Elem. – Travel Bucket Lists (Series NF)

Travel Bucket Lists. Core Library, 2022. $24.95 ea. $149.70 set of 6. 48 p. Grades 3-6. 

Huddleston, Emma. Animal Encounter Bucket List. 978-1-532-19522-8.
Huddleston, Emma. Historical Site Bucket List. 978-1-532-19524-2.
Huddleston, Emma. Outdoor Expedition Bucket List.  978-1-532-19526-6.
Kortemeier, Todd. Sports Venue Bucket List. 978-1-532-19527-3.
London, Martha. Archaeological Site Bucket List.  978-1-532-19523-5.
London, Martha. Natural Wonder Bucket List. 978-1-532-19525-9.

Just like animals, the places one can encounter them come in all shapes and sizes. Animal Encounter Bucket List features some of the most famous places in the world where people can visit and learn about animals. There are sanctuaries that seek to rehabilitate animals. Boon Lott’s Elephant’s Sanctuary in Thailand helps animals harmed by the country’s tourism. Zoos are also another way to encounter animals, the oldest being Vienna Zoo in Austria.The best zoos to visit are ones that are accredited with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Natural Parks like the Everglades and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are worth visiting to see not only animals but the entire habitat in which they live. For those wanting to stay a bit closer to home, camping, hiking, bird-watching, and water activities give people the chance to see animals up close right in their own backyards.

THOUGHTS: This book is easy to read with bright photographs. Some pages include special features like Perspectives and Further Evidence; however, there are not so many of these features that they distract from the text. The entire series is aligned to Common Core Standards and matched to state standards.

590.72 Animals           Danielle Corrao, Manheim Central SD

YA – The Lucky List

Lippincott, Rachael. The Lucky List. Simon & Schuster, 2021. 978-1-534-46853-5. $18.99. 294 p. Grades 7-12.

Shunned by her high school peers for boldly kissing an underclassman at the junior prom in full view of her well-liked boyfriend, Matt, Emily Clark faces a lonely summer in Huckabee, her small Pennsylvania town. Her best friend, Kiera, is working as a counselor at a sleep away camp; Matt is kind but confused at her actions; her dad is as distracted by work as ever leaving Emily to pack up her deceased mother’s belongings. Still nursing her grief over her mother’s passing three years prior from cancer, Emily finds a bucket list her mother penned her senior year of high school. When her parents’ best friend, Johnny Carter, moves to Huckabee from Hawaii with his daughter, Blake, the two girls spend a special summer together. Both motherless, they bond easily, and Blake is supportive when the diffident, cautious Emily challenges herself to check off the twelve points on her mother’s list. Convinced this accomplishment will reveal the new and improved Emily, she finds herself—with Blake’s encouragement and help—jumping off cliffs, sleeping under the stars, fending off others to steal forbidden apples, picking a four-leaf clover, etc. until ultimately, she is faced with the final task: kissing Matt. Rachael Lippincott’s The Lucky List is a cozy coming-of-age novel with a LBGTQ+ theme. Narrator Emily relates the questioning, the fears, the missteps of discovering whom one really is authentically and satisfyingly. The relationship between Emily and Blake is gradual and fun; the soul-searching Emily is relatable. A pleasant read for any teen, but may strike a particular chord with those grappling with their sexual identity. 

THOUGHTS: The Lucky List is a light read, heavy on friendship and caring rather than sex. The awakening of a person to her sexual identity may be helpful addition on school library shelves.

Realistic Fiction          Bernadette Cooke  School District of Philadelphia