Category: Book Reviews

The Night Box

The Night BoxThe Night Box by Louise Greig, Ashling Lindsay
Published by Clarion Books on September 25th 2018
ISBN: 1328850935
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

Soothing bedtime reading, this reassuring and magical evocation of nighttime encourages imaginative exploration and marks the debut of a talented poet and illustrator picture-book pair.

When a little boy opens the Night Box, darkness swoops out, a fox uncurls, and a thousand stars sparkle and shine. Night flows freely then, cavorting and exploring, caring for all its creatures until morning comes, and it’s time for Night to rest again.      With its soothing cadences and air of quiet wonder, The Night Box is sure to charm any sleepy listener who wonders what happens between sunset and sunrise. 

“The Night Box”  is a clever, imaginative picture book fantasy about a little boy who possesses a key that  unlocks  “a box of midnight blue”  when:

“Day is yawning,  Quiet settles in the trees. The birds unfold their wings, the singing stops.”

How the boy comes to possess this  key  is indeed  a  magical mystery. When the boy turns the key in  the box    – “Click . . .  and another click . . . .”    Night suddently slips out as Day slips in.  And Night then shows how gently and carefully it  cares for all nighttime creatures.

This book would make  a soothing  bedtime story. It might also provoke interesting discussions about what Night  really is or perhpas evoke a discussion  about  why and how it is that  a small  boy comes to possess a key that can release Night.    Did  Night  give the key to the small boy  or did the boy  discover it, perhaps, underneath a rock, while playing.  “The NIght Box”  may be  useful in alleviating  a child’s fear of the dark  becuase  Night treats and guards the nighttime creatures so tenderly, thus,  a  reassuring and comforting story.  The  magical element  is  clever and AWEsome,  because , after all,  children do beileve in magic.  And so can we!

“The NIght Box”  is unique, imaginative, and can help to expand a child’s thinking in a variety of areas:  the sky, creatures on the Earth, (both diurnal and noctural),  magic, and being cared for even  by nature!

Ashley LIdsay, the illustrator of “The Night Box,” provides illustrations that are somewhat free flowing and softly portrayed.  However,  the small boy  is shown with carrot colored hair.  Chldren would enjoy pointing to and speaking about the details in the  illustrations!

 

Reviewed by:  Connie M. Smith, Breakwater School Library, Portland, Me

four-stars

The Season of Styx Malone

The Season of Styx MaloneThe Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
Published by Wendy Lamb Books on October 16th 2018
ISBN: 1524715956
Pages: 304
Goodreads
five-stars

The Season of Styx Malone

 

The season of Styx is summer in Indiana in a book that is set in the present but has a feel of historical fiction.  Styx is a foster child who meets the main character, Caleb, and his brother, Bobby Gene, when he is staying nearby.  Caleb is mesmerized by everything Styx is:  adventurous, smart, and able to strike a deal in what is known as an escalator trade where one starts with a small trade and builds up to what is really wanted, in this case a moped.  Caleb and Bobby Gene have something to trade as they had parlayed their baby sister to their friend, Cory, who loved babies and had a bag of fireworks just waiting to be traded.  (Their baby sister had to be returned, but they kept the fireworks.)

The author, Kekla Magoon, was a Coretta Scott King honor book recipient for this book and it had four starred reviews.  It was excellent from start to finish as readers get inside the characters’ heads and understand their motivations.  The cover art is perfect with the depictions of Styx, Bobby Gene, and Caleb just as described in the text.

This book is aimed at students ages 8-12.

 

It is strongly recommended for Cream of the Crop.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

five-stars

The Right Hook of Devin Velma

The Right Hook of Devin VelmaThe Right Hook of Devin Velma by Jake Burt
on October 2nd 2018
ISBN: 1250168627
Pages: 240
Goodreads
three-stars

The young boy telling the story, Addison, is tall and gets nervous when he has to talk to people, he freezes up and can’t say  anything. His best friend, Devin, is short and super talkative, pretty much the opposite. But the two have been best friends forever, that is until something  happens that changes everything.

Addison is such a great character. Readers will definitely feel badly for him when he freezes up and can’t say anything. But at the same time, the thoughts that he shares with readers about what’s going through his head will totally make them laugh. Then there are the crazy situations these two get into, some are funny, some are dangerous, but the way the two deal with them is quite entertaining. To add to all this you have Devon’s three grandmothers that only help make things funnier- like the triple G that hides her false teeth in things for Addison to find. I would have recommended this for cream but there is one part in the book I felt was out of place and that is when Addison’s mother is talking to another teacher about Addison playing the role of a garbageman, it just didn’t seem right to me and really could have been left out of an otherwise awesome book. Other than that part, an awesome book.

Ages 9 and up, Reviewed by: Mary Lehmer, Freeport Community Library, Freeport, ME

three-stars

The Problim Children

The Problim ChildrenThe Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd, Júlia Sardà
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on February 6th 2018
ISBN: 0062428209
Pages: 304
Goodreads
three-stars

The Problim Children

 

The seven Problim children were all born on different days of the week and have the special characteristics of those days.  But, their house went “Kaboom” so what are they to do but journey seven miles away to take possession of their grandparents’ house and find out what the hidden secret treasure is by following a series of clues.  Even though the Problims are kind and good and sympathetic the townspeople are not happy to have them.  The youngest Problim, Toot, communicates through a series of farts that each mean something different.  The Problims’ parents are on an archeological study in Andorra and don’t appear until the end.

The parents do finally reenter but the treasure is not found, leading to a sequel to be anticipated.  There is humor and this may appeal to fantasy fans, although there were too many unique farts that were explained in the footnotes and numbered.  It may resonate with fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events, but is not as well done.  The intended audience is ages 8-12.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

three-stars

The Perfect Secret

The Perfect SecretThe Perfect Secret (The Perfect Score, #2) by Rob Buyea
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers on October 9th 2018
ISBN: 1524764590
Pages: 384
Goodreads
four-stars

The Perfect Secret focuses on a group of seventh grade students trying to discover why two of their teachers (who are related) will no longer speak to each other.  Throughout the book, the students grapple with a multitude of relevant issues as they slowly bring their beloved teachers back together. The novel is engaging and quick paced with each chapter narrated by one of the five students (Gavin, Scott, Natalie, Randi, Trevor).  Some of the topics addressed are bullying, racism, dementia, illegal immigration, secrecy, illiteracy, a missing parent, good sportsmanship, broken family relationships, and middle school romantic relationships. Positive messages fill the pages of this novel (knock down fences by being nice) as well as many positive examples of handling extremely tough situations.  Readers in grades 5-8 will enjoy identifying with these well developed characters whether they are experiencing a similar situation or just love football and gymnastics. Teachers and librarians may be disappointed with the quickly and easily resolved issues as well as the superficial coverage of the topics. Nonetheless, the amount of issues discussed will provide a gateway for students and adults to examine relevant issues.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

four-stars

Nate the Great and the Wandering Word

Nate the Great and the Wandering WordNate the Great and the Wandering Word by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, Andrew Sharmat, Jody Wheeler
Published by Delacorte Press on March 13th 2018
ISBN: 1524765449
Pages: 64
Goodreads
four-stars

Nate the Great and his dog, Sludge, are on a new case involving a missing made-up word. Esmeralda requests Nate’s helps and cheers him on throughout the process. Returning readers will enjoy a new mystery with familiar characters and characteristics (pancakes) while new readers will quickly engage with each quirky character and his/her pets (Rosamond and her cats).  Beginning readers (6-9) will enjoy this chapter book written in short sentences and full of colorful illustrations. Readers will discover the process of solving a mystery and try to keep a step ahead of Nate. Teachers and librarians will not be disappointed with the latest book in the series and may also appreciate the authors incorporating cursive into the adventure through a letter from Nate to his mother.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

four-stars

Kids Cooking

Kids CookingKids Cooking: Students Prepare and Eat Foods from Around the World by George Ancona
Published by Candlewick Press on October 23rd 2018
ISBN: 0763698768
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

Kids Cooking follows chefs from the organization Cooking with Kids as they teach students about healthy global cooking in Santa Fe schools.  The book presents the reader with five international dishes from places such as Morocco, Italy, and Mexico. Bright pictures make up most of each page demonstrating the children cutting vegetables, mixing, and tasting the dishes.  Colorful crayon drawings made by the students are scattered throughout the book. The text and sentence structure target a younger audience (5-8) though the names of the students (Esteban, Anissah) and the dishes (chermoula, minestrone) may be challenging to read.  Basic descriptions are provided including the country of origin, ingredients needed, and how to assemble the dish. The author concludes each recipe with a phrase from another language having to do with eating. A link is included in the acknowledgements with easy to read and understand recipes.  Teachers may find this book useful as a read aloud when introducing a unit on food around the world.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

three-stars

Betty Before X

Betty Before XBetty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz, Renée Watson
on January 2nd 2018
ISBN: 0374306109
Pages: 256
Goodreads
five-stars

Betty Before X is a well-written fictional account inspired by the real life of Betty Shabazz, wife of Malcolm X.  The novel covers four years of the emotionally tumultuous childhood Betty experienced searching for acceptance and belonging during a time of racial inequality.  Betty and her friends become involved in social activism demonstrated by her church family and others around her. Topics addressed include dealing with the loss of family, moving, blended families, illness, racism, loss of a close friend due to different beliefs, being loved but not wanted, lynching, and police brutality.  The author addresses these topics in an age appropriate manner while still allowing the reader to feel Betty’s emotions. Readers are provided with an excellent representation of how Betty and her friends are treated differently. Betty is a positive role model who does not give in to discouragement and counts her blessings frequently throughout the book despite many times when her day had not gone well.  Themes of thankfulness, being kind to others, and sticking to your beliefs when it’s hard permeate the novel. Readers from ages 10-14 will increase their understanding of what was happening in the 1940s while being introduced to popular activists (Thurgood Marshall), magazines, and music. Educators will find this novel an effective way to help students understand the feelings and differing viewpoints even in the African-American community at the time.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School System, Easton

five-stars

We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands

We’ve Got the Whole World in Our HandsWe've Got the Whole World in Our Hands / Tenemos el mundo entero en las manos (Bilingual) by Rafael López
Published by Scholastic en español on October 9th 2018
ISBN: 1338299506
Pages: 40
Goodreads
four-stars

We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands is a lovely new rendition of a classic spiritual.  Employing several artistic approaches the author brought children from all around the world together in a united WE.  The unwinding of a ball of yarn transports readers literally around the world as they follow the strand from page to page. The many two-page spreads add to the vitality of the illustrations as movement gives freedom to the joyful lyrics.  Pre-school and K students will be delighted as various animals make appearances throughout the book.

This edition is in both English and Spanish making it that much more accessible to the general public.  The book cover is different than the jacket, both are special in their own way.

Public libraries and schools with kindergarten classes will want to purchase this title.  Religious institutions who prefer the original spiritual lyrics will be missing a great book if they pass on this purchase.

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

four-stars

Mousie I will Read To You

Mousie I will Read To YouMousie, I Will Read to You by Rachael Cole, Melissa Crowton
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on November 13th 2018
ISBN: 1524715360
Pages: 34
Goodreads
five-stars

“Mousie I Will Read To You” is a picture book darling.  The scope of the story shows us the strong bond  between mother and child as a mother mouse reads to her baby.  She begins by reading to the infant “Mousie”  and continues to read to him until he is able  to read by himself.  As Mousie grows and develops,  reading is fostered and encouraged in ways that are appropriate to his developmental level, making Mousie’s  experience of books a happy and joyous one.

The author, Rachel Cole, captures, by giving us examples of (“Before you know it, Mousie, Your DAA DAA DEE’s and BAA BAA BEE’s sound like jazz,”) the various reading stages a child might experience from infancy to adulthood –  but with a  minimum of words and explantion.   The author  brings the story to a close by nicely circling  back to Mousie reading to his own baby.

The soft colored illustrations  beautifully depict  Mousie and mother’s  joyful reading experiences.  A shared enjoyment of reading is a wonderful venue through wihich we can nurture and love our children.

The book was “inspired by the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics to read aloud to children from the day they are born.”

Can be used  to demonstrate to children that a love of  reading can indeed become a very importand part of their lives!

Reviewed by: Connie M. Smith, Breakwater School, Portland, ME

five-stars