Five Books by Asaf Rozanes

Part of the Rainbow 
This story is about a girl who is green. Mia’s face, hair and clothes are all green. She loves it. When she turns eight she goes to school and sees kids who are different from her. She is confused and scared until her teacher tells her she was the missing color to complete their rainbow parade. After talking with her dad about her day at school she learns that people come in different colors and it is all okay.

Short or Tall Doesn’t Matter at All 
Mia is the shortest kid in her class. The other kids exclude her and often tease her because of her size. She tells her dad about it and he gives her some good advise. The next day when her friends need someone her size they realize that everyone is special no matter how short or tall they are. Once again this is a book that teaches kids about differences and how they shouldn’t matter.

The Feelings Library  loved the concept of this story. Mia lives in a town where they have a feelings library. They check their feelings out. Through different characters, the reader gets to see what happens if we hold on to one feeling too long. We see how it affects the character’s life. I loved this book and think it would be wonderful to read to that child who can’t stop being silly, angry, sad, or afraid. This is a wonderful way to start that discussion with children.

The Monster Friend 
Mia is frightened by the monster she see one night. All the monster wants is to be her friend. When she gets scared enough she calls out for her dad. He explains to her that sometimes monsters just want someone to play with. Mia colors with the monsters and sees him change. She is no longer scared of him. He doesn’t return after that night. However Mia meets more monsters each night. This is a great book about facing those things you fear.

Tomorrow is Near But Today is Here 
In this story Mia learns how much she misses out on when she focuses on things she doesn’t know or understand. She learns that it makes her sad worrying all the time. Her dad tells her how to handle things when she is scared. Mia becomes happy when she tries what her dad has told her. Worry is normal for children when they don’t understand something. This book would be a great help to children.

Five Books by Ofra Peled

The Big Party (Bk 1)
Emma and Adam hated they only had parties on birthdays. Their teacher told them they could come up with a party. Adam wanted to plan his own party by himself. The teacher allowed them to go ahead with their party plans. Adam went home and sat and decided what he would need his parents to buy for the party. That was all he did. Emma told her parents about the party. Then she went to her room and started to plan it out. One of them had a very successful party and the other one did not. This book is to teach kids about the importance of planning anything, especially a party.

My Money Box ( Bk 2)
Adam and Emma go shopping with their fathers. They see things in the mall that they want their dad’s to buy for them. As they shop they notice that their father’s keep looking at each item and comparing it to others. They learn how their parents have a budget and why it is important for them to have that budget. The children learn the importance of saving money and waiting to buy things you want until later. This is great for teaching kids how to save money and why it is important.

The Creative School Class (Bk 3)
Creativity is one of the most important things in kids. We need creative thinking in our kids for them to learn how to problem solve. By not teaching or allowing our kids to be creative we are creating a group of kids who won’t be great problem solvers. In this book the principal has a challenge for the students. She wants them to create something to solve a problem. Great book for teaching kids to use their creativity.

The End-of-School-Year Show (Bk 4)
In this book Adam and Emma are in a dance group preparing for the End -of-the-Year Show. The problem is that everyone wants to be centerstage. This causes arguments and they progress no further. The coach tells them he is cancelling things until he can figure out a solution. Adam suggests to Emma that it could all be solved if the learned to cooperate the way the geese do. A wonderful story about valuing others and collaboration.

The Forex Clan (Bk 5)
Emma belonged to a group they called FOREX. Her club created the name from words that described what they love to do. One day on the news she heard the word FOREX and asked her dad what it was. He explained that it stood for Foreign Exchange. He then explained what foreign exchange meant. Emma brought this information and a special plan back to her club. This is a great book to teach about foreign money.

Dead School by Laura Gia West

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This book baffled me. I was exci

ted to get it based on the premise that Tina Crocker  is a teen performing at a talent show when she is suddenly killed and ends up in Dead School. She is put in the guide division as an assistant to another person. This has never happened before.   They have to guide and help change the life of another person.  They classify this girl as a loser.

I started and stopped this book so many times. I very seldom abandon a book. I decided to sit and read it until I was finished.  The main character gave me mixed feelings.  She has such a self-loathing attitude it was hard to like her. I was pleased when she decided to perform at the talent show. I felt like maybe her attitude would change.  When she is killed and lands back in Dead School she is the same person.  In many ways she was like Melinda,  the girl to whom she was an assistant. Both of them came across as bullies.  The bouncing back and forth between the different “classes”  was unique and well written. I really thought that the ending was headed in the right direction. It was satisfying. Then the ending is ripped from your grasp and an alternate is thrown in and the story ends.

I wish I could say what it was that really made me not love this book. For some reason I didn’t click with it the way I hoped I would. It wasn’t terrible once I got it started, it just wasn’t my favorite.