Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina Intermediate, Middle School Candlewick 361 pp. g 9/18 978-0-7636-9049-6 $16.99 Working-class Cuban American girl Mercedes “Merci” Suárez’s life in South Florida consists of spending time with her extended family and attending elite Seaward Pines Academy, where the sixth grader does community service to pay for her tuition. Now […]
Review of The Sinking of the Vasa
August 29, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Sinking of the Vasa by Russell Freedman; illus. by William Low Primary, Intermediate Godwin/Holt 40 pp. g 8/18 978-1-62779-866-2 $18.99 Freedman (posthumously) tells the story of the Swedish warship Vasa, from its tragic sinking to its eventual recovery and restoration as a museum piece. Sweden’s King Gustav II Adolf commissioned the Vasa, intended to […]
Review of Sunny
August 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Sunny [Track] by Jason Reynolds Intermediate, Middle School Dlouhy/Atheneum 163 pp. 4/18 978-1-4814-5021-8 $16.99 e-book ed. 978-1-4814-5023-2 $10.99 As in Reynolds’s two previous novels in the Track series (Ghost, rev. 11/16; Patina, rev. 11/17), sports aren’t really the point here — certainly not for Sunny, the team’s best miler, who decides, just as he’s about […]
Review of Waylon!: Even More Awesome audiobook
August 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Waylon!: Even More Awesome by Sara Pennypacker; read by Christopher Gebauer Intermediate Recorded Books Rev. 11/17 3 CDs 2.5 hrs. 978-1-5019-8150-0 $10.45 Fourth grader Waylon and his classmate Baxter (“the closest thing to a juvenile delinquent [Waylon] had ever encountered”) are dog lovers with a problem: if they don’t find a permanent home for Dumpster […]
Review of The Journey of Little Charlie audiobook
August 16, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis; read by Michael Crouch Intermediate, Middle School Listening Library Rev. 3/18 5 CDs 5.23 hrs. 978-0-8041-6802-1 $45.00 Twelve-year-old narrator “Little Charlie” Bobo is already the size of a man, and when his South Carolina sharecropper father dies in a freak accident, the sheriff suspects Charlie. Charlie […]
August 2018 Back-to-School Horn Book Herald: Intermediate
August 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Stella Díaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez; illus. by the author Roaring Brook 202 pp. 1/18 978-1-62672-858-5 $16.99 Shy, artistic third grader Stella Díaz, who emigrated from Mexico to Chicago, is self-conscious about her accent and occasional English blunders. She’s also worried about being in a different class than best friend Jenny. Supportive […]
Review of The House That Lou Built
August 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio Intermediate, Middle School Lamb/Random 233 pp. 6/18 978-1-5247-1794-0 $16.99 Library ed. 978-1-5247-1795-7 $19.99 e-book ed. 978-1-5247-1796-4 $10.99 Lou Bulosan-Nelson dreams of building houses, and when her mother announces plans to leave San Francisco for a better-paying job in Washington State, Lou decides it’s time to build a […]
Review of The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America
August 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America by Jaime Hernandez; illus. by the author Primary, Intermediate TOON 48 pp. 4/18 978-1-943145-28-7 $16.95 Paper ed. 978-1-943145-29-4 $9.99 Spanish ed. 978-1-943145-30-0 $16.95 Spanish paper ed. 978-1-943145-31-7 $9.99 Three amusing and enlightening folktales full of action, magic tricks, and fantasy are presented in a spirited and lively comic-book […]
Review of Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams
July 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Lesa Cline-Ransome; illus. by James E. Ransome Primary, Intermediate Wiseman/Simon 48 pp. 7/18 978-1-4814-7684-3 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-4814-7685-0 $10.99 Wife-and-husband team Cline-Ransome and Ransome celebrate tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, focusing on their formative childhoods and the way their preparation and talent fundamentally changed […]
Review of Front Desk
July 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Front Desk by Kelly Yang Intermediate Levine/Scholastic 298 pp. 5/18 978-1-338-15779-6 $16.99 e-book ed. 978-1-338-15780-2 $10.99 Mia Tang, a resourceful and indomitable ten-year-old, takes on front desk duties at the Calivista Motel, where her parents are managers and 24/7 workers. Having been in the States (from China) for only two years, Mia’s parents are thrilled […]
