Category: Book Reviews

Marco Polo Brave Explorer

Marco Polo Brave ExplorerMarco Polo Brave Explorer by Cynthia Lord, Stephanie Graegin
Series: Book Buddies #2
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on March 8, 2022
ISBN: 1536213551
Pages: 68
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Format: Early Reader
Goodreads
five-stars

The second title in the easy reader Book Buddies series by award winner Maine author Cynthia Lord is enchanting and sensitive.  The author knows her audience and has provided a heart-warming story about a boy who needs something to make him brave.   Marco is a small character with a large heart who is borrowed from the local library for a special reason.    Without the mouse, readers might never have experienced a first sleepover with a charming protagonist named Seth.   The story is told in a compassionate voice which is reassuring and very honest.   Graegin’s illustrations make for a perfect complement as they depict the three boys, a family cat and the lost toys.   This reader is unsure who her favorite character really is; it could be Marco Polo, Tulip the cat, or Seth.

If only all libraries offered book buddies to their young patrons, what a service that would be!  Marco Polo Brave Explorer is a delightful easy reader with 68 pages of exciting text and delightful illustrations.   Media Centers in primary schools, public libraries and grade 1-3 classroom collections should all have this and the first book in the Book Buddies series.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

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

five-stars

Girl on fire

Girl on fireGirl on Fire by Alicia Keys, Andrew Weiner, Brittney Williams
Published by Harper Alley on March 1, 2022
ISBN: 0063029561
Pages: 224
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
four-stars

Full disclosure: if you’re not already singing Keys’ 2012 hit to yourself you will be soon. 

In many ways, this is your classic superhero comic: a main character who has a strange experience that triggers the onset of special powers, a villain, a best friend sidekick, and the tension between good and evil. As a modern graphic novel, however, it weaves in real and important contemporary themes such as the mistreatment of black Americans by police officers, how drugs and gangs affect communities, and the struggle of having an absent parent. 

Lolo is with her brother when he is blamed for a crime he had nothing to do with. She surprises herself when she is able to use a newly-discovered power to help him escape from the cops, and even more surprised when she later falls backward off the roof of a building and floats back up to safety. When she finds herself cornered and blackmailed by a local thug, she’s not quite sure what to do. As she watches the people she loves fall into harm’s way, she has to decide how much she’s willing to put herself at risk to save them. 

This book is fun with just enough tension to keep you turning the pages quickly. The creators do a great job of balancing the classic comics feel with important themes to get teens reflecting. Recommended for high school students. 

Reviewed by Kristi Favaloro, Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta

four-stars

Out of This World: Star-Studded Haiku

Out of This World: Star-Studded HaikuOut of This World : Star-Studded Haiku by Matthew Trueman, Sally M. Walker
Published by Candlewick Press on April 12, 2022
ISBN: 1536203564
Pages: 48
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Walker has created haiku poetry about constellations (three stars in a row/Orion fastens his belt/ready for the hunt), the beginning of the Universe, stars, our solar system, eclipses, and asteroids. The poetry is excellent and the accompanying illustrations are stunning. This works well as a picture book with poetry. It’s a little overwhelming though for those who might want to reference this as a nonfiction source about the solar system and space as the “further explorations” section is quite dense and not reader-friendly. I wish the author had included a brief note on the structure of haikus.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

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

five-stars

White Smoke

White SmokeWhite Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on September 14, 2021
ISBN: 006302909X
Pages: 384
Genres: Psychological thriller, Horror
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Terror, ghost, haunting and teen mental health issues abound in this new novel by Jackson.  A teen struggling with past addiction and a newly blended family is challenged when that family moves to a haunted house in a strange town.  Mari is a HS student who is trying to keep her anxiety at bay.  Her internal fears and external behavior reflect how the past has formed her and to what extent the noise and visions within the new house affect her very soul.  Readers will feel fear, as their hearts beat faster with each page turned.  Mari’s brother Sam is well defined but her step sister is somewhat of a mystery.

As a psychological thriller this book will appeal to many high school readers and may find a place among adults who appreciate horror books.  Jackson has provided another good read that is sure to satisfy.  Add to HS media centers and to YA collections in public libraries.

four-stars

Barakah Beats

Barakah BeatsBarakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui
Published by Scholastic Press on October 19, 2021
ISBN: 1338702068
Pages: 288
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
A tender story about a Muslin girl who starts attending her local public school after years of religious education.  Any middle school student suffers the typical emotional ups and downs and Nimra is no exception.  She struggles with making right decisions relating to her faith and family expectations while trying to fit in.  The existence of an eight-grade band adds dimension and challenges the character.  This is a story about a strong girl who knows herself and finds a way to demonstrate her values.

