Month: December 2018

Google It: A History of Google

Google It: A History of GoogleGoogle It!: How Two Students' Mission to Organize the Internet Changed the World by Anna Redding
Published by Feiwel & Friends on August 14th 2018
ISBN: 1250148227
Pages: 272
Goodreads
three-stars

This book reads like a long love letter to Google. This is both problematic and interesting. One problem comes right at the start with the exaggeration of how “difficult” it was to find information before Google’s became ever-present in our lives. Readers may leave with the impression that it must have been near to impossible to find your way to a set of encyclopedias or a library to find what you needed to know. Admittedly, Google has changed our world and there is much to learn in the book about how they did it. Anna Crowley Redding research is thorough and most readers will learn something new about Google from this book. Redding is an award-winning journalist and her writing is well-paced and absorbing; students would want to read this independently as well as a source for research. However, it is concerning that Redding does not fully explore the complications that Google has faced (i.e., privacy concerns with Google Glass) in this history of the company and its founders. Even with the problems, this is a solid purchase for libraries and it might just remind students that information can be learned by reading a book and not just online. Source notes and a bibliography are included.

Recommended for grades 6 and up

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

three-stars

Lucy and the Neanderthals: Bad to the Bone

Lucy and the Neanderthals: Bad to the BoneBad to the Bones (Lucy & Andy Neanderthal, #3) by Jeffrey Brown
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers on August 28th 2018
ISBN: 0385388411
Pages: 208
Goodreads
four-stars
In the third book of the Lucy and Andy Neanderthal series, our favorite Neanderthals and their human friends discover dinosaur fossils! This graphic novel tells us a lot of interesting stuff about ancient humans and Neanderthals by switching between the scenes from the past and scientists from today. For example, did you know that research has shown that Neanderthals had allergies? Fascinating! However, even when the author uses comedic license for the story, he corrects it later so that readers know that despite their allergies, “there are no studies on how much Neanderthals wiped their noses on their sleeves!” We learn about dinosaurs, woolly rhinos, what type of bedding Neanderthals used, and a bunch of other awesome stuff!

The stories move quickly and are funny. I was super impressed by how informative it was! This book will appeal to reluctant readers as well as voracious ones. I would recommend this series for fans of Jeffrey Brown’s Jedi Academy series or Big Nate readers looking to branch out.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrookazon

four-stars

The Serpent’s Secret

The Serpent’s SecretThe Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond, #1) by Sayantani DasGupta
Published by Scholastic on February 27th 2018
ISBN: 1338185705
Pages: 351
Goodreads
five-stars
Kiranmala would be happy to be an ordinary middle school student in New Jersey. To her embarrassment and annoyance,  her parents have always insisted on telling her stories about her role as an Indian Princess of mythology and legend. Then on her twelfth birthday, the stories become reality as her parents disappear, a giant demon destroys her house, and she makes the acquaintance of two princely brothers who whisk her away to the world of underworld mythology where she learns that she is really the daughter of the Snake King and the Moon. Now she has only so much time to learn the history of her birth world, fight her jealous serpentine siblings, and save her beloved human parents. Lots of action, friendship and trust building, and a unwarranted amount of demon goo as Kiranmala accepts her place as a demonslayer. There is truly something for everyone. An author’s note further explains the folktale characters that appear in the story. Book Two is in production.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

five-stars

When You Grow Up to Vote

When You Grow Up to VoteWhen You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You by Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Markel, Grace Lin
Published by Roaring Brook Press on September 25th 2018
ISBN: 1626728798
Pages: 96
Goodreads
four-stars
With short chapters covering everything from garbage collection to becoming President of the United States, Roosevelt’s 1932 original storybook for children covers all aspects of public service, including the importance of being an active participant by voting.  Each chapter begins with a bright illustration by Grace Lin and easy to understand descriptions of the various job titles that help towns and cities and states and ultimately the nation function. While the text has been updated and modified to represent how our government works in the 21st century, it is a wonder to read passages where Roosevelt refers to “my husband.”  Offering a great overview of our nation’s government and the role of civil service, this book will fit nicely in all elementary libraries. It’s only disappointment is Lin’s black and white drawings which seem so drab compared to those in color.

Reviewed by Suzanne Dix, Westbrook Middle School, Westbrook

four-stars

The Cure for Cold Feet

The Cure for Cold FeetThe Cure for Cold Feet: A Novel in Small Moments by Beth Ain
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on May 8th 2018
ISBN: 0399550844
Pages: 224
Goodreads
five-stars
Izzy is a new 6th grader in a much bigger middle school which she is NOT enjoying.  Many times she retreats to the bathroom stalls where she reads the comments on the walls and bemoans her situation.  In a novel-in-verse format Beth Ain continues the story begun in Izzy Kline has Butterflies with a book that stands on its own in a stream-of-consciousness style that is perfect for the way the middle school brain works.  Izzy has friend problems, an older brother who is too involved with tequila, parents that are divorced and involved with other people, a boy who is NOT A FRIEND, and a crush on a foreign exchange student.  Middle school is not easy, but Izzy perseveres and readers are left with the certainty that she will make it.

This book is perfect for 5th-7th graders who are struggling with the angst of moving to a larger school with many teachers, unfamiliar classmates, and of having the girls who had been friends now being too “shiny” as everyone strives to be popular.

I believe that this book should be on the Cream of the Crop list for its sympathetic depiction of growing up, for its verse format, and for its universal appeal.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

five-stars

Math Lab for Kids: Geometry + Topology

Math Lab for Kids: Geometry + TopologyGeometry and Topology: Fun, Hands-On Activities for Learning Math by Rebecca Rapoport, J a Yoder
Published by Quarry - Quarto Library on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 1631594540
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars
Math Lab introduces the reader to fun, hands-on activities focusing on Geometry and Topology.  Each of the ten labs is accompanied by colorful, easy to follow diagrams and a math fact.  Readers will learn about different types of shapes (prisms, anti-prisms, pyramids, platonic solids, circles, ellipses), how to compare the shapes, and discover Mobius strips.  Materials are easy to access (gumdrops, string, paper) and experimentation is encouraged. Challenging terms (vertex, oblique) are described in an easy to understand manner. Hints and solutions are provided at the back of the book as well as a couple links for further activities.  Although a link for printable versions of some of the exercises is also provided, when the site was accessed no activities relating to these topics existed. Intended for 4th-8th graders, some of the pictures show younger children. Older readers may find the text informative, but the activities not challenging enough.  Parents and teachers may place this book in the hands of a younger student needing a challenge or an older student struggling to grasp geometric shapes.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

three-stars

The House (Mason Falls Mysteries)

The House (Mason Falls Mysteries)The House by Raelyn Drake
Published by Darby Creek Publishing on April 1st 2018
ISBN: 1541501179
Pages: 104
Goodreads
three-stars
Three teens accept a dare to spend an hour in their town’s haunted house hoping to demystify the decades long belief stating the ghost of Cordelia Rose lives there.  The investigative teens use logic, research, technology, and compassion to reach their unexpected conclusion.  Written at a fourth grade reading level, this is an excellent book for reluctant readers searching for a fast paced, suspenseful mystery involving a ghost and a haunted house.  Although predictable at the beginning of the book (in a haunted house with a storm moving in), the plot takes satisfying twists involving many positive aspects such as the teens striving to help others, positive/supportive parental involvement, and examining the evidence before jumping to conclusions. Teachers will find this story ideal for a fun, quick, clean, engaging Halloween read aloud.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

three-stars

Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion

Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World ChampionUnsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion by Jessica Long
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on June 26th 2018
ISBN: 1328707253
Pages: 112
Goodreads
three-stars
In a series of “moments”, Jessica Long details her journey starting with being adopted from Russia by an American family to winning multiple medals in the Paralympics.  Having both her legs amputated below the knee due to fibular hemimelia as a child, Long trains hard, swims fast, and deals with her multiple challenges with persistence and determination.  This middle grade memoir will appeal to readers interested in swimming, training for the Olympics, the Paralympics, and overcoming physical/emotional limitations. Intriguing facts, training schedules, and Paralympic insider information fill the pages (putting on an Olympic swimsuit can take up to 45 minutes), but the reader may be left longing to know more about the author’s daily struggles.  This easy to read, age-appropriate narrative addresses both Long’s physical struggles as well as her emotional conflicts including disappointment, failing, and finding her biological parents.  The colorful pictures and sidebars will easily carry 4th-8th grade readers through the slightly disorganized arrangement of “moments.”

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

three-stars

Toaff’s Way

Toaff’s WayToaff's Way by Cynthia Voigt
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on August 7th 2018
ISBN: 1524765368
Pages: 272
Goodreads
four-stars
Toaff, a young gray squirrel, lives his life constantly asking questions.  His adventure begins during a ferocious winter storm when the tree in which he resides with his family is snapped in half.  Upon waking up alone, Toaff spends the next year trying to survive while searching for his place on the farm. He meets many other living creatures and tries out multiple living environments (alone in the ground, with The Lucky Ones in an exquisite drey, in a narrow tree with the Littles).  Nature lovers will enjoy reading about the world from a squirrel’s perspective although some of the descriptions may be hard to follow for those unfamiliar with a farm or who struggle with figurative language. Discovering the habits of squirrels including their many predators, the rhythms of a farm, and how the earth is impacted by the changing seasons may keep the reader engaged as they learn new terms (whuffling, nest-houses) and meet both common and unfamiliar creatures (fisher).  Readers in grades 4-8 may enjoy this coming of age story and relate to the impulsive, questioning Toaff who is not yet sure what he believes but feels as though he is the only one who thinks like he does. Voight’s creative chapter titles complement the text as do the simple, delightful pen and ink drawings. Parents using this book as a read aloud will find multiple issues to discuss including the value of listening to others, being discerning about what one hears, the purpose of rules, the value of all, loss (of home, of mother, of friend), and independence.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

four-stars

Running on Empty

Running on EmptyRunning on Empty by S.E. Durrant
Published by Holiday House on September 18th 2018
ISBN: 0823438406
Pages: 200
Goodreads
three-stars
A.J. loves running and has fond memories of attending the London Olympics with his parents and grandfather where they met Usain Bolt. After A.J.’s grandfather dies, A.J. takes on more responsibility by helping his disabled parents read, write and perform household tasks.  A.J. is fearful that child services will take him from his home if anyone find out that he is helping his parents. When A.J. joins the school cross country team, he is disappointed that success does not come easy. With the help of friends, neighbors and teachers, A.J. learns to be an athlete. The 1st person narrative will help readers see the story though A.J.’s eyes as he navigates his complicated world of school and home. The book deals with themes of grief, overcoming obstacles and acceptance. Readers will cheer for A.J. throughout the story, and many will take away a sense of compassion and empathy for others.

Reviewed by Cathy Potter, Falmouth Middle School, Falmouth

three-stars