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Thundercluck!:Chicken Of Thor, Amanda Morgan
Thundercluck!:Chicken Of Thor, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
This hilarious book is incredibly entertaining, packed full of action and page-turning cliff-hangers. Nearly every page has a well-written pun or a joke, but the ridiculousness of the story is handled with great skill, allowing for moments of seriousness. The larger text, short paragraphs, and frequent pictures make it great for children just getting started with chapter books. While there is action and conflict, actual violence is avoided or not described. With stakes that remain high enough to keep the reader enthralled to the end, the storyline and content should prove enjoyable for all ages.
The Ghost Tree, Karen Abbott
The Ghost Tree, Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
Things begin to change when Lauren’s father is murdered. After two girls are also eviscerated in the woods, Lauren discovers their deaths are linked to her father’s. It turns out that murders have been a regular occurrence in the sleepy midwestern town, and Lauren’s grandmother knows why they are buried and forgotten, and how they can be stopped. Something that was leashed has torn its way to freedom, and it may rip Lauren’s small world apart completely if she doesn't master her blossoming power to stop it. However, somebody else knows her secret—and they want Lauren dead.
Moth: An Evolution Story, Jennifer Padgett
Moth: An Evolution Story, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Light and black peppered moths have many commonalities. They both begin their journeys evolving from their protective cocoons into insects with delicate wings. Most are speckled and freckled, though occasionally, they're born with wings the color of charcoal, appearing as dark as night. Over time, the light peppered moths win the game of survival and reign the day and night. Then, as the world transitions into one of factories that pollute the atmosphere and machines fueled by coal, tree branches soak up the blackness that surrounds them. Something miraculous happens, and the black peppered moths return, multiply, and camouflage with …
I Love You Brighter Than The Stars, Sydnee Burr
I Love You Brighter Than The Stars, Sydnee Burr
Children's Book and Media Review
A bear and her cubs search the night for stars. As they appear one by one, the bears are overwhelmed with awe. On each step of their journey, the bear relates what they're doing or seeing to the love she feels for her cubs. At the end, they see the sky filled with stars, and the bear says to her cubs that she loves them more than all the stars that twinkle in the sky.
Madame Badobedah, Jazmin Gomez
Madame Badobedah, Jazmin Gomez
Children's Book and Media Review
Mabel lives by the ocean at the Mermaid Hotel, which is the perfect place for an adventurer like her. Life becomes much more interesting when a new hotel guest arrives. Mabel decides that the new guest, who is aloof and a bit rude and whom she has named Madame Badobedah, is a villain on the run from the police. Donning her spy outfit, Mabel is intent on catching her until one morning, when Madame Badobedah unexpectedly invites Mabel in for tea. Reluctantly, she accepts, and so begins a beautiful relationship. Together, spy and supervillain play cards, sail in a pirate …
Ducks!, Amanda Morgan
Ducks!, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
A family of ducks is swimming together in a pond when one little duck gets distracted by a butterfly. Happily following it, the duckling wanders off, only to return to find the other ducks are gone. Searching for signs of its family, it hears some squawking, but it is just a brass band. Then there are some footprints, but they lead to person in flippers. There are some feathers, but they only lead to a pillow fight. The duck follows every clue until it finally finds a creative way to find its family.
Brian Wildsmith's Animal Gallery, Nicole Clark
Brian Wildsmith's Animal Gallery, Nicole Clark
Children's Book and Media Review
Get to know a host of animal groups. While you may know that a group of lions is called a pride or that a group of reindeer as a herd, you may not know about a hover of trout, a prickle of hedgehogs, or a pandemonium of parrots.
What If Pig?, Amanda Morgan
What If Pig?, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Pig is a great friend. Everyone thinks so, but sometimes Pig worries that nobody does. When Pig plans to throw a huge party, he starts worrying about everything. What if nobody comes? Or what if nobody has a good time? Fortunately, Pig has really good friends, and with their help, he learns that everyone has worries and that usually things don't turn bad; they turn out much better.
