Monthly Archives: August 2023

Elem./MG/YA – Space Exploration (Series NF)

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Space Exploration. BrightPoint Press, 2023. $32.95 ea. $164.75 set of 5. 64 p. Grades 5-12.

Gagne, Tammy. Colonizing Mars. 978-1-678-20426-6.
Layton, Christine Marie. Beyond the Solar System. 978-1-678-204242.
Wolny, Phillip. Living in Space. 978-1-678-20428-0.
Toth, Henrietta. Robotics in Space. 978-1-678-20430-3.
Moon, Walt K. Rockets and Space Travel. 978-1-678-20432-7

The focus of the 5-book nonfiction series is on the cutting-edge technology that is being used in space travel currently as well as looking to the future. Each book has engaging images along with an informative text that will appeal to students. The series contains topics that range from life on other planets to robotics in space. The book concludes with a glossary, additional resources, source notes, and an index.

THOUGHTS: This series is a good addition to enhance upper elementary and middle school library collections seeking to update their space and science section. It is labeled as Hi-lo YA nonfiction, so it also would be a good addition to a high school library.

600s Science and Space  

Elem. – Inside Big Events (Series NF)

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Kortemeier, Todd, and Josh Anderson. Inside Big Events. The Child’s World, 2023. $24.95 ea. $149.70 set of 6. 31 p. Grades 3-6. 

Inside the Daytona 500: 978-1-503-86515-0.
Inside the NBA. 978-1-503-86517-4.
Inside the Olympics. 978-1-503-86518-1.
Inside the Super Bowl. 978-1-503-86519-8.
Inside the World Cup. 978-1-503-86516-7.
Inside the World Series. 978-1-503-86520-4.

Professional sporting events are a popular topic for many students. The Child’s World has selected six major sporting events and given a basic overview of some of the star athletes, some of the biggest moments in the event, and fast facts. Full-color and historical photographs add a strong interest for all readers. There are critical-thinking questions to help readers deepen their understanding. The book concludes with a glossary, additional resources, source notes, and an index.

THOUGHTS: This series is a good addition to enhance elementary library collections seeking to refresh their sports section.

700s Sports and Recreation

Elem. – A Crown for Corina

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Kemp, Laekan Zea. A Crown for Corina. Elisa Chavarri. Little, Brown and Company, 2023. 978-0-7595-5684-3. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

In A Crown for Corina, it’s Corina’s birthday and she gets to create a flower crown out of the beautiful flowers found within her abuela’s garden. As she goes through and picks her flowers, she learns from her grandmother all the different things the flowers mean. Each one has a special meaning either for her family or for Corina personally. Once Corina picks all of her flowers, she wears her flower crown for her party and doesn’t want to take it off, even during her bedtime routine. She notices the flower petals are starting to droop, and her abuela tells her why that is. As Corina goes to sleep, she thinks about all the other birthdays and flower crowns she will get to have.

THOUGHTS: This was such a sweet story! Highly recommended for any elementary collection, as the story and the illustrations both are beautiful.

Picture Book

Elem. – The Hospital Book

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Brown, Lisa. The Hospital Book. Neal Porter Books, 2023. 978-0-823-44665-0. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

The Hospital Book follows our main character as she navigates having appendicitis and going through the process of the emergency room, having surgery, and going through her recovery. The illustrations also showcase the different things happening in the hospital and help to engage the reader as they follow our main character. There is an author’s note at the end, which addresses the timing of when the book was written, an explanation of why she included certain illustration details, as well as a thank you to the various doctors and medical staff that helped her with her book.

THOUGHTS: This was a lovely picture book that deals well with a delicate topic of hospitals and sickness. This book would be a wonderful addition to any elementary  collection.

Picture Book

Tags: hospitals, surgery, nurses, doctors, appendicitis, feelings, families.

Elem. – This Little Kitty

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Obuhanych, Karen. This Little Kitty. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 978-0-593-43514-4. Unpaged. $18.99  Grades PK-2.

Kittens and cats romp across the page as the characters in This Little Kitty navigate their day, from breakfast, to playtime, to naps, and mischief. The cats take center stage in Karen Obuhanych’s illustrations, interacting within simple settings that support the text, but maintain the action of the story. Repetition and rhyme in the text will appeal to young and beginning readers and those who enjoy word play.

