Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel grow up in Queens just a few blocks from one another and go to the same schools. They meet in sixth grade in the cast of their school play, Alice in Wonderland. Artie has perfect pitch and a beautiful voice, and Paul plays guitar and masters his own voice. Together, Paul and Artie explore the world of music and find a perfect harmonic blend for their voices. Paul and Artie begin writing songs together and performing on the streets and at school. Later, they manage to be on TV under the name “Tom and Jerry,” …

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Waiting For Sophie, Katherine Martin Dec 2018

Waiting For Sophie, Katherine Martin

Children's Book and Media Review

Liam is ready to be a big brother, but waiting for Sophie to be born seems to drag on forever. Nana-Downstairs finds ways to help the waiting go by quickly. She and Liam have a lot of fun going to the store in their pajamas and watching movies, but Liam still has to do a lot of waiting. Eventually Sophie is born, and Liam thinks that the waiting is over. He quickly finds out that with a baby sister there are a lot of other things to wait for—and waiting is not easy!

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Today I'M A Race Car Driver, Sydnee Burr Dec 2018

Today I'M A Race Car Driver, Sydnee Burr

Children's Book and Media Review

Today I'm a Race Car Driver follows Leo through all the work that goes into being a race car driver. From Monday's car wash to Sunday's big race, there is something important every day that needs to be done so that the car and the driver are ready for competition. On Wednesday, the gear is checked to make sure it will all keep the driver safe, and on Thursday the car is inspected. On the opposite page of each day's chore is a collection of labeled pictures that are involved in the task at hand, which will both interest young …

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To Kill A Kingdom, Braxton Church Dec 2018

To Kill A Kingdom, Braxton Church

Children's Book and Media Review

In this retelling of The Little Mermaid, Princess Lira is the most feared siren in the kingdom under the sea. But when she kills a mermaid, her mother, the Sea Queen, turns Lira into a human. Now Lira must bring the Sea Queen the heart of Prince Elian, the captain of a ship of siren killers. When Lira joins Elian’s crew, she discovers that the prince has set out to discover an artifact that can kill all sirens. Lira stays with him to steal the artifact herself and overthrow her mother, but Lira and Elian grow close. When they find …

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The Wild Robot #2: The Wild Robot Escapes, Mavanee Farnsworth Dec 2018

The Wild Robot #2: The Wild Robot Escapes, Mavanee Farnsworth

Children's Book and Media Review

Robot Roz is no ordinary robot. She learned to survive on an island and now has to learn to survive on a farm. However, Roz has left her son back on the island and desperately wants to make it back to him. She tells every animal she can about her son Brightbill back home. The rumors spread and soon Brightbill hears the story his mother is telling everyone. Brightbill decides to migrate on a different route this year and finds his mother Roz. Together they escape and attempt to make it back to their home. The humans they encounter are …

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The Weather Girls, Robyn Lee Dec 2018

The Weather Girls, Robyn Lee

Children's Book and Media Review

The weather girls take readers on an adventure through the seasons, changing their clothes and activities as they go. Starting with the swimming and playing of summer, the girls continue on, teaching about the apples and sweaters of fall, snowmen, snowflakes and mountains of winter, and finally the breezes and colors of spring. All these adventures culminate in a summary of each season, how they relate to each other and how they affect animal and plant life.

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The Thing About Luck, Amanda Bishop Dec 2018

The Thing About Luck, Amanda Bishop

Children's Book and Media Review

Breaks from school are supposed to be fun, but for Summer it means traveling with her family as wheat harvesters across the country. Summer’s parents are in Japan dealing with a family emergency, so it’s just Summer, her grandparents, her brother Jaz, and her dog Thunder this harvest season. Summer is hoping that the family’s year of bad luck will soon come to an end, but before anything gets better, things are going to get worse. Both of her grandparents are dealing with sickness, her brother struggles with trying to fit in, and Summer is trying to keep everything together …

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The Theory Of Hummingbirds, Melissa Secor Dec 2018

The Theory Of Hummingbirds, Melissa Secor

Children's Book and Media Review

Sixth-grader Alba was born with a foot that points inwards, and has never felt like she fits in. She spends her time on the side of the track timing the runners and wishing she could be one of them. On top of her physical handicap, she struggles to handle all the other craziness that sixth grade entails. When she receives her final surgery, she sees it as a chance to finally be able to race in the school’s cross-country meet. Her doctor, her mom, and her best friend are all hesitant if Alba will be ready to run in the …

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The Serpent King, Emma Patton Dec 2018

The Serpent King, Emma Patton

Children's Book and Media Review

Unfortunately, Dill Early has the same name as his father. Dill lives in a small town, and his father is well-known as the head of a religious congregation that dabbles in snakes and poisons, as well as prayer. But Dillard Early, Sr. was sent to jail for possessing child pornography. With that reputation following him, Dill can’t help but feel trapped. While his best friend Lydia is planning on heading to college, Dill lives in poverty and is saddled with his family's debts, so even that escape does not seem possible. It is his senior year of high school, and …

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The Selection #5: The Crown, Robyn Lee Dec 2018