Where's Baby Elephant, Amanda Morgan
Where's Baby Elephant, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
A baby elephant is somewhere near, but a lion family says she’s not with them. A shark and her young know she’s not under the sea. She is also not with a wolf and her cub. It is too cold for her to be with the penguin and her little chick. From one set of animals to another we go until we find the baby elephant with her mother.
The Silver Blonde, Karen Abbott
The Silver Blonde, Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
Trying to make your mark in Hollywood is murder—just ask Clara Berg, who discovers the body of a young woman in the studio vaults. The victim is Connie Miller, an unknown stand-in with big screen dreams. Clara is sympathetic to the dead girl, who is near her own age, and she resents how easily it seems that this girl will be forgotten in the shadow of a major movie star, Babe Bannon. As Clara digs into the murder, she discovers clues that link her beloved studio to the Nazi regime. The war is barely over, and such information could bring …
Tunnel Of Bones (Cassidy Blake, #2), Karen Abbott
Tunnel Of Bones (Cassidy Blake, #2), Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
In Paris, Cassidy Blake discovers another paranormal mystery. Spending the summer recording her parents’ ghost-hunting show called The Inspectors, Cassidy enters the catacombs with her ghost-bestie Jacob, only to encounter a poltergeist who has a short temper and no memory of his death. Worse still, Cassidy's British friend, Lara, informs her that poltergeists can cause serious damage and will continue to increase in power as more time is spent on the living side of the veil. Unraveling the poltergeist's story, they are able to send the spirit on, but they soon find they must defeat a new, destructive power lurking …
The 1619 Project: Born On The Water, Erica Sonzogi
The 1619 Project: Born On The Water, Erica Sonzogi
Children's Book and Media Review
Chronicling her life, a grandmother teaches her grandchildren about their past. She begins with their life in a village prior to being kidnapped and forced onto a ship to Virginia, where they worked as slaves for 250 years. During this horrific time, two people decided to create a family and have a child, named William Tucker, who was the first Black child born in the United States. Continuing to explain their family’s history, Grandmother speaks of the Civil War and how many of their ancestors rose from slavery to become inventors, athletes, singers, and artists. Concluding their history, she reiterates …
The Beatryce Prophecy, Maryn Wheeler
The Beatryce Prophecy, Maryn Wheeler
Children's Book and Media Review
In a war-torn kingdom, a lost girl is found by the monks of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. Now Beatryce remembers only her name and is befriended by Answelica, the unruly goat. But, Brother Edik knows the king is looking for the lost girl because of a prophecy made many years earlier that a young girl would unseat him. Brother Edik hides her among the monks, but as she obtains the forbidden ability to read and write, memories eventually come to Beatryce. Realizing her identity, she sets out to face her future—and it is up to Beatryce and her friends to …
Show Me A Sign, Maryn Wheeler
Show Me A Sign, Maryn Wheeler
Children's Book and Media Review
Eleven-year-old Mary Lambert thrives as a young deaf girl on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in the early 19th century. Many people on the island are deaf and can communicate through sign. While the islanders navigate disputes about indigenous land rights, a scientist from the mainland arrives to investigate the causes of deafness on the island. When Mary is kidnapped by the scientist to further his study on the mainland, she is mistreated and realizes how isolating it is to not be able to communicate. Eventually, Mary befriends a maid who helps her escape. Making her way to the docks, …
Ruby Finds A Worry, Amanda Morgan
Ruby Finds A Worry, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Ruby was perfectly happy until she found a worry. At first, the worry wasn’t big, but it would follow her everywhere. Then the worry got bigger, stopping her from doing things she loved to do. Ruby begins to wonder if things would ever be normal again, and her worrying about the worry has made it huge. Then one day, she notices someone else with a worry. Learning that everyone has worries and talking with her new friend, Ruby realizes that making a worry go away isn’t as hard as she thought.
