Month: July 2020

What Grew in Larry’s Garden

What Grew in Larry’s GardenWhat Grew in Larry's Garden by Kass Reich, Laura Alary
Published by Kids Can Press ISBN: 152530108X
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The lessons taught in this book are plentiful.  Most vital is the fact that working together is good for the plants and people in your community.  Larry’s garden is a symbol of what is good within a neighborhood, school, town, or country.  Positive attitudes, kindness and caring are exemplified in this adorable picture book.  Given the C 19 pandemic gardens are sprouting up all over North America; families are gardening to spend time together, provide food and to avoid boredom.  Larry’s message goes beyond and spreads good will as well as produce.    The illustrations are colorful and come complete with shadows that intensify the shades.  This reader does note that the noses on both Larry and Grace are distinctive.

What Grew in Larry’s Garden is a cute book that would be well served in all primary school media centers and in public libraries.  Community centers and church/ synagogues/mosque libraries would also enjoy being gifted a copy as this title shares essential values.

 

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME

four-stars

You Say it First

You Say it FirstYou Say It First by Katie Cotugno
Published by Balzer + Bray on June 16, 2020
ISBN: 0062674129
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

At first glance, Meg’s life seems charmed.  She lives in a big house, goes to a fancy school, has plans to go to college with her best friend, and a part time job that she’s passionate about.  What the casual observer doesn’t see is the drinking her divorced mom does, her messy house, her utter lack of interest in her college plans.  The next state over reveals Colby, a recent high school grad who loads boxes for a living and whose dad has passed away.  When they end up talking on the phone by chance through Meg’s job, everything begins to change for both of them.  Is Meg too uptight and virtued for Colby?  Is Colby too lazy and apathetic for Meg?  They work through their issues on nightly phone calls and eventually the relationship turns romantic.  Will they work it out in the end?  Cotugno has provided us with another great contemporary teen romance.  An especially great read for teens into politics making a difference.  Best for ages 14+

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

four-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
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction, Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars

Don Brown wanted to tell the story of the Syrian refugees. He wanted the focus to be on their plight and their stories. In order to get accurate information, he visited a refugee camp in Greece, outside a former Greek air base. In graphic novel form, he tells their story – the horror of war, the torture of men, women and children, fleeing from one horrific place to another, never knowing whether you will live to see the end of the day. His illustrations convey both the hopelessness of their-plight and the hopefulness of a people who will not be defeated. This is a hard book to read yet it should be read and discussed. It causes the reader to wonder if this could really be happening in this day and age. How could people be treated so badly for wanting to be free and decide their own fate?

In Brown’s postscript he states”There are about 5.7 million registered refugees. In the first three months of 2018, the United States has accepted eleven for resettlement.”

Suggested reading level is grades 9-12

Reviewed by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray

five-stars

Robot to the Rescue

Robot to the RescueRobot to the Rescue (Makers Make It Work: Robots) by Kay Lawrence, Sergio de Georgi
on January 1st 1970
ISBN: 1635920116
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is an Easy Reader and part of a series by Kane Press focused on the maker movement called “Makers Make it Work”.  Greta and her mom have built a robot named Water-bot that waters their plants when activated through a cell phone.  When they are invited to their friend’s snowy cabin for an overnight, they can only go if they can figure out how to program Water-bot to feed their new kitty.  Using paper and pencil and trying different ideas, Greta and her friend Bruce work through different scenarios until they are successful.  When Greta goes on her trip, the suspense of wondering where the kitty is hiding will keep the reader engaged.  The bright illustrations clearly show the problem solving being done and the different technology used in the story.  The amount of text and smaller font makes this science- themed reader most appropriate for grades 1-3.   The last page provides encouragement to further explore the technology in the story and find more problems to solve.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library

three-stars

Martin Rising, Requiem for a King

Martin Rising, Requiem for a KingMartin Rising: Requiem For a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney
Published by Scholastic Press on January 2nd 2018
ISBN: 0545702534
Pages: 128
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Brian Pinkney’s watercolor illustrations set the tone for the last days of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and author Andrea Davis Pinkney tells the story through several poems. Many were powerful and heart wrenching and the watercolors captured these shifts. I wasn’t a big fan of the Chicken Little analogy that was used even after I read the Author’s Note section that explains why Andrea used Chicken Little. This would work well for a classroom studying Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life

For grades 5 and up, Mary Lehmer, Freeport Community Library, Freeport, ME

four-stars

Spring after Spring

Spring after SpringSpring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement by Stephanie Roth Sisson
Published by Roaring Brook Press on August 14th 2018
ISBN: 1626728194
Pages: 40
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

An interesting biography about Rachel Carson and how she inspired the environmental movement. Spring after spring, year after year, she observed how all living things are connected. And as an adult, Rachel watched and listened as the natural world she loved so much began to fall silent. Spring After Spring traces Rachel’s journey as scientist and writer, courageously speaking truth to an often hostile world through her book, and ultimately paving the way for the modern environmental movement.