The Selection #5: The Crown, Robyn Lee

Children's Book and Media Review

Twenty years after her parents find love through The Selection, Eadlyn is having complications going through the process herself. She has narrowed her suitors down to an elite group, but making the final decision is turning out to be more difficult than anticipated. Eadlyn is forced to balance her fierce independence, newfound desire for love, duty as future queen, and unrest among the people of the kingdom, all while in the public eye. As her attention is pulled in these directions, she learns that not everyone around her can be trusted and that the best course of action may be …

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The Real Mccoys, Taylor Harris Dec 2018

The Real Mccoys, Taylor Harris

Children's Book and Media Review

Eddie, the prized stuffed owl mascot of Tiddlywhump Elementary School, has gone missing, and Moxie McCoy is on the case. Her best friend and partner has just moved away, so she’s looking for a replacement while trying to figure out who’s done it. After a few false accusations, evidence finding, and multiple trips to the principal’s office, the case is finally solved by Moxie’s observant little brother, Milton.

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The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale Of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, And A Very Interesting Boy, Erica Sonzogni Dec 2018

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale Of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, And A Very Interesting Boy, Erica Sonzogni

Children's Book and Media Review

What do four little girls, one dog and one boy have in common? They have a great summer together! The four Penderwick sisters, their father, and their dog rent a vacation home for three weeks in Massachusetts. They are excited to spend time together but do not realize that they are renting a portion of the Arundel Estate from Mrs. Tifton, a snobby, stuck-up woman who does not like children of any kind. Unfortunately, she has an only son, named Jeffrey, who the Penderwick girls befriend. Mrs. Tifton does not approve of the Penderwick girls, which leads to conflict and …

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The Little School Bus, Sydnee Burr Dec 2018

The Little School Bus, Sydnee Burr

Children's Book and Media Review

The Little School Bus introduces readers to Bus Driver Bob and invites them to tag along through a busy work day. Bob wakes up early, rumbles through town, and picks up children. But there is so much more to driving a school bus than meets the eye. There's using a wheelchair lift, braking in the parking lot, dealing with snowy days, and getting tune ups. The Little School Bus walks readers through all these scenarios and more, building both trust and appreciation for school buses.

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The Inexplicable Logic Of My Life, Emma Patton Dec 2018

The Inexplicable Logic Of My Life, Emma Patton

Children's Book and Media Review

What’s more important: nature or nurture? Sal is trying to figure out the answer to that question in his own life. He doesn’t know who his biological father is, and he barely remembers his mother. All his life, Sal has tried to be like his adoptive father, but he feels himself turning into someone he doesn’t recognize. Tragedy strikes in Sal's personal life, as well as in the lives of his friends and family, and the changes happening within him that distance himself from the person he thought he was become even more pronounced. Senior year of high school is …

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The Harlem Charade, Jazmin Gomez Dec 2018

The Harlem Charade, Jazmin Gomez

Children's Book and Media Review

Jin, Alex, and Elvin are three young teens living in Harlem, New York. When Elvin’s grandfather is attacked in a community garden, the three kids band together to find out the motive behind the cruel act. As they investigate, they discover valuable secret paintings, a politician’s plot that could ruin their beloved neighborhood, and how everything is connected. Risking their lives, the new group of friends is able to save the rare masterpieces, as well as their community’s livelihood.

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The Fourline Trilogy #3: The Last Remnant, Karen Abbott Dec 2018

The Fourline Trilogy #3: The Last Remnant, Karen Abbott

Children's Book and Media Review

Natalie is devoted to finding a cure for the bite of the Nala in Fourline. Unfortunate humans become partially Nala when bitten. After trial and error, Natalie believes that she has succeeded and becomes obsessed with returning to Fourline to deliver the cure. She acts against everyone's counsel and advice and sneaks through the membrane. Her sister Calpurnia follows her through. Nat is almost to the Healing House when she and Cal are attacked by a Nala. Nat runs into the forest to lead them away while Cal runs to deliver the serum. Nat is betrayed by a corrupt Sister …

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The Fourline Trilogy #2: On The Meldon Plain, Karen Abbott Dec 2018

The Fourline Trilogy #2: On The Meldon Plain, Karen Abbott

Children's Book and Media Review

Natalie Barns goes to Sister Barba and discovers that she must return to Fourline and sever the head of the Nala monster who infected her. Sister Barba finishes Natalie's training and Nat goes back into Fourline as a full Sister. Nat, Soris, and their friend Annin find and behead the creature, but in doing so, they awaken the Nala Queen. When Natalie returns to the Healing House, she recognizes a woman in a painting as the crazed person that she met in the capitol's castle on her first visit to Fourline. This means that Estos' sister, the deposed Queen, is …

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The Fourline Trilogy #1: Gateway To Fourline, Karen Abbott Dec 2018

The Fourline Trilogy #1: Gateway To Fourline, Karen Abbott

Children's Book and Media Review

Natalie needs a new job. She is attending an Ivy League university on a partial scholarship but her father's recent injury and inability to work has put stress on the family finances. Between her cafeteria job and the effort to keep her grades up, Natalie is stressed and falling behind financially and scholastically. Luck is on her side when the costume director for the theater major hires her to help with her off-campus family business. The business is actually a front for a Gateway into a land called Fourline. The king of Fourline is hiding in this world until he …

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