Word of Mouse by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

• Genre:  Fantasy/Animal Story
• Grade Level: 3rd - 7th
• Reading Level: 4.5  (5.0 pts)
• Length: 304 pages 
• Publisher: jimmy patterson (December 12, 2016)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability:  Fun, Fast, and Easy to Read!   Great pictures, short chapters, wonderful writing.
• Division 1 and Crossover

This book is well written and a wonderful story.  It is written by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein who are some of the best authors in the literary world.  It is also features wonderful illustrations by Joe Sutphin. I highly recommend this book to readers and it would also be a great read aloud. 

Isaiah is a blue mouse who was raised in a test laboratory and can read, type, and is exceptionally smart. He will also probably live much longer than regular mice due to the way he was experimented on. The story opens with Isaiah escaping from the lab, however, the rest of his family or "mischief" of mice were captured from the break out.  So Isaiah has to learn how to survive out in the world. He meets a family of mice and girl who help him to go back and try and rescue his family who are still in the laboratory. 

Each chapter starts with a quote by Isaiah. It is a short saying that hints at what the chapter will be about. For example, Chapter 10:  "Hope is putting faith to work when giving up would be easier." --Isaiah.  In this short chapter Isaiah is looking for food when he hears a mouse singing and follows the song because he is so enamored by the voice. 

The pictures are adorable! Short chapters, pictures, great story, a lesson on using animals for testing, and wonderful lead character  - who could ask for more in a book for kids.  

Ivy by Katherine Coville

• Genre:  Fantasy
• Grade Level: 2nd - 4th 
• Reading Level: 3rd
• Length: 146 pages 
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (March 7, 2017)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability:  Fun, Fast, and Easy to Read!   
• Division 1
  
  Ivy's grandmother takes care of animals in their village. She takes care of wild animals and even magical animals.  When the new queen is scheduled to come visit the village, the townspeople tell Ivy and her grandmother that they have to clean up their yard because of the mess. Except, they don't have time, especially when an griffin crash lands in their yard and a sick dragon shows up along with lots of pixies. Turns out the magical creatures are being sent away from other villages and the trolls are taking over with their mischief and mayhem. Lots of fun to read how the problems are resolved.
  
  This is another recommendation by Amazon for best book for ages 6-8 in March.  A great choice!

Hazy Bloom and the Tomorrow Power by Jennifer Hamburg

• Genre: Humorous/School Story/Touch of Fantasy
• Grade Level: 2nd - 4th 
• Reading Level: 3rd
• Length: 176 pages 
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (February 28, 2017)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readabiltiy:  Funny, Fast, and Easy Read!   
• Division 1

Hazy Bloom is a spunky 3rd grader who one day has a vision of peas flying through the air.  The next day in the cafeteria, a food fight happens and peas are involved!  After more of her visions come true, Hazy and her best friend Elizabeth decide that she has "tomorrow power" and Hazy can actually see the future. Some of her visions don't come about as she imagines they might and she gets into all kinds of trouble jumping to conclusions.  Where does this unusual talent come by? Her aunt Jenna comes to visit and perhaps Hazy has more of a connection to her than she realizes. 

This will be a fun series for elementary girls. I look forward to more books by this author. There are lots of illustrations throughout the book and diverse characters pictured. 

I got this recommendation from Amazon Editor's Best Book of March 2017 for ages 6-8.  I agree!

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

• Genre:  Historical Fiction/Late 1970's
• Grade Level: 4th - 7th 
• AR Reading Level: 4.7  (10 pt)
• Length:384 pages 
• Publisher: Clarion Books (May 3, 2016)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Readability:  Funny, fast and easy to read. I couldn't put it down. 
• Division: Division 2

Middle schooler Zomorod Yousefzadeh has moved to Newport Beach, CA with her Iranian family in the late 1970's.  Her father is an engineer with the oil industry and has brought his family to live in the United States. Zomorod changes her name to Cindy and does her best to integrate herself into the Californian culture.  Her parents have more difficulty. During this time, the Iran Hostage situation becomes a headline news feature and Cindy and her parents have to cope with prejudiced comments and treatment by Americans around them. 

This book is semi-autobiographical and the author writes with wit and humor. It was very entertaining to read about Cindy's experiences as an immigrant from Iran. The culture and times of the late 70's will be especially interesting to those who were children during this time.

The author explains the history of Iran and what led up to the Iranian hostage situation.  She also has lots of background videos to watch on her website that help with some of the music, history, and culture she writes about.  

