Month: March 2021

Taking Up Space

Taking Up SpaceTaking Up Space by Alyson Gerber
Published by Scholastic Inc. on May 18, 2021
ISBN: 1338186000
Pages: 272
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Taking Up Space by Alyson Gerber

 

Sarah is a 12-year-old 7th grader who isn’t getting enough to eat, even though her family makes plenty of money.  Sarah loves basketball but she is also maturing and growing and her body isn’t the same.  Her mother has issues of her own with food and these have spilled over to Sarah having disordered eating.  Besides her eating problems, Sarah has a best friend with whom she is having issues over a boy, two girls on the basketball team who dislike her, and a cooking contest that may change Sarah’s life; if she can stand the stress.

Sarah finally is seen by her Guidance Counselor who gives excellent advice and encourages Sarah and her whole family to see therapists.  This was one of my favorite parts where therapy was seen as such a positive way to learn to accept yourself.

Sarah and her teammates and friends were so authentically middle schoolers with their concerns and thoughts.  This book is recommended for Cream of the Crop and for students in grades 4-7.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

five-stars

Good Girl, Bad Blood

Good Girl, Bad BloodGood Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2) by Holly Jackson
Published by Delacorte Press on March 2, 2021
ISBN: 1984896407
Pages: 416
Genres: Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is back with more mystery in the sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. We join Pippa about 6 months after the end of GGGM. After the last case took over and threatened her life, she has sworn off investigating. But her friend Connor has begged her to help find his missing brother, Jamie. After the police do nothing, Pip has no choice but to dive in. This new mystery includes a lot of familiar characters and introduces us to a few new community members. During the investigation, Pip finds herself ruminating on what makes a person good or bad and how to figure out who you truly are. During this case, her audience starts to turn on her, claiming she’s faking the missing person to get sponsorships for her true crime podcast. Alas, it’s all too real and Jackson takes us to a surprising and dark ending. Recommended for all teen collections. Best for ages 14+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

Breaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey League

Breaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey LeagueBreaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey League by Angie Bullaro, C.F. Payne
Published by Simon Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books on October 20, 2020
ISBN: 1534425578
Pages: 40
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Score another goal for the girls! Inspiring story of following one’s dreams with determination even when they say, “It can’t be done.” Canadian Manon Rheaume becomes the only female to play in the National Hockey League, or any of the four major North American leagues.

Pane’s slightly caricature style is here on large, double-page spreads with text carefully placed. Afterword, Time Line, and Fun Facts round out the details of Manon’s life and dreams fulfilled.

Great to use with elementary students and excellent addition to any female studies or sports section.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

Happy Birthday, Maisy!

Happy Birthday, Maisy!Happy Birthday, Maisy: Mini Edition (Maisy) by Lucy Cousins
Published by Candlewick on January 26, 2004
ISBN: 0763624543
Pages: 14
Genres: Animals, Fantasy
Format: Board Book
Goodreads
five-stars

Can you believe that Maisy is 30?? This mini-edition, lift-the-flap and pull-tab book for little hands celebrates her birthday in typical Maisy style. If you’re a Maisy fan, what’s not to love?

Purchase for all your little ones!!!

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of SoulR-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford, Frank Morrison
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers on August 25, 2020
ISBN: 1534452281
Pages: 48
Genres: Biography/Autobiography, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Whether you’re a music lover or civil-rights defender, you’ll find this inspirational overview of Aretha Franklin’s life a meaningful and inspirational read.

Narrative poetry is always a challenge, but here it works as smoothly and rhythmically as Franklin’s voice itself. Using the spelling out of words method, each two-line stanza is headed with an important word: B-L-E-S-S-E-D, G-I-F-T-E-D, V-O-I-C-E, etc.  This book could only be improved with it’s own soundtrack and a few photos.

Illustrations (Frank Morrison) are big and bold, reflecting the big and bold influence of Aretha Franklin in real life.

Another book to add to your women, Black history, or music shelves for middle and upper elementary levels!