I’Ll Be The Water: A Story Of Grief, Loss, And A Grandparent’S Love, Jennifer Padgett
I’Ll Be The Water: A Story Of Grief, Loss, And A Grandparent’S Love, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Joshua cherishes his grandpa. Together, they eat banana and peanut butter sandwiches and travel through the sea on imaginary adventures. Grandpa is full of interesting things to share, and Joshua feels invincible around him. Then one day, Joshua notices the prominence of Grandpa’s wrinkles and a tremble in Grandpa’s hands. His fear escalates when his grandfather goes to the hospital, and even though his dad says it will be fine, Joshua remembers all the times that simply wasn’t true. During Joshua and Grandpa’s last fishing trip together, they talk about life and death and what it all means, which gives …
How To Apologize, Raechel Hornfischer
How To Apologize, Raechel Hornfischer
Children's Book and Media Review
Whether it's a beaver accidentally chopping down an owl’s tree, a giraffe borrowing a worm’s socks without permission, or a cat dropping their kite in a dog’s yard, everyone needs to know how to apologize. Apologizing can be hard. Sometimes what we did was an accident. Sometimes the person we hurt is scary or mean. Sometimes they owe us an apology too. Even so, any time we hurt someone, we need to say we're sorry. Apologies can be simple or long, in person or on a note. Then you can try to fix the mistake or at least do your …
How Trains Work, Jennifer Haltli
How Trains Work, Jennifer Haltli
Children's Book and Media Review
It all began with two wooden rails and a horse-drawn mine cart—these would ignite a technology that utterly transformed mankind. On, above, and below the ground, trains connect to tracks in various ways and are powered by wood, diesel, and electricity. The purposes of trains are highly varied. Some take passengers between cities or across continents. One train in England even carries passengers only 128 feet from a clifftop to the beach. When trains are combined with other mediums of travel, like ferry boats, bridges, and undersea tunnels, train limits disappear. Also, the ever-changing train station is the stuff of …
Cherry Blossom And Paper Planes, Jennifer Padgett
Cherry Blossom And Paper Planes, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Adin and Dina are the best of friends, and they love to climb the lush fruit trees surrounding them. They pick cherries, savoring their sweet taste and using their juices to draw on each others faces. Then Adin tells Dina his mom wants a job in the city, and before he heads to his new home, she hands him a bag of cherry pits. On lonely days, Adin throws some off his balcony, hoping they’ll travel far. When reunited for a visit, he places more of them inside paper airplanes and flies them through the sky. When Dina rides her …
Bridge Of Souls (City Of Ghosts #3), Karen Abbott
Bridge Of Souls (City Of Ghosts #3), Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
Cassidy, Jake, and Lara are in New Orleans, ready for another mystery. Cassidy is being hunted by a servant of Death who wants to reclaim her soul. Cassidy and her friends seek help from The Black Cat Society's members on both sides of the Veil, and they formulate a plan to save Cassidy, but soon everything runs amuck. A failed ceremony affects Jacob, and then the second attempt results in the capture of Lara. Soon Jacob, Cassidy, and the members of The Black Cat Society race to the rescue. Staying true to her friends, Cassidy saves the day while realizing …
Twas The Night Before Christmas, Rachel Wadham
Twas The Night Before Christmas, Rachel Wadham
Children's Book and Media Review
The night before Christmas, everyone is asleep—that is, until the master of the house hears a clatter outside the window. Finding that St. Nick has made his yearly visit, the master watches as gifts are left. With his task complete, St. Nick goes up the chimney wishing the quiet world a very happy Christmas.
The Vanderbeekers To The Rescue, Jazmin Gomez
The Vanderbeekers To The Rescue, Jazmin Gomez
Children's Book and Media Review
It is spring break for the Vanderbeeker family, and it is off to a promising start. Isa is practicing for a big violin audition. Oliver is building an epic treehouse with his uncle. Jessie, Hyacinth, and Laney are helping their mom prepare for a photo shoot that will feature her small baking business in a big lifestyle magazine. When the kids unintentionally ruin an inspection for their mother’s baking license, they set about to make things right before their parents find out. When they aren’t able to fix things, the photo shoot is cancelled and things seem bleak. Not giving …
Poultrygeist, Rachel Wadham
Poultrygeist, Rachel Wadham
Children's Book and Media Review
When the chicken crosses the road, he might just get to the other side—the otherworldly side, that is, if he happens to be hit by a truck. Finding that he is now a ghost, Chicken consults with the other animals who have met his same fate. They want him to be scary and to haunt unsuspecting readers. Chicken, on the other hand, prefers to be a friendly ghost. That is, until his anger gets the best of him, and chicken’s scary side begins to show itself.