THOUGHTS: This joyful text certainly will appeal to young readers and cat lovers. Its strength lies in the illustrations–the cats in the book are expressive and are portrayed with unique personalities while maintaining a simplicity that will engage a young audience. Recommended for collections looking to appeal to cat lovers and young readers.

Picture Book 

Elem. – The Glow Show

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Shaefer, Susi. The Glow Show. Sourcebooks, 2023. 978-1-728-26134-8. Unpaged. $14.99  Grades PK-2.

Glow, the squid, LOVES to be the center of attention. He’s bioluminescent, he can twirl, and his ocean fans want him to teach them to twirl, too… but… NOPE! Glow wants the attention to stay on him. When he splashes from “The Deep” to “The Shallows,” Glow realizes that, without his glow, he’s simply ordinary. Determined to glow again, he sets off for home. On the way, Glow encounters an anglerfish and realizes that, for the first time, he might just need some friends. With a little sharing and a little teamwork, Glow and his friends create something special in the deep! The Glow Show includes back matter that shares squid facts as well as information about bioluminescence, the impact of water on color, and the vertical migration of animals in the ocean. The final page differentiates between fans and friends.

THOUGHTS: The Glow Show tells a tale of friendship between ocean animals in the unique setting of the deep ocean. Susi Schaefer’s illustrations are joyful and inviting, beautifully portraying her underwater setting and transmitting the feelings of her characters. There is just enough message in the book to get young readers thinking about their actions as friends–and enough story to keep readers coming back to this book again and again. The back matter will spark curiosity and expand the thinking of young readers.  Highly recommended for its unique setting, general appeal, and SEL message.

Picture Book 

YA – The Night in Question

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Glasgow, Kathleen, & Liz Lawson. The Night in Question. Delacorte Press, 2023. 978-0-593-64583-3. 401 p. $19.99. Grades 8-12

Welcome to the sequel to The Agathas! Alice Ogilive and Iris Adams are back again and ready to solve another mystery in Castle Cove. In the first book, they were able to stop an innocent person from spending life in prison for the murder of another student. Alice’s obsession with Agatha Christie has put her on the path to investigating crimes, and she and her friends (The Zoners) have become quite adept at putting together clues to find the culprit. In the second book, Alice and Iris find themselves at the Sadie Hawkins dance in Levy Castle when a fellow student is brutally attacked. The Castle Cove police quickly arrest the first person they suspect; however, Alice and Iris believe the police got the wrong person (again). While chasing down clues to find the real attacker, they begin to uncover the truth of a century-old case that happened at Levy Castle. As they get closer to the truth, there is someone who wants the truth to stay buried. Can Alice and Iris solve the case before there are more victims?

THOUGHTS: The Agathas is a fun mystery to read. The characters are fabulous and the mystery unfolds quite nicely. A wonderful sequel in this mystery series. 

Mystery

MG – Light Comes to Shadow Mountain

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Buzzeo, Toni. Light Comes to Shadow Mountain. Holiday House, 2023. 978-0-823-45384-9. 263 p. $17.99.  Grades 4-6.

In her debut novel, Buzzeo has crafted an engaging story based on the arrival of electricity to the eastern Kentucky mountains in the 1930s. At that time, few rural areas had electricity, even though most cities did. Cora Mae Tipton lives on Shadow Mountain, one such unelectrified community. She dreams of becoming a journalist like Nellie Bly, while her best friend Ceilly wants to be an aviator. When news of the Rural Electrification Act arrives in the holler, the two girls are thrilled to learn about the formation of an electricity cooperative. Not everyone is excited about the life-changing news, including Cora’s mother, who is pregnant and still grieving for her daughter Ida, who died from the flu. Cora, always with a notebook in hand, questions her Pap, who is now working for the project. The budding journalist learns about the fees, which are prohibitive for some families and the school. Believing in the importance of electricity in the school, the friends come up with a successful plan to raise money for a subscription, but then trouble besets the Tipton family. Mrs. Tipton becomes more depressed, and there is frequent bickering between mother and daughter. One of the twins is badly burned, and the fundraising money is needed for medical bills. Cousin Glenna comes to stay to avoid an abusive father. Then Mrs. Tipton goes into premature labor at home. With no adult to help, Cora must call on  her inner strength if she is to save the baby and bring the Mountain out of the shadows. This piece of historical fiction offers an eye-opening look into rural America of the past- a world of pack horse libraries, settlement schools, and the frontier nursing service, which are all described in the back matter. The author has created well-developed characters, some who are resistant to change and some who embrace it. With its compelling plot, this deep and sensitive story will leave readers hoping for a sequel to learn what the future holds for the likeable Miss Tipton.

