Category: Book Reviews

Weird Kid

Weird KidWeird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout
Published by HarperCollins on July 20, 2021
ISBN: 0062970607
Pages: 208
Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Mystery
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This humorous, slightly eye-rolling, Sci-fi chapter book for readers in grades 4-6 will inspire both a love of goo and detective work in readers.  Jake is an alien, the green goo variety, that has been living with his human Dutch-Indonesian parents in human form with relatively few accidental shape-shifting incidents until this past July.  Now that he has pushed to attend public middle school, he feels the pressure to keep his shifting under control.  Right after Agnes agrees to be his new friend, as they both are into the comic Night Kite, a huge sinkhole complete with goo that Jake feels very reminiscent about, opens up before them.  Jake must overcome his own desire for an origin story to help Agnes find out the reasons behind the hum in his head, the sinkholes and the newly appearing goo entities in various places in town, including his closet. Although the sci-fi theme is strong with silly goo and butt joke inferences due to Jake’s father being a proctologist, the relationship between Jake and Agnes is endearing and the writing is a fast paced mystery that clearly answers questions and entertains at the same time.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services Librarian, Springvale Public Library

 

five-stars

Mambo Mucho Mambo! the Dance that crossed color lines

Mambo Mucho Mambo! the Dance that crossed color lines¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! the Dance That Crossed Color Lines by Dean Robbins, Eric Velásquez
Published by Candlewick Press on November 2, 2021
ISBN: 1536206083
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Recommending for Cream of the Crop Consideration.  This non-fiction picture book hits all the right beats and rhythms for an introduction to the historical significance of the Mambo for young readers in grades 1-3.  Set in Spanish Harlem in the 1940’s, Robbins provides an overview of the birth of Latin Jazz and how dancing mambo at the Palladium Ballroom broke the race rules of the 40’s.  Millie loved to dance to jazz music in her Italian neighborhood and Pedro snapped and jiggled to the Latin songs in his Puerto Rican Neighborhood.  When they meet at the Palladium and dance to Machito and the Afro-Cuban’s in 1948, they find their future as the United States’ best Mambo dance team as a mixed-race couple.  Velasquez’s oil paint illustrations show movement, expression, energy and will inspire readers to yell “Mambo!”.  Robbins provides the minimal amount of text to explain the difficult race relations of that time period which marries well with the energy of the full page spreads.  An author’s note and resource list is provided in the back.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services Librarian, Springvale Public Library

 

five-stars

The Triple Play Twins

The Triple Play TwinsBallpark Mysteries #17: The Triple Play Twins by David A. Kelly, Mark Meyers
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on February 2, 2021
ISBN: 0593126246
Pages: 112
Goodreads

Another solid entry into the Ballpark Mysteries series by Lynch aimed at readers in grades 2-5. Mike and Kate are in Minnesota for this 17th adventure centered around a team and ballpark in Major League Baseball, in this case the Minnesota Twins and the Metrodome. The cousins get caught up in a mystery involving megastar twin infielders Marco and Pedro and an errant water balloon;  someone is trying to mess with the Twins’ chances to make the playoffs and the answer involves a lot of seeing double. The plot offers some glimpses into Minnesota history and landmarks and, as always, gives the reader a good sense of the ballpark of the team. The mystery is well-developed and Kelly brings his readers along with hints and clues. The one flaw of this mystery is that the title of the last chapter offers the answer to the mystery before the readers gets there, so for any kids who like to look at the table of contents or to flip ahead to chapter titles, they will know where the book is going. Kids don’t have to love baseball to appreciate this series; they just have to like kid-led mysteries. As in all of Kelly’s books, the end includes “Dugout Notes” with additional information that highlights some of the famous players or landmarks in or around the ballpark.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library

Dogs Love Cars

Dogs Love CarsDogs Love Cars by Leda Schubert, Paul Meisel
Published by Candlewick Press on October 26, 2021
ISBN: 1536203092
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This is a picture book ode to the love of all things dog.  Perfect for preschool listeners or early readers.  A three dog family takes their excited crew to the dog park, a farmer’s market, home to a sudsy car wash and a quiet reading time on the couch.  Each two-page spread presents in large text a statement about dogs such as “Dogs love walks” followed by a listing in prose form describing the statement in more detail.  Meisel’s colorful, happy dog illustrations show action and lots of white space for new readers to navigate the text.  The community pictures show multi-able and diverse cultured owners keeping their happy dogs on leashes in the park and at dog school. Dog lovers will enjoy this story which ends with the promise that dogs love us all the time. 

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services Librarian, Springvale Public Library

four-stars

The World Between Blinks

The World Between BlinksThe World Between Blinks (The World Between Blinks, #1) by Amie Kaufman, Ryan Graudin
Published by Quill Tree Books on January 5, 2021
ISBN: 0062882244
Pages: 336
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This is the first book in a new fantasy series for readers in grades 4-7.  On the day that cousins Marisol, from Bolivia, and Jake, world traveler from America, take one last adventure trip to the lighthouse in remembrance of their newly deceased grandmother an extraordinary occurrence happens that changes their perspective on grief and loss.  They fall into the world between blinks.  They encounter historical figures who have disappeared, like Amelia Earhart, and mythical beasts like the Loch Ness Monster as well as objects and places.  Together they must stop Christopher, who is disguised as a curator of the world and has stolen a ledger that shifts various items back to the “unlost” world, before Marisol and Jake lose their own memories.  The story is told in alternating chapters by Marisol and Jake.  Bolivian Spanish sentiments are scattered throughout that the author explains in the back note.  A ledger detailing more of the various time periods and lost persons represented in the Blinks world is also in the back. Fantasy and historical fiction fans will enjoy this new series.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services Librarian, Springvale Public Library

four-stars

Where’s Waldo?: Santa Spotlight Search

Where’s Waldo?: Santa Spotlight SearchWhere's Waldo? Santa Spotlight Search by Martin Handford
Published by Candlewick Press on September 24, 2021
ISBN: 1536220132
Pages: 16
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

This is the third in the “Spotlight Search” series, which tucks a wand into the front cover for readers to use to highlight the image on each page. Pictures are printed on acetate and then put against a black background – the wand is black with a white spot and must be used to highlight the images on the acetate. Since “Where’s Waldo” books are gimmick books, it could make sense to try this, but it’s not a necessary deviation from the original books and any book with a part that detaches is a risk for a library. This is a better gift book for kids who have exhausted their Waldo books though with only 6 pages of searches, and more puzzles on the pages rather than in the Waldo pictures, this one can be skipped.

