Archive for August, 2015

“…Although the story is fictional, “it is based on real historical events,” award-winning Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch writes in her ending “Author’s Note.” What happens to the lovers, their families, their homeland, demands and deserves far more attention. Both Zeynap and Ali are Alevi Kurds, an ethnic minority about which is little known in the West. […]

“With Once Upon a Line, Wallace Edwards has catapulted himself and his books to the status of must-haves for any home, school or public library.  The USA may have Chris Van Allsburg and most notably The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, but teachers will now be scrambling to use Once Upon a Line instead as the […]

“There’s much excitement in a Tanzanian village when the bicycle library arrives in a cloud of dust. There are bikes for all the children except Anna, who arrives too late. Her disappointment is tangible, but rather than feel sorry for herself, she helps her friends learn to ride their new bicycles. She supports, balances, encourages, […]

“Ben, the youngest of three children in his family, can’t swim yet, or use chopsticks, or see much out the car window. His fifth grader sister gets a report card with marks, and his third grader brother “gets comments for his subjects,” but Ben gets nothing. This leaves the preschooler feeling glum, until his siblings […]

“Evie Brooks is Marooned in Manhattan, by Sheila Agnew, is the story of a 12-year-old girl living in Ireland who is orphaned when her mother dies (her father having been out of the picture for many years) and who reluctantly agrees to spend the summer with her uncle, Scott, as long as she can return […]

“Living in a Tanzanian village means lots of walking. Each day, young Anna makes the long trek to and from her schoolhouse from her home. So when a truck shows up from the bicycle library, it means a great relief for the students. Except they run out before Anna gets one. Disappointed, but excited for […]

“A book like Uncertain Soldierdoes not go down easily.  It burns in your throat with the rising bile of injustice and cowardice and the horrors of prejudice inflicted in war and out.  It churns in your gut and then sits like a heavy meal of reality and history.  Sometimes getting beyond that all is tough. […]

“…As she did in that first book, Rebecca Bender gives us memorable and lovable characters. Her double page spreads provide a close-up look at the developing relationship. Her expressive characters are quite the pair. As you can see from the shared quotes, she uses words that are synonymous to describe their relationship. It allows her young readers to […]

“Summer vacation gets off to a rough start when Mom insists that Pistachio take her little sister Penny to the park. As she pulls Penny along in a wagon, Pistachio lets her mind wander off. Big mistake. Unsupervised, Penny pinches fruit from the grocer’s stand, wades in the park fountain, and climbs over a wall […]

“Ben is not big. He is just a preschooler. His big sister, Robin, gets a report card in fifth grade, and his big brother Joe, in third grade, gets one, too. Ben feels more and more sad throughout the day when he keeps focusing on all the things his siblings can do that he cannot. […]