The Mystery of the Moon Tower by Sedita, Seraydarian, and Steve Hamaker - HIGH

The Mystery of the Moon Tower (Pathfinders Society) by Francesco Sedita and Prescott Seraydarian, illustrated by Steve Hamaker, 173 pages, GRAPHIC NOVEL, Viking (Penguin Random House), 2020, $19.

Language: PG (0 swears); Mature Content G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  HIGH

Five teens are thrown together at Camp Pathfinder.  Using their unique skills, they soon embark on a quest for a rumored hidden treasure sparked by the camp’s founder: explorer-inventor Henry Merriweather.  Though Merriweather lived decades before them, they sense his presence as they explore the adjacent town of Windrose and Merriweather’s extraordinary cement castle. 

 

What’s not to like?  The characters are quirky and fun, there is a cool castle, time travel, and a treasure hunt set in a weird valley that farts natural gas.  The art is beautifully drawn and colored and it’s the adventure we’ve all secretly dreamed we could have.  Only drawback?  It ends too soon. Sign me up for book two.

Michelle in the Middle

The Knight Who Said, "No!" by Lucy Rowland and Kate Hindley - ESSENTIAL

The Knight Who Said, "No!" by Lucy Rowland, illustrated by Kate Hindley. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2019. $17. 9781536208139  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL           

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Ned the Knight always says, "yes!"  He gathers the firewood, cleans the house, and helps his father dress in his knightly attire.  And when it is time for bed, well, Ned just goes.  Until one day, when the dragon terrorizes the village.  What will Ned say to the dragon?  How will he save them?

A cute twisted bedtime tale with a fun ending.  I love the drawings and the crazy colors of the castle.  If you like patterns, dragons, fun and castles, you may like this as well.  My students may only check it out occasionally but I will definitely read it with gusto!  Kids aren't the only ones who check out books!!         

Michele E., Library Tech Teacher                                                               

One Is A Lot by Muon Thi Van and Pierre Pratt - ADVISABLE

One Is A Lot (Except When It's Not) by Muon Thi Van, illustrated by Pierre Pratt. PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2019. $17. 9781525300134           

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW   

Van and Pratt play with numbers in a fun and easy way.  Two is too much and one is a lot.  Or is it?  The drawings are simple and this would be a great easy read aloud.  I can see my students checking it out to read it and it would build confidence in a young reader.  The words are simple but it is fun.   

I like the friendships in the book and the crazy noses!  It has fun illustrations and lovely watercolors.  The pictures are very calming and I can see an art lesson, math and nature in kindergarten jumping off the pages.  It is fun!    

Michele E., Library Tech Teacher                                                               

Searching for Lottie by Susan L. Ross - ADVISABLE

Searching for Lottie by Susan L. Ross. 170 pages.  Holiday House, 2019. $18.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

12yo Charlie has a social studies assignment, a family research project, to complete.  She chooses Lottie as her subject.  Lottie is her nana’s sister who died in the Holocaust and her namesake, Charlotte.   No one is sure what happened to Lottie.  Her family searched for her after the war, but never found her.  As Charlie begins her own search, she uncovers long ago secrets and discovers that she is more like Lottie than anyone realizes.

Searching for Lottie is a great read about family history.   We all belong to a family and have desires to learn about who we are, where we came from, and why we do certain things.  Enjoy the story of Charlie and how she discovers her family.

Diann, Media Specialist

Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Posada - ADVISABLE

Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Posada. NON FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Millbrook Press (Lerner), 2019. $20. 9781541528994          

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  AVERAGE      

Posada writes a non-fiction foray into the power of trees.  It focuses on leaves and how they grow, types of leaves, colors and more.  Her illustrations are pretty and very realistic looking with layers of leaves even though they look hand cut.  The science in the book is simple and powerful and make it an important addition to a school collection.      

I loved the unevenness of the leaves and all the color.  The illustrations were fun and the font made it appear like a child had done the book to some degree.  It fills the learning about trees and leaves gap while sharing vocabulary and teaching text features.        

Michele E., Library Tech Teacher and scientist                                                                

Fantastic You by Danielle Dufayet and Jennifer Zivoin - ESSENTIAL

Fantastic You by Danielle Dufayet, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin. PICTURE BOOK.Magination Press, 2019. $17. 9781433830280

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Fantastic You is about you…the wonderful and unique you, the person who will be with you all the time through this journey called life.  You are amazing and can do outstanding stuff, but there will be days that you struggle.  How we manage those ups and downs and express emotions can make a huge difference in our lives.  The main topic is that you can do this!  Love yourself.  Be kind to yourself.

The book’s message is for everyone (adults included).  We need to be kind and forgiving to those around us and even more so to ourselves.  There is a note for parents and caregivers with additional information. The illustrations are beautiful.

