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The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner And Other Stories, Olivia Noli
The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner And Other Stories, Olivia Noli
Children's Book and Media Review
The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by Terry Pratchett when he was seventeen. The stories were published weekly in his local newspaper when he was working as a junior reporter. Pratchett promises a series of adventure in his newly edited and compiled anthology. The first story is "The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner," in which a party magician is cursed by a witch for disturbing her vacuum cleaner. Throughout the story, Ron Swimble, the party magician, becomes enamored with the witch and proposes marriage (and asks her to lift her troublesome spell). The book …
Nara And The Island, Jess Verzello
Nara And The Island, Jess Verzello
Children's Book and Media Review
Nara lives with her father on their quiet, small island. She dreams of finding an adventure on the island next to hers, but she would have to find a way to get there first. Then one day her father tells her that he has fixed their boat and that she can explore the other island while he looks for the “big fish.” On the other island she finds a large, green, noisy world to explore and meets a boy named Aran. Together they explore the island, and he shows her his favorite secret place which they now share as friends.
The Widow's Broom, Karen Abbott
The Widow's Broom, Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
A witch summons another ride, and leaves her old broom behind after it lost it power to fly and crashed them into an elderly widow's garden. After taking in the broom, the widow discovers that it can sweep a floor by itself, play a piano one note at a time, and magically perform other useful tasks. Her neighbors come to see the broom and feel that the broom is unnatural and dangerous. Children bully the broom, and when it defends itself the neighbor visits the widow and demands that it's destroyed. In order to placate her neighbors, she pretends to …
Grimelda And The Spooktacular Pet Show, Karen Abbott
Grimelda And The Spooktacular Pet Show, Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
While flying on her broom through town, Grimelda sees a poster for the Spooktacular Pet Show. Sure that her cat is the most spooktacular pet around, she rushes home to find Wizzleworts sound asleep. Her friend wooshes by on her fire-breathing dragon and Grimelda wonders if Wizzleworts is up to the competition. She searches for another spooky pet and in a bog she finds a monster eel, but he is a bit too much for her to handle. She escapes the eel and finds that a spell will turn Wizzleworts into a truly spooktacular pet. They rush to the competition …
Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat, Amanda Durrant
Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat, Amanda Durrant
Children's Book and Media Review
Bad Kitty isn't usually scared, but she has felt a plethora of emotions ranging from daring to loopy to vexed. But on Halloween night the doorbell rings and frightening creatures appear at her door. The creepy clown, noisy neanderthal, and yucky yeti scare Kitty. But then, someone drops their candy and Kitty sees all the delightful treats. She decides to not be scared anymore, but then she becomes a very bad kitty: battering bigfoot, kicking kraken, and zinging zombie. Kitty chases away the scary creatures and resolves to never be scared again, but then she hears a dog bark!
Scholastic Discover More: Dolphins, Kristie Hinckley
Scholastic Discover More: Dolphins, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Readers will learn more than they ever knew about dolphins in Scholastic Discover More: Dolphins. Dolphins are similar to humans in many ways, including their status as mammals. Readers will learn how dolphins breathe, communicate, travel, and hunt. Many interesting facts are scattered throughout the book; for example, did you know that a dolphin can rest half of its brain while the other half is alert? This book is also full of captivating photographs of dolphins in their natural habitats.
I Took The Moon For A Walk, Jess Verzello
I Took The Moon For A Walk, Jess Verzello
Children's Book and Media Review
A little boy is joined by the moon as they take a walk across the town, through the park, and over the bridge. They see many nocturnal animals and enjoy the beauty of nighttime before heading home and settling down to sleep.