Space Case by Stuart Gibb

• Genre:  Science Fiction/Mystery
• Grade Level: 3rd - 7th
• AR Reading Level: 5.3  (11 pt)
• Length:352 pages 
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers;  (September 16, 2014)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Readability:  Fun, Fast and easy to read. I couldn't put it down. 
• Division: Crossover

Dash and his scientific parents and little sister were invited to live on the moon for 3 years. The year is 2040 and a small group of scientists and engineers live on the moon with their families.  They also have one very rich family who are tourists and paid 1/2 billion dollars for a 4 month vacation.  Dash explains that the conditions are crummy, the food is terrible, and he hates the experience. 

One night when he in the communal bathroom after eating a meal that didn't agree with him, he overhears one of the scientists talk about an exciting announcement for the morning.  However, the next morning the scientist is dead. Dash believes there has been foul play and tries to get someone to investigate. He is immediately shut down and sent to his room.  An  investigator from that day's rocket visit comes to his room and asks him to investigate the murder that she believes really did happen. A new girl that also arrived that day gets involved in the murder mystery as well. There is a great ending which led me to check out the second book today.  I don't usually do this!

There is a lot of comedy and dry humor on the part of Dash in this story. A few slapstick scenes are just hilarious.  I enjoyed this book very much and felt that the mystery was well thought out.  I just gave it to a fifth grade teacher to read aloud.  I did warn him about the bathroom humor which some teachers may not wish to read aloud. 

Caveboy Dave by Aaron Reynolds

• Genre:  Graphic Novel/Humor
• Grade Level: 3rd - 6th
• AR Reading Level: 2.5  (1 pt)
• Length:256 pages 
• Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers (November 1, 2016)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Readability:  Easy to read graphic novel for elementary kids
• Division 1
  
  Caveboy Dave needs to go on a caveman ritual to become an adult in caveman society. It is called Baby-Go-Boom ritual.  The team of four cave boys and 1 cave girl have to bring home a dangerous animal they have hunted down. Of course, this adventure has lots of slap stick comedy as they try to outwit the dangers they face.
  
  The back cover says "Imagine a prehistoric version of wimpy kid meets captain underpants." I would have to agree.  This is a good  book for the graphic novel section of the library  for elementary kids.  I don't see it having  the quality or merit for a Maud Hart Lovelace selection.

Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy by Susan Vaught

• Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Mystery
• Grade Level: 5th  - 7th
• AR Reading Level: 4.9  (7 pt)
• Length: 240 pages 
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (March 3, 2015)
• My Rating: 2 out of 4
• Readability:  Story is more complex and confusing, some reports and notebook recordings, mystery, easy for me to put down. 
• Division 2
  
  Footer Davis' mother is mentally ill and has been sent to a hospital many times for her bipolar condition.  There has been a fire in the neighboring farm where the grandfather's body was recovered, but his two grandchildren that lived with him were never found.  Footer goes with her neighboring friends to see if they can figure out what happened. As they sneak around Footer begins have hallucinations.  She wonders if she is also mentally ill like her mother.
  
  If finished the book but it was not compelling reading for me. The mystery did not seem to lead the story. They issues with the mother's illness and how if affected Footer was more predominate. 

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin

• Genre:  Realistic Fiction
• Grade Level: 4th - 6th
• AR Reading Level: 4.5  (5 pt)
• Length:176 pages 
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (June 16, 2015)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability:  Easy to read, more of a slower, introspective and emotional story.
• Division 2 and Crossover 

Ruby is 11 years old and has lived with her aunt since she was a small. Her single mother in in jail for at least 25 years as an accomplice to murder because of being at the crime scene with her boyfriend. The summer before middle school, Ruby makes a new friend in her condo complex.  It is the first time she has had such a great friendship but she fears that her past will catch up with her if she tells her friend about her life.

This novel shares the questions and emotional problems that Ruby faces about her past, her mother's past and how she deals with having a mother in prison. 

Red Butterfly by A. L. Sonnichsen

• Genre:  Free Verse/Realistic Fiction
• Grade Level: 4th - 7th
• Reading Level: 5.1
• Length: 385 pages 
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 3, 2015)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readabiltiy:  Started out slow for me but was a quick read as I got into the book. 
• Division 2 and Crossover 

Kara was abandoned in China as a baby because of a deformity; she has only two stubs on one of her hands instead of fingers.  She is taken in by an American couple teaching English in China.  When they need to leave, because of  government policies, they are unable to take Kara and so the mother stays in hiding with Kara in China instead.  Years pass and they are unable to resolve the situation. When an older sister comes to China to visit and ends up in the hospital, the secrecy is found out.  Because of the parents secrecy, 11 year old Kara is sent to an orphanage for adoption instead of staying with her mother and father. Kara may end up separated from them forever. 

This book starts out slowly but I started to really enjoy the story and cheer and cry for Kara as she experiences some very difficulty situations because of her government and her handicap. It is a very inspirational story of love and a girl caught between two lives.   

 

The Flinkwater Factor by Pete Hautman

• Genre:  Science Fiction/Mystery
• Grade Level: 3rd - 6th
• AR Reading Level: 5.1 (6.0 pt.)
• Length: 256 pages  
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2015)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Readability:  Fun, fast read
• Division 1 and Crossover

Meet Ginger Crump who lives in the town of Flinkwater, Iowa, home of the largest manufacturer of technology devices in the world.  Because of all of the very smart people who live in this town, the children are also very smart too.  Ginger is a 13 year old who finds herself in a mystery when the computer in the town start turning people into mental vegetables. She calls it being "bonked".
She recruits her best friend and genius, Billy George, to to figure out what is happening in their town.  All kinds of things turn up, including a talking dog, a sasquatch, a zombie and Agent Ffelps from Homeland Security chasing them down.

I enjoyed this story and despite the girly cover, it is a great book for both boys and girls.  Fun characters and funny situations make this book a fast read.

One Amazing Elephant by Linda Oatman High

• Genre:  Animal Story/Realistic Contemporary
• Grade Level: 4th - 6th 
• Reading Level: 4th?
• Length: 272 pages 
• Publisher: Harper Collins (February 14, 2017)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Division 1 and Crossover

12 year old Lilly's grandparents and mother are circus performers.  Lilly, however, lives with her father and really doesn't care for the circus lifestyle. Her mother left years ago and has not given Lilly a maternal influence at all.  Her grandfather is also a caretaker of an elephant named Queenie Grace. Grandpa Bill dies suddenly and Lilly flies to Florida to be with the family.  The grief the family shares is also the same grief  Queenie Grace, the elephant experiences.  The alternating chapters are also from the point of view of  Queenie Grace which I always looked forward to

Lilly meets unique characters in this Florida town which is really a place where circus performers vacation during the winter.  She meets a boy who is "Alligator Boy" in the circus and they become good friends.  All of the characters interact as they deal with the loss of Grandpa Bill. . Conflict arises as they realize that the family can no longer afford to take care of Queenie Grace and she needs a new home. The estranged relationship between Lilly and her mother is also addressed. 

This book reminds me of The One and Only Ivan and Water for Elephants. The circus life is unique but family difficulties are universal.  I loved the characters and style of writing and flew through this story. I highly recommend this book.  

The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe

• Genre: Animal Story/Fantasy
• Grade Level: 2nd - 4th
• Reading Level: 3rd Grade?
• Length: 160 pages 
• Publisher: Aladdin (January 3, 2017)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Division 1

The setting for this book is England in Windsor Castle in Queen Mary's Dollhouse. 25 generations of mice have lived in this very ornate and lifelike doll house. Henry Whisker's little sister is missing and he goes looking for her with his cousin Jeremy.   There is a car chase when they go into the doll house garage and borrow one of the cars.  Danger also lurks ahead as they accidentally go into the rat's territory. Of course the castle's cat is also part of this dangerous adventure.  

This is a nice book for the beginning chapter book reader.  It is probably too simple for the 3rd-5th grade reader for Division 1.  I chose to read this book because it was an Amazon best book of the month for January 2017.  I got a little bored with the story and give it a 3 out of 4 rating.  

Sick Days = Stack of Books!

I came down with a nasty cold and used lots of tissues, medicine, and vitamin C.  But, I did feel like reading and read this stack of books!  Wow!  I admit that one of the books was abandoned and I ended up skimming the last half of another one because I lost interest.  So, stay tuned for book reviews!  I really loved several of them.  

Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh

• Genre: Short Stories 
• Grade Level: 5th - 8th
• Reading Level: 5.0
• Length: 240 pages 
• Publisher: Crown Books  (January 3, 2017)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Division 2

This is a collection of short stories that have been collected by Ellen Oh who is the cofounder of We Need Diverse Books.  There are ten stories written by a variety of authors.  Most of the stories are geared more for the middle school age student. Topics include basketball, bigfoot, pirates, crushes, friendship, and family.