Diann, Media Specialist

Of Salt and Shore by Annet Schaap - ADVISABLE

Of Salt and Shore by Annet Schaap, translated from Dutch by Laura Watkinson, 336 pages. Charlesbridge, September 2020. $17

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Lampie forgot to get more matches to light their lighthouse and during the storm a shipwrecked. Lampie and her father are held responsible. Lampie is sent to the home of local admiral as an indentured servant for the next seven years and unknown to her, Lampie’s father is imprisoned in the lighthouse, even though with one missing leg he has a hard time dragging himself up and down the stairs every day. Lampie has much to occupy her at the mansion – especially the rumors of a monster living somewhere in the building. The truth is even stranger than she could have imagined!

The cover of the book says “What if the Little Mermaid left a child…”, so now you know a bit about where this is going.  I found the cover to be rather dull, so I wasn’t expecting much.  Instead I found myself reading as fast as I could to the end.  Schaap introduces just enough as you go along to keep your interest.  It reads like an old-fashioned tale, a familiar friend. I think this is a good candidate for a class read aloud in 4^th – 6^th grade. Hand sell this if you can to get kids past that cover or place it in a display with other retold fairytales.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Abracadabra! By Shanshan Li and Sifan Yang - ESSENTIAL

Abracadabra! By Shanshan Li, illustrated by Sifan Yang. PICTURE BOOK. Reycraft, 2020. $19.  9781478868446

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

When Spider sees his friend Caterpillar sad and sleepy in her little home, he tries using his web spinning skills to create magic scenes to cheer her up.  Despite all his tries, Caterpillar goes to sleep – for many days. When she finally wakes up, Caterpillar has a magic trick for him!

The journey from Caterpillar to butterfly has been explored in many, many fiction and non-fiction picture books and Li’s version holds up against them as a celebration of change. And I love Spider’s determination to help his friend. Yang’s illustrations work together with the text in just the right way to make for a grand celebration.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

The Stray by Molly Ruttan - OPTIONAL

The Stray by Molly Ruttan. PICTURE BOOK. Nancy Paulsen (Penguin), 2020. $18. 9780525514466

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

As the family is on their walk, they find a stray --- something. They bring it home and try to make a place for it in their family, but something is always different. And as the days go by, their guest becomes sadder and sadder, so they decide to do what they can to help it find its place.

A cute but ultimately not memorable story.  Great for large, busy libraries.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Little Bunny’s Balloon by Wook Jin Jung - OPTIONAL

Little Bunny’s Balloon by Wook Jin Jung. PICTURE BOOK. Reycraft. 2020. $18. 9781478868644

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Little Bunny is sad because no one seems to remember that today is his birthday. When he spies a red balloon, he heads off in chase.  It will take the help of several friends to help him follow it all the way to the surprise at the end.

Jung’s illustrations are amazing. The story, however is cute, but predictable – and only mildly interesting.  The abrupt end is not the promised pay off.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Alice Across Americaby Sarah Glenn Marsh and Gilbert Ford - ADVISABLE

Alice Across America: The story of the first women’s cross-country road trip by Sarah Glenn Marsh, illustrated by Gilbert Ford.  NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2020. $19. 9781250297020

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The man from the Maxwell car company was impressed by Alice’s driving skill.  He had a proposal for her – would she be willing to be the first woman to drive across America?  The company would offer support, as long as Alice and her friends did the repairs and navigating. Alice, 22yo, jumped at the chance.  It took 59 days, but the intrepid quartet made it all the way.

Though not the first book about Alice Ramsey’s journey, its been 20 years since that first one.  It is an interesting tale – a great way to help young readers put history in to perspective.  Whether you are teaching about transportation, women’s first, or grit – there are teachers who will want this.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell - ADVISABLE

The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell, 291 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2019. $17.

Content G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  AVERAGE

Thirteen-year old Danny Kantrowitz is supposed to get his own room when his brother Jake leaves for college.  Unfortunately, his parents decide to rent out Jake’s room to visitors to their Brooklyn neighborhood in order to pay for Jake’s education. This leaves Danny with his bed in the closet, like Harry Potter.  Strange things start to happen once Jake’s room is remodeled for visitors.  It seems that the room is haunted.  Jake and his two friends, Nat and Gus, interview people in their diverse neighborhood to try and find answers.

Love the diversity! Cool stories from other cultures as Danny tries to figure out if the haunting is an Arabian ghoul, Korean gwishin, Polish, or maybe a Jewish dybbuk. Danny has a wry sense of humor and the characters are fun..  This is a fun, non-scary ghost story that will make you want to visit Brooklyn and solve mysterious hauntings with friends. Oh, and visit a local deli.

Michelle in the Middle