Posts Tagged ‘Title I’

I Love Words (Ages 9-12)

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

+ + + + I Love Words
Author:  Francoize Boucher
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 124 pages
Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Publishers (March 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935279483
ISBN-13: 978-1935279488

Book description: This amazing book will have you playing with words and inventing new ones. You’ll turn yourself into a spelling super hero, build your own bookstore and even make a talking cake! Then there are the poems to write, the word-riddles and secret codes to solve, the expressions to learn…you’ll be so busy you won’t even have time to copy and send the love letters!

Book review: Love this book!  Perfect for igniting the imagination of your child and sparking a passion for writing.  I’m saving this book for home school fun and rainy days.  There are enough activities in his book to last a long while.

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Is There a Monster Over There? (Ages 4-5, 4-8)

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

+ + + + Is There a Monster Over There?
Author/Illustrator:  Sally O. Lee
Paperback: 36 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (February 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1450531024
ISBN-13: 978-1450531023

Book description: Mabel and her cat Tiffany are afraid of monsters.   Mabel thinks they are hiding under her bed or in her closet.   One day she decides to face the monster and she learns an important lesson about overcoming fears.

Book review: The illustrations perfectly match the mood of the story, evolving from scary to imaginatively playful as Mabel overcomes her fear of monsters.  What a great story for young readers who are afraid of the dark; a really non-threatening way of facing those scary beasties and making friends with them.

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Inspector Jacques (Jack Russell: Dog Detective) (Ages 9-12)

Monday, March 1st, 2010

+ + + Inspector Jacques (Jack Russell: Dog Detective)
Authors:  Darrel & Sally Odgers
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 79 pages
Publisher: Kane Miller Book Publishers; 1 edition (January 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935279173
ISBN-13: 978-1935279174

Book description: There’s another dog detective in town, and he thinks he’s Jack’s sup-paw-rior ! Jack is not impressed when he meets Inspector Jacques, a French Bulldog who tries to solve human crimes. But when Jacques and his person accuse Sarge of being an art thief, it’s up to Jack to solve the mystery!

Book review: Inspector Jacques is a cute mystery from a dog’s perspective.  The main character is a Jack Russell terrier who prides himself on being top dog and a dog detective.  I would recommend this book to the younger crowd, particularly elementary kids and those who are building their reading skills (especially if the have a fondness for mysteries and dogs).  The short chapters, charming illustrations and dog related vocabulary (such as ‘im-paw-tant’ for important and ’sup-paws’ for surprise) as well as the story itself would be a good read for them. – R.C., 15 yrs. old.

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Inside Out (Ages 6-10)

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

+ + Inside Out
Author/Illustrator: Marilyn Randall
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Interest level: Ages 6-10
Hardcover: 28 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (November 7, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0557156998
ISBN-13: 978-0557156993

Book description: A fun story, written in the poetry format, about a little frog who thought God had made a mistake and made him ugly. It is about learning that beauty is truly found on the inside and that each of us has our own gifts to offer the world and that we are all beautiful in our own way.

Book review: Marilyn Randall’s stunning ink sketches make this story come alive.

Here’s the breakdown:

Characters: Froggie, his mother and the wise owl. All classic characters and roles that children will immediately recognize.

Events / Story Line: Froggie feels out of place and ugly. He listens to his momma and the wise old owl and learns to find joy in being himself – just the way God made him. It’s the Ugly Duckling in a fresh, new poetic form; a real feel good story.

Illustrations: Bold colors, clean lines…very compelling, though I would have liked to have seen just a few more to go with the very lengthy (for this age group) prose.

Reader relevance: Most kids in the 6 – 10 year range will sympathize and even empathize with Froggie, but the younger kids will probably enjoy the story more. Big brothers and sisters would enjoy reading this to younger siblings.

Reader Excitability / Overall Presentation: Reading this tale is a little awkward in places falling out of the sing-song rhyme that was intended, but the stunning art work really adds to the story.

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I Am Jack (Ages 9-12)

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

* I Am Jack
Author: Susanne Gervay
Illustrator: Cathy Wilcox
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Tricycle Press (October 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582462860
ISBN-13: 978-1582462868

Book review: Even though the reading level for this book is age 9-12, this would be great for ages 7-8, too. I Am Jack has a good message: Get help if you are being bullied. It really supports children’s individuality, too. – N.C., 15-yrs old

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The Incredible Upside Down Dog (Ages 4-8)

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

* The Incredible Upside Down Dog
Author: Kimberly Anne Rutt
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: Mirror Publishing (August 19, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936046296
ISBN-13: 978-1936046294

Book description: Meet Baxter, the incredible upside down dog. Baxter can do all sort of tricks, but what really excites his owner is when he discovers that Baxter can do tricks upside down.

Book review: Very cleverly done. A colorful way to illustrate a change of perspective and a good lesson for children. They will enjoy the surprise and humor.

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