Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Middle Grade Quick Takes: Toy Academy, Ask Emma, Confusion is Nothing New

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Every now and then, I dive into my TBR, which accumulates at an astonishing rate. This week, I managed to read a few more from the TBR, and wanted to give a quick take on them, since they’ve been out for a while but still deserve some mention.

Toy Academy: Some Assembly Required (Toy Academy #1), by Brian Lynch/Illustrated by Edwardian Taylor, (Jan. 2018, Scholastic), $12.99, ISBN: 978-1-338-14845-9

Ages 7-10

This is the first in a new intermediate/middle grade series, and it’s SO much fun. Grumboldt is a stuffed animal of some sort – he has a somewhat amusing and dubious origin – and desperately wants to belong to a kid of his own. He meets a transforming car robot named Omnibus Squared, who, as it turns out, is recruiting toys for Commander Hedgehog’s Institute for Novelty Academia – The Toy Academy. Grumboldt manages to talk his way into admission, and tries desperately to be a great toy, so he’ll be assigned to a great kid, but he’s got some challenges. There’s a bully (it’s always a soldier, isn’t it?) named Rex constantly bugging him, and he can’t stay awake during Bedtime Prep. When Commander Hedgehog’s arms go missing, though, Grumboldt sees a chance to help out and make good at Toy Academy after all.

Have readers who love Toy Story? (Seriously, who doesn’t?) Give them Toy Academy. It’s sweet, hilarious, and loaded with toy references that everyone – kids and grownups alike – will recognize and get a laugh out of. Brian Lynch is a screenwriter with Minions and The Secret Life of Pets to his credit, so he knows how to write things that kids like. Edwardian Taylor’s art is a perfect match for the wacky, fun storytelling and gives us characters we’ll know and love for books to come: Grumboldt is a lovable plush with mismatched parts; Micro is a lively action figure whose collectable status limits her movement – she’s stuck in a plastic bag, because she HAS VALUE; Commandant Hedgepig is a knockoff, off-brand version of Commander Hedgehog who insists on being called his proper name rather than his emerging nickname, Bootleg. The second Toy Academy book, Ready for Action, is also available, so put these on your series purchase lists if you don’t have them already.  The kids will love them.

Ask Emma, by Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk, (May 2018, Yellow Jacket), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-4998-0647-2

Ages 8-12

Emma is a 13-year-old seventh grader who loves to give advice, whether or not it’s asked for. She decides to start an Ask Emma column, so she can make herself available to all of her classmates at Austen Middle School, but quickly discovers that she’s a bit tone deaf in the process; she tends to push her best friends into doing things her way. She even tries to get the cute new guy, Jackson Knight, to join all the groups she thinks he should and tell her all about himself, but he gives a little pushback, which adds to his mystery. Emma starts getting some negative comments on her blog, and things start going haywire in Emma’s real world, too. When a hurtful picture of Emma starts making the rounds around the school, she decides to nip a potential cyberbully in the bud and takes action.

This is the first book in a new series from The Cupcake Club authors Carrie Berk and Sheryl Berk, and it left me a little wanting. Emma never really sees how self-absorbed she is, or apologizes for the things she does to her best friends. Her friends turn their backs on her when another student that Emma tries to “help” lies to make herself look good, but she never has that aha! moment when she examines her own behavior. A few negative blog comments and one mean picture become an overblown cyberbullying campaign, which, in this day and age, is forward thinking – catch cyberbullying in its early stages, before it becomes something out of control – but her related blog entry makes it sound like she endured a hateful campaign where she was bullied day and night. This one is a little out of touch; maybe an additional purchase where the authors are popular. The additional characters, including Jackson Knight and Emma’s best friends, Izzy and Harriet, seem interesting and I’d like to read more of their stories.

 

Confusion is Nothing New, by Paul Acampora, (May 2018, Scholastic Press), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-338-20999-0

Ages 9-13

Fourteen-year-old Ellie Magari just found out her mother, who left her and her father when Ellie was a baby, has died. Never having known her mother, Ellie tries to figure out who her mother was, especially when her father presents her with a box of her mother’s memorabilia, mysteriously sent to Ellie. She discovers that her mother was the singer in an ’80s tribute band, married her *other* high school sweetheart, and that the band is playing the local college soon. Ellie struggles with learning about her mother and how to grieve someone she never knew, while expressing frustration with her father’s reluctance to talk about her at all. Thankfully, Ellie’s friends, her principal, and an interesting new music teacher are there to help her put together the rest of the missing pieces.

Confusion is Nothing New is good, and yes, I say that partly because I love all things ’80s. (I would make a heck of a playlist to booktalk this book.) But aside from the music, it’s got a solid, readable story, and the characters have incredible heart and humor. Ellie is a likable, relatable character who takes no foolishness when a teacher treats her friend badly; she’s also vulnerable and working her way through big revelations dropped on her throughout the book. I loved her school band friends and the ease of their relationships; their humor, and their loyalty to one another. This one is a good read for tweens and teens – it’s on the cusp of being YA, but not – who want to read about another character figuring it out as best as she can.

 

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade

Penguin, Adventurer, Treasure Hunter: Mr. Penguin has it all!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure, by Alex T. Smith, (April 2019, Peachtree Publishers), $16.95, ISBN: 978-1-68263-120-1

Ages 8-12

Mr. Penguin is ready for an adventure! He opens up a small office, dons a dashing hat, packs a lunch of fish finger sandwiches, and waits for a phone call. When Boudicca Bones, from the Museum of Extraordinary Objects calls him to hunt down a lost treasure somewhere in the museum, he and his sidekick, Colin the Spider, are ready! The only thing is, treasure bandits have escaped from prison and have managed to find their way into the museum, too. It’s up to Mr. Spider and Colin to keep one step ahead of the bandits and keep themselves safe in the process!

Written by the author of the Claude chapter book series, Mr. Penguin is a perfect next step for intermediate readers who are ready to take on meatier chapter books, but aren’t quite ready for that big jump into middle grade fiction. Mr. Penguin is hilariously earnest, often stumbling into situations where his smarter, less verbal colleague, Colin, can save the moment. There’s a plot twist that readers will laugh out loud about

The artwork is largely black and white, with pops of orange to make images pop. If you have Claude fans – and why wouldn’t you? – or have readers that love adventure, hand them Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure.

 

Posted in Adventure, Espionage, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

New NatGeo Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather, by Trudi Treueit/Illustrated by Scott Plumbe (interior) and Antonio Javier Caparo (cover), (March 2019, National Geographic), $16.99, ISBN: 9781426333040

Ages 9-13

The second Explorer Academy adventure picks up shortly after the first adventure, The Nebula Secret, concludes, and the action kicks in pretty quickly. Cruz Coronado is back, and he’s on a mission to get the remaining ciphers that his mother hid around the world before her untimely death. His best friends, Emmett and Sailor, are right in the thick of it with him, and his Aunt Marisol is, too. The evil Nebula group is still trying to get Cruz out of the way, and now, there’s something new afoot; something only hinted at: they want Cruz done away with before his 13th birthday. Could it be something to do with that unusual DNA-shaped birthmark on his arm? We’ll have to keep reading to find out, because that’s all you’re going to get here.

In addition to the globe-hopping mystery, The Falcon’s Feather also talks conservation and preservation; this time, Cruz and his friends save a pod of whales entangled in nets, and, while visiting the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, have a discussion about biodiversity. NatGeo is committed to educating readers about world issues, and this is a great way to do it: put kids in the middle of an adventure and let them experience it! There are all sorts of new gadgets and gizmos in this volume, and Mell, our favorite robot bee, is back. One scientist creates a communication device that allows Cruz to communicate with the endangered whales, and it’s an outstanding moment in the book; Cruz’s world opens up when he not only hears the whales’ songs, but connects them to human understanding. This installment ends on a tense note, assuring that readers (like me!) will be waiting for the next book. The Truth Behind the Fiction section introduces us to the real-life scientists who inspire some of the book’s characters, including a deep-sea submersible pilot, an explorer studying ecosystems and biodiversity, and a geoscientist researching climate change. Color illustrations throughout the book are just gorgeous and will keep readers turning pages. Maps at the beginning of some chapters help place readers when the characters find themselves in a new location.

This series is a no-brainer. Get it on your shelves for your burgeoning explorers/conservationists/secret agents, or just readers who love a good, tight suspense read.

 

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

Middle grade entrepreneurial books kids will want to read: From an Idea to…

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I had a bit of business book success a few years ago when I put Notch’s – the creator of Minecraft – bio on the shelves at my first library, but books about successful businesses aren’t always easy to come by for a middle grade audience. This new series from Case Marketing founder Lowey Bundy Sichol tries to fill some of that gap, taking brands that are uber-popular with tweens and breaking down the companies’ histories, successes, and setbacks.

