Month: January 2019

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: Japanese Pilot’s World War ll Story

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: Japanese Pilot’s World War ll StoryThirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story by Marc Tyler Nobleman
Published by Clarion Books on October 9th 2018
ISBN: 054443076X
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

Books for readers of all ages have been written about the bombing of Pearl Harbor , causing the United States to enter World War ll. The United States received a second set of bombings by the Japanese in September of 1942, which does not make the history or text books that often. This picture book depicts the story in both text and illustration of a Japanese submarine coming into  the waters off the coast of Oregon, to launch a small plane which would bomb the forests in Brookings, Oregon. The hope was to start a fire that would spread and consume the forests. Though the mission failed, it changed the lives of both the Japanese pilot and the inhabitants of the Oregon town. Author Nobleman and illustrator Iwai work together to engage the reader in this little known event. Even more important to the actual events is what happened in the years following. The townspeople invite the pilot to visit and begin a friendship between post war Japan and Brookings .

This book is one of many that offers the reader moments in history that may have been overlooked. That is what makes this book worth adding to any collection. It both informs and brings history to our younger readers so these small pieces of our history can be acknowledged and honored. Use this with units about US history, friendship and forgiveness.

grades 3-6

submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library

five-stars

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian RefugeesThe Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on September 18th 2018
ISBN: 1328810151
Pages: 112
Goodreads
five-stars

Don Brown , known for his picture book biographies , has of late turned to historical events, The Great American Dust Bowl and Drowned City and given them story in  graphic novel form. He has outdone himself in his latest book about the Syrian refugee crisis. In his signature style of illustration, he examines the Syrian story from its beginning in 2001 when the people of Syria demanded the end of president Assad’s rule. Assad turned the military on his people and kidnapped, executed and massacred millions. thus began the massive exodus of Syrian citizens. Brown went to one of the largest refugee camps in Greece to better understand the plight of a people who want only to have  self determination and a voice in how they are governed.

What he reports is both heartbreaking and courageous. Here, he puts down in word and picture, the stories of why and how the Syrians and all refugees seek a better life and what they are willing to risk for freedom. This is a hard book to read. This is a book that must be read and shared so those of us who think we know hardship understand what we take for granted-the “unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. In the author’s note he shares: “There are 5.7 million registered Syrian refugees. In the first three months of 2018, the United States has accepted 11 for resettlement.”

submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library

grades 6-12

 

five-stars

Made by hand A Crafts Sampler

Made by hand A Crafts SamplerMade by Hand: A Crafts Sampler by Carole Lexa Schaefer, Becca Stadtlander
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on October 9th 2018
ISBN: 0763674338
Pages: 48
Goodreads

Thirteen different stories about 14 different crafts that were made by New England people. In a time before factories were making most of our needs and wants. James Wilson’s terrestrial globe, the studying he had to do, the money he needed to earn. ( Needed to make and sell 350 ax heads to buy a set of 1797 Encyclpaedia Britannica for $130.00. Then he had to walk 250 miles to study with a master engraver and cartographer Amas Doolittle in New Haven, CN.

I read these stories to my grandchildren who are growing up in a throwaway society. Pie Crimpers, rocking horses, butter churns, bandolier bags, etc. The museums where these items can be found.

Book Review by Jeri Fitzpatrick, GNG Middle School, Gray

Lovely, Dark, and Deep

Lovely, Dark, and DeepLovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on July 31st 2018
ISBN: 133813406X
Pages: 352
Goodreads
three-stars

This book is great for science fiction fans. It starts at a “Firefly” convention, where Viola Li is dressed up as one of the characters from the series with her spoiled little sister. Viola is holding a bake sale for Greeks with Causes when she has a life-threatening phototoxic attack in front of “Thor” ultra cute boy. Viola’s parents are a world-wide crisis management company, and they are away at a conference.

The book has an interesting layout. Each chapter page get darker until they are black with white print. This moves along with her allergy to the sun, as her allergy gets worse, her need to hide from even everyday lights. Viola breaks out in severe blisters. Lots of “Firefly” references.

“Thor”  wants to be her new boyfriend, but he is dealing with the death of his twin brother. Who died because he had to pick Josh up from a party he was too drunk to drive himself home from.

Submitted by Jeri Fitzpatrick,GNGMS, Gray

three-stars

All the Animals Where I Live

All the Animals Where I LiveAll the Animals Where I Live by Philip C. Stead
Published by Roaring Brook Press on March 20th 2018
ISBN: 1626726566
Pages: 48
Goodreads
five-stars

Philip Stead has written a story that is part memory and part imagination. He tells the reader of his move from the city to the country and the animals that he encounters. He then takes the reader back to his childhood, to his grandmother who made him a stuffed bear- that he still has and the quilt she covered him with- the ones with chickens on it. This is the memory part of the book. Now he invites the reader on an imaginary journey – if his grandmother had been an animal- she would have been a hummingbird. She would have introduced herself to the animals in the neighborhood.

