* * * The Planet Hunter

* * * Will It Blow? Become a Volcano Detective at Mount St. Helens
Author: Elizabeth Rusch
Illustrator: K.E. Lewis
Reading level: Ages 8-12
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Sasquatch Books (June 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1570615098
ISBN-13: 978-1570615092

Book description: Will Mount St. Helens BLOW? When? Will it erupt ash? Spit lava? Unleash a deadly mudflow? These are the mysteries that scientists at Mount St. Helens must solve. Now you can be a volcano detective, sifting through evidence like rumbling earthquakes, smelly gases, strange bulges on the Earth’s surface, and more!

Review: I LOVE books like these and they are perfect for the age group! These are the kind of books I gobbled up as an 8 – 10 year old. I love the facts, the thinking it provokes, the curiosity it woos. My ten-year old son will absolutely devour this and follow me around for days wowing me with all he learns.

Buy it on Amazon.

* * * A Day With No Crayons
Author: Elizabeth Rusch
Illustrator: Chad Cameron
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Rising Moon (September 17, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0873589106
ISBN-13: 978-0873589109

Book description: When Liza’s mother takes away her beloved crayons, her world suddenly goes gray. How does the budding artist respond? She squirts her toothpaste angrily and stomps through mud puddles. Through these acts, Liza inadvertently creates art—and eventually discovers color in the world around her.

Review: I had a really difficult time giving this one three stars. Why? Because I just know that my son will need to hear some heavy duty stressing that he must NOT color on the walls or in the bathroom with toothpaste! If you read my column, you know what I am talking about. Lol!

Will this book encourage your four-year old to become a graffiti artist? Not necessarily. More likely you’ll have fun reading this very creative book together about a little artist who loves color and discovers the endless pallete in the world around her. Your pre-schooler will love the ‘new’ colors called to his attention, like fuschia and dragon green and apricot and so on. A great book sure to draw fans in the 4 – 8 age group. Might even inspire some fantastic artwork afterward as well…hopefully on paper!

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* * Maybe A Bear Ate It

* * Time Spies: Horses in The Wind
Author: Candice Ransom
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (November 13, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786943556
ISBN-13: 978-0786943555

Book description: The Chapman kids get caught up in the Race of the Century, between War Admiral and a little brown Thoroughbred named Seabiscuit. Hanging out in the barn before the race, the kids overhear a nosy reporter threatening to destroy Seabiscuit’s chances. Can they find a way to stop the reporter before it’s too late?

Review: Love this series, love these kids. Love to give these books to my niece and foster a love for reading. As I said in a previous interview of books from this series, the more I read, the more impressed I am with the way Candace Ransom makes an adveture of actual moments in history or literature with these time traveling spies bringing fact and fiction to life.

Buy it on Amazon.