From an Idea to Disney: How Imagination Built a World of Magic, by Lowey Bundy Sichol/Illustrated by C.S. Jennings, (Feb. 2019, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), $15.99, ISBN: 978-1-328-45361-7

Ages 10-12

From an Idea to Disney is part bio on Walt Disney, part bio on his empire, from Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie to Disneyland, Disney World, and all of Disney’s acquisitions. The chapters are quick, explain business practices in plain language and include callout boxes with definitions for specific business terms. Disney’s story focuses on the development of the family-friendly, inclusive brand, Walt Disney’s desire to create full experiences for families at his parks, and how the Disney family pushed back at what they perceived an over-merchandising of the brand in the 1990s, bringing about a management change that brought Disney back to Walt’s original vision.

Inspirational quotes from Walt himself run throughout the book, and black and white line drawings add visual interest. A Walt Disney Company timeline, bibliography, and source notes round out the volume.

 

From an Idea to NIKE: How Marketing Made Nike a Global Success, by Lowey Bundy Sichol/Illustrated by C.S. Jennings, (Feb. 2019, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), $15.99, ISBN: 978-1-328-53062-2

Ages 10-12

Global athletic shoe giant NIKE began as high school athelete Phil Knight’s grad school project for an entrepreneurship class. Despite pushback from his critical father, he made a go of it, bringing his high school track coach, Bill Bowerman, into the fold. Bowerman would go on to create the “waffle iron soled” sneaker that would grip surfaces better – and ruined his wife’s waffle iron in the process. From an Idea to NIKE concentrates on the value of marketing in NIKE’s success, from athletic endorsements, to the Just Do It campaign, to running different sales channels, including NIKETown stores and the ability to order customized shoes online. The book mentions NIKE’s struggle to survive shortly after going public, when Reebok rose to popularity in the early ’80s; their quest to gain footing in Europe and the soccer market, and dealing with endorsed athlete scandal.

As with From an Idea to Disney, From an Idea to NIKE is loaded with fun facts, business term callouts, quotes from Phil Knight, and black and white line drawings. There’s a NIKE timeline, a list of the brand’s top endorsement deals, a bibliography, and source notes.

If you have nonfiction readers that have an interest in how business or brands work, stick a toe into the water and put a few of these into your collection. They’re quick reads and offer a beginning look into the business world. Focusing on entrepreneurs can be inspirational for readers – consider a book club or program where kids can come up with their own entrepreneurial idea? Have books like Jessie Janowitz’s The Doughnut Fix and Jacqueline Davies’s The Lemonade War handy. Other titles in the series include From an Idea to Lego and From an Idea to Google.

 

 

Posted in picture books

Introducing The Sharing Bees

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Sharing Bees: Kindness Matters, by Antoinette Clark/Illustrated by Russel Wayne, (2017, Royal7Publishing), $19.99, ISBN: 9780997926019

Ages 5-8

The Sharing Bees are a group of bees who play and work together in Honeycomb City. Kindness Matters stars Sadie, a worker bee who loves to share with her fellow bees, especially the adorable baby bees. Sadie heads out to get some pollen and nectar for the hive, along with her best friends, Gabby, Madi, and Simone, but when the rain starts to fall, the bees are worried: they’re loaded with with pollen and nectar, can they safely fly back to the hive? No problem! Sadie encourages her friends to work together, and the bees start sharing their load, spreading out the weight. They arrive home safely, feed the baby bees, and get some praise from the Queen herself!

Kindness Matters has a solid story to tell about teamwork and sharing. The text is a little dense for new readers, so it will work better as a readaloud. The artwork is bright and colorful, and the characters have bee bodies with human heads and antenna, so think about letting the kids make their own antenna headbands as a storytime craft. The characters are a diverse group and have big, expressive eyes and wide, happy smiles.

A cute story about teamwork and sharing, Kindness Matters is a nice additional purchase for collections.

