Book Review: Meet the Bobs and Tweets by Pepper Springfield

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Meet the Bobs and Tweets cover imageThe Bobs are a family of slobs (except one), the Tweets are all neat (except one). When a real estate agent sells them houses across the street from each other, it’s just a matter of time before the two families clash. It’s up to the two littlest ones to find a way to calm the conflict.

Meet the Bobs and Tweets by Pepper Springfield is a fun book about two families with extreme habits. Rhyming verses will remind readers of Dr. Seuss, and they are great for reading out loud. Here’s an example from chapter 1, which starts like this:

A mob of Bobs lives like slobs.

A mob!

Of Bobs!

Oh, such slobs.

The comparisons between the two families are silly and fun, with one side happily running wild and the other getting pleasure from tidying up. The two misfits love their families even though they don’t fit in. But that’s exactly why they can help the two sides learn how to get along. It’s a great message for younger kids about respecting traits unlike yours in other people.

Illustrations by Kristy Caldwell are vibrant and whimsical. This book is sure to be a hit with readers aged 4 to 8 and their parents.

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

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Book Review: Speed of Life by J. M. Kelly

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Speed of Life cover imageWhen baby Natalie was born out of wedlock, twins Crystal and Amber vowed they were in it together, just as they had been their whole lives. They would raise her together and move out on their own after they graduated from high school. Teen pregnancies are common in their family (their own mom was a teen when they were born), and they are saving every penny from their jobs to help with their plan. When Crystal grasps that college could be part of that plan, she starts to think of their future in different terms. Amber, however, doesn’t see things the same way.

Speed of Life by J. M. Kelly is a story for anyone who has hoped to change her life for the better. It recognizes that success comes in many forms, not just with a college degree, but also that teens don’t have to be defined by family expectations (or lack of them) just because everyone else has acted a certain way in the past.

Amber and Crystal may look alike, but their dreams for the future are different. Coming to the realization that that’s okay, and they can both achieve what they want, is the hard part. Speed of Life provides insight to the emotional, physical, and monetary challenges teens face when overcoming personal circumstances to succeed. It’s an inspiring story great for mother-daughter book clubs and readers aged 14 and up.

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

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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.

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