Charming, charming, charming! Delightful illustrations, a terrific minimalist story line, a clean attractive layout, AND a subtle yet effect moral all rolled into one. Norris the bear is waiting for a plorringe that "smells of honey and sunny days" to ripen, but soon his solitary vigil is interrupted by a racoon and a mouse who also have designs on the plump fruit. Norris is patient, but the interlopers are excitably curious and a little greedy. When the wait is finally over the plorringe falls right onto Norris and the two smaller animals look on with envy as the bear peels the delicious treat. However, Norris is true to the book's title and teaches his companions by example that sharing is much better than selfish.
This is another "must have" for every home, pre-school and lower grade library. The pictures and story are a prefect match and there's a wonderful tension in the text that keeps readers wondering how everything will turn out. Between the captivating illustrations and the text, it is clear that Norris is a very wise bear, but the whole story is so delightfully woven that it doesn't come off as overtly moralistic. It's just good storytelling, and the lyrical quality of the text makes the experience even more delightful. The watercolor illustrations in this book are simply gorgeous, full of movement and emotion. Since its arrival in my home it has become a favorite of my grandkids, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to revisit it again and again. Author illustrator, Catherine Rayner, has several other noteworthy books that follow a similar vein. After you've ordered this one (and you really must!) check out both Sylvia and Bird, and Harris Finds his Feet.

Five (really big) Stars: Highly recommended for ages 2-6; perfect for school and classroom libraries; use in connection with teaching and reinforcing sharing behaviors, friendship and empathy. Possible activities: peeling and sharing oranges; sensory explorations such as blindfolded guessing of smells or a "touch box"; make water colors of things you can share; make and take a special treat to a friend or someone in need; watch a video about bear habitats; create a story about how mouse or raccoon teach one of their friends about sharing; have a discussion about what makes a good friend then create a pamphlet, video or podcast telling others how they can be great friends; make leaf collages; or create a list of onomatopoeia words that the bear and his friends might hear then create poems using some of the words.

Several of my students recommended this futuristic thriller to me and after reading it I can understand their enthusiasm. Set in a mysterious enclave refered to simply as the Glade and the Maze, the story tracks the struggle of newbie Thomas and his companions to solve the mystery of the maze and find away to escape before they are killed by the horrific creatures called the Grievers. When Thomas first arrives via "The Box" he realizes his memory has been wiped, but he soon comes to understand that it is his destiny to help the others escape. He picks up clues and allies as the story proceeds until the final show down with the monsters and the "creators" who have trapped the boys there.
     The book is sprinkled liberally with some fast-paced action scenes and I think the author James Dashner was going for a video game effect. Some of the characters (and even some of the plot elements) seem to have been plucked right off the pages of Lord of the Flies. I liked the character Thomas, but he's pretty stereotypical as are the leaders Minho and Alby. Kids who loved Hunger Games or Divergent will probably find this book satisfying enough until the next big dystopia novel arrives. Although there is no actual cussing in the book, readers should be warned that Dashner has created his own swear language and it's pretty easy to tell what real cuss word is being replaced by things like "klunk-head" and "shuck-face." The second book in the series, Scorch Trials, continues to follow the principle characters from Maze as they search for a way to save the dying world. Look for the final installment, The Death Cure, to be released in early October.

Three Stars: Lots of action for grades 7-10. The twin conflicts of solving the maze and discovering who sent the boys to this place sustain interest throughout the novel. Recommended for readers who are video game afficiandos or who enjoyed Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The City of Ember (series) by Jeanne DuPrau. Incarceron (series) by Catherine Fisher, or Unwind by Neal Schustermann.

       One of the best things about going on vacation is the uninterrupted time to just relax and read. This year instead of packing four or five novels into my suitcase, I just downloaded both magazines and books right onto my i-pad. It was a GREAT improvement. I started the vacation with this quick, entertaining read by Jacqueline Davies. 
       Evan and his younger sister Jesse have always gotten along splendidly, especially during the summers when they share the responsibility of running a neighborhood lemonade stand. But this summer things are different. The siblings have just found out that super smart Jesse is going to skip a grade and that means that she'll be in the same class as Evan who typically struggles with school. Resentful and afraid that Jesse's intrusion into his school life is going to ruin everything, Evan withdraws emotionally from his sister and begins a lemonade stand enterprise on his own. A series of misunderstandings, in part because Jesse has minimal "people" skills, pits the two against each other with revial businesses. each kid trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars.
       This quick little book is fresh, funny and easy to read. The dynamics between the two siblings are incredibly realistic and I often found myself relating their interactions to my reactions and interactions with my own brother when we were kids. The plot moves along briskly and never gets bogged down with ancillary side trips, but there's plenty of detail to keep it bright and amusing. Like when Evan discovers that Jesse has sabatoged his lemonade cooler with worms and dirt and a neighborhood mom goes into hysterics. The writing is littered with great turns of phrase that make the characters emotional states delightfully clear. For example, when Evan finally blows his top and calls Jesse some pretty hurtful names, Davies captures that feeling we all have when we hurt someone we love. "The words felt like disgusting spiders running out of his mouth. They were horrible. but it felt so good to get rid of them." Another aspect of the book that recommends it is the subtle inclusion of business practices and practical math. Each chapter heading begins with the definition of a business term like partnership, underselling, and negotiation that sets the stage for the ensuing chapter. Graphs, charts, equations, and snippets of business advice are artfully woven throughout the story.

Four Stars: Recommended for ages 7-12; perfect for classroom and school libraries, or as a classroom read-aloud. Book provides great tie-ins for simple economic concepts and practical math. Pair with books like Lunch Money by Andrew Clements (or any Clements books), How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell, or Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan.

Just got finished reading a fantastic new e-book on my fabulous I-pad that has me really excited about (again!) about the grand possibilities with children's literature in the glorious age of mobile devices. Ironically, The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore is about the joys of living a literary life. Morris is happy living amongst his piles of books, but a tornado (ala the Wizard of Oz) sweeps everything away and 'orris is left devastated by his loss. Fortunately a "book angel" gifts him with a copy of Humpty Dumpty that leads him to a marvelous building brimming with books. Morris loves and cares for the fantastic connection until his time comes to move on and a young girl comes to live in his magical building. The e-book is a combination of animation that is very Pixar in nature, interactive experiences, and of course, endearing text. I'm in love with books about books and writing (rocket Learns to Read, Max's Words, etc.) but this one is really something special. During the experience readers can play tunes on a toy piano, solve jigsaw puzzles, control a storm, spell word with Alphabet cereal and create silly sentences with word books. The animation is stellar quality. The story enchanting. And the whole experience onenyou wNt to visit again and again. The book can be downloaded from the app store for the very reasonable price of $4.99. But that's not even the best part. This book was originally an award winning short film and that download is also available. What a package!
Although the book is sure to appeal to the preschool and younger elementary set, anyone who works with teaching literacy is going to find a treasure trove here. I'm already planning an in-service for our language arts team based on the book because it really showcases the connection between reading and writing, especially writing about your own experiences. This book is charming, charming, charming. Don't miss an opportunity to read...watch...experience this one.

Another pick of the month from Amazon, Blood Red Road is a worthy read in part because of Moira Young's unique writing voice and in part because its heroine, Saba, is gutsy, intense and incredibly strong-willed. Although the story gives us no spectacular innovations, it plays out like a video game adventure, and teens are sure to embrace the unconventional frontier style of both the narrative and the action.  Young chooses to tell the tale in Saba's voice and employs both unconvential spelling and punctuation to achieve the western twang. Here's an excerpt from page 420:
      Yer guess is a good as mine, he says. He looks up at the moon. Time's movin on. They'll be after us by now an they'll follow our trail easy enough. We ain't bin hiding our tracks...There's silence. We're thinkin the same thing. That this is a different order to anythin we've bin through so far. My stummick's squeezed tight. No point pretendin it's gonna be easy, says Jack.
      The plot is basically a quest adventure. Saba's twin brother is kidnapped by black robe assailants and she and her little sister go searching across the brutal wastelands of a future Earth to rescue him. Saba is captured and made to fight in brutal gladiator type contests, but with the help of some renegade dissentents, she escapes and joins up with the outlaw Jack who turns into a potential romantic interest. Together they continue the quest facing violent weather, bands of robbers, hellwurms, and even the decadant self-proclaimed king himself. There's horse riding and arrow shooting and a showdown in the middle of the desert. Good stuff if you like old fashioned "shoot 'em up" stories.
       Young does an excellent job of creating Saba's world and culture. There are a few plot devices that are rather contrived and the minor characters are all pretty stereotypical. The romance between Jack and Saba adds a little bit of spicy interest (nothing graphic), but as a former reader of romance novels, I found it incredibly predictable. Teen readers will probably find it appropriately tittilating. The strongest part of the novel is Saba herself. She reminds me a lot of Mattie in True Grit, but she much less refined. I hope Young brings her back for future adventures.

Four Stars: Recommended for ages 13-17 because of the unconvential writing style, language and sophistication of plot. Readers who enjoyed The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Skin Hunger, Sapphique or WondaLand will defintely like this book.

Here's a great teen summer read that is get a lot of press lately and with good reason. Set in a dystopian Chicago of the future, Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to a particular virtue. The story begins when Beatrice is faced with the decision of making a life-long commitment to a particular faction, but during her testing she discovers that she has special talents which make her a "divergent" a forbidden designation that encompasses the talents of each of the factions. Keeping dangerous secret hidden, Beatrice renames herself Tris and joins the most dangerous factions the Dauntless. During a series of brutal initiation trials, Tris uncovers a plot meant to destroy her society and runs a foul of the powerful leadership of the Divergent.
      The novel is edgy, intense and proceeds at a breakneck pace. The principle characters are well crafted as is the Chicagoan society of the future. Tris in particular is a strong female role model, in fact sometimes the action is downright brutal. The love interest strand is just right for adolescent readers and adds and interesting layer to the story dynamics. Readers who are looking for something to follow up Hunger Games will find this book a satisfying read. Look for two other installments in this series by Veronica Roth.

Four Stars:  Recommended for teen fantasy lovers ages 12-17. Be aware that the book has some violent scenes and some mild language.

Although I loved the first book in this series, Gideon the Cutpurse (published in the US as The Time Travelers) this final installment of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer took me two months to wade through. The plot just wasn't compelling enough to keep me enthralled. I still cared about the main characters Kate, Peter, and Gideon, but I just felt like this book was an elongated effort to get them back to the 21st century and Buckley-Archer utilized a lot of filler to accomplish the task. Basically Kate and Peter are still stuck in the 18th century and their nemisis Lord Luxon is using the time machine to play havoc with American history. The book jumps back and forth between the two plots which are not well interwoven making for bumpy reading experience. In short, I would still recomment the first book and the second book, Time Thief, but readers can read the front flap and then skip to the last two chapters of Time Quake and save themselves the anxiety of plowing through a muddy, tedious plot.

One Star: Book is intended for middle grade readers who are interested in English and American 18th century history. Readers who enjoyed the first two books in the Gideon series will find the final resolutions to all the previous conflicts in this last book.

After I read just the first page of this incredible book I went running in to share it with my spouse. We laughed so uproariously that we decided to read it together, and then we chuckled and guffawed and snorted for the next hour or so as we shared one of the most delightfully inventive kid mysteries to be published in years. To give you just a taste here is the first page to whet your appetite:
       Chapter 1, Chicken Breath. It was a hot, sunny day when I met that crazy chicken.
       So hot that sometimes I think the whole thing may have been a mirage.
       But mirages don't have chicken breath, mister.
       She was a short, tired-looking bird with a funny red comb on her head.
       It looked about as useful to her as a spoon is to a snake.
On the page opposite this text is an illustration of a tired old hound dog lounging in his office with one eye open just enough to see the shadow of the "crazy chick." 
       A product of Dorren Cronin's (you know her from the Click, Clack, Moo series) amazing talent for amusing understatement, The Trouble with Chickens is the first installment of the J.J. Tully Mystery series aimed young readers who are ready to graduate from the I Can Read type books. J. J. is a former search and rescue dog who takes on occasional cases from the barnyard animals. In this premier tale, J.J. is on the scent of a kidnapper who has snatched two young chicks from their coop. Written in the style of an old Sam Spade gumshoe story, or perhaps the old Dragnet TV Series, the prose is composed of short powerful sentences, punctuated by delightful pictures of the animal antics done by illustrator Kevin Cornell. The plot just sails along seguing seamlessly from one side-splitting scene to the next, and you're truly compelled to keep going to find out whodunnit. Quirky characters, great word play and best of all a liberal dose of suspense make this book a must read.

Five Stars:  Highly recommended as a share aloud for kids ages 5-9 or as a read alone for 3rd-5th graders. This is the perfect book to read aloud in an elementary classroom because it has short chapters, superior illustrations and plenty of momentum. Kids who liked Nate the Great or other mystery series are going to really love this book. This is definitely one you want to own.
     

Here are two charming picture books that take a look at those special people in our lives, pets.
      I came across this gem on Amazon's best books of the month and boy am I glad I ordered it. Not only can I use it at school, but my grandkids love it (even though the twins don't quite get the irony yet). Charlie, an adorable basset hound with dangly ears and big floppy paws, is a ranch dog that's trying to teach his junior partner, a frisky little Jack Russel terrier, the ropes of being a working dog. The joke is that Charlie is always three paces behind his little companion, or is taking a little snooze because he's had to "work so hard." The text is written from Charlie's point of view so the illustrations are the only clues that Suzie is actually doing all the work like rounding up cattle, helping in the garden and keeping the homestead free of chipmunks (there's a chipmunk in every picture spread by-the-way). The illustrations are soft and detailed, and although there are humans present we never see their faces because it's the dogs that take center stage. Illustrator Diane deGroat has managed to depict the pups with the most delightfully human expressions while still retaining their realistic doggy-ness.
        This book is exactly the kind of picture book that has both entertainment and educational value in spades. The kids love the pictures of the farm and the appeal of tale about experience watching out for the newbies is universal. But this book is a great way to introduce kids to the sophisticated literary skills of understanding irony and point of view. Exposure to this kind of children's literature paves the way for seeing story as a complex system of layers with more going on than just the basic plot line.

5 Stars: Highly recommended for both home and classroom libraries. Great read aloud for ages 4-7; use as a literary teaching tool for middle grades. After children have enjoyed the basic story a number of times, consider asking questions like "How would this story be different if Suzie was telling it? or the Rancher?", "What is Charlie's real job on the ranch?", "Which dog would you rather have for a pet? Why?" Activities: Plant seeds or work in the garden, visit a farm or ranch, make "Puppy Chow", have treasure hunt to find the chipmunks, make homemade ice cream, make dog prints by using the side of your fist (the paw) and fingers (the toes) dipped in paint, read one of the Carl's Afternoon in the Park by Alexandra Day and compare Carl to Charlie.

        Next is Chester  by Melanie Watt. It doesn't get much more hilarious than this folks. Melanie, an author/illustrator of children's books is trying to work on her latest project, but her fat cat friend Chester with his big red magic marker is determined that he can do a much better job and keeps adding corrections and commentary to Melanie's work. Melanie's original concept features a country mouse, but the tubby tabby insists that his own charming personality and art skills make much better subject matter. The book is kind of a cross between the classic Harold and His Purple Crayon and David Weisner's Three Little Pigs. I've heard this kind of book refered to as "metafiction", but no matter what genre you stick it in, it's simply a rollicking good time. 
       I love this book partly because it pokes fun at the writing process and partly because as a cat owner myself, I understand Chester completely. Cats just seem to want to be the center of attention when it the most inconvienent for their owners, and this book captures the whole exasperating, adorable mess. In addition to the great characters (even the mouse is endearing), the format and clean lines of the illustrations are engagingly straightforward...just perfect for young readers. My 4-year-old granddaughter enjoys the book, but I think kids a little bit older will get the humor a little better than the younger set. There are several other books by Melanie and Chester, but this original is the best of the lot.

5 Stars:  Highly recommended for K-3 as a read aloud. Lots of potential for making inferences, understanding character emotions and motivations, and predictions. When sharing the book help youngsters get the most out of the story by asking questions like "Why is Chester doing that?" or "What do you think Melanie will do now?" or even "Who do you think is right, Chester or Melanie?" Suggested activities: Make your own book, create a sidewalk chalk mural of the things Chester loves, match an Emoticon with each page of the book, use a red marker to draw your own room, write an acrostic poem with your name, make tuna fish sandwiches, curl up with your own cat.