11 Birthdays

Title: 11 Birthdays

Author: Wendy Mass
Level: 9-12 Years

Location: J Mass

It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited -- after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating itself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell...

Bottomline:  This was a fun quick read about true friends who need to mend their wounded friendship and it takes a repeating birthday to get things right.  The main characters are endearing and when they become selfless and start helping others is when they really shine.  I love a story when everyone is better off in the end!  Great story and written well for the younger reader.

The Memory Bank

Title: The Memory Bank

Author: Carolyn Coman, Rob Shepperson (Illustrator)
Reading Level: 8 to 12
Location: J Coman

The Memory Bank is the story of Hope Scroggins, who lives with her beloved sister Honey and the Dursley-esque parents they share. In fact these parents are SO horribly awful that one day, when the sisters disobey the rule against "no laughing", they banish Honey forever, telling Hope that she must simply "forget" her.


Hope knows that she HAS to find her sister again, before her memories of Honey fade. But before she can even begin to look, she's whisked away to the World Wide Memory Bank, where her accounts are in disarray...

There she learns about the process of how dreams and memories are kept safe. She also learns that there's a group of misfits called the Clean Slate Gang who want to destroy the Memory Bank, and all of the dreams and memories kept there. What she doesn't know is that Honey has been picked up by the Clean Slate Gang, and they're heading right for the Memory Bank.

The story of how Hope makes her way through this brewing conflict and rescues her little sister is full of tension and suspense, set in a vividly imagined world of strange machines and wonderful characters.


Bottomline:
I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved the main character, Hope, as she searches for her abandoned sister, Hunny, and her adventures in the Memory Bank. I hated the horrible parents who just don't care about their children and abandon Hunny because she was laughing too much? Why are author's writing about these horrible, neglectful, apathetic parents? What's the purpose? Anyway, this book had great illustrations that augmented the story. What I didn't understand was the extra storyline of the misfit children trying to sabotage the Memory Bank with lollipops? And the ending was a bit ambiguous. Anyway, overall it was a cute book!

Chester's Masterpiece

Title:  Chester's Masterpiece
Author:  Melanie Watt
Reading Level:  Picture Book
Location:  JE WATT

Chester is back with his fat red marker! After stealing author Melanie Watt's art supplies and eating her computer mouse (which, by the way, tastes like chicken), Chester decides that he will write a better story than Watt ever could. In his first attempt at storytelling, Chester steals the lines from a familiar Christmas poem with a few additions of his own. Watt decides to inform Chester of his mistakes and attempts to assist him in his writing venture through post-it notes. After learning what elements make up a story, Chester makes a couple interesting attempts and gloats until his marker finally runs out of ink.

This humorous installment in the Chester series goes beyond the predecessors by having Chester write most of the narrative. A real treat the continuation of having Chester writing the inside flaps of the book cover and copyright page. His mischievous nature comes out in the narrative and also in his little drawings. What makes this series particularly interesting is the artistic style. Watt uses a combination of 3D-Computer, pencil, and watercolor that makes it a feast for the eyes. Many of the pages consist of lined paper where Chester, who is done in watercolor, writes with his red marker. The author's voice is made apparent by using post-it notes written in pencil usually scolding Chester.

Bottom Line:  All of the Chester books are just so much fun to read and this one is no exception.  This is a  great story to help teach preschool to second grade about elements of a story and still have fun doing it.  Even if you are a child at heart, you will love this book and Watt's storytelling.

10 Minutes till Bedtime

Title:10 Minutes Till Bedtime

Author: Peggy Rathmann

Reading Level: Juvenile Easy

Location: JE Rathman

This wonderful book has very few words, which makes it all the easier for it to capture your imagination. Peggy Rathmann is also the author of Caldecott Medal winner Officer Buckle and Gloria. The story begins with a father telling his son he has 10 minutes till bedtime. The oblivious man doesn't notice the parade of tourist hamsters coming to visit his house. The hamsters' antics with the boy are adorable. Young children will enjoy trying to find all the hamsters while older ones will catch the humor and enjoy spending time with the pictures.

The Bottom Line: This is one of my favorite childrens' books. It is available as a picture or board book, but it is adaptable to most ages and makes a great bedtime story. I still find new funny things each time I look at it. Highly recommended!

The Graveyard Book

Title: The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

Location: YA Gaiman

Reading Level: Young Adult and kids 8 and up

Nobody Owens is a pretty weird name for a normal little boy, but Bod does not live an ordinary life. Bod lives in a graveyard with his adoptive ghost parents, his protector and graveyard caretaker, Silas, and all the other ghostly inhabitants. Now it may seem like a graveyard would be a terrifying place to live, but most of the ghosts are kind, and even though Bod is alive, they accept him as one of their own. However, the graveyard does house some very frightening and dangerous apparitions. The demented ghouls, who move between this world and a dark, evil dimension, are always searching for a new recruit to their ways. As well as the Sleer, an ancient spirit that protects the oldest grave. Deep below the earth, the Sleer guards an aged treasure and is always on the lookout for a new master to ensnare in its lair. Although these creatures seem scary, the real danger lurks in the world outside the old graveyard. The man named Jack seeks for the baby, now boy, who escaped from his murderous clutches. Bod loves life in the graveyard, but he yearns for the real world and all of its knowledge. Will he always exist as he is in the graveyard, alive but not really living? Or will he be able to face the man Jack and claim a life for himself outside the graveyard’s walls?

This was a fun, mysterious, and imaginative read. Bod is such a well written, engaging character that young people will instantly relate to him and enjoy accompanying him on his adventures. Neil Gaiman is an extremely talented writer and he seamlessly weaves scary moments into Bod’s everyday existence without the story ever becoming too frightening. The many intriguing ghosts who people Bod’s existence add an enchanting supernatural aspect which helps to make this book so unique. The Graveyard book is truly Gaiman at his best!

The Bottom Line: I know I did not do justice to this amazing book. It is unique, heartfelt, and utterly enjoyable. It won the Newberry Medal for a reason so give it to kids and teens who like fun characters and a suspenseful yet good-natured tale.

series review: Pebbles Plus Looking at Animal Parts

Title: series review of Let's Look At

Author: Wendy Perkins

Location: JNF

Reading Level: children

The titles in this series are for young children. Each spread has 2 lines of good sized text and a full page picture. There is a simple 5 word glossary at the end. Great photos of the animals that children are sure to love. Although not all pictures demonstrate the text, most show exactly what the words describe.

Bottom line: This is a good series to introduce animal parts, how the part is used, and how they are adapted for different animals. The titles can be used with preschool aged children. Indian River owns the following titles: Let's look at animal teeth, eyes, ears, and feet.

Series review: Wild Animal Families

Title: Series Review: Wild Animal Families

Author: Jan Latta
Reading Level: Children
Location: J non-fiction

The pictures in these books vary in size from full page to almost wallet sized, but they are all close up and demonstrate the text. The text is a decent size and simple with the amount of text varying from a couple sentences to a paragraph. The bold faced terms are not all explained in the text, but are still simple enough that a parent can explain each as the book is being read. Some of the pictures will help with this. A glossary is included as well as facts about the animal and a map of where the animal lives naturally. Preschoolers to about 7 years old would probably enjoy the series. Titles we own in this series are: Timba the Tiger, Lisa the Lion, Ella the Elephant, Rudy the Rhinoceros.

Bottom Line: A good series to learn more about animals through personalized animal families. Plenty of good pictures.

Series Review: Baby Animals

Series Review: Baby Animals

Author: Alice Twine

Location: J non-fiction

Reading Level: Children

The titles in this series are for young children. Each book is written simply with just a couple sentences per page. Words that may be new to the child are in boldface with a picture to show it's meaning at the end of the book. The pictures are focused on the elephant (s) with just the landscape in the background. Children will enjoy the closeups of the baby elephant. Titles Indian River Library owns in this series are: Baby Elephants, Bears, Horses, Alligators, Kangaroos, and Cats of the Wild.

Bottom line: This is a good nonfiction series for young children. I like it and will be reading these books to children. If your young boy isn't interested in picture books, can't find the subject in picture books or wants something real, try these.