Balto and the Race Against Time by Helen Moss and Misa Saburi - ADVISABLE

Balto and the Race Against Time (TimeDogs #1) by Helen Moss, illustrated by Misa Saburi, 132 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Godwin Books (Macmillan), 2019. $16       

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Balto and four other aging dogs find a time machine and are transported back in time. They emerge as puppies in 1925 in Alaska at the time of a terrible outbreak of Diphtheria. They meet Balto and decide they must do everything they can to help him deliver the medicine to Nome.

Students love stories about dogs and time travel. The author's note at the end gives the factual information linked to the story of Balto.            

Molithia Spencer, Media Specialist 

The Race to Kangaroo Cliff by Alexander McCall Smith - ADVISABLE

 

The Race to Kangaroo Cliff (Tobermory, #3) by Alexander McCall Smith, 224 pages.  Random House, 2018. $16.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

The school ship Tobermory is on another adventure.  The crew sets off from Scotland to Australia where they are going to participate in a tall ships race.  The kids are around twelve years old and along with their regular schooling, they learn how to man the ship.  Exciting side adventures happen along the way, including being chased by crocodiles, but in the end the crew works together and enjoys being at sea.  

I love this series for younger readers because there is suspense and adventure, but at the same time the characters are kind and work together.  There are little illustrations throughout, and it is a fast read. This is a good series with feel-good story lines.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson     

Nacho's Nachos : The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel and Oliver Dominguez - ESSENTIAL

Nacho's Nachos : The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel, illustrations by Oliver Dominguez PICTURE BOOK, NON-FICTION BIOGRAPHY Lee and Low, 2020 $19. 9781620143698 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Ignacio Anaya was born in Mexico at the turn of the 20th century. Because there were a lot of Ignacios, he went by Nacho. One of his favorite foods were Quesadillas - his foster mom made them best!. He learned how to cook from her and eventually got a job working at a restaurant called The Victory Club in Texas. One day, a special customer came in with friends and asked Nacho to make something new and different - with limited ingredients in the kitchen, he grabbed some tortillas, sprinkled on cheese and a strip of jalapeño - melted it all together and "Nacho's Special" was born. 

No spoilers here, there's more to the story - celebrities, a recipe for making the "original" and an extended author's note with sources make this picture book biography a fun celebration of the 80th anniversary of nachos. Dominguez's illustrations are full color and realistic. A great way to introduce a cooking activity or talk about someone behind an everyday thing - yes, someone invented nachos!

Lisa Librarian