The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century

The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th CenturyThe Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century by Neal Bascomb
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on September 25th 2018
ISBN: 1338140345
Pages: 256
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

The  German POW camp of Holzminden, better known by those that were  there as Hellminden, is where the prisons  were sent that have repeatedly  escaped from other camps and unlucky enough to have survived recapture.  A group of defiant soldiers that have become infamous amongst their ranks as “escape artists” have succeeded in tunneling out of the camp, unbeknownst to the ruthless commandant,  manage to escape. Approximately 29 men escaped and 19 were recaptured and court martialed.  Neal Bascomb has written a compelling, action packed history of POWs in WWI. Avid history fans will enjoy.

Well organized with a List of Participants at the beginning of the book along with a bibliography, source notes section and a complete index. There are diagrams and time period photographs dispersed about the chapters in detail with the text.  Great resource on World War I POW history.

Recommended for grades 10 and up.

Reviewed by Kristin Taylor, Biddeford High School, Biddeford

five-stars

Unpunished Murder: Massacre at Colfax and the Quest for Justice

Unpunished Murder: Massacre at Colfax and the Quest for JusticeUnpunished Murder: Massacre at Colfax and the Quest for Justice by Lawrence Goldstone
Published by Scholastic Nonfiction on September 11th 2018
ISBN: 1338239457
Pages: 288
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

A little know story of Easter Sunday of 1873, where the Supreme Court of the United States turned a blind eye to the law of the land and allowed 3 white men to walk away from the massacre of hundreds of black men, women and children who died in an attempt to protect their rights a newly freed citizens.  This is an interesting source on the Reconstruction Era of the south, with the formation of white supremacy groups, and  where Jim Crow laws began. Better suited for older students due to constitutional and legal terms enveloped with the text.

TOC, glossary, bibliography, source notes and index are present and easy to follow. Illustrations and photographs are throughout the text and placed to compliment the text. Recommended for grades 11-12).

Reviewed by Kristin Taylor, Biddeford High School, Biddeford

 

 

Unpresidented: A Biography of Donald Trump

Unpresidented: A Biography of Donald TrumpUnpresidented: A Biography of Donald Trump by Martha Brockenbrough
Published by Feiwel & Friends on December 4th 2018
ISBN: 1250308038
Pages: 432
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Donald Trump was born into a family that had achieved substantial wealth and  was sent to a military school at the age of 13, where he was an accomplished athlete and  in good academic standing as a student. Trump joined his father in the real estate business and eventually branched off on his own, becoming the business man and celebrity that today we now call Mr. President.

Interesting information on his family history — the reasons his grandfather left Germany, his romances and lives with his three wives along with his children’s involvement and more.  Martha Brockenbrough  had always found Donald Trump’s “common-sense business advice appealing.”  in his earlier years, but when she heard him stating the President Obama’s birthplace was in Kenya even though is was a proven fact that that was not the case, she started rethinking that appeal.

Recommended for Grades 10 to adult who find politics and their stories interesting.

Reviewed by Kristin Taylor, Biddeford High School, Biddeford

four-stars

Sun

SunSun by Sam Usher
Published by Templar Books on June 12th 2018
ISBN: 0763699497
Pages: 40
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

A sweet story of a Granddad and his Grandson spending time together on a hot sunny day,.  The day begins with the young grandson wanting to go on an adventure. The grandfather suggest that it would be a perfect day for a picnic, so the two pack up and head out. The Granddad navigates while the Grandson is the look out.  Plenty of time is spent resting on a park bench while on their pursuit for a cooler spot. They finally find the “ideal” spot in a deep cave with a lake. But a band of pirates have also picked that spot. Before you know it,  they are on the huge pirate ship sharing their perfect picnic with the friendly group.  The story ends with the Granddad and Grandson chatting together and concluding that you never know what you will find, if you keep looking.  The watercolor and ink illustrations are colorful and  engaging. Readers will understand the searing heat of the sun and the need for shade.  A feel good story that children and adults will enjoy reading together

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport