Curious George helps to clean the city and finds many treasures in others’ trash. The Green Light Series has a place in middle school. It’s a level 2 reader. I shared this with the Spanish teachers at my middle school. They loved that it was written in both English and Spanish on the same page. It’s great for having students either break down each page in either language by coving up one language. It’s a lower level so it’s less intimidating.
Reviewed BY Jeri Fitzpatrick GNGMS Gray
Willa has grown up with just her dad and twin brothers in the Alaskan wilderness since her mother died from cancer. Her father took them from Seattle to live in a log cabin they built. They take care of all their needs by living off the land. Things started out okay during the building years. Dad had stopped drinking, but he has again. It’s almost winter, the summer crops were poor, and the game has been hard to find. At 12 Willa knows that she must take her brothers and bring them to the Fort Yukon settlement down river. Dad has left and hidden the paddles to the rowboat. The kids gab a raft they made and start the journey. Willa thinks she may have cancer like her mom because she is bleeding down there. The trip is dangerous and one of the twins befriended a wolf cub and he sneaks him in his backpack. The ice may freeze up at anytime, snows come, food is scarce, and the raft starts to fall apart.
This book is good for upper middle school and older.
Reviewed by Jeri Fitzpatrick GNGMS Gray
Moles by Rachel Poliquin, Nicholas John Frith 
The second in the Superpower Field Guides, Poliquin and Firth once again highlight the adaptations of an animal that are akin to super powers (the first was Beavers). This time the focus is on the mighty mole. Rosalie spends her entire life underground and has developed skills to help her build tunnels, move dirt, find worms, and survive in a world devoid of sunshine or fresh air. Poliquin has a fantastic voice, writing with genuine affection for her subject and joy for her audience (I can imagine her chucking a kid on his arm as the kid reads amazing facts aloud and saying, “I know, right!?!”). She uses scientific terms and a lot of stretch vocabulary; a glossary is included in the back of the book. Firth’s illustrations were created using a mixture of black ink, pencil, and wax crayon in a technique known as “preseparation” – the artwork was then colored digitally and the palette of brown, lime green, and coral captures the soil- and worm-filled world of the common mole. These books are fantastic for nonfiction or animal lovers in grades 2-5 and would fly off the shelves in a classroom or public library. They would benefit from an INDEX! The supersonic Ostrich is next in the series and then the shape-shifting Eel.
Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth
Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea, Yana Bogatch “Grimoire Noir” is a young adult graphic novel. The story follows Bucky, a teen whose little sister has gone missing. In the town of Blackwell, all girls are witches, but all boys are non-magical. It’s a bit of an “urban fantasy,” set in the present day, but with lots of dark magic. The dark supernatural mystery keeps you interested, and the world-building done by Greentea makes you want to know more about the history of this town and why only girls are magical.
The art is beautiful and definitely noir-style. There are a few dark scenes that put this in the teen/young adult category. Not necessarily a must-buy for your library unless your YA graphic novels are popular.
Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.
Rudi is nine years old and growing up Jewish in Nazi Germany. School life as he knows is changing right before his eyes. The Nazi boys are bullying Jewish kids and no one is stopping them. Their teacher is replaced by a Nazi and now Rudi just stays home with his parents and an older sister who wants to become a nurse. His only joy is his dachshund. His parents tell him he is going to take the Kindertransport to England. He thinks Hanno won’t be able to go. But at the last minute, someone volunteers to take Hanno to England. He lives with a nice childless couple, and after six months of quarantine, he gets Hannon back. Then the war comes to England and families decide the best way to be humane to their pets is to have them put to sleep before the food runs out. Rudi overhears his host family discussing the plan. Rudi hides Hanno … The author tells more information about the story that this story was based.
Reviewed by Jeri Fitzpatrick GNGMS Gray Good for middles school and up.
Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra This romantic, comedy for readers in grades 9-12 will bring on the laughs, the tears and a desire for Indian food to be eaten with a dose of Bollywood movies. Sixteen year old Saira Sehgal, “Saira with an i”, is publically known as the girl genius. She is now starting her first rotation in the pediatric oncology unit as Dr. Sehgal and an intern where her mother happens to be on staff. Falling for Lincoln (Link) the handsome Rock Star Camp show wannabe contestant who happens to be on the ward as a leukemia patient, is not only off limits professionally (so inevitable), but it is even worse for Saira because she lets him believe that she is a cancer patient. Let the medical drama, first romance, Dougie Howser- esque fun begin. Charaipotra provides a supportive and large busy Indian family that hold to some cultural traditions as the backdrop for this easy romance, providing names of Indian food and endearments without translation (and it works!). Saira’s potential betrothed, who is secretly gay with Saira’s blessing, provides her with the ability to assist Link with finding a bone marrow donor even when she is restricted from seeing him. Issues of medical ethics, privacy, and family loss are mixed in with a teen romantic drama and the parental pressures that some teens face. Perfect for romance lovers and strong female characters.
Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library
On a Scale of One to Ten by Ceylan Scott Recommending for Cream of the crop consideration. This debut novel, suggested for grades 9-12, provides an authentic voice of someone with mental illness, as well as, a credible #ownvoices author experience to this first person narrative of a teenage psychiatric hospital stay. Tamar believes that she killed her friend Iris. The guilt, fearful perceptions and self-mutilating behavior spirals into an attempted suicide that lands Tamar in Lime Grove psychiatric hospital. Tamar adjusts to the lack of privacy, learns to relate to other patients and works through her own painful and deteriorating self-talk with a darkly comical narrative that pulls the reader into the whole experience. There is a spot-on balance between medical/therapy information imparted and Tamar’s story before and after hospitalization that provides some suspense. Scott’s writing is both rich in description and simply honest in its portrayal of every character and the hospital experience. Although Tamar’s perceptions may be unreliable, her pain and how she views the staff and persons outside of the facility speak to the fragility and strength of the human spirit. The setting is in Britain and some of the cultural references are British, which is refreshing. The author’s note shares some of her personal connections to the story and resources are provided for those who are affected in some way by the content or who may be considering suicide. This is an important book to have in all library collections due to the honesty, lack of stereotypes and the connection that can be made when an author has taken such risks to broaden readers’ understanding of something so personal.
Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library
The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi, Cathy Hirano “The Beast Player” is written by Nahoko Uehashi and translated from Japanese into English. Uehashi sets up a very interesting world in which giant water serpents called Toda are cared for by humans and used for battle. Our main character, Elin, is a girl who is a bit of an outsider within her village. Her father was from the village and has passed away, and Elin’s mother is from a tribe that avoids other people. Her mother is a veterinary caretaker for the Toda, but one day all the Toda in her care die. Elin’s mother is sentenced to death. Before she dies, her mother summons a wild Toda to take Elin away. Elin is found washed up on a riverbank and starts a new life with a beekeeper. I enjoyed this part of the book the best, with her learning about nature and bonding with her adoptive caregiver. The viewpoint eventually switches to another character for awhile, and you learn more about the politics of this world, which dragged a bit.
The story is interesting and well fleshed-out, but oftentimes dragged. You just want the characters to move on to the next part of the storyt! The book overall was very good, but you have to be really patient and/or interested in the political machinations of this world. A good young adult fantasy, but best for readers who are willing to put up with the slower parts.
Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.
The Antidote by Shelley Sackier “The Antidote,” by Shelly Sackier is a young adult fantasy novel that begins with a very interesting flashback: a female magician spots the male magician she is in love with, but he is declaring his love to another woman. She interrupts them and then finds out that a child is to be born. She curses her love with a magical spell and then the book skips ahead to the present day with new characters and no sign of the first ones for quite some time.
The main character, Fee (short for Ophelia), is an apprentice to the castle healer in the kingdom of Fireli. The beginning of the book shows Fee’s early childhood playing with the two princes: Xavi and Rye. Fee shows signs of possessing magic, which is strictly forbidden. A plague hits the kingdom and all children besides Xavi and Fee are moved into quarantine until all signs of the plague are gone. Once the quarantine is over, Xavi is in his early 20s and the quarantined children (now young adults) are returning, including Xavi and Fee’s betrothed. A poisoning occurs and Fee is the only suspect! Lots of dramatic twists and turns, but the plot still seems a bit unfinished.
The story is interesting, but moves slowly at times and the lack of information given about the flashbacks until near the very end is a bit confusing. Not a must-buy for your young adult collection.
Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.
Amelia Bedelia Under the Weather by Herman Parish, Lynne Avril Amelia Bedelia Under the Weather is an I Can Read! book from the Amelia Bedelia series. The book features Amelia as a child and in a contemporary world. In this title, Amelia is not feeling well, so she stays home from school. Her father says that he is sorry that she is “under the weather” to which Amelia replies, “I am not…I am under my covers,” introducing the word play for which these books are known. As Amelia goes through her sick day, she learns a few more idioms, “raining cats and dogs,” “green around the gills,” picturing each in her head. Lynne Avril’s bright illustrations pair well with the text, painting pictures for the images conjured in Amelia’s head to accompany the figurative language expressed in daily life. A solid addition to the Bedelia canon and a nice title for any emerging reader who knows the boredom of a sick day and has struggled with the intricacies of the English language. For grades 1-2.
Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth