Guinness World Records: Just Outrageous!

Title: Guinness World Records: Just Outrageous!

Authors: Joanne Mattern & Ryan Herndon

ISBN: 0-439-79192-8

Pages: 90 pgs.

Format: Non-fiction

Summary: The world famous Guinness Book of World Records is among one of the most popular books for kids. This small chapter book version is great for independent readers that want interesting facts without having to read hundreds of pages. Ten chapters focus on different areas of interest such as animals, the human body, Sports, insects, and things that are just plain gross. If you want to know what the most expensive fungus is, what the most tattooed or pierced individual looks like, what flower has the worst stink, or who has the longest hair, than this book is full of fun and outrageous facts to blow your mind and even make your stomach feel a little weak. It is a great read for kids and as I learned even adults.

Cooking Wizardry for Kids

Title: Cooking Wizardary for Kids
Authors: Margaret Kenda and Phyllis S. Williams
ISBN: 0-8120-4409-6
Pages: 314 pgs.
Format: Cookbook (Non-Fiction)

Review:
This is a real cookbook for kids. Not only is it a book of recipes but it is also a basics in cooking type of book, with lots of how-tos and good basic knowledge about food, safety in the kitchen, and preparation tips. There is also lots of information about nutrition, portion sizes, building a well-balanced meal, and maintaining a balanced diet. This book has so many recipes from breakfast foods, to dinners, snacks, and baked goods. I thought it was very thorough in giving a good foundation to tweens on food preparation and cooking. One thing I thought was not quite age friendly was the amount of wording compared to the amount of images or illustrations on each page. I think a non-fiction book geared for tweens and kids aged 9-12 should include many more pictures to build more context on the topic. The authors should realize while their instructions are well written, most kids this age have very limited experience cooking, especially cooking independently. A how-to book should have way more images than this one does. Also I felt that initially the child using this book would need some adult assistance, especially since a lot of the recipes refer to previous lessons or recipes in the book and it requires a lot of flipping around from page to page. Overall, I thought this book was well written for the age group, it just needs a more pictures for kids to be able to use it on their own. I also thought that it was very gender neutral, which is nice, since most cooking books for kids tend to be geared for girls. The cover has a boy and girl cooking and many of the drawings in the book do as well. As a test I had my niece, perform one of the recipes in the book. She is 14 years old so a little over the recommended age group. She made the chocolate chips cookies. She has made them many times before from other recipes, but I think this one was a little easier for her to follow. The only confusing part was that this recipe called for "mix" which is a premade recipe for "mix" that can be used for brownies, other cookies, and cakes. Again, lots of flipping around and the recipes really need to be read completely in advance before attempting them, since it requires other previous steps. Overall, it is a good book for tweens, just needs a little restructuring. The cookies came out well without my help, and she has already been planning other things to make.

Morning Girl

Title: Morning Girl
Author: Michael Dorris
ISBN: 0-7868-1358-X
Format: Chapter Book
Pages: 74 pgs.
Awards: Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

Review: Narrated by both a brother and sister, this book tells in very descriptive words, the story of a Taino family living on a Bahamian Island in 1492. You actually do not learn the year until the very end when, a journal entry by Christopher Columbus is shown in the Epilogue. The sibiings are Morning Girl, since she is an early riser, and Star boy, since he is a night owl. Their narration interchanges by each chapter and gives a look at life from these two very different perspectives. They tell about events that happen to the family, such as their mother losing a pregnancy, an awful storm that destroys most of the village, and their feelings about these situations. It is interesting to see how they are so differently affected by the same circumstances and how even though they are not the closest of siblings, they still love and respect each other. The story ends with an encounter for Morning Girl that implies big change for the family and the village.

At first, I must say that the narration changes by chapter confused me. I did not realize what was going on and got a little lost in the story. There was no explanation of this on the cover, so I think for a younger reader, this too might be quite confusing as most books maintain a consistent narrator at this age level. The book was very descriptive with lots of colorful language, strong imagery, and explanations that really drew upon the readers senses. I enjoyed that fact, since most literature at this level usually lacks this quality. I would even go as far to say that is was almost poetic. This might lose some tween readers that have not been exposed to the use of descriptive language. The author took more than one page to describe a storm, and some younger readers by become bored by that. On the other hand, younger readers that are not exposed to this style, might find that they love it, so it could provide a good introduction to descriptive language in literature. I think tweens can identify with the two narrators even though they are a native Taino people living on an island during the 15th century. The relationship with the brother and sister is very similar to any sibling relationship, and it is interesting to get both sides of the same story from two very different perspectives. Most tweens would be able to relate to the same annoyances as Morning Girl and Star Boy. Overall, this is a good quick read with much to learn and relate to for a tween reader.

Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day

Title: Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day
Author: Gary Paulsen
ISBN: 0-385-90911-X
Format: Chapter Book
Pages: 105 Pgs.


Summary: This book by Gary Paulsen, is one of the few that he has written narrated by a girl protagonist. It is a humorous book about middle school student, Molly McGinty and her super organized life. She keeps herself completely and totally organized with a 3 ring binder that has lists, important papers, her schedule, pretty much anything she needs to get through her day successfully, that is until she loses it one day. Uh-oh, we can see where this is going. This also happens to be the day at school where Senior Citizens, a.k.a. grandparents are allowed to visit and follow their grandchildren around school. Lucky for Molly, her grandmother, Irene is the only Senior Citizen that volunteers to come and she is no ordinary grandmother. As the day progresses, chaos ensues due to her out-of-control grandmother, and her missing binder. It is a hilarious and fun read, making the reader eager to turn to the next page to see what is going to happen to poor Molly next.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Author: Eleanor Coerr
ISBN: 0-698-11802-2
Format: Chapter Book
Pages: 79 pgs.


Review: This is the story of Sadako Sasaki, an eleven year-old girl living in Hiroshima, Japan. It is 1955, 10 years after the infamous atom bomb was dropped on the city. The country is still recovering from the devastating loss of life and others are fighting diseases and sicknesses that they developed as after effects of the bombs deadly chemicals. Sadako is a happy, healthy, and energetic child. Her main focus and goal for the upcoming year when she enters junior high, is to make the track team. As she practices her running, she begins to develop dizzy spells and weakness. At first she thinks she is just overexerting herself, however after collapsing at school and going to the hospital, she learns she has leukemia, (the atom bomb disease). She becomes upset that she has to stay in the hospital for treatment, and is missing out on her opportunity to run. Then her feelings change to fear, not just of missing out on her dream, but of dying. There are so many things she still has to do with her life. So many things she has left to accomplish. A friend reminds her of an old folktale, when a person gets sick, of if they fold one thousand paper cranes, they will be cured of their ailments and live a long and prosperous life. She begins making paper cranes, and everyone gets involved by bringing her paper and hanging them up around her room. She makes paper cranes for months. Usually I do not like giving away the ending, but some might already know the story of Sadako. She eventually grows weaker and the cancer takes her life. Her legend lives in Japan and they even have a day of peace commemorating her life and death and the others that suffered the consequences of the bomb. This book is very appropriate for tween reading. It brings up topics of war and death and I think children of this age group need to be aware of. Many children are diagnosed with cancer at young ages, and other children can help and learn from these situations. It should not be a taboo topic for tweens or even younger children. It is important for young tweens to be aware of wars too and the reasons for war as well as the consequences of war. This book does an incredible job telling one person's story and how war affected their life. It is not gruesome or violent, but does a valid job of describing the situation. It goes into the feelings and emotions of Sadako and her family, and I feel it is a very appropriate book for most tweens to read. This would be a great book to read as a class as well, since the themes give a good opportunity for class discussions on war and disease. This book an excellent tween read.

Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio

Title: Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio

Author: Tony Johnston

ISBN: 0-439-18936-5

Format: Chapter Book-Fiction

Summary: Arturo Rodriguez is eleven years old and growing up in the barrio of Los Angeles. His family emigrated from Aguascalientes, Mexico in search for a better life in the states. However life in the U.S. is a lot different than Mexico, especially living in the barrio. There are gangs, drugs, and violence. Through his story, Arturo shows that any small goodness in this setting makes a big difference. He shares stories about his neighbors, teachers, friends, and the other families that are in his life and how these people make a difference. It is the little things that brings them together and bonds them in the barrio which can be an ugly place. It is also through these small actions, that makes gives Arturo a lot of hope for his future.

"In life there is bueno and there is malo. If you do not find enough of the good, you must yourself create it. Remember this thing - any small goodness is of value."

Lucky Breaks

Title: Lucky Breaks

Author: Susan Patron

ISBN: 1416939989

Format: Chapter Book

Pages: 176 pgs.

Review: So Lucky is back in a new tale about growing up and learning some valuable life lessons in the old town of Hard Pan. In this sequel to The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky makes a new friend, Paloma, from L.A. She also works for her adoptive mother Brigitte, in her small weekend cafe. She is also on the verge of turning eleven and that means opening the doors to a new life for Lucky. She is back to her adventurous ways, but is also learning a tough lesson in what it takes to be a good friend, not only to others but to herself. This sequel does a great job in tying up the themes presented in the Higher Power of Lucky. It continues with the search for self identity and belonging which is a common tween theme. Many readers can find themselves identifying with the issues that Lucky faces, I did as well even as an adult! The author presents typical tween issues such as self identity, future plans, becoming more independent, and learning to take responsibility for your own actions in an interesting and relatable way. Again, the story is interesting and as a reader, I found myself wanting to be friends with Lucky and all the people in Hard Pan. This story also great for tweens with issues such as living with a single parent, being adopted, having an incarcerated parent, and living with limited means. At points the lessons learned, dig drag on a bit and I found myself becoming a little bored with some of the conversations but I feel this is just my old age! I recommend this book as a great follow up to the original.

Justin Bieber

Title: My World 2.0

Author: Justin Bieber

Format: Music Album

Release Date: March 23, 2010

Summary: Justin Bieber is an internet sensation, posting his singing skills on YouTube and eventually getting a contract with a record label. Known for his baby doll face and never-out-of-place hair, young tweens and teens go gaga over Bieber. His music is very catchy and deals with typical tween topics such as love, crushes, and indecisiveness. The language is very tween appropriate and topics are not too risque for a younger audience.

The Higher Power of Lucky

Title: The Higher Power of Lucky
Author: Susan Patron
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
ISBN: 1-4169-0194-9
Format: Chapter Book
Pages: 134 pgs.
Awards: Newbery Medal


Review: Lucky is a 10-year-old girl who has lost her mother in an accident and is being raised by her father's first wife, Brigitte. Her father never wanted to have kids, but supports the two of them financially. They live in a small Californian desert town called Hard Pan, population 43. Throughout the book Lucky is trying to find what the anonymous meetings she eavesdrops on have already found, her higher power. She struggles with her place in life. She wonders is Brigitte, her legal guardian, really has plans to move back to France. She fears being an orphan. Throughout the book she does a little soul searching, decides to run away, and finds in the end that her perceptions of reality might be a little off. Does she ever find her higher power or become an orphan? Reading the story is the only way to find out. This book is a very motivating and heartwarming story for any pre-teen. Even though Lucky is only a 10 year old protagonist, she deals with issues that many teenagers do not have to deal with and she is quite mature and experienced for her age. Her attitude and actions are inspiration for a younger audience and while most tweens may not be in a similar situation as Lucky, her character brings out a friend in us all.

The Glass Cafe

Title: The Glass Cafe

Author: Gary Paulsen

ISBN: 0-385-32499-5

Format: Chapter Book

Pages: 99 pgs.

Review: In this quick read by Gary Paulsen, we have 12 year old Anthony single child of Alice, aka Al, an exotic dancer. Al is a great mother, provides for her child, has nightly reading discussions with her son, cooks everyday for them. Tony is a wonderful son, helps his mom with chores around the apartment, does odd jobs for the landlord around the complex, and does well in school. Things are going quite well for this family, until Tony learns he is a very talented drawing. While this might be an exciting discovery for other kids, Tony's drawings cause him quite a bit of trouble . . . with the state! Some things go down and well, the outcome is not quite as one would expect. This is a great quick read for any tween. The language is fun and very interesting and Paulsen does a magnificent job developing Tony as a character. He feels like an instant friend. I also think while some of the subject matter is a more for a teen audience, Paulsen does a great job toning it down for younger readers without taking away from the plot at all. There is lots of material that current tweens can relate to in this book which makes it a great read for any 10-14 year old.

Fantastic Mr. Fox Movie

Title: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Author: Based in the book my Roald Dahl
Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman
Release Date: 11/25/2009
Format: Film/Movie

Summary: This film is based on the book by Roald Dahl in which three farmer's are trying to kill the fox that is constantly stealing from their farms. They join forces and hunt down the fox, only to be outsmarted by him again and again. It is a story about friendship and trust and closely follows the original plot of the book. A good family movie. Although, while adults may find the use of the word "curse" in place of explicatives to be funny, some younger audiences might not understand it, causing some uncomfortable explanations.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Title: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Author: Roald Dahl

ISBN: 0140328726

Format: Chapter Book

Pages: 90 pgs.

Review: Boggis, Bean, and Bunce, who are three unpleasant farmers that are being terrorized by a fox. This fox steals chickens, cider, and turkeys in order to feed his family. The farmers are tired of him so they plot together to kill him. Their plan is to ambush his living hole. However, Mr. Fox is quite the sly fox and digs from his hole all the way to the farmer's farms to steal right from under their noses. It is a story of strategy and revenge. Who comes out on top? Mr. Fox or the farmer's? You'll have to read to find out! This book was a great read aloud to a 4th grade class. They were very involved in the plot as each chapter left a cliffhanger to look forward too. The language is very appropriate for the tween age group and would be a great read for reluctant readers. There are illustrations and short chapters to motivate those not quite interested in reading. However, this book is recommended for readers of all ages.

Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened

Title: Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened

Editor: Jason Rodriguez

ISBN: 978-0-345-49850-2

Format: Graphic Novel

Pages: 150 pgs.

Awards: Nominated for an Eisner Award

Summary: This book is a collection of stories created from old postcards and the messages that were left on them. The writers created fictional stories built off of the context of the postcards that they found in antique stores. They use the locations shown on the cards, the inscriptions left by unknown authors, and any other clues left behind to develop a story. Many are heartfelt, some are scary . . .

The Tent

Title: The Tent

Author: Gary Paulsen

ISBN: 0-440-21919-1

Format: Chapter Book

Pages: 86 pgs.

Review: This is the story of Steven and his single father Corey. Corey works two full time minimum wage jobs. They live in a trailer, and do not have money to make ends meet. Corey comes up with a crazy get rich quick scheme. He decides to pose as a traveling preacher in order to profit off of other people's tithes and offerings. Steven is very hesitant about this new venture, but does admit, a new life with money seems more appealing than the life they are currently living. Soon they have others join in on their scam. Jamey and Davis pretend to be the "healed" people that come to the tent, in order to maximize their profits. Throughout the book, Steven is bothered by the feeling that they are doing something terribly wrong. That they are stealing from people and playing on their hopes and faith for their own personal gain. However, once his dad starts giving him half of all the earnings, he begins to get comfortable with the ridiculous sham they are pulling. It becomes difficult to focus on the negative connotations when they are becoming so rich from it. With all the new things he could buy, his objections leave him. The ending presents a good look in to the human mind and soul and how behavior changes from experiences. The audience for this book is young adults, but I feel anyone can benefit from this quick read about the moral and ethical dilemmas we face in life. It is well written, and grasps the reader immediately and really develops the characters in under 100 pages. I would recommend this book as a leisure read, or a curricular piece for the classroom.

The Tale of Despereaux

Title: The Tale of Despereaux
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Timothy Basil Ering
ISBN: 0-439-69268-7
Format: Chapter Book
Pages: 270 pp.
Awards: Newbery Medal


Review: Despereaux Tilling is a small mouse who finds himself in a very scary situation. He accused and imprisoned for causing the death of the Queen during a dinner party because of a silly obsession with soup. It is the story of his trial and the people involved in it, as well as a story of love, music, and light. It includes characters such as Princess Pea, Roscuro the Rat, poor Miggery Sow, the Mouse Council, and more. It is broken up into four books each told from the different viewpoints of the main characters. It is about making friendships out of impossible circumstances and being a friend in one's true time of need. The audience for this book can be any young person open to the idea of hope, friendship, and determination. I found this book to be a classic tale that any child will enjoy. I read it to a 2nd grade class, and they were enthralled from the very beginning, asking me to read more and more each day. I also believe it is a story that speaks to readers of all ages not just children. I think we can all relate to Despereaux and some of the other characters making it a memorable experience for all.

Tuck Everlasting

Title: Tuck Everlasting

Author: Natalie Babbitt

Format: Chapter Book

Pages: 139 pp.

ISBN: 0-312-36981-6

Awards: ALA Notable Award

Review: Winnie Foster, a young 11-year old girl who meets a very interesting family. She lives in a quaint cottage in the town of Treegap. Her family owns a wood that has a water spring giving the drinker eternal life. The Tuck family find that out the hard way, drinking from the spring and finding out that they can never die. They share their secret with Winnie, asking he never to tell anyone, but also to consider drinking from the spring in order to join them when she gets a little older. This is a tale of a young person trying to find their way in life. Learning how to make their own decisions, and learning to trust others and themselves. I found it to be a wonderful story for young readers. It is a coming of age tale, told in a manner that has the reader questioning their own thoughts and beliefs about how they might act if they were in Winnie's shoes. The audience for this book, is any young person learning how to develop their own mind, and wanting relate to someone who has to make some pretty tough choices, following their heart, or conforming to the rules imposed by parents and other authority figures. It is magical, page turning, and a timeless tale that would grip any young reader.