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

two-stars

The Visitor: A Graphic Novel (Animorphs #2)

The Visitor: A Graphic Novel (Animorphs #2)The Visitor: A Graphic Novel (Animorphs #2) by Chris Grine, K.A. Applegate, Michael Grant
Published by Graphix on October 5, 2021
ISBN: 1338538373
Pages: 202
Genres: Adventure, Animals, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
four-stars

I have not read the first Animorphs graphic novel and I’m not at all familiar with K.A. Applegate’s series but that didn’t matter; this book was really fun. Middle grades will enjoy the tense action, great dialog, and relatable characters. A group of young teens, the Animorphs, are able to change into animal form for a limited amount of time and are using this skill to help save the world from an alien race who are turning community members into their puppets and spies. The characters are complex and engaging and the illustrations are always interesting, especially as the kids turn into or out of animal form.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

four-stars

The Spellbiding episodes of Phoebe and her unicorn

The Spellbiding episodes of Phoebe and her unicornThe Spellbinding Episodes of Phoebe and Her Unicorn: Two Books in One by Dana Simpson
Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing on July 27, 2021
ISBN: 1524869813
Pages: 352
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads

A deluxe bind-up featuring all the comics from two different Phoebe and Her Unicorn books: Unicorns vs. Goblins and Razzle Dazzle Unicorn.
In these spellbinding adventures, nine-year-old Phoebe Howell and her unicorn best friend, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, explore the possibilities of friendship, summer camp, the holidays, and even founding their own detective agency. These entertaining, visually dazzling stories are a wonderful reminder to young readers that being weird is much more fun than being normal. 

This book is a special collection that combines all the comics from two earlier books – Unicorn vs. Goblins/book 3 and Razzle Dazzle Unicorns/book 4.

What do you get when you have a somewhat awkward, socially challenged 9 year old girl who has a vain, quirky, mythical beast for a best friend? Well, you get many tales of  give and take, enduring friendship and spellbinding adventures.  Summer camp is a

In the back pages, there is a More to explore section that includes information on how the writer makes her comics. She shows how she gets an idea and roughs it out, then runs it by her editor. Then once it is approved she does the artwork on her computer. First adding in the letter then adding in the pencil lines in light blue, then the black lines, ending with various shades of gray The colorist then does the coloring.

Also included in the back pages is a glossary of 15 words that younger readers may not have understood the meaning of.

This book is a solid addition to both public and school libraries that will appeal to readers who are fans of unicorns and Phoebe!

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

3 1/2 stars

Clarinet and Trumpet

Clarinet and TrumpetClarinet and Trumpet by John Herzog, Melanie Ellsworth
ISBN: 9780358107477
Genres: Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

Clarinet and Trumpet are friends but their friendship falls flat when a new woodwind, Oboe,  garners Clarinet’s attention. Trumpet is jealous and the brass section faces off in a musical duel. The main feature of the book is  a music-making shaker built into the book, which will likely appeal to toddlers and preschoolers. However the pun-filled text is likely to be over-the-head of that audience. Cartoonish musical instruments with faces are featured throughout.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

two-stars

A Donkey Called Mistletoe

A Donkey Called MistletoeA Donkey Called Mistletoe (Jasmine Green #10) by Ellie Snowdon, Helen Peters
Published by Walker Books US on September 14, 2021
ISBN: 1536222453
Pages: 160
Goodreads

What better time than the Christmas season for aspiring vet Jasmine to find a new home for her elderly neighbor's gentle donkey?
When Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, visit their neighbor Mr. Hobson to help him with some chores, they discover that he is selling his farm and moving to a nearby assisted living facility. Because Mr. Hobson won't have a home for his beloved donkey, Mistletoe, anymore, he is planning to send him to a faraway sanctuary. Jasmine doesn't want to see them separated, so she hatches a plan to keep Mistletoe at Oak Tree Farm, where Mr. Hobson could visit him whenever he liked. But caring for a donkey is lots of work (as Jasmine's parents often remind her), especially with her mischievous younger brother around. When the school nativity play encounters a mishap, though, Jasmine realizes she may have the perfect understudy right in her backyard. From author Helen Peters and illustrator Ellie Snowdon, this latest book in the Jasmine Green Rescues series offers a heartwarming tale of multigenerational friendship and holiday spirit.

A Donkey Called Mistletoe

 

When the donkey, Mistletoe’s, owner must go into an assisted living facility our young heroine, Jasmine, volunteers to add Mistletoe to her menagerie.  This is another in the Jasmine Green Rescues series and Jasmine continues to take excellent care of her animals as readers learn the proper way to care for a donkey.  But actually letting a donkey into a health facility seems a bit strange.  Another thing that annoys me is using the expression “me and —” when the rest of the text is in proper English.  There are excellent illustrations which add to the text.  Animal-loving children will enjoy this series.  There is also a quiz at the end to see how much knowledge has been retained.  This is a fine series, but it’s not Cream worthy.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland