Posts

Image
  Lowe, Mari. (2022). Aviva vs. the Dybbuk . Levine Querido. With the plot centered in the Jewish community of Beacon, this goes from reality to folklore easily. Intertwined with the story the Dybbuk, a Jewish folklore creature like ghosts, is the theme of grief and depression and friendship. While not every reader has had to deal with someone going through depression or loss, friendship is known to most and will be able to relate to the conflict between Aviva and Kayla. Since the story deals with a Jewish creature is makes sense why it would take place in that community and by a synagogue. The author herself is Jewish, so she can add insight into that world that normally does not get much attention in fiction fantasy/sci fi literature. Because the author chose a creature that is based on the Jewish culture, some of the readers may have a hard time deciphering between fact and fiction. “Sometimes I like to imagine I’m a dybbuk, careening through the court like my dybbuk flies thr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Contemporary Book Blog

Image
  Perez, Celia C., (2022). Tumble . Thorndike Press. Young readers will understand and see themselves through Addie’s eyes, trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into their family. It is not until we get to the end of the story, and we see Addie strength of character, knowing who her true family is even though she has not known them for long. Part of Addie weakness, believing her bio dad will be there for her when she needs him, is something that gives her incredible strength at the end. She relies on the people she knows she can trust in. The plot is original, there have not been many fictional stories written about the Mexican wrestling world and the families that are a part of it. Unfortunately, the ending is predictable for a reader who has read things similar in style.   The setting is very niche to the topic at hand, Mexican wrestling, that is the whole bases for the story. There is a cultural overload with all the information about the Mexican wrestling ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Historical Book Blog

Image
  inaldi, Ann. (1999). My Heart Is on the Ground . Scholastic. Throughout the book Nannie Little Rose is at a Native American boarding school in Pennsylvania. Some of the information presented in the book is accurate while others are downplaying, possibly to not have the reader believe the school was as bad as it was. This book is designed to be as thought the main character is writing in her diary so there is not much dialogue The setting is accurate, since there was a boarding school for Native Americans in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The story is the daily life of a young girl and while it is possible that is how life was during the 1880s at a boarding school for Native Americans, the likelihood the children were treating this nicely is not the case. Nannie Little Rose goes onto higher education after boarding school and aside from other children dying due to illness, this is a fairytale version of what happened in these places. This plot is a great example for adults to talk abou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mystery Book Blog

Image
  Ponti, James. (2020). City Spies . Thorndike Press. Brooklynn is a young hacker, how has been recruited to work for M16 agency to help protect the world. The ongoing battle of challenges and missions keeps the reader interested and turning every page. With every mission Brooklyn changes and learns how to grow into an incredible hacker. There is nothing unexplained about what Brooklynn can do as a hacker, the only unknown is how she was caught in the first place. As a great first book in the series the author has the over arching story line that spans the series. So, there is not an immediate resolution to the adventure, but it is what will keep the reader coming back for more. Jam packed with action there is no reason any adrenaline searching young readers who won’t want to keep reading this book along with the rest in the series.   Soontornvant, Christina. (2022). The Last Mapmaker . Thorndike Press. Sai is an apprentice to a famous mapmaker. She wants to get out of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Graphic Novel Blog

Image
  lustrated by Gergely Dudos. Fox & Rabbit: Celebrate . Amulet Books. Fox & Rabbit are a series of graphic novels, each book comes with 3-4 comics inside it, typically all about the subtitles of the book. The plots are easy to understand, but some may not always understand the sarcasm that Rabbit and some of the other animals say. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and they work well with the text, neither one of them overpowering the other. The only odd thing is the noses for each of the animals, they are more snubbed than elongated like they should be. That could be from what the illustrator wanted to do, to make their comics stand out from others or it is also easier to draw the snubbed noses than the others.       Sell, Chad. (2023). The Cardboard Kingdom: Snow and Sorcery . Alfred A. Knopf. This graphic novel has several stories within it all pertaining to either snow or sorcery. The illustrations are wonderful, adding to the fantasy as...
Post a Comment
Read more

Transitional Book Blog

Image
  Butler, Dori Hillestad. (2018). King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth . Peachtree. This book falls best into the level three category although the following items are not exactly listed in the Horning text:   the text does not cover three-fourth of the page sometimes the illustrations cover the page more than the text does. There are illustrations on every page that are used for more than just decoration.     Pizzoli, Greg. (2019). The Book Hog . Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. This book falls into the level one category very neatly, hitting all of the key points: 17–20-point type, average 5 words per line, sentences 5-7 words, words used are mainly sight vocabulary and one-syllable words of 5 letters of fewer and 2-7 lines per page.     Hale, Shannon. (2015). The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party . Candlewick Press. This book falls into level two with one exception: there is not always at least four lines...
Post a Comment
Read more

Informational Book Blog

Image
  Cherry-Paul, Sonja, Reynolds, Jason, and Kendi, Ibram X. (2021). Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You . Little, Brown Company.   All three authors Cherry-Paul, Reynolds, and Kendi, have many awards and accolades between them, from multiple Coretta Scott King awards to being a correspondent with CBS news or being the director of Diversity and Equity at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Colombia University, to say these authors have the background to speak about racism and antiracism would be an understatement. Because this book has been adapted to younger readers from an adult version written by two of the authors, all the information has been vetted already. While the information is narrow about racism and antiracism the table of contents does little to help with distinguishing what each chapter will be about. Each chapter is broken down into segments of years throughout history and what happened during that time pertaining to racism in the Uni...
Post a Comment
Read more