Readers will be drawn to well defined characters and to the inclusion of music in the storyline.  The use of some technology adds realism without making the story dependent on emails.  Barakah Beats provides an old-fashioned approach to friendships.  Add to intermediate and middle grade media centers and to juvenile collections in public libraries.

five-stars

Fergus And Zeke And The 100th Day of School

Fergus And Zeke And The 100th Day of SchoolFergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School by Heather Ross, Kate Messner
Series: Fergus and Zeke #4
Published by Candlewick Press on December 14, 2021
ISBN: 1536213004
Pages: 56
Format: Early Reader
Goodreads
five-stars
Fergus And Zeke And The 100th Day of School is the fourth in an excellent advanced easy reader series.  Messner had previously introduced readers to these two talented mice;  this book will satisfy those who follow Fergus and Zeke.   These charming and well-developed animal characters capture the interest and provide humor to readers.  Although the text is written in nearly chapter book level the font is large and clear for advanced grade 1 – 3 readers.

Illustrations created by Ross are full of action.  Rats and children express emotion as they progress through normal school activities including art and gym classes.  The color pallet is simple and plenty of white space is used.

Add this book where easy readers are collected in libraries and classrooms.  When thinking of gifts for this age group, Fergus and Zeke stories make excellent selections.

five-stars

While You’re Sleeping

While You’re SleepingWhile You're Sleeping by John Broadley, Mick Jackson
Published by Pavilion Children's on September 3, 2020
ISBN: 1843654652
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars
This picture book takes readers through what happens when most of us are fast asleep. There are people working throughout the night baking, cleaning public transit, and driving delivery trucks. Doctors and nurses are taking care of the sick and firefighters are keeping us safe. Babies are up needing to be fed, animals are out and about. And when we wake in the morning to begin our day, the night time workers are headed off to sleep.

The pen and ink illustrations in this book steal the show. The soft color palette and dot and line patterns are mesmerizing and offer an incredible amount of detail. Some British terms such as “lorries” may need to be explained to young readers.

Ages 4-7

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York

three-stars

Frankie and Amelia

Frankie and AmeliaMcGovern Mid Grade #3 by Cammie McGovern
Published by HarperCollins on September 7, 2021
ISBN: 0062463349
Pages: 304
Genres: Animals, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars
Maine Coon Cat Franklin, accidentally separated from his humans, is in need of a new home. With the help of a friendly therapy dog, Gus, (who readers may recognize from McGovern’s Chester and Gus), Franklin becomes the pet of Chester’s classmate Amelia, who struggles with anxiety and social relationships. Franklin bonds with Amelia as he sees some of their commonalities, and they develop a sort of psychic connection which he uses to help her work through her problems at school and home.

This is a sweet story featuring neurodivergence, friendship, family, and the partnerships between humans and animals.

Grades 3-6

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York

three-stars

Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South

Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow SouthDefiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South by Wade Hudson
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers on October 12, 2021
ISBN: 0593126351
Pages: 272
Genres: Biography/Autobiography, Cultural / African American
Format: Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars
This is an excellent autobiography by Wade Hudson, who was born in Louisiana in the mid-1940s and grew up during Jim Crow. The book begins with Hudson hearing an announcement over the radio that there is an active search for him and a warrant for his arrest. He has done nothing wrong but his friends convince him to turn himself in to avoid more trouble.

The book then goes back to his birth and childhood and is a detailed and affectionate memoir of his neighborhood and what it was like to grow up Black in the south in the Jim Crow era. Hudson was a gifted student and excels in school which leads him to college. Along the way, he is constantly wondering about the treatment of Black Americans compared to white and is determined to help work toward a solution to the disparity.

Defiant takes a little while to get going but I think by the fourth chapter or so most students won’t be able to put it down. The memories he has of his family, church, neighborhood, his family’s Christmas meal (!),  and school are a captivating and informative look at the life many Americans led in the 50s and 60s. Every school and library should have this.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Battle of the Bands

Battle of the BandsBattle of the Bands by Ashley Poston, Ashley Woodfolk, Brittany Cavallaro, Eric Smith, Jasmine Warga, Jay Coles, Jeff Zentner, Jenn Marie Thorne, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Justin Courtney Pierre, Katie Cotugno, Lauren Gibaldi, Preeti Chhibber, Sarah Nicole Smetana, Sarvenaz Taghavian, Shaun David Hutchinson
on September 7, 2021
ISBN: 1536214337
Pages: 320
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance, Short Stories
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars
Battle of the Bands is a clever idea for an anthology; fifteen high school age bands are competing to be the best in a New Jersey high school auditorium. Each band, or more accurately, a band member from each band has story to tell and they intertwine as we get glimpses into other stories. The book is inclusive and full of (mostly) likable characters. Unfortunately, most of the stories revolve around romantic entanglements. I wanted to know more about  the music, and while some of the stories did focus on it, overall the bands  and music were outweighed by all of the relationship drama. Even my favorite chapter, one about the people running the sound and lighting, had to awkwardly include a crush sub-plot.  Not a must-have, but it will probably circulate.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

three-stars