Thursday, March 29, 2018

Review: Me and Marvin Gardens

Me and Marvin Gardens Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Obe is a boy who loves to spend his time outside. He picks up trash along the stream that runs through his family's property. It's been a tough summer. His former best friend is now running with a much different crowd.

One day by his stream Obe makes a discovery, an amazing discovery; the kind of discovery that can change a life. He is now the protector of this discovery, and he's not sure what to do about it.

This book has interesting characters and a very interesting plot. A part of the plot involving bullying and it's resolved in a very realistic rather than idealist way. Obe's family wasn't perfect, but it was intact and much like anyone's family.

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Monday, March 26, 2018

Review: Flying Lessons & Other Stories

Flying Lessons & Other Stories Flying Lessons & Other Stories by Ellen Oh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Short story collections are not something often seen for the middle grade reader, and short stories that are written by diverse authors telling tales about under represented groups are NEVER seen. This book is the brainchild of the people at We Need Diverse Books, and it's masterful.

This book contains ten stories written by some of our best and brightest middle grade authors. Every reader should be able to find themselves in this book. As Christopher Myers wrote, "[Today's kids] see books less as mirrors and more as maps. They are indeed searching for their place in the world, but they are also deciding where they want to go." Flying Lessons & Other Stories is indeed a treasure map.

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Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Review: Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter

Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter by Beth Fantaskey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Isabel is growing up in Chicago during prohibition. She needs to sell newspapers at the corner to help her mother put food on the table, but her heart's desire is to become a news reporter. She finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation - a gangster's murder investigation!

This is a well written, old style mystery for kids. Isabel is plucky and the setting is gritty and feels real. A welcome addition to our library.

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Friday, March 9, 2018

Review: Word of Mouse

Word of Mouse Word of Mouse by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've become a little reluctant to read James Patterson's middle grade readers. He cranks them out with co-authors and the quality really varies. This book is co-authored by Chris Grabenstein who write the Mr. Lemoncello books which I love.

Isaiah is a blue lab mouse that escapes and meets up with a mischief of mice. He is telling us his story. In addition to being blue he has other gifts, such as reading, speaking to humans, and using simple machines. He's able to help his adopted mouse mischief and finds he has more to offer than he thought.

I liked that I learned a fair bit about mice by reading this book. I liked Isaiah, the main mouse, and I liked the story. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH have always been a favorite of mine and there are definitely shout outs to that classic in this book.

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Monday, March 5, 2018

Review: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a surprise! This book was not what I expected.

From the cover, I expected that Molly Moon was a dog, but no! She's an orphan, named after the box she was left in at the orphanage's front door. It's a miserable place to live in with adults and children alike bullying Molly. As a result she spends a lot of time in the library where she finds an old book about hypnotism. And this is where the fun begins!

This book contains friends, enemies, criminals, Italian cooking enthusiasts, first class plane travel and Broadway shows - and of course hypnotism. It also contains a pug named Petunia and A LOT of fun.

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