 

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books

History via foldout timeline: A Brief History of Life on Earth

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Brief History of Life on Earth, by Clémence Dupont, (Apr. 2019, Prestel Publishing), $24.95, ISBN: 9783791373737

Ages 6-10

A book that touts the claim, “Book folds out the length of a triceratops”, on the cover is a book that I’m going to stop and read. A Brief History of Life on Earth attempts to put the changes our little blue dot has been through into perspective by creating a foldout book that stretches through time and unfolds to reveal the formation of volcanoes and glaciers; the development of aquatic life, to the dinosaurs, early mammals, and modern humans, ending with a modern-day lakeside scene. Each spread folds out, accordion-style; the illustrations are colorful. Each spread has the noted age and time period (Hadean Age, 4.6 to 4 billion years ago; Proterozoic Age, 2.5 billion to 540 million years ago), and a brief, descriptive paragraph. Upon reaching the end of the Holocene Epoch (11,700 years ago to the present day), readers can flip the page over and look through a timeline of Earth’s first 4.6 billion years, really giving kids an idea of how recently we humans arrived on the scene. The book unfolds to a full 26 feet (8 meters), allowing you to see a truly visual timeline. Just get a lot of volunteers in a large space to hold the pages!

This is a handy book for classroom and library reference, and a fun gift for science fans. In circulation, I know my copy would be dead within the first 3-5 circs. But would I buy a copy to use during science storytimes or Discovery Club sessions? Heck, yes. It’s fun, eye-catching, and informative.

A Brief History of Life on Earth was originally published in the UK in 2017. Reference Readalikes would include the Wallbook Timeline books by Christopher Lloyd and the Welcome to the Museum series.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Customize your own outer space trip with You Choose in Space

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You Choose in Space, by Pippa Goodhart/Illustrated by Nick Sharratt, (Feb. 2019, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781610678018

Ages 3-8

Originally published in the UK in 2017, the latest You Choose book from Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt takes kids on a trip into space where they have an array of choices to customize their journey: they can pick a job, an outfit, try some new alien food, even explore a cool new city on another planet! Led by a girl of color, a caucasian boy in a wheelchair, and a robot dog that looks similar to K-9 from Doctor Who (shout-out my Whovians out there!), the universe is there for every reader’s delight. The rhyming text invites readers to jump in and join the fun, and loads of details on every spread for kids to wander through: the giant cruiser has a gym, movie theatre, laundromat on board; a full-service wardrobe lets kids choose some wild new outfits and wigs; and an intergalactic zoo full of mixed-up animals give you the chance to create some wild new species of your own!

The bright, bold art is playful and kids will love having a new experience every time they pick up the book.  This series is a fun add to your collections and a good gift idea for kids who see reading as an adventure.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, picture books

Two picture book biographies: Charlie Chaplin and Gloria Steinem

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry), by Gary Golio/Illustrated by Ed Young, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9780763697617

Ages 8-12

This picture book bio on silent screen giant Charlie Chaplin starts with Chaplin’s early life in London and his life in a poorhouse; covers his early performing years in London and his discovery by American filmmaker Mack Sennett, and Chaplin’s success in creating his classic Little Tramp. Using verse with occasional moments of rhyme, this is a fantastic way to bring Charlie Chaplin’s movies and life to an audience that, as Kirkus notes, “grow ever more distant”. I remember watching Chaplin’s movies on TV when I was growing up, and later on, as a cinema student in college; I loved his humor, and I loved his social commentary that came across loud and clear. Smile touches on these concepts and Chaplin’s talent to make viewers laugh and cry, sometimes at the time.

Ed Young’s collage and ink artwork is incredible. The collage endpapers are populated with silhouette cutouts; spreads are created using torn paper, fabrics, newsprint, and murky colors. Little Tramp silhouettes show up on almost every spread. The story ends with a photo of Chaplin as Little Tramp, and the beginning and end of the book appear as a silent film title cards.

Back matter includes quotes from Chaplin’s writing, an afterword from the author, facts about Charlie Chaplin, and a list of resources. The author includes a suggested Chaplin viewing list that I’d love to run here at my library. I’ll have to see if I can generate some interest. In the meantime, here’s a clip from The Kid (1921).

Smile has starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Gary Golio is an award-winning author of children’s nonfiction; Ed Young is a Caldecott-winning artist.

Gloria Takes a Stand: How Gloria Steinem Listened, Wrote, and Changed the World, by Jessica M. Rinker/Illustrated by Daria Peoples-Riley, (March 2019, Bloomsbury), $17.99, ISBN: 9781681196763

Ages 8-12

Feminist activist and icon Gloria Steinem’s story is told in narrative text and mixed media art, beginning with her early years as she traveling with her parents and learned in the back of their car. She goes to college, shakes off the “when are you going to get married?” expectations, opting to travel to India. Inspired by the the 1963 March on Washington, she decided to join fight for equality, eventually co-founding Ms. magazine in 1971.