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

Allergic

AllergicAllergic: A Graphic Novel by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Michelle Mee Nutter
Published by Graphix on March 2, 2021
ISBN: 1338568914
Pages: 240
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
four-stars

Allergic by Megan Lloyd and Michelle Nutter

 

Maggie’s greatest wish has always been to have a dog.  But when she is so close to her goal, on her birthday, the sneezing and rashes begin.  Maggie must see an allergist and be tested to see what her triggers are.  She is distraught to find out that she is seriously allergic to pet fur and feathers.  It is so not fair!  After the shock wears off Maggie gives other pets a try.  No, no, and no!  A mouse seems to be the best choice until she has many, many babies, and they must go back to the pet store.  While all this is happening Maggie must start at a new school and her mother is having a baby.  This is an excellent graphic novel that explores allergies:  Maggie’s to fur and feathers and her friend’s to eggs.  Readers who are in the same situations will certainly sympathize. The drawings are excellent and this book is recommended for grades 3-5.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

four-stars

It Only Happens in the Movies

It Only Happens in the MoviesIt Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on October 1, 2017
ISBN: 0358172063
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Goodreads
four-stars

High schooler, Audrey WInters is coming off a painful break up and has sworn off romance, as well as drama club, for a part time job at the local cinema where she meets Harry.  As she plays the support role at home to her mother, who cannot come to grips with her bitter divorce, Audrey falls for Harry the local “player” who seems to live for flirting and getting high.  Her brother and her close girlfriends try to warn her against becoming involved.  This new, exciting and sexy relationship tests her perceptions of romance, friendship and personal integrity. Audrey’s school research project on romance movies and her role as the zombie bride in Harry’s film-making sideline provide the vehicles for a discourse on the types of romance, attitudes about sex and learning how to be true to you in a relationship.  Bourne uses commentaries on various romance movie elements before some of the chapters for foreshadowing.  Although the copyright is 2017, this edition is published in 2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services, Springvale Public Library

four-stars

Non Stop

Non StopNonstop by Tomi Ungerer
Published by Phaidon Press on September 16, 2020
ISBN: 183866159X
Pages: 48
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

It isn’t often that I see a picture book that reads like a dystopian nightmare but here we are. Ungerer is wonderful in that you never really know what you’re going to get when you open one of his books and in Non Stop you have no idea what you’re going to get page to page. A man named Vasco is apparently a straggler after what might have been a cataclysmic event that forced people to move to the moon. He is repeatedly rescued by his own shadow from tragedy. After he adopts a young creature named Poco, they both evade disaster and end up living in a cake. I absolutely love this book. It’s somewhat alarming with its references to climate change, isolation and pollution but it will present multiple opportunities to discuss these things that might be weighing on young children. The end is reassuring and even if no discussion arises, it’s a provocative story with striking illustrations.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell

The Boy Who Failed Show and TellThe Boy Who Failed Show and Tell by Jordan Sonnenblick
Published by Scholastic Press on February 2, 2021
ISBN: 1338647237
Pages: 224
Genres: Humor, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell

 

How could anyone beat the show and tell narrative where Jordan’s classmate’s house was on fire and he had to jump into the firefighters’ net?  Jordan feels he is doomed and, besides this, his 4th grade teacher truly hates him.  Readers will laugh at Jordan’s exploits with his snake Hector, soon to be Hectoria when many baby snakes come into the world.  Between drum lessons, changing schools, Little League, finding homes for the snakes, and his asthma, 4th grade is not easy.  In this memoir Sonnenblick shows his resilience as readers sympathize with the many obstacles he must battle.  This book gives background to some of the topics covered in his books and is recommended for grades 3-5.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

four-stars

Hike

HikeHike by Pete Oswald
on March 17, 2020
ISBN: 153620157X
Goodreads
five-stars

Author Pete Oswald take the reader on a hike. Seen through the eyes a a young boy and his dad, the pair gather the their supplies, pack their gear and head off to the mountains to experience all that  nature has to offer.  The boy takes notes and photographs as they take in all that nature has to offer, including overcoming some challenges. Though wordless, you can almost hear the conversations the duo has as the day progresses. Illustrations done in subtle nature tones of blue, brown and green keep the reader engaged, wanting to know  what happens next. Don’t forget to look at the very last page and you will find that this hike is not just an ordinary happening to this father and son- it is a tradition!

A wonderful book that offers the joys of nature, family and tradition.

Gr K-3

Consider for cream

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray Maine

five-stars