This is a storybook , the text is soft and needs to be read slowly, like a story is told. The illustrations are soft and quiet, they support the story and they too should be looked at slowly and savored. This is a story to be enjoyed and talked about. Discussions on what wildlife lives in the reader’s neighborhood, about grandparents and their role in the readers life , and to be always observant in our lives.

grades K-4

Submitted by Kathy George

                             Gray Public LIbrary

five-stars

The Monarchs are Missing

The Monarchs are MissingThe Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery by Rebecca E. Hirsch
Published by Millbrook Press (Tm) on January 1st 2018
ISBN: 1512452505
Pages: 56
Goodreads
five-stars

There is so much to say about this book. Whether you are a seasoned scientist with a passion for monarch butterflies or a novice with a curiosity about this recognized summer visitor, this is the book every reader. It is full of information about one of the most widely recognized insects we know. It has a 3000 mile journey it makes in September from the eastern United States and Canada to Mexico. It is one of the world’s great migrations. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that scientists knew where in Mexico the monarchs wintered. The information is fascinating and will make all who read this selection life long conservationists. The general belief   that if the butterflies are in trouble, the entire insect population is in trouble. Author Hirsch makes the case for the monarch, both how crucial it is to our environment and how the everyday person of any age can help or hinder its very existence.  Use in curriculums on the environment and insects. It is a must for all libraries.

grades 2-6

submitted by Kathy George

Gray Public Library

 

five-stars

100 Bugs: a Counting Book

100 Bugs: a Counting Book100 Bugs!: A Counting Book by Kate Palaces Narita
Published by Farrar Straus Giroux on June 12th 2018
ISBN: 0374306311
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

 

This is a different type of counting book in that the reader counts bugs and learns about plants. From katydids , dragonflies,to walking sticks, each count of ten is on a two page spread and introduces the reader to both insects and the plants they are drawn to. By the time the reader reaches the end of the book- they have counted 100 bugs and learned the different combinations that add up to ten.The large,  bright illustrations with lots to see will catch the attention of all who open the book. Combine this  with a rhyming text and you have  STEAM at its best: seek and find, math and science. This can be used as a “seek and find” lap read for one or a story time  selection to share.  Add this to your math curriculum, or a study of plants and insects.

use for grades pre k – 3 rating 5-cream

submitted by Kathy George

Gray Public Library

 

 

 

five-stars

On A Sunbeam

On A SunbeamOn a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Published by First Second on October 2nd 2018
ISBN: 1250178134
Pages: 544
Goodreads

This YA graphic novel love story set in space has depth of story and character as well as heft, coming in at 500+ pages. Using a muted palette, Walden toggles between two time lines, one told in flashbacks, that of Mia and Grace in school and in the early days of their love story in hues of purple-grays, and one in present time, that of Mia as part of a ship’s crew hiding away her story but still burning for the girl that got away in hues of reds and amber yellows.  By setting her story in space, Walden is free to meld whimsical elements like spaceships shaped like fish and to press the edges of the page and the imagination with towering architectural structures and deep chasms of nothingness where not only Mia can ruminate on her past but the reader can fall into the spaces between the stars, lost in the story. The characters are all female with the one exception being a non-binary mechanic with secrets of their own. The fact that there are no men is not a question; it is a statement, and it works beautifully.  The characters demand honesty and exhibit expansive thinking and acceptance and unconditional love. Walden has turned the space cowboy trope on its head with quiet grace and has lost none of the intrigue and adventure.  There are expletives and some mild scenes of romance but nothing an upper-middle school reader couldn’t handle; the size and non-linear storytelling and depth of content probably make this better suited for 9th grade and up, but the more people who read Tillie Walden, the better. Highly recommend.

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

The Girl With More Than One Heart

The Girl With More Than One HeartThe Girl with More Than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass
Published by Harry N. Abrams on April 17th 2018
ISBN: 1419728822
Pages: 288
Goodreads
five-stars

This is a beautiful homage to grief. Briana always had a special bond with her father because her younger autistic brother Aaron required extra attention from their mother. When her father dies suddenly from a cardiac event, Briana must take up her father’s role to care for the family because (as Briana’s friends describe it) her mother goes a little crazy. Their mother is unable to do much but sleep and occasionally bake cookies. When she ventures out, she often wears her slippers and appears unkempt. With the help of Grandpa Ben, Briana takes Aaron to school and picks him up in the afternoon. Just after her father’s funeral, Briana discovers she has a second heart — her father’s heart — in her belly. This second heart talks to her, reminisces with her, and even sings to her with her father’s voice. With the help of her second heart, she learns to live with her grief while navigating middle school, changing friendships, and first love. This is a beautiful and touching book that will stay with the reader long after they finish it.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

 

 

five-stars

What Goes Up

What Goes UpWhat Goes Up by Wen Baragrey
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on October 30th 2018
ISBN: 1524765813
Pages: 224
Goodreads
four-stars

This is a sweet coming-of-age book about Robyn (named for Shakespeare’s famous fairy Puck) who lives in an eccentric town with an eccentric fairy-obsessed mother (her mom’s business is hosting fairy-themed toddler birthday parties in her fairy-themed house dressed as a fairy) and her not-quite-as-eccentric grandmother. Even Robyn’s house is eccentric (in addition to the fairy decor). The roof attracts — almost magically — all kinds of frisbees, balls, kites, and even the occasional skydiver. One day Robyn and her family learn that a NASA satellite is falling to Earth and she is convinced it will be the next item to land on her roof. While watching the news, she learns about a family from a nearby town with several Albino children and becomes convinced she must be related to them. Anxiety over the falling satellite combined with the discovery of this nearby family, inspires Robyn to search for her absent father. While the author has thrown a lot of things into this book, at its heart it is a sweet story about a girl just trying to find her place in the world.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

 

 

four-stars