Monday, November 22, 2021

Grandma Rina’s Stories by Rina Barkan


Four wonderful books by one author, cute with a short message.


Baby Crocodile

Baby Crocodile swims with his mom and dad eating meat all day. One day he decides he is going to stop eating meat. His parents tell him he will have to leave the lake to find other kinds of food. He leaves and discovers that the food he needs is in his own lake.

 


Here’s a Story About a Zebra
Zebra Grevy is not like the other zebras. She has thin stripes and a white belly. The other zebras make
fun of her. Other animals tell her she is unique and should be celebrated for her uniqueness. She tries to be like them but she is a zebra. Then she finds a zebra who likes her and they make their own herd where all are welcomed no matter what they look like.

 




Who is More Important?

A traveler goes on a hike. When he gets tired he lays down next to a stream of water and quickly falls asleep. The different parts of his body start complaining because he is laying on rocks and thorns. His body parts start arguing about who is the most important. They finally decide to stop arguing about who is the most important and work to roll the traveler into a grassy meadow; off of the rocks and thorns.

 


Five Flavors King and Queen

In this book we discover there are five flavors. The King loves eating sweets. He sneaks down at night and eats and eats until he starts getting fat. His wife, the Queen tries to block the fridge. When she has it unblocked the King finds it full of sour and salty things. He eats so many of them his blood pressure goes up.  The king must learn how to eat healthy foods and that there are different types of flavors.

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Being is Better by Marjorie Jackson


 

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to review

I absolutely loved this book.  The author has done a wonderful job of telling a story in alternating points of view. Not only will I put this book on my shelves at school, but will also use is to teach POV in a story. This author created two separate stories that merge into one.  Amber suffers from seizures. No one wants to be friends with her  so she remains invisible. Missy comes from a very dysfunctional family after the loss of her brother. She too has been invisible for so long. Her solution is to change herself to make herself noticed. Unfortunately she attacks the wrong type of friends.  Things change when the two meet and start talking. Friendship can heal so many hurts.  I have a sister and a niece who both suffer from the way Amber does.  I could sympathize with her family.  I have seen Missy's situation in the lives of so many of my students. Not all of them turn out the way Missy's does.  This is a book of raw pain, hope, and true friendship.  I am looking forward to reading the second book "Beyond Invisible" which comes out just a couple of days before Thanksgiving.  This is a definite must-read book.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

The Grim Fugue by Alfred M. Struthers


Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mystery

Source: I reviewed a beta copy and purchased a copy.

I have loved all of the books in this series.  This one was by far my favorite. First, I have to say that the story took the suspense and fear to a whole new level. I felt fear for Nathan and Gina. In this book we learn something new and surprising about Nathan’s father. I loved the science aspect included in this book. We also find out something new about Jameson and why he is so passionate about this. In this book we are introduced to a new character named Burk. Loved his character and hope to see more of him in the future. I loved the way the author tied up one part of the mystery only to open the door to another part. I think the level of writing was stronger in this book. What I mean is that there was more conflict that kept moving the story forward. I would just catch my breath and then was hit with another wave of suspense. I feel I know Nathan well enough that I knew he would respond in a way that made me even more nervous for Nathan.  There is so much history here as well as science. It is obvious that the author did a lot of research.  I absolutely love when I read a book that is so well written that I can’t put it down. I also love a book where I learn something new.  This author has a tendency to do this with all of his books. It is such a loved series I have students fight over his books in my classroom. I recommend this book to everyone I can.