Of Gods and Boys (and Girls)
DianeThe underworld stinks! Ten year-old Hades is on a quest through the smelly underworld with his companions, Zeus and Poseidon; fighting Titans, dodging monsters and avoiding licks from a...
View ArticleLocked in the Library
DianeEscape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is a delightful treat for readers of all ages. This fast-paced, quirky puzzler by Chris Grabenstein is nothing but fun. Kyle Keeley is a 12-year-old boy used...
View ArticleMutiny in the Art Box
DianeProtesting crayons? What do they have to complain about? Duncan finds out in The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. Duncan reaches for his crayons one day and gets a pack of protest letters...
View ArticleAn Example for the Kids
DianeMost people count sheep to fall asleep. Dani counts happy thoughts. My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz tells the tale of a little girl just starting school as she deals with first day of school...
View ArticleStarting Over
DianeForty years after World War III decimated the world’s population with its Green Bombs and catastrophically altered the Earth's landscape, a young girls leaps off a mountain without a parachute....
View ArticleImagination Run Wild
DianeWhere would you take an injured baby dragon? To the imaginary veterinary if you are lucky enough to have one in town. The Sasquatch Escape is the first book in the Imaginary Veterinary series by...
View ArticleNoodlekugel Nuttiness
DianeNick and Maxine are off on another adventure with their babysitter in Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice by Daniel Pinkwater. In this delightful sequel to Mrs. Noodlekugel, the four mice friends...
View ArticleWithout a Trace
DianeMissing books and a missing dog are the focus of two fabulous new picture books. What is happening to all of the stories in Burrow Down? In The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty and Thomas Docherty, a...
View ArticleArt for Art’s Sake
DianeA boy’s first summer of independence and puppy love is described in the charming novelette, Meeting Cézanne, by Michael Morpurgo. Set in 1960’s Provence, France, Meeting Cézanne tells the story of...
View ArticleGame On!
DianeThe son of two famous stage magicians, Max Flash is himself a great escape artist, contortionist and illusionist. These very qualities prompt his parents’ true employer, the Department for...
View ArticleNot While I’m Eating!
DianeInviting the reader to imagine a time traveler going back to early America, Ick! Yuck! Eew!: Our Gross American History by Lois Miner Huey makes history come alive. Describing American history in...
View ArticleA Year in the Life
DianeBilly Miller is about to start second grade and is very worried. He hit his head in a fall over the summer and is worried he won't be smart enough for school. Reassuring him, his father tells him...
View ArticleRuh-Roh! Which Way Should We Go?
DianeScooby-Dooby-Doo! Now young readers can join the gang and help them solve mysteries in the new series You Choose, Scooby-Doo! by multiple authors. With 10 or more possible endings in each book,...
View ArticleOld Friends are New Again
DianeTwo beloved children’s book characters are featured in a couple of new series for young chapter book readers. Author Megan McDonald adds to her Judy Moody and Stink collection of stories with Judy...
View ArticleBy Kids for Kids
DianeTwo new novels written by children for children are sure to inspire any young writer. Young author Jake Marcionette hit the bestseller list at 13 years old with his debut novel, Just Jake. Jake...
View ArticleInnocence Lost
DianeKoji Miyamoto’s 13th birthday is quickly tarnished by the attack on Pearl Harbor. As a half-Japanese American during World War II, Koji’s life dramatically changes on that fateful day. Gaijin:...
View ArticlePower to the Little People
DianeIsobel is the strongest, fastest, fiercest bunny in her Bunjitsu school, yet she tries her hardest to never hit anyone. Faced with tough challenges such as getting into a locked room, facing down...
View ArticleFish in a Tree
Diane“Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.” — Mr. Daniels quoting “a wise person” in...
View ArticleThe Terrible Two
DianeIn the battle of the pranksters, there can be only one winner. In The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John, prankster Miles Murphy, already disgusted at having to start a new school in a tiny...
View ArticleThe Lost Track of Time
DianeReminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, The Lost Track of Time by Paige Britt is a delightful, charming fantasy perfect for the middle grader. Penelope is an overscheduled young...
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