Book Review: A Guide to the Other Side by Robert Imfeld

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Guie to the Other Side cover imageBaylor Bosco has a unique talent. He not only sees ghosts, but he can deliver their messages to loved ones still on Earth. His twin sister Kristina, who is also a ghost, acts as a go-between for Baylor and the other side, a sort of spirit-world gatekeeper. But when a mysterious ghost covered in a sheet appears to Baylor, neither twin knows what it means. They set out to solve the mystery while learning things about their unique abilities along the way.

A Guide to the Other Side by Robert Imfeld is a ghost story that’s inventive and just the right amount of creepy. In Baylor’s experience, most people who have passed on want to convey good messages to the loved ones they left behind, so they can find their own peace. The sheet man, as he calls the strange visitor, is different, and Baylor feels something menacing from him. It’s intriguing for readers to follow along as he and Kristina unravel the mystery.

This first novel gets the Beyond Baylor series off to a great start, and readers aged 9 to 12 are sure to read this and want more.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Review: Pirates and Shipwrecks: True Stories by Tom McCarthy

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Pirates and Shipwrecks cover imageReaders aged 9 to 12 are often attracted to stories about pirates and shipwrecks, and that may be especially true when those stories are about events that happened to real people. That’s the appeal of Pirates and Shipwrecks: True Stories by Tom McCarthy, a title in the Mystery & Mayhem series.

McCarthy features three shipwrecks and two pirates in this quick read that is sure to keep the pages turning. There’s the story of Daniel Collins, whose ship went down near Cuba and who escaped death when most others in his crew died. There’s also the tale of Captain Douty, who had to keep a group of English soldiers and their families safe after their ships wrecked in a storm near islands where cannibals lived.

Readers learn about the background of the infamous pirate Barbarossa as well as that of Mary Reed, one of two female pirates to operate in the Caribbean. It’s all a lot of fun that will encourage young readers to enjoy learning facts about events from history.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Survival: True Stories by Tom McCarthy

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Survival: True Stories cover imageSome kids are drawn to history, some are not. But most are probably fascinated with real-life stories about events that happened to adventurers and regular people in days gone by. The Mystery and Mayhem series does a great job of finding bits about people from history and turning them into page-turners for the younger set. Survival: True Stories by Tom McCarthy is another in the series sure to appeal to readers aged 9 to 12.

Survival focuses on people who faced extreme circumstances and came out of them alive, even when many others in the group perished. Some of the tales are somewhat well known, like the Donner Party, others, like the French woman who survived a shipwreck and days in the Sahara desert, are not. In each case, McCarthy relies on eyewitness accounts and diaries to recreate the feeling of what it must have been like to be there.

Other stories featured in Survival include the tale of Captain Bligh, left on the high seas after a mutiny on his ship, the Bounty, Captain Shackleton’s trip to Antarctica, and a pioneer group’s trek across Death Valley.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Fishbone’s Song by Gary Paulsen

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Fishbone's Song cover imageFishbone tells three stories about how the boy came to live with him in the woods, but the boy doesn’t know which is true. Maybe they’re all true. He only knows Fishbone is old, and he’s got a way of explaining things that makes you listen up and think long about what he’s saying. The boy tried living away from Fishbone for a while so he could go to school, but it didn’t last. Now he knows he’s learning skills that will help him prepare for the day that his old guardian passes on.

Fishbone’s Song by Gary Paulsen is a tender story of a boy growing up and learning the ways of the woods from the wise old man raising him. He learns how to live with the creatures around him, taking what he needs and leaving the rest be. Fishbone encourages the boy to try and fail over and over again as he learns new skills, knowing that he will find a way to accomplish what he needs to.

In a time when so much of life is filled with rushing from one thing to another, Fishbone’s Song encourages readers to slow down and notice the world around them. I recommend it for readers—girls and boys—aged 9 to 12.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Review: Apples and Robins by Lucie Félix

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Apples and Robins cover imageA child looks out her window at the end of summer and sees an apple tree loaded with fruit just out of her reach. With the help of a few rectangles she has a ladder and can climb up to pick the treats. But when she bites into an apple, she finds a worm. No problem, as an oval and some triangles create a robin that eats the worm.

Apples and Robins by Lucie Félix helps young children learn shapes and colors as it tells a sweet story of bird and garden life just outside the window. Die-cut shapes form the apple and robin as well as others objects, such as a birdhouse, a bolt of lightning, and a basket. The world outside the window goes from late summer to fall to winter. The final pages almost burst with life and color, and readers can almost hear and smell the signs of spring.

It all creates a magical journey that parents can read to younger toddlers and kids aged 5 to 8 can read on their own. I highly recommend Apples and Robins as a delight for both kids and parents.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Banned Books Challenge Readers On a Variety of Issues

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Banned Books Week is September 25 through October 1, and this year the spotlight is on diversity. One of the reasons is because the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom estimates that over half of all banned books are by authors of color or contain events and issues concerning diverse communities.

To be sure, the list of the top banned books is 2015 deals with issues many people may feel uncomfortable reading or talking about, including sexual orientation, suicide, disability, child slavery and more. But reading and understanding characters facing those issues can help us understand what happens to the people around us and address injustice.

Check out the 2015 list, which includes reasons readers want them banned from libraries.

Book Review: Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee

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Truth or Dare cover imageLia counts on her four best friends to be there for her, just like they were after her mom died. But those relationships start to show cracks in the summer before eighth grade, and the divide gets even rougher once school starts. When a game of truth or dare takes a turn toward the mean, Lia feels as though she is losing the people she cares about the most. With the help of her “weird aunt,” she just may be able to patch up the cracks and be happy again.

Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee brings up a lot of issues from a confusing time in life. Lia is a late bloomer while all her friends are getting bras and their periods. She lies about her development so she won’t feel left out. Her mom is gone and she doesn’t want to talk to her dad about what’s happening (or not) with her body. She wants to talk to her aunt, but her mom’s sister is so different from her mom that she doesn’t easily connect with her either. On top of everything else, Lia also doesn’t know how to stand up for herself when one of her friends starts to bully others in the group.

All these situations should open up a conversation between moms and daughters about puberty, bullying, dynamics within a group of friends, learning how to be true to yourself, and others. I recommend Truth or Dare for book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12.

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Review: Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young

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Hundred Percent cover imageTink is eleven and about to start sixth grade. Over the summer she grew a lot taller and had to start wearing a bra. Her best friend Jackie is still small, flat and, in Tink’s opinion, cute because of it. That’s not the only thing affecting their friendship. Jackie starts to hang with the popular kids and Tink knows she’s only invited because of Jackie. She’s not sure where she stands in the friendship, and that throws her off balance in other areas, making her second guess how she feels about a lot of things she took for granted before. She has to make decisions about whether she wants to change to fit in or find a different way that’s true to who she thinks she is.

Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young captures the mixed-up feelings kids have when they feel themselves on the verge of growing up. Part of them wants to take comfort in doing the things they have always done. Part of them wants to act more grown up. Even figuring out what that means could be difficult.

Tink ponders issues that many girls her age are likely to be worried and confused about, including shifting friendships, budding interest in boys, insecurity about how they look compared to others in their class, and more. She also learns from Jackie’s home life, which is very different from her own. Jackie’s single mom is dating a man who has a son Jackie wants to date. Other kids talk about Jackie’s mom in unflattering ways, and Tink wonders what it all means.

Tink’s story is sure to resonate with kids ages 9 to 12, and the situations she faces should prompt lots to discuss in mother-daughter book clubs.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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