-593-47982-7. 336 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Moving to a new town to live with her estranged grandmother is not the senior year Cecelia Ellis had in mind. Her mother’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent passing have forced Cecelia on a new path, but her plan is to graduate and get out of town just like her mom did. In the meantime, she’s living at the top of creepy Victorian mansion with Maura Weston, her famous mystery writing grandmother. Though a small California coastal town, Seaview was put on the map years ago with Maura’s first book, a fictionalized version about the of death of one of Maura’s classmates. Later turned into a movie which was filmed in Seaview, the town now has its own unique traditions, like a murder tour given by two of Cecelia’s classmates and Weston-Con, a weekend retreat for fans of Maura’s thriller books. When one of Cecelia’s classmates is found dead under eerily similar circumstances to one of Maura’s books, Cecelia distracts herself from her grief by trying to solve the murder and determine if a copycat killer is loose in Seaview – or if someone was wrongly convicted years ago. As Cecelia learns about the history of Seaview and about animosity among her new friends, she’s convinced there’s more to the story. Will Cecelia make a connection before the police solve the case, or will she be the killer’s next victim?

THOUGHTS: Knowing all that Cecelia has overcome, readers will root for her to uncover the truth behind two crimes that are decades apart. Fans of fast-paced mystery/thrillers (like Donne’s The Ivies and Henry’s Two Truths and a Lie) will enjoy this whodunit.  

Mystery          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD