Middle Grade Pick: Caterpillar Summer

Caterpillar Summer
by Gillian McDunn
Bloomsbury
2019
304 pages
ISBN: 9781681197432

Available: April 2, 2019

Caterpillar Summer captures a poignant and honest portrayal of a sibling relationship in which the older sibling must take on the parent role. Cat has never had time to be a kid. She's always taken care of special needs Chicken and talked him out of his "meltdowns." In fact, Cat is the only one who can control him. Chicken needs constant supervision as he is prone to wander off and get lost.

When the siblings have to spend three weeks with their grandparents for the first time in EVER, Cat finally has a summer where she can explore on her own. As she discovers more about the rift between her mother and her grandparents, Cat wonders why the adults can't just fix their differences. She may have to become the CATalyst to heal her own family.

A treasure for middle grade readers who love a story of family ties and sweet sibling relationships. This book is suitable for all school, One School, One Book reads and classroom reads. It would be a great choice for a summer reading book as well.

Recommended grade 4 (good readers), grade 5 and up.

YA Pick: American Panda

American Panda
by Gloria Chao
Simon Pulse
2018
304 pages
ISBN: 9781481499101

Tender, heartfelt, and oh, so needed, American Panda delivers a sweet story about learning who you are and finding your voice even if it means disappointing your family or worse, breaking apart your bonds.

Seventeen year old Mei Lu is a freshman at MIT. She is younger than everyone she meets and she doesn't volunteer her age. Her parents have pushed her into studying medicine, but Mei is a germ-a-phobe who carries hand sanitizer everywhere. Her Chinese born parents are traditional and  have sacrificed and worked hard to give Mei and disowned older brother Xing an easier lives in a country of opportunity.

As children, Mei and Xing are expected to be dutiful and respectful. This includes following their parents' life plan for each of them. They must marry a good candidate from a Chinese family. Xing must become a doctor or other profession that can make tons of money. As a girl, Mei's spouse must be able to provide for her. This means Mei must marry a doctor or in the very least, a professor. Not as much money, but the prestige factor is enough. Mei's mother makes matchmaking her first priority (remember Mei is only seventeen). Xing makes the mistake of falling in love with a woman who may have trouble conceiving a child. It is of the utmost importance to Mei's father that his own son has a son to carry on the Lu name. Her parents disown Xing and kick him out of the house.

Living in the dorms at MIT, Mei doesn't have the privacy she had hoped for. Her parents know her school schedule by heart. If she doesn't return their phone calls or texts, they want to know where she is and who she is with. Mei's mother is the epitome of a tiger mom. Mei's roommate is Nicolette, and they start off barely tolerating each other. Mei misses her brother who is now a doctor. She longs to speak with him about her own fears: her fear of germs, her hatred of biology, her fear of speaking up to her father. Mei begins to meet Xing in secret.

When Mei finds herself having feelings for two very different, NON-Chinese boys, she keeps that secret as well. Another secret is that Mei has been teaching traditional Chinese dance classes and she loves it. Dancing is her passion, not medicine. Too many secrets are spilling over until Mei finally tells the truth.

American Panda is the story of many first generation Americans whose parents have immigrated from other countries. It is not an Asian story (although it is). It is an immigrant story that so many teens will find themselves in. Whatever country their parents came from, it is likely their parents are traditional in their thinking and customs. The American born children grow up in America and hear about their parents' struggles, but it is not the children's story.

Highly, highly recommended, American Panda is a MUST read. Grades 8 and up. Some profanity.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Picture Book Pick: Bad Guy

Bad Guy
by Hannah Barnaby
Illustrated by Mike Yamada
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2017
32 pages
ISBN: 9781481460101


Devious, dastardly and devilish, Bad Guy is a delight! A young boy has great adventures being a bad guy. He is a pirate and treasure hunter, he captures superheroes, he goes to space and swallows astronauts and on Friday, he even eats his sister's brain! Bad Guys always get in trouble, and when Mom lays down the law, even a Bad Guy can turn Good.

Mom takes the children to the library where the Bad Guy gets books with all kinds of ideas and he begins to plot his Bad Guy strategy. But sometimes even Bad Guys are outsmarted! Readers will love the unexpected and fun plot twist. This is a book that both young boys and girls will cheer for!

Smart illustrations with inside jokes are sure to please adult readers. The book Alice is reading is titled Eat, Prey, Love (wink)! This author and illustrator team is a winning one!

Highly, highly recommended ages 1-up. Great fun and sure to be Audrey-approved! (Audrey is my 2 year old niece who KNOWS what she likes!)

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Perfect Pick: If I Had a Little Dream

If I Had a Little Dream
by Nina Laden
Illustrations by Melissa Casrillon
A Paula Wiseman Book
2017
32 pages
ISBN: 9781481439244


Rhyming verse tells  a sweet story--a song if you will--that sings off the illustrated pages. A little girl narrates, "If I had a little land...." and rhymes the verse. After that first rhyme, she  inserts a new noun: house, garden, pond, boat, bicycle, table, chair, dog, cat, brother, sister, book (my favorite, of course!), nest and dream. The book page reads, "If I had a little book,/I would name it Friend./Friend would go wherever I went,/our story would never end."

Magical illustrations look  like an illuminated manuscript with the borders (marginalia) used effectively to frame the characters and story. The illustrations help to give this little keeper a nostalgic feeling of easier, less troublesome times.

 If I Had a Little Dream is a tender and loving story that celebrates life's simple treasures, Simple children's book magic done right!

Highly recommended for young dreamers everywhere.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Picture Book Pick: Penguins Love Colors

Penguins Love Colors
by Sarah Aspnall
The Blue Sky Press
2016
ISBN: 9780545876544

Available November 26, 2016

Bright, lively, bouncy, and fun, Penguins Love Colors is sure to be a hit with young readers who love animals and colors. Sweet illustrations will captivate and children will want to embrace a warm bunch of siblings and their loving mother.


Six penguin siblings love colors.  Living in a land that is covered with white snow,  the penguins decide to paint their world and make it a more vibrant place. Each penguin is named after a colorful flower: Dandelion, Broccoli, Tulip, Tiger Lily, Bluebell and Violet. Each penguin loves their color and paints with that color.

Their world becomes a brilliant landscape of flowers and colors which they are happy and proud to show Mama. She is overjoyed to see their work and young readers will be,  too! Aspinall's illustrations are BOLD and bursting with color. She is the most brilliant penguin of them all.

Although this book is targeted for young readers, the preschool and kindergarten ages, art classes of any age could read and critique this book for illustrations and learning primary colors. Penguins Love Colors embraces smart design layouts and vibrant colors that children will love and want to visit again and again. Questions in the text will engage readers to answer them.

Highly, highly recommended for young readers and all art classes. I shared this F & G with my art teacher who raved over the book. So, there you  have it, art teacher approved! Five stars from me!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the F & G from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Tween Pick: Absolutely Truly

Absolutely Truly
(A Pumpkin Falls Mystery)
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2015
355 pages
ISBN: 9781442429734

Truly Lovejoy is an absolutely plucky twelve year old heroine who is seriously  entertaining and fun. Truly is not having any fun at all. Uprooted from what was supposed to be her forever home in Austin, Texas, the family goes back to her father's roots in teensy Pumpkin, Falls, New Hampshire. They move into her great, great, great, well... many great-grandfather's home and her father  takes over the challenge of running a small town family owned book store with his sister (Truly's aunt).

Truly is from a large family: four siblings and her mother and father. Her dad used to be fun...that is, until he came home from the war. It's hard for her father to re-enter normal life as an amputee (he lost an arm). He's not happy to have to move, let alone run a bookstore and live in the old family home. His injury and PTSD are dictating his life and he feels trapped.

The small town charm, snowy paths, cold weather, bare trees, the charming book store, quirky town folk, the large house which has housed generations of Lovejoys, and the warmth of a family who loves one another make this book a real Norman Rockwell moment--one that readers are sure to love. So many kids will relate to this book. Any reader who has a parent in the military, anyone who's had to move cross country and felt like a fish out of water, any geeky or awkward tween will find something to love in this book. Truly is six feet tall and towers over all the other middle school kids. That alone would be enough to make her a social pariah, but add to that---being the outsider from out of town surely makes Truly the different one--the new girl.

When Truly finds a strange note in a first edition of Charlotte's Web, she senses a mystery--a mystery that she sets out to solve. The mystery is quite tame, nearly too tame, for my taste. A bit more danger and skullduggery would have made it more exciting but then that would take away from the book's  timeless charm.

The cover art captures a nearly bygone era. The covered bridge, snow and walking figures look like a page from a Rockwell calendar. Pumpkin Falls is a charming name for a small town, and the addition of a mystery--though tame-- will draw in readers.

Highly, highly recommended grade 4-up. Most reviewers agree that this is THE go to book for tween girls.

FTC Required Disclaimer:  I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Wimpy Kid Pick: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
Book 9
by Jeff Kinney
Amulet Books
2014
217 pages
ISBN: 9781419711893



The funniest times and most memorable times any family can spend are road trips gone wrong, horrible vacations and tragic yet hilarious  family reunions. No matter how well planned, no matter the amount of hope going into a trip, no matter the careful list making  of the mother or father, everything that can go wrong usually does.

Greg Heffley's problem is that his mother puts her faith in "Family Frolic" magazine, a colorful if untrue portrait of how honky dory every family moment can be if only you follow the Family Frolic way. Greg's mom lives and breathes this magazine and somehow thinks that through magic the Heffleys can become the perfect Family Frolic family. She decides that a well-planned family road trip is just what her family needs to be the ideal American family, one that she aspires to be.

Greg's father decides that his old wreck of a boat--complete with a hole in its hull--should be towed behind them the entire trip. Somehow, again by magic or wishful thinking or both, the boat will be seaworthy. The family stashes all their extra vacation junk in the boat.

Greg's mom decrees that the family should play a game called Alphabet Groceries, a game she read about in, yep, you guessed it, Family Frolic. Each player will say the letter of the alphabet and then something they could buy in the store that begins with that letter. Obviously, the first choice is "A" and "apple." Next, it's Rodrick's turn. He says he can't think of anything that starts with a "B," so he's out. Greg knows that Rodrick is playing dumb--maybe for the first time of his life. Greg later relates a story showing Rodrick's intelligence. When he was supposed to read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings for a school assignment, Rodrick realizes he'll never read it, so he rents the video "Lords of the Ring," a pro wrestling video! Imagine that book report!

The family has car trouble, hotel trouble, pig trouble, county fair trouble, swimming pool trouble, and road trouble before it's all over. This edition of Wimpy Kid is way more fun than earlier ones. The Long Haul is the real deal--this is the best book of the entire series. Buy this book immediately! Buy this book for any kid of any age. It's a treasure.


Highly, highly recommended for ALL ages!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Graphic Pick: Sisters

Sisters
by Raina Telgemeier
Graphix (Scholastic)
2014
208 pages
full color
ISBN: 9780545540067

Available August 26, 2014

Raina Telgemeier has done it again! She continues to reach tween and teen readers with her humor, candor, teen angst, sister sibling rivalry and captivating art.

Only child Raina dreams of becoming a big sister, but she has no idea how horrible her life is about to become. From the time baby Amara arrives, Raina's world is turned upside down. Not only is she not the center of her parents' universe, she is expected to act like an older sibling. As a toddler and small child, Amara has nothing in common with Raina.

Both girls set off on a road trip with their mother and little brother. The trip takes several days and they see the glorious southwest. The travel by day and camp out at night. Once their van breaks down, the girls are left behind to wait in the car for help or their mother's return. This is just what the two girls needed--time to stew over their troubles and an enclosed territory. They both realize that they are sisters and family and family sticks together through thick and thin.

Tweens and graphic novel enthusiasts will love Sisters. Even though I have no sister, I could empathize with the rivalry between the girls; it's no different with my brothers. All kids vie for their parents' attention and love.  Recommended for reluctant readers and visual learners.

Grade 5-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the arc from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Early Reader Pick: Zoe's Room (No Sisters Allowed)

Zoe's Room (No Sisters Allowed)

by Behanie Deeney Murguia
Arthur A. Levine Books
2013
40 pages



view the sweet book trailer

Meet Zoe. She's fun, funny, quirky, cute, and regal. She is, after all, Queen of the Universe. That is, until an interloper appears--meet Addie. She's Zoe's little sister and an unwelcome guest in Zoe's world.

Now Zoe has to be quiet at bedtime and leave the lights off. She can't set the table for morning tea or build empires. She can't explore or gaze at stars. Zoe hates sharing her room and giving up her freedom.

Then a terrible thunderstorm occurs and Zoe is frightened. She cuddles with her little sister and realizes that sharing a room makes her feel safe. She embraces Little Queen Addie and realizes that there's room in the kingdom for two queens.

Cute pen and ink and watercolor art by the author brings Zoe and her kingdom to life. Readers will like Zoe and empathize with her. Her winsome sense of adventure and wonder for the world will touch readers.

Highly, highly recommended pre-school-K.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the F & G from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for his review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Dystopian Pick: The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave
by Rick Yancey
G.P. Putnam's Sons
2013
480 pages

Gripping, dynamic, and hard core, The 5th Wave will scare the daylights out of readers! Yancey creates a dystopia that is unspeakably terrible.  Aliens have taken over the Earth, but have they, really? Trust me, The 5th Wave is the best dystopian novel in years!

Cassie (short for Cassiopeia) has survived the 1st, 2nd and 3rd waves, but living terrified of dying 24/7 is nearly killing her. The only rule is "Trust no one." And it's worked for her so far. The Others look like humans, they talk like humans, they learn the rules that make them appear human, and for that reason, Cassie trusts no one. When her little brother Sams is taken away with all the other children, Cassie's father tells her take the guns and warns her with a silent signal--Run! Every human is slaughtered  back at Cassie's camp, and she's lucky to have escaped. She stays in the woods for weeks, learning to exist on bottled water and canned sardines. She knows she has to move on as winter is rapidly approaching.

When on the move, Cassie is wounded. She wakes up in a farmhouse and is nursed back to health by a boy named Evan. Cassie trusts no one, not even her savior. She knows something is "off" about Evan's story but can't figure out what it is. Cassie vows to find her little brother Sam and rescue him.

Evan agrees to help Cassie but she knows she has to go alone. Evan confides that he has fallen in love with Cassie, and he finally tells her his secret. Together, they face the enemy.

The 5th wave is humans turning on themselves. The aliens have been watching Earth for centuries; they know how humans think and act. They know they can defeat us, but do they know the sheer, brave will of one very determined teen-aged human  female? Cassie says, "But if I'm it, the last of my kind, the last page in human history, like hell I'm going to let the story end this way...Because if I am the last one, then I am humanity. And if this is humanity's last war, then I am the battlefield."

I was sorry when I had turned to the last page. The 5th Wave is unputtdownable; readers will empathize with Cassie--she is the kick-butt girl I want on my side at the end of the world. This is a dystopia with a human heart. Often, dystopian fiction is devoid of heart and soul, but not The 5th Wave. Yancey allows hope for dystopia and humankind. I have to love a writer who lists his trusty (now deceased) dog Casey in the acknowledgements; Yancey writes, "I will miss you, Case."

Highly, highly recommended and a MUST READ. Suitable for grade 7-up. One f-bomb when Cassie tells the alien commander off; violence, a few kisses. Cassie has to cut shrapnel out of Evan's backside, but it's not sexy in the least; it's a necessary medical procedure.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC  from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Quote taken from the ARC and may not be in the final bound copy.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Middle Grades Pick: The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook

The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook




by Joanne Rocklin



Amulet



2013



229 pages with discussion questions





New in paperback; Available April 2, 2013





Published in 2012 and awarded SCBWI's Golded Kite Award for Fiction and the Parent's Choice Book Award--GOLD, and now in paperback with a redesigned cover.





Tender, touching, and poignant, yet also funny, quirky, clever, and captivating, The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook is a hugely entertaining read for middle grades.





Storyteller (whopper teller) Oona is intelligent, compassionate, brave and creative. She shares her late father's gift for storytelling and embellishment. Oona takes great care of younger brother Fred. Fred is five and like all young children, asks a lot of questions which Oona happily supplies the answers or "Oona-isms." When their pet Zook goes to the vet, Oona tells Fred not to worry because all cats have nine lives. Zook is really sick; his kidneys are failing, but Oona refuses to believe the worst. She knows that cats really don't have nine lives, but maybe if she keeps telling Fred that they do, it will come true.







Oona misses her father but keeps his spirit alive through her carefully thought-out stories rife with great storytelling words--words like, "...faraway, woe, befall, whence and by and by." Her stories take place in magical kingdoms and involve talking animal that can save kingdoms. Fred believes all of Oona's stories and she revels in sharing them with him. Readers will love Oona. Her voice is unique and original, intelligent and intuitive, and she tells awesome stories!







I was prepared not to love this book. No cat lover myself--I have ten rescue dogs at home--I was not so sure I would heart a book about a cat. This book has forever changed my mind. It's not about the pet that matters; it's all about the love a child feels for that pet, and Oona loves her Zook. The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook will make readers laugh and cry. It is a heartfelt story of love and loss, pain and remembrance.







Highly, highly recommended grade 4-up and for anyone who has ever loved a precious pet.

Published in 2012 and awarded SCBWI's Golded Kite Award for Fiction and the Parent's Choice Book Award--GOLD, and now in paperback with a redesigned cover.

Tender, touching, and poignant, yet also funny, quirky, clever, and captivating, The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook is a hugely entertaining read for middle grades.





Storyteller (whopper teller) Oona is intelligent, compassionate, brave and creative. She shares her late father's gift for storytelling and embellishment. Oona takes great care of younger brother Fred. Fred is five and like all young children, asks a lot of questions which Oona happily supplies the answers or "Oona-isms." When their pet Zook goes to the vet, Oona tells Fred not to worry because all cats have nine lives. Zook is really sick; his kidneys are failing, but Oona refuses to believe the worst. She knows that cats really don't have nine lives, but maybe if she keeps telling Fred that they do, it will come true.







Oona misses her father but keeps his spirit alive through her carefully thought-out stories rife with great storytelling words--words like, "...faraway, woe, befall, whence and by and by." Her stories take place in magical kingdoms and involve talking animal that can save kingdoms. Fred believes all of Oona's stories and she revels in sharing them with him. Readers will love Oona. Her voice is unique and original, intelligent and intuitive, and she tells awesome stories!







I was prepared not to love this book. No cat lover myself--I have ten rescue dogs at home--I was not so sure I would heart a book about a cat. This book has forever changed my mind. It's not about the pet that matters; it's all about the love a child feels for that pet, and Oona loves her Zook. The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook will make readers laugh and cry. It is a heartfelt story of love and loss, pain and remembrance.







Highly, highly recommended grade 4-up and for anyone who has ever loved a precious pet.

I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.



This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Series Pick: The Throne of Fire

The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles, book two)
by Rick Riordan
Disney (Hyperion)
2011
452 pages with glossary
ISBN 9781423140566

Exciting, action-packed, and thrilling, book two of the Kane Chronicles, The Throne of Fire, really delivers (book one is The Red Pyramid). If you haven't picked up the first book, now is the time to pick up both titles. Rick Riordan has batted another one out of the park and scored a home run. His first attempt at ya fiction was the Percy Jackson series which rocketed to the bestseller lists--both young adult fiction and adult fiction lists; in fact, The Lightning Thief was picked up by Hollywood and turned into a movie.

Now tackling the somewhat darker and brooding Egyptian gods, Riordan uses the brother/sister team of Carter and Sadie Kane, children of two noted Egyptologists and archeologists who just so happen to be descended from Egypt's greatest magicians. The House of Life has chosen Carter and Sadie to control the Egyptian gods who are on the brink of being released. If Apophos, the Chaos snake, is released, it will be the end of the world. Carter and Sadie only have four days to find the three scrolls of the missing book of Ra, the sun god. Not only do they have to find the scrolls; they have to figure out how to use them to free Ra, who will rise again and control all the gods. The kids take turn telling their story on a now old-fashioned tape-recorder. Riordan, the author, finds the recordings and shared them with all of us, the readers

The kids enlist the help of fellow magician trainees Walt, a hot guy with a dark family secret, Jaz, a female trainee who seems to have eyes for Walt--much to Sadie's secret chagrin, and Khufu, a baboon pal, yes, a real baboon, who seems human at times. The kids enlist the help of a few gods along the way including Bes, the drawf god, a short guy who is as big around as he is tall and who needs some serious fashion intervention.

As the two siblings travel through magic Egyptian portals around the world in search of the scrolls, Apophis continues to gain strength. Other Egyptian gods and magicians want to stop the Kane kids from freeing Ra. If both gods are released Chaos will fight Order, and who knows what the outcome will be?

Highly entertaining, amusing, and readable, The Throne of Fire is a sure winner. The personalities of Sadie and Carter are believable and likeable. Their wise-cracking ways and snide comments and mirthful asides will make the reader chuckle. Though they fight like brother and sister, each will stop at nothing to insure the safety of the other.

Highly, highly recommended grades 5-up. This book will have wide appeal to readers both male and female. Good readers who have read Harry Potter and longer tomes like it should have no trouble with the heft of this book. Percy Jackson fans will love this series as well. Anyone who enjoys mythology and action will likely choose this book.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.