Category: Cream of the Crop Nominees

Cut Off

Cut OffCut Off by Adrianne Finlay
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on August 11, 2020
ISBN: 0358006457
Pages: 384
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This Sci-fi thriller for readers in grades 10-12 provides page turning suspense and thought provoking outcomes.  Recommending for Cream of the Crop consideration.   The newest entertainment is a 24-hour live streaming game show called “Cut Off” that takes the “Survivor” type reality show premise to an extreme level through a 3D Virtual Reality experience.  Four young adult contestants are left after an earthquake knocks out their communications with the producers of the show and they must work together to survive and try to be rescued.   At first it seems like the earthquake is the issue, but hour by hour they are faced with ever increasing life threatening situations that seem to come from within each contestant’s own worst fears.   Is it real or a hallucination?  Can they find their way back home or will they all die?  Finlay intersperses action chapters with producer’s files and contestant audition interviews that fuel the page turning suspense of the story.  There are many twists and surprise connections that send the ending to an unsuspecting conclusion.    There is action, suspense, danger, technology and a bit of romance in this suspenseful, Sci-fi/Horror mashup.

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

five-stars

The Spirit of Springer

The Spirit of SpringerThe Spirit of Springer: The Real-Life Rescue of an Orphaned Orca by Amanda Abler, Levi Hastings
Published by Little Bigfoot on February 4, 2020
ISBN: 1632172127
Pages: 48
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

The Spirit of Springer might be exactly what I needed today. It’s a gentle and interesting reminder that there are good people everywhere, people that have dedicated their lives to helping others, human or otherwise.

When orphaned, two-year-old orca Springer is found 300 miles from her home it’s up to scientists to reunite her with her pod. It’s not easy; Springer is malnourished and lonely and is more interested in befriending boats than eating. Through perseverance they rebuild her strength and take her back to where she can find her family.

Straightforward and nicely illustrated, The Spirit of Springer would be great for reading aloud to a classroom learning about orcas, animal rehabilitation, or kindness. Or for a classroom (or family) just looking for an enjoyable book to read.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier

Astronauts: Women on the Final FrontierAstronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani, Maris Wicks
Published by First Second on February 4, 2020
ISBN: 1626728771
Pages: 176
Genres: Biography/Autobiography, Non-Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars
Narrated by former astronaut, Mary Cleaves, this graphic memoir celebrates the lives and many achievements of history’s famous female astronauts. Written with humor and frustration felt by many of these women going into a field that was designed and run by men.

Illustrations compliment the text and are easy to follow. Recommended for grades 6 and up and especially for those young women that think this is a possibility for them.

five-stars

The Golden Age: Book 1

The Golden Age: Book 1The Golden Age, Book 1 by Cyril Pedrosa, Roxanne Moreil
Published by First Second on February 11, 2020
ISBN: 1250237947
Pages: 224
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars
Princess Tilda, is on the run, as rightful heir to the throne. Her remaining allies are doing their best to keep her safe and alive, but are only one step ahead of the Princess’s usurper — her younger brother.

Translated from French, this is the first in a duology in this fantasy graphic series.  Illustrations are bold and compliment the text as the story moves on. Ends on a  cliff hanger, leaving the reader unsure and curious to what happens next.

Recommended for grades 7 and up, but would be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys Arthurian type stories.

Reviewed by Kristin Taylor, Biddeford High School, Biddeford.

 

five-stars

My Favorite Memories

My Favorite MemoriesMy Favorite Memories by Julie Völk, Sepideh Sarihi
Published by Blue Dot Kids Press on May 12, 2020
ISBN: 1733121242
Pages: 30
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
If you had to move to a different country and you could take one suitcase in which to pack your favorite things – what would you take? this is what faces a small girl when her parents present her with a suitcase and tell her to pack her most favorite things. How do you pack your favorite tree, your favorite bus driver,  the wooden chair your grandfather made you, your aquarium and your best friend!                                                                                                                                                                            So, she packs what she needs and sets out to putting her other treasures into bottles and tosses them into the ocean- that is both where she lives now and where she is going to live. they haven’t arrived yet, but she can wait!                                                                                                                         We can’t always “carry ” things with us physically, but through our memories we can take our favorite things with us wherever we go. Illustrations are simple, straightforward, detailed in grays with some color to accent an item or feeling support the simple text .                                                          Use this quiet, thoughtful book with discussions on what you would carry in your suitcase if you had to move and what you would “carry” in your heart and soul.                                                                    Gr K-4                                                                                                                                                                                       Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray, Maine

five-stars

The Day Saida Arrived

The Day Saida ArrivedThe Day Saida Arrived by Lawrence Schimel, Sonja Wimmer, Susana Gómez Redondo
Published by Blue Dot Kids Press on September 15, 2020
ISBN: 1733121250
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Saida, newly arrived from Morocco doesn’t speak and a classmate and potential friend thinks she has lost all her words. She tries to look for them so that Saida’s tears and silence go away. So, slowly the two of them seek and find ways to communicate – through drawing a hug, a heart, a camel, palm trees, through  patience, and the sharing of their languages, word by word. Slowly, bridge is built and two girls from very different places become friends. With lyrical text and words in both English and Arabic the reader begins  to understand what immigration is about.  Lush illustrations handpainted with  acrylic paint and crayon convey the feelings that words may not.   Blue Dot Kids Press offers books that invite the reader to experience a sense of wonder and empathy that connects them to the global community.  A new approach to the immigration experience, this should be used in units about immigration, feelings and friendship.                             Gr K-4           ( consider for cream)                                                                                                                                  Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray Maine

 

five-stars

Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature.

Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature.Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature by Freya Hartas, Rachel Williams
Published by Harry N. Abrams on September 1, 2020
ISBN: 1419748386
Pages: 128
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars
This volume invites the reader to “slow down” and enjoy 50 nature moments- each told like a story. Some take place over a period of time – a butterfly from a chrysalis, mama bird and her growing new babies, and some shorter – formation of a rainbow or cloud, or a bat catching dinner. Each story consists of a simple act of nature we might miss is our haste.

Each snippet of nature is presented on a double page spread and is rendered in pen and ink and is accurate, detailed with a clear general text and small more detailed text around the illustrations.    The  author presents these simple workings of nature in hopes that  the reader will go out and experience some of the ones found in the book and finding new ones to experience. It invites the reader to take a breath, listen, look, and feel the nature all around you.  There are additional pages suggesting further reading and a selected bibliography in the back of the book.

Use this  with environmental and nature  units, art units and discussions on what we see, hear and see each day.                                                                                                                                                              Gr K-4                        Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray Maine            (  cream)

five-stars

If You Come to Earth

If You Come to EarthIf You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
Published by Chronicle Books on September 15, 2020
ISBN: 145213779X
Pages: 80
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
A little boy writes an open letter to a perspective space visitor, telling said visitor what to expect upon his visit. First, where we ae located in the solar system, how to spot our planet from the others – the brown and green are land and the blue is water, where we live – big cities, towns, small villages and out in the middle of nowhere, what we look like,  what  our families are like, what we do, what we value, what is important to our species. Page by page, we get a glimpse of what our earth offers, from the birds that fly, the animals that hop, walk, swim, crawl, what we can see and what is invisible. Ms. Blackall uses sparse text supported by illustrations in muted colors that are clear, calm and detailed. She said the idea for this book came from visits to one room classroom in Bhutan where she asked the children to draw the things they thought were important  to them : families and food, school and home.

This is a book that asks us to think of about what is important to us and in turn, what we need to do to ensure that good care is given all we hold dear.                                                                                          Use this in units on nature, the environment and discussions on what and who we hold important .            Consider for cream                                                                                                                                                                 Gr K-3

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray, Maine

 

five-stars

Only A Tree Knows How To Be A Tree

Only A Tree Knows How To Be A TreeOnly a Tree Knows How to Be a Tree by Mary Murphy
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536214701
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Using child like illustrations adds enormously to the attractiveness of this picture book by Mary Murphy.  She employs children, trees, birds, dogs, and fish as well as the planets to show diversity and self-understanding.   Readers will be charmed by the human and animal characters who are being themselves and living their dream.   The book is hopeful and captivating as it reveals some of nature’s most precious living things.   Although some pages are full of creatures there is never a cluttered feeling.  Individual children are shown doing their thing on full pages with lots of white space in the background.  Color is used to its full advantage and movement is highlighted.  The text tells about the wonders of this earth in which creatures and plants coexist and support humans.

Excellent book for families, children’s programs in churches and a must for public libraries.

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

Review submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME

five-stars

RONAN AND THE MERMAID

RONAN AND THE MERMAIDRónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland by Jordi Solano, Marianne McShane
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536200220
Genres: Adventure, Animals, Fantasy, Folklore
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
“Ronan and the Mermaid,” was inspired by a legend from medieval chronicles of Irish history about a marvelous happening in the year 558. It is a story of kindness, music, and longing.

The setting for this tale is the “ancient Abbey of Bangor, nestled on the edge of the Irish Sea.” There, a monk, Brother Declan, while out searching for driftwood, discovers a young boy,  washed upon the shore, wearing a golden ring, and surrounded by seals.   Brother Declan,  remembering old tales of seals and mermaids,  gently carries the boy  to the abbey,  Gently cared for by the monks, the young boy revives and begins to tell  of a “lady with golden hair,” who gave him the golden ring. The lady told the young boy that one day he “would  help her.”

So Ronan begins to tell his tale  of being of being  awakened, one night, by a sweet and sorrowful singing.  He soon sets out in his currach to find it’s source.   Ronan  sets his nets and takes his precious harp from a leather bag and begins to play music which draws a mermaid  to Ronan’s boat.  Ronan finds the mermaid caught in his net and learns that she has been at sea and  without shelter for 300 years. While pulling her aboard, he loses his precious harp which sinks to the bottom of the sea. Rowing back to the Abbey with the mermaid and  a  grieving heart,  we are told  there was “no sacrifice he would not make to help her.”   Her name was LIban and in later years she became known as the Mermaid Saint   From then on, LIban continued to keep Ronan safe as he continued to fish.  Liban later became known as the Mermaid Saint.

The annals also record the Abbot  Comhgall of Bangor baptized Liban and gave her the name Muirgen, meaning “born of the sea.”

Sumptuous  illustrations by Jordi Solano, greatly enhance the atmospheric feel of this beautiful Irish tale. He is also the illustrator of “Beyond the Sixth Extinction,” and ‘Swimming with the Sharks. He lives in Spain.

Wonderful story to use when studying old tales and legends with elementary age children.