My favorites:

The Difficult Path by Grace Lin:  Lingsi is sold to a family because her own family cannot afford her. Her mother asks that the Li family educate her when she turns 6 years old. As Lingsi grows up it seems she may have to wed the despised son, but on a trip to the city she and other servants are captured by pirates where Lingsi finds a better life for herself.

Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents by Kwame Alexander:  Written in free verse, Monk is crushing on a girl in his school and after hitting his head is able to read minds. He uses this skill to get a date with her.

Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push by Walter Dean Myers:  Chris is in a wheelchair after a car accident. His dreams of playing basketball are revived when he joins a wheelchair team. His father who was a professional basketball player is able to coach his team.

Some of the stories in this book did not capture me like my favorites.  It is a nice selection and might make some good read alouds as well.  I was hoping that the grade level would be more upper elementary but I do think most of the stories were aimed at the middle school group.

Iditarod Background for March is Reading Month

March is reading month at Sunset Terrace. Our theme this week is Tongue Twisters and Fox in Socks.  I found a great video so I didn't have to read the tongue twisters 26 times!

We are also doing the Iditaread-A-Thon.  So here are some videos for background knowledge about the Iditarod.

Smithsonian - How a Diphtheria Outbreak Spawned the Iditarod

Jeff King four-time musher winner

Weather and Iditarod

Soar by Joan Bauer

• Genre: Sports Fiction 
• Grade Level: 4th - 6th
• Reading Level: 3.6
• Length: 304 pages (6 hours)
• Publisher: Viking  (January 5, 2016)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Division 1 or Crossover

I loved this book!  It had so much humor, compassion, passion, and hope.  It is about a 12 year old boy named Jeremiah who was abandoned as a baby but adopted by the single man who found him in the break room at work.  Jeremiah gets sick and ends up having to have a heart transplant. He can no longer play baseball, the game he loves. Walt, his father, who is a computer expert and consultant have to move to Ohio. While they are there, Jeremiah discovers a town that loves baseball too. But then a tragedy happens and it looks like no one will play the game anymore.  Jeremiah decides to volunteer as a coach for the middle school team and he coaches the underdogs into believing in the game again. 

This book is so funny at times. I just wanted to stop and write down the great one liners as well as the inspirational sayings sprinkled through out the book.  Sometimes you just have to stop and think about what is written before you continue reading.  The book is easy to read and I could hardly put it down.  A lot of lessons are learned in this novel. This is the kind of positive message book that we need more of. I highly recommend it. Boys should love it as well as girls.  I also think it would be a great classroom read aloud. 

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart

• Genre: Adventure Fiction 
• Grade Level: 5th - 8th
• Reading Level: 4.1
• Length: 256 pages (8 hours)
• Publisher: Scholastic  (January 3, 2017)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Division 2

My sister and I are doing something we call the 2017 club.  We are going to try and read at least two books each month that have a 2017 copyright.  I am going to try and choose my books from Junior Library Guild lists, Amazon monthly picks or from mock Newbery lists.  My hope is to have read at least one of the Newbery books when they are announced next winter.  It will also allow me to add some great books to the Maud Hart Lovelace consideration list.

Scar Island sounded a little gruesome to me when I read some of the early reviews.  However, Amazon had picked it for a January Best Book and I picked it up from our public library.  It turned out to be a great book full of adventure and great characters.  Jonathan Grisby arrives at the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Trouble Boys by boat on a stormy and rainy evening. It is located on a small island in an ancient lighthouse and fortress. Rats, crumbling walls, stench and deplorable conditions along with verbal and physical abuse are the prison conditions he encounters. 16 boys and 8 pirate like wardens live at the school. However, a freak lightning strike kills all of the adults and the boys are left alone. They decide not get help but enjoy time without any adults.  Of course, someone has to become the leader and it seems that life might not be much better under peer control. 

Jonathan has lots of guilt upon his heart as he deals with the reason he  ended up at the island but redemption and transformation through the extreme difficulties he faces on the island are the result. The ending of this book brought lessons and a feeling that despite difficulties in life, there is hope. 

I highly recommend this book. I think boys will like it a lot. 

Gertie's Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley

• Genre: Realistic Fiction 
• Grade Level: 3rd - 5th
• Reading Level: 4.7
• Length: 249 pages (6 hours)
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux (October 4, 2016)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4

Gertie is entering 5th grade and has decided that she is going to have the best back to school speech. Her ultimate goal is to become the very best 5th grader in her school.  Why? Because she finds out that her mother, who has left her father and her, is now moving away. Gertie wants to show her mother that she is really leaving a great kid behind.  Of course, the new girl seems to always find a way to over achieve  and beat Gertie.  Gertie has lots of spunk and is not afraid to try again to make her dream come true. 

There are a lot of great illustrations throughout this book.  Despite the fact that Gertie is in 5th grade, she is an innocent child with lots of personality and character.  She reminds me of Junie B., Ramona Quimby, or Clementine. This is a great read aloud and perfect for a  better younger reader to read independently.   

MN Star of the North 2017 BookTrailers

Here are some of the video links I used to review the 9 out of the 10 Star of the North Books.  

I couldn't find anything for Rhoda's Rock Hunt.  But I did include a short video about balancing rock cairns. We fell in love with Emily Arrow who sings Water is Water.  Check out her other book songs!

Rhoda's Rock Hunt  

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich  

Emmanuel's Dream  

Water is Water  

Red   

In a Village By the Sea  

Night Animals   

Wolfie The Bunny

Ballet Cat    

Sidewalk Flowers  

Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet

• Genre: Historical Fiction (1989 - East Berlin)
• Grade Level: 5th - 8th
• Reading Level: 5.8
• Length: 400 pages (12 hours)
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 2, 2016)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4

It is 1989 in Virginia and 5th grader Noah Keller is picked up after school by his parents and told that they are leaving immediately for East Berlin.  They tell Noah he has a new name which is Jonah, a new birthday, and give him a photo album which consists of his new made up past.  His parents even throw away his new backpack with his old name written on it.  The parents act very strange and I begin to be sure that they are really spies headed to East Berlin, behind Iron Curtain. Noah's (Jonah) mother is going to be studying the special education system in East Berlin and her focus is speech disorders. Noah has a stutter which is the reason for her interest. (Noah (Jonah) mentions it many times but you never see much dialogue in a stutter format.)

Noah meets a girl in the park and together they make up code names for each other. Claudia becomes Cloud because it sound similar and Jonah's name becomes Wallfish because whale sounds like wallfish in German.  Their friendship is forbidden along with most things. Noah isn't even allowed to attend school at first.  Lots of suspicion, mystery and spying are a part of the plot. There are many fact files at the end of chapters that help readers to understand different aspects of life in East Germany during this time.  

This book is intriguing and I was fascinated by the parents and how cool and collected they were during their stay. They seemed like the ultimate spies. Yet, you never really find out how involved they were since the story was Noah's story.  I have not read much about everyday life in East Berlin during this time and yet I know the phrase "behind the Iron Curtain" came with fear and curiosity when I was young. 

I recommend this book for middle school and even adults.  Very interesting story!

The Great Good Summer by Liz Garton Scanlon

• Genre: Realistic Contemporary
• Grade Level: 3rd - 6th 
• Reading Level: 5.3
• Length: 240 pages (7 hours)
• Publisher: Beach Lane Books (May 5, 2015)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4

Ivy is spending her summer before 7th grade babysitting two preschoolers and trying to make sense of her  world.  Her mother has left her father and her and run off with a preacher named Hallelujah Dave and his traveling ministry to Florida. She was depressed and sad and needed to figure out her life again.  She left her phone at home and has only sent a few postcards home.  

Ivy spends her days at a park with the kids she babysits and they watch people fly their remote control planes. Paul one of the boys she sees everyday who also happens to be a classmate. He is a science lover and  talks to Ivy about being sad that the NASA space shuttle program is being discontinued. Together, Ivy and Paul discuss life and faith as they struggle with their own beliefs and Christian upbringing. Ivy and Paul decide to pool their money and sneak away on a bus to Florida from Texas to find Ivy's mother. They also plan to go to Kennedy Space Center to see the space shuttle.  Of course, running away comes with lots of complications, but they eventually have a good conclusion despite the bumps along the way. 

This was a nice book.  I was reading a paperback copy with terrible paper and a lighter print which annoyed me.  But the story was unique and quirky. The story line of the mother running away was a bit strange but yet it let the author address questions of faith that both main characters had.  Faith is not a topic addressed in many of the books I have read lately and yet it is something that middle-schoolers do begin to think about and struggle with.  It is not a preachy story but just lets the characters explore their questions with the reader. 

The story might have been a little slow....I ended up quitting halfway and not picking it up for a few days....so it wasn't a stay up all night and read kind of book. But overall I give it a good rating.