THOUGHTS: This outstanding book is highly recommended for middle grade libraries.

Historical Fiction

Elem./MG – Squished

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Lloyd, Magan Wagner. Squished. Illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter. Graphix, 2023. 978-1-338-56894-3. 246 p. $24.99. Grades 2-5.

Welcome to Hickory Valley, Maryland. Home to Avery Lee, her SIX siblings, and their parents. All Avery wishes for is her own room where she can spread out her art supplies and have some alone time before she starts middle school. This wish doesn’t look like it’s in cards though. When her parents announce they are moving to Oregon, Avery is angry. She doesn’t want to move away from the house, school, and town she has grown up in, and most importantly she doesn’t want to move away from the only friends she has ever known. Her brother Theo feels differently. Having been bullied by Avery’s best friend’s brother, Theo is excited to start over. Will Avery make peace with her family moving across the country?

THOUGHTS: This book by the author/illustrator duo who wrote Allergic, is a must for any school library. It’s everything fans of Raina Telgemeier are looking for in a graphic novel.

Graphic Novel 

The team that brought us the middle grade graphic novel Allergic in 2021 is back with Squished! Eleven-year old Avery Lee lives with her Korean American family in beautiful Hickory Valley, Maryland, where she luxuriates in having her very own, totally amazing room … at least, that’s the dream. In reality, she and her large family are squished into their house, and Avery shares her room with one of her six siblings … make that two of her siblings when two-year old Max moves in. Avery dotes on her brothers and sisters, but she also longs for privacy, space for her artwork, and a good night’s sleep. She devises a plan to earn enough money to renovate the basement into a bedroom, but one stumbling block after another foils her efforts. Along the way, friendships and Avery’s love/hate relationship with 13-year old brother Theo evolve as a potential family move to Oregon looms large. One quibble: the print in some of the panels is tiny, even for the young eyes of the intended audience. If only it weren’t so squished!

THOUGHTS: With an endearing main character and engaging illustrations, this book’s heart is bigger than the Lee family!

Graphic Novel

Fifth grader, Avery Lee, is one of seven children in a large Korean American family. Avery loves her neighborhood, has two best friends, and can’t wait for the upcoming summer fair. But life at home is chaotic and Avery is sometimes embarrassed by her large family. Not to mention, Avery has to share a bedroom while Theo, Avery’s big brother, gets a room all to himself. It’s so unfair! Resilient as ever, Avery comes up with a plan to make money to renovate her family’s basement so she can at least have her own bedroom. But nothing ever goes as planned in the busy Lee household, especially when Avery has to take care of her younger siblings. Then Avery finds out her parents are thinking about a move across the country, her best friend finds someone else to hang out with, and she’s struggling to find time for her art entry for the summer fair. Avery expresses difficult emotions after the loss of an important friendship and several missed opportunities, but in the end, she navigates these major life changes with grace and humor.

THOUGHTS: This story addresses strong feelings, family dynamics, and the importance of belonging. Fans of Raina Telgemeier will enjoy Avery’s story; however, the challenges and responsibilities Avery faces may feel unrealistic to readers that are not from a large family. In addition, the unusually large number of siblings make this story a bit of an outlier. I prefer Lloyd and Nutter’s earlier collaboration, Allergic (Graphix, 2021).

Graphic Novel

Elem. – Starla Jean Cracks the Case

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Arnold, Elana K. Starla Jean Cracks the Case. Illustrated by A.N. Kang. Roaring Brook Press, 2023. 978-1-250-30580-0. 78 p. $15.99. Grades 1-3.

Meet Starla Jean. She has a baby sister Willa and a pet chicken Opal Egg.  Walking her chicken one day (can you really walk a chicken?), Starla and Opal Egg find a bead. They wonder who it belongs to and set off to ask her friends. The beads are not theirs, but they have all found a bead too! Now everyone is in on the task of finding the owner. They happen along their friend Dani who is looking forlorn sitting on a bench. Her necklace broke, and the kids have solved their mystery!

THOUGHTS: This Level 3 chapter book is a great addition to any beginning reader section. Helpfulness and being a good friend and sister are all themes throughout this adorable read.

Beginning Chapter Book