Month: November 2020

The Longest Night of Charlie Noon

The Longest Night of Charlie NoonThe Longest Night of Charlie Noon by Christopher Edge
Published by Delacorte Press on August 4, 2020
ISBN: 0593173082
Pages: 176
Genres: Adventure, Mystery
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Charlie, Dizzy, and Johnny in the heart of the woods when night suddenly falls, and they find themselves trapped in night and in a nightmare. Time seems to be playing tricks on them, there is danger around each corner, and nothing is what it seems. Will they find their way out? Will night ever end?

This book is well written, but the plot is just confusing. Things don’t seem to flow easily together, and it’s easy to get lost. The characters are fairly well developed and the relationships between them can be complex at times. There is a section called “The Science of The Longest Night of Charlie Noon” at the end which delves into real science about morse code, secret codes, and more. Recommended for 4th grade and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Goodnight Veggies

Goodnight VeggiesGoodnight, Veggies by Diana Murray, Zachariah OHora
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on March 10, 2020
ISBN: 1328866831
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a sweet bedtime story for young readers. It goes through the garden and tucks in many vegetables. There are numerous word plays that will be lost on kids (potatoes shutting their eyes, corn covering their ears, etc.), but adult readers will enjoy it. The illustrations are high color and include happy, sleepy looking veggies. Throughout the book, there’s an earthworm exploring the garden soil and smiling at the veggies. A sweet story good for expanding and updating the bed time story selection. Recommended for readers 2 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Silli’s Sheep

Silli’s SheepSilli's Sheep by Louis Thomas, Tiffany Stone
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on August 4, 2020
ISBN: 1984848526
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

Silli lives in a meadow, which is great when the weather is nice. When a cold gust of wind blows in one day, Silli decides he needs sheep to make wool to help keep him warm. He searches far and wide for sheep, and he finally finds some. They’re not interested in moving to where Silli lives (spoiler alert: the sheep are actually rocks), so he carries them to his mountain top home. He soon realizes he needs more and more sheep to make a circle around him to keep him warm.

I can’t quite grasp the purpose of this story. The illustrations are fun and colorful, but the story feels forced. It isn’t terribly funny, doesn’t carry any major philosophical life message, and just feels strange. There are certainly better picture books out there. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

two-stars

Nick and Nack Fly a Kite

Nick and Nack Fly a KiteNick and Nack Fly a Kite (Highlights Puzzle Readers) by Adam Record, Brandon Budzi
ISBN: 1644721112
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Nick and Nack notice that the wind is blowing sticks off the trees. What can they do with the sticks? Make a kite! This Level 1 early reader is a great addition to any public library. There are many repeated words to help build confidence in new readers, but there are also some more challenging words to help expand vocabulary. The illustrations are colorful and fun, and several of the pictures include a search and find aspect. This may help to keep some kids engaged, but it may also serve as a bit of a distraction. Recommended for purchase for libraries needing to expand and update their early reader sections. Recommended for kids 4 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Kit and Kaboodle Go Camping

Kit and Kaboodle Go CampingKit and Kaboodle Go Camping by Michelle Portice, Mitch Mortimer
Published by Highlights Press Pages: 32
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

In this Level 2 early reader, Kit (a cat) and her friend Kaboodle (a mouse) decide to take a camping trip. They prepare, pack, and head off into the woods. This is a great book for new readers. There are simple sentences with a few more tricky words thrown in to help push reading development along. Throughout the book, the colorful and detailed illustrations double as search-and-finds which will help keep new readers motivated to keep going. Recommended for readers 5 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost

Gustavo, the Shy GhostGenres: Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
five-stars

This is the sweet story of Gustavo, a painfully shy ghost who would like to be noticed and play with friends but feels unseen by everyone. He’s determined to change this, though, so he invites everyone to a violin concert and then, finally, feels truly seen. This is a basic but well written story of dealing with the discomfort of shyness and the importance of letting others get to know you. However, the real attraction with this book is how beautifully it’s illustrated. Using a muted color palette that somehow becomes vibrant, each page is worth lingering over (particularly for plant or paper cutting enthusiasts as there is painstaking attention given to houseplants and papel picado).

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and YouStamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds
on March 10, 2020
ISBN: 0316453692
Pages: 294
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars
A history book on racism that claims to not be a history book but rather a book that “contains history.” Reynolds brings the history (not history) of racism alive in this accessible remix of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped From the Beginning. Clearly delineating assimilationists (cowards) from segragationists (haters) from antiracists (people who truly love), Reynolds leaves readers with a call to action — “Scrolling will never be enough. Reposting will never be enough. Hashtagging will never be enough… We have to be participants. Active.”

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

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

five-stars

Like the Willow Tree

Like the Willow TreeLike the Willow Tree by Lois Lowry
Published by Scholastic Inc. on September 1, 2020
ISBN: 1338724320
Pages: 224
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
A very timely update for this entry in the Dear America series. Lydia and her brother are orphaned suddenly when their parents and baby sister die of the Spanish Flu in Portland, Maine. After a brief stay with their Uncle and his family, they end up with the Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

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

four-stars

When Stars are Scattered

When Stars are ScatteredGenres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Graphic Novel
five-stars
Omar and his nonverbal brother Hassan grow up in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, having fled war-torn Somalia after their father was killed. They spend their days looking for their mother, helping their neighbor/foster mother Fatuma, doing chores, and playing as best they can (they play soccer with balls made of plastic bags). When Omar is given an opportunity to attend school, he must decide if he should leave his brother during the day. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy — Omar and Hassan’s story and the stories of their friends and neighbors is heart-breaking and sadly all true. Omar tells the story with the help of talented graphic novelist Jamieson.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

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

five-stars

Catherine’s War

Catherine’s WarGenres: Historical Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
five-stars
This graphic novel is a fictionalized account of the author’s life as one of France’s “hidden children” during the German occupation of France during World War II. Catherine, nee Rachel, had to move from school to convent to orphanage to farmhouse whenever she was in danger of her Jewish identity being discovered. She was an avid photographer and was able to document much of her life during the War.

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

five-stars