The text is a bit dense, making it a better choice for middle grade readers; short sentences summarize every few spreads to reinforce Steinem’s actions throughout her life: “Gloria watched. She learned. And helped”; “Gloria thought. She questioned. And learned”. The mixed media artwork shows Steinem’s intersectionality, standing alongside people of color at marches and protests. There’s a nice tribute to Steinem’s influence on later generations of young women, with a diverse group holding signs including “Black Lives Matter”, “Where are you going to college?”, and “Resist! Persist!” An author’s note and illustrator’s note each touch on Steinem’s personal influence, and additional back matter includes a timeline of important events in U.S. women’s history, and a bibliography of further resources. The endpapers are renderings of Ms. magazine covers.

A nice addition for Women’s History Month collections and research.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Angry Cookie is working through a bad mood

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Angry Cookie, by Laura Dockrill/Illustrated Maria Karipidou, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536205442

Ages 3-7

Angry Cookie is NOT having a good day. From the first page, he’s mad and he wants readers to know it, calling the reader a nosy noodle and complaining about his annoying roommate, running out of his favorite toothpaste, getting a bad haircut, and having the ice cream parlor run out of his favorite sundae. He’s really, really mad, and there’s nothing you can do about it, you hear? But… once he realizes that the readers are sticking around, paying attention to him, he warms up a little, and lets us in on what’s really bugging him: no one listens to him. Nobody sticks around. Once Cookie realizes that he’s being heard, he softens up and even cracks a smile.

Angry Cookie zooms in on what we all really want: to be heard. And preschoolers, in particular, can relate to Cookie: they don’t want that burning, minty toothpaste, they want the fruity-flavored kind (this has been a HUGE issue in my own home), and they don’t want a stupid haircut, and heaven help us if a sibling is on his or her nerves or if a favorite snack isn’t available. Angry Cookie shows readers that it’s okay to be frustrated by things, and that someone is always there to listen. It’s a fun look at managing emotions, with laughs and snorts to be had along the way. The digital artwork is bright and bold, with all text communicated through word balloons and spoken by Cookie. Cookie is round and has a mop of wild red hair, blue overalls, and big, round eyes.

This is a good one for feelings and emotions collections, and a cute storytime pick. I’d pair with Claire Messer’s Grumpy Pants, The Bad Seed by Jory John, and – naturally – any of Mo Willems’ Pigeon books for a display or storytime on emotions and feelings.

Posted in Intermediate, Non-Fiction

Explore our natural world with Wilderness: Earth’s Amazing Habitats

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Wilderness: Earth’s Amazing Habitats, by Mia Cassany/Illustrated by Marcos Navarro, (Apr. 2019, Prestel Publishing), $19.95, ISBN: 9783791373720

Ages 6-12

There are incredible wildernesses all over the world. Wilderness: Earth’s Amazing Habitats is an introduction to 16 rare plant and animal habitats across the world, from the Amazon Rainforest in South America to the Tropical Rainforest of New Guinea. It’s also a call to action, reminding readers that these wildernesses require protection to keep them safe; Mia Cassany cites deforestation and human intervention as having a disastrous impact on the habitats and the species that live within. So let’s take a look at, as author Mia Cassany says, “the most stunning nature show on earth”!

Beautifully illustrated endpapers bring you into the book with large, colorful tropical leaves – and eyes peeking out of the darkness – drawing you into the wildnerness from the beginning. An opening spread contains an author note on the importance of conservation and preservation, and a world map includes illustrated points where habitat is located. Two-page spreads feature stunning, full-bleed illustrations of every habitats; a brief description gives readers an idea of location and species inhabiting each spot, but it’s the art that’s front-and-center here. Bright, colorful, and lush, we see lowland gorillas peering out of the brush in Kahuzi-Biéga National Park in the Congo; a colorful, day-glo spread starring a panda, wild golden monkeys, and golden pheasants in China’s Qinling Mountains, and a stunning gecko camouflaged against leaves in the tropical rainforest in Madagascar. Back matter provides animal names, locates them on the page (they can be hard to spot!), and a brief, informative paragraph on each.

This is a beautiful coffee table book, and a nice addition to your natural history collections. It’s not a standalone book, but a gorgeous companion book to any unit on habitats and nature studies.