Pi In The Sky, Aubrey Parry
Pi In The Sky, Aubrey Parry
Children's Book and Media Review
When The Powers That Be decide to wipe Earth out of existence after one of the humans sees The Realms through a wormhole, their actions have a domino effect on Joss, seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. His best friend disappears, and Joss gets stuck making sure the very girl who first saw The Realms doesn't find out more. When the Supreme Overlord’s second-in-command, Gluck, tells Joss he’s the only one who can recreate Earth, he is sure he is the least qualified to do the job. But when Gluck insists, Joss decides he'll try, since there …
One Jar Of Magic, Taylor Bitton
One Jar Of Magic, Taylor Bitton
Children's Book and Media Review
On the night Rose was born, her father captured 161 jars of magic. Since then, he has been convinced that his daughter is destined for greatness, even giving her the nickname "Little Luck." When Rose turns twelve, she will be able to join the town’s New Year’s Day event of capturing of magic. She's been training for years so she can finally live up to everything her father expects of her. Then New Year's Day arrives, and Rose captures only one tiny jar of magic. Her father is shocked and disappointed, and Rose becomes a social outcast. But as Rose …
Homerooms And Hall Passes, Amanda Morgan
Homerooms And Hall Passes, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Four hero friends—Thromdurr the barbarian, Devis the thief, Velva the paladin, Sorrowshade the assassin, and Albiorix the wizard—go on adventures every day. It’s easy for them to tire of the excitement, and they can hardly wait until they play Homerooms and Hall Passes each week. In this fun role-playing game, they can pretend they are in a mundane and ordinary middle school. After an encounter with a curse, things go awry, and the mighty adventurers end up in real life. There, the friends must learn how to be regular students and protect this newly discovered world from its own evils.
Helga Makes A Name For Herself, Amanda Morgan
Helga Makes A Name For Herself, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Helga the Viking has always wanted to be a warrior. Every chance she gets, she asks for stories about her favorite warrior, Ingrid the Axe. She wants to be just like her, but Helga’s parents say that Vikings from small farming towns like theirs don't become warriors. Then one day, a fleet of ships arrives with Ingrid and her crew, and they're looking for warriors to join them. Helga’s time to shine has finally come, but as she competes for her spot, not everyone thinks she is worthy of joining the crew. So, Helga works her hardest to prove that …
Dear Treefrog, Rachel Wadham
Dear Treefrog, Rachel Wadham
Children's Book and Media Review
Exploring her new home after a move, a young girl encounters the wanders of the treefrogs that hide all around her property. Engaging with the small creatures helps her to feel a little less sad as she works to fit in. But it is not until she finds a true friend who shares her wonder of the treefrogs that the girl finds herself fully embracing all the joys around her.
City Of Ghosts, Erica Sonzogni
City Of Ghosts, Erica Sonzogni
Children's Book and Media Review
Cassie befriended a ghost when he saved her from a drowning accident. Since then, Cassie can not only see her ghost friend, Jacob, but also interact with others in a ghost world called The Veil. On a trip with her parents to Scotland, Cassie meets Lara, who also has the same power. Soon Cassie, Lara, and Jacob accidentally get involved with The Raven in Red, a ghost who steals living souls. Together, the trio must defeat her, allowing Cassie to escape her second close encounter with death.
A Girl Named Hillary: The True Story Of Hillary Clinton, Erica Sonzogni
A Girl Named Hillary: The True Story Of Hillary Clinton, Erica Sonzogni
Children's Book and Media Review
Hillary Clinton is one of the many influential women in United States history, and her story is told from birth until present day. Anecdotes from her life including being bullied as a child, finding joy in childhood activities that were common to boys, volunteering for families that were less fortunate, being rejected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program for being a girl, losing the school council presidential race when she was in high school, and speaking at her college graduation. These stories all show how Hillary accomplished all that she has, since all these situations influenced her …