Save Me A Seat, Sarah Rawle
Save Me A Seat, Sarah Rawle
Children's Book and Media Review
Sixteen-year-old Charlotte sees the future, but the unpredictable episodes cause blackouts, and classmates avoid her because of her bizarre behavior. But Charlotte feels that it is best they stay away: after the death of her father, she knows the conseque
Pandora, Jess Verzello
Pandora, Jess Verzello
Children's Book and Media Review
Pandora lives alone in a place of forgotten things. She builds herself a lovely home and spends her days fixing broken and lost things. One day a bird falls from the sky, but Pandora isn’t sure how to fix him. She cares for the bird and nurses him back to health. As he gains strength, he brings back seeds and twigs from other places. But then the bird leaves and doesn’t come back. Pandora is heartbroken, but little by little the seeds grow until the place of forgotten things becomes covered in flowers and greenery. She hears her friend’s birdsong …
No More Bows, Kristie Hinckley
No More Bows, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Hugo is excited for his walk until Milly puts a bow on him. The neighborhood dogs are amused, but Hugo is not, so he eventually finds a way to take it off. This goes on for a few days, with several different bows, including frilly ones. Hugo has had enough and runs away. He comes across a sign in a bow shop window that says “Show your dog you love them!” That’s when Hugo realizes that Milly always put bows on him because she loves him. Hugo returns home to Milly and Hugo proudly wears his bow tie for all …
Farmyard Security, Kristie Hinckley
Farmyard Security, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Farmyard Security is a reader’s theater script and guide and the play is appropriate for students reading between a third- and sixth-grade level. This fairy tale, with elements of Chicken Little, is set on a farm. The hen, who is woken up from her nap by a fallen apple, informs all the animals on the farm that “the sky is falling!” While informing all the animals, the hen and other farmyard friends are lured to “safety” in the wolf’s den. Thankfully, the farmer saves his precious animals from the wolf’s guile and the mystery of the falling sky is resolved.
Stone Fox, Stephany Nalley
Stone Fox, Stephany Nalley
Children's Book and Media Review
Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, Stone Fox tells the story of Little Willy, a young boy who lives with his grandfather in Wyoming. When Grandfather becomes ill, Little Willy must take care of his Grandfather and the farm. When he finds out that the farm is in danger of being foreclosed, Little Willy tries to save the farm and his Grandfather by competing in the National Dogsled Race. The prize money is exactly what he needs to pay off the bills to save both the farm and his Grandfather. Little Willy faces challenges along the way, but he and …
Bel The Weather Girl: Raindrops On A Roller Coaster: Hail, Kristie Hinckley
Bel The Weather Girl: Raindrops On A Roller Coaster: Hail, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Bel, Dylan, and their dog Stormy discover hail in this next adventure in the Bel the Weather Girl series. They are surprised to learn that hailstorms actually happen during summer months, not winter. Hail is made inside storm clouds when raindrops are carried to the top of the clouds where it’s cold. Those raindrops turn into balls of ice that become too heavy, falling to the earth. Basically, they are like raindrops on an icy roller coaster!
The Hybrid Chronicles Book #3: Echoes Of Us, Lisa Packard
The Hybrid Chronicles Book #3: Echoes Of Us, Lisa Packard
Children's Book and Media Review
Addie and Eva sneak into another institution to record and expose the government’s secrets to the public, hoping to put a stop to the unethical hybrid program. But they linger too long and are recognized by one of the doctors, barley escaping. They finally find help, but Eva realizes Addie isn't there with her: she has disappeared. Realizing she can't stop moving, Eva and her friend travel to find Eva’s family. They find her family and Eva realizes she has to put an end to all the confusion before she loses them again. When Addie finally wakes up, both girls …
Alligators Eat And Grow, Kristie Hinckley
Alligators Eat And Grow, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Alligators start their life in a small egg, but they can grow to be twelve feet long and weigh 550 pounds! Mother alligators try to keep their babies safe from birds and raccoons. Baby alligators eat bugs, frogs, and small fish; adult alligators eat snakes, turtles, and birds. Alligators eat their food whole and can live to be fifty years old! Readers will learn all this and more in Alligators Eat and Grow.
The Hybrid Chronicles Book #2: Once We Were, Lisa Packard
The Hybrid Chronicles Book #2: Once We Were, Lisa Packard
Children's Book and Media Review
As fugitives of the law, Eva and Addie are safe . . . for now. Although they have to stay indoors to remain unrecognized, they are still trying to find the other children that were taken from the hospital. They find other souls like them and come up with a plan to expose the corrupted government and their maltreatment of the hybrid population. Addie and Eva start to question how far they are willing to go for the hybrid cause when they discover that their friends are planning on blowing up a hospital with innocent people inside it. Eva and …
The Shady Tree, Sierra Beveridge
The Shady Tree, Sierra Beveridge
Children's Book and Media Review
Tan Tan is an angry rich boy who loves his Shady Tree. He lives in a big house and loves to play under the shade of the tree with all of his toys, but then Ping shows up. Tan Tan does not like Ping and tells him to leave. Ping gets the idea to buy the shade from the beautiful tree and Tan Tan agrees to sell Ping the shade because he thinks Ping is being silly. But Tan Tan slowly learns that this was a mistake as Ping invites his friends (and their animals) over to sit with him …
Yoga, Kristie Hinckley
Yoga, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
This books teaches about the many benefits of yoga like increased flexibility, muscle strength, and calmness of mind. However, readers will not learn how to do specific poses. There are about seven poses vaguely introduced in the photos of children and adults throughout this book. Living a healthy lifestyle, in general, is the main idea encouraged in the book. Any questions a reader previously had about the practice of yoga will most likely be answered.
La La La: A Story Of Hope, Karen Abbott
La La La: A Story Of Hope, Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
A small girl is singing her song to the world. She listens with her hand to her ear, but there is no response, just a few falling leaves. Are they answering her song? She ventures outside but neither the tree nor the pond nor the grass are responsive. She returns inside frustrated. The leaves continue to follow her inside. Has something changed? She ventures out again into the night, but still nothing sings back to her. She finds a ladder, but still can't seem to reach the answer to her song. Back inside, she sings herself to sleep and from …
The Hybrid Chronicles #1: What's Left Of Me, Lisa Packard
The Hybrid Chronicles #1: What's Left Of Me, Lisa Packard
Children's Book and Media Review
Eva and Addie are two souls living in one body, just like everyone else, except they have a secret: Eva was supposed to disappear but she didn't. She's trapped inside their mind, unable to move. One day they meet Hally, who turns out to be a hybrid like her with two souls, and her brother Devon, who tries to help Eva be in control again. Unfortunately, the hybrids are found out and taken to an institution where they are operated on. Luckily, Eva and Addie, Hally, Devon, and two other children escape, marking the beginning of a revolution.
Green Animals, Kristie Hinckley
Green Animals, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
In Green Animals, readers learn that green is the combination of the primary colors blue and yellow which makes it a secondary color. There are green animals that live in water and on land. Some of these animals include tree pythons, European tree frogs, green basilisks, caterpillars, and Amazon parrots. Many animals, including several varieties of mantis, use their green characteristics as camouflage. Some animals like tree sloths turn green from the algae that grows on them. Readers will learn all kinds of interesting facts about green animals in this book.
Baabwaa And Wooliam, Karen Abbott
Baabwaa And Wooliam, Karen Abbott
Children's Book and Media Review
Wooliam and Baabwaa are sheep that like to read and knit. One day, these best friends decide to take a walk and find adventure. They are not particularly enjoying their walk until they meet a wolf in sheep's clothing who begins a chase. Wooliam recognizes the wolf from the famous Red Riding story and this stops the wolf in his tracks. People know about him? Really? Baabwaa and Wooliam decide to teach the wolf how to read: a task which is made difficult by constant lapses in attention where the wolf's innate desire to eat them gives them lots of …
Columbus Day, Kristie Hinckley
Columbus Day, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Columbus Day is an informational text that helps young students learn the background about the holiday we call Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus was an explorer born in Italy. He was commissioned to find new routes to China and Italy. In 1492, he arrived in America and every year on the second Monday in October we celebrate that monumental event. He led the way for many Europeans to come to America. Franklin D. Roosevelt is the president who made Columbus Day a national holiday.
Moo, Lisa Packard
Moo, Lisa Packard
Children's Book and Media Review
On a whim, Reena's parents decide to move to Maine just because she said they should. When she arrives, twelve-year-old Reena expects to have fun riding bikes, visiting beaches, and making new friends, but her parents volunteer her and her brother to help their neighbor, Mrs. Falala, with her very ornery cow, Zora, to train Zora to be in the state fair. Although Reena starts out very unwilling to do anything, she eventually learns how to control Zora and is able to enter her into the fair. She becomes good friends with some farmers and even Zora, although ornery, is …
The Critter Club: Liz Learns A Lesson, Kristie Hinckley
The Critter Club: Liz Learns A Lesson, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Liz is one of four girls that make up the Critter Club. After school, the girls help run a small animal shelter in Ms. Sullivan’s barn. As summer approaches, Liz can’t wait to take care of the animals and take an art class at the local library. But her plans change when her mom and principal decide she needs a little help with math over the summer. She has to go to the school library every week and take a class for kids who struggle with math instead of going to art class. Even though she’s daydreamed about art class …
50 States To Celebrate: Celebrating Virginia And Washington, D.C., Amanda Durrant
50 States To Celebrate: Celebrating Virginia And Washington, D.C., Amanda Durrant
Children's Book and Media Review
The narrator, Mr. Geo, takes readers on a journey to discover interesting facts about Virginia. He discusses Virginia's geographic location and major events and festivals that occur in the state each year. The narrator then talks about the history of the state, including prehistoric dinosaur fossils, descriptions of Native Americans and the European colonization, Presidential homes, and the roll Virginia played in the American Civil War. He then discusses noteworthy landmarks such as Shenandoah National Park and Arlington Nation Cemetery before moving on to facts about Washington, D.C. The narrator concludes by talking about famous landmarks and the U.S. Federal …
Pete The Cat’S Got Class, Kristie Hinckley
Pete The Cat’S Got Class, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Pete loves math and always has the right answers in math class. Pete’s classmate, Tom, isn’t as strong in math and doesn’t enjoy it at all. Pete is determined to help Tom understand and enjoy math, so he uses race cars, something Tom loves, to help him learn math. They do their math homework, but when they turn it in, their teacher notices that they both got one of the same answers wrong; he thinks they cheated. They bring the race cars to class and each of them prove to their teacher that they didn’t cheat and that they really …
Scholastic Discover More: Birds, Kristie Hinckley
Scholastic Discover More: Birds, Kristie Hinckley
Children's Book and Media Review
Readers will learn more than they ever knew about birds in Scholastic Discover More: Birds. Children can easily access the information about birds in this book by using the table of contents, glossary, and index. They will learn how different birds have different purposes for feathers, including camouflage, warmth, changing direction in flight, and showing off to female birds. Children will be fascinated by species of birds they have never heard of or seen before. This book also includes pages about birds that can’t fly and how birds catch their prey.
Animal Rescue Center: The Injured Fox Kit, Amanda Durrant
Animal Rescue Center: The Injured Fox Kit, Amanda Durrant
Children's Book and Media Review
Ella and her family run the Animal Magic Rescue Center that takes in all sorts of animals in need, including a stubborn and ornery goat named Gordon. When young Ella goes to check the gate before closing the rescue center for the night, she hears a faint animal cry from the forest. She finds an injured fox kit who they take back to the rescue center and nurse back to health. As the fox, named Copper, is recovering, Ella falls in love with him even after the warning from her mother that he is a wild animal. Ella and her …
The Stray, Phyllis Rosen
The Stray, Phyllis Rosen
Children's Book and Media Review
A young family is falling apart because the father is never home due to the pressures of his job. The dad suggests getting a dog, but his wife concedes only if a stray magically shows up on their doorstep. Soon after, a stray does show up! The dog protects the kids, gives the family lots of love, and becomes a member of the family. When the family moves to Colorado, the young father takes his nine-year-old son, the family dog, and two of his son's friends backpacking in the mountains. However, the group is literally struck by lightning. The dad …