Red Bird Sings

Adapted by Gina Capaldi & Q.L. Pearce

A picture book biography of Gertrude Simmons Bonnin who left her native lands in South Dakota at the young age of eight in order to attend boarding school in Indiana. Although she greatly missed her mother and the quiet traditional life she rejoiced in music class, becoming an accomplished music teacher, performer and composer. She also grew to despise inequality and spoke out for the rights of Native Americans, fighting for citizenship and fair treatment. The authors adapt Zitkala-Sa's own words to create this simple and beautifully illustrated biography. Teachers will find this a positive addition to their curriculum and will appreciate the Teacher Resource Book available from the book's website.

4 of 5 Stars - Recommended.

Sally's Bones

by MacKenzie Cadenhead

Middle schooler Sally Simplesmith goes about her day unnoticed, both at school and at home by her absent-minded workaholic father. To make life more challenging Sally greatly misses her recently deceased mother. Sally is ready to give up and melodramatically asks for death upon her mother's grave. Instead, Sally finds a much needed friend and companion in a tail-wagging pooch made from bones. Life begin changing for Sally, but her new found happiness is put to the test when her pet is accused of a recent crime spree. Cadenhead creates an interesting character in Sally and does a fine job addressing the issues of grief and loneliness.

3 of 5 stars - Recommended.

School of Fear

by Gitty Daneshvari

Four twelve-year old phobic children travel to a remote Massachusetts summer school run by a wacky ex-beauty queen headmistress in an attempt to overcome their fears of bugs, confined spaces, death and water. Forced to follow strange rules and learn pageant etiquette the four must band together and face their individual fears after tragedy strikes the school. Daneshvari creates mildly believable characters with a strange setting for a story line reminiscent of the craziness of Lemony Snicket.  Readers may enjoy visiting the School of Fear website.

3 of 5 stars - Recommended.

The Adventures of Commander Zack Proton and the Warlords of Nibblecheese

by Brian Anderson

Book two of a three book series featuring a less than able space commander and a more highly intelligent monkey. In this wacky plot a band of space mice kidnap a busload of second graders as part of a grander scheme to destroy the Earth's moon (which of course is made of cheese). Although not as well written as many other current books, it will still find an audience among reluctant boy readers due to its easy chapters, multitude of illustrations, and silly humor.

1 of 5 stars.

The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941

by Lauren Tarshis

Eleven-year-old Danny Crane was not at all happy that his Ma moved him from the streets of New York to Honolulu. She took a job as a nurse on a military base to keep Danny away from danger. Little did she know that they lived exactly where the first bombs of World War II would fall. Tarshis writes an easily read plot with a nicely developed character. Scott Dawson adds some beautiful black & white illustrations for visual appeal.  A good choice for an easy historical fiction read.

4 of 5 stars. Recommended.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

by Tom Angleberger

"Is Origami Yoda Real?" Is he just a paper puppet on the finger of super nerd Dwight or does he possess the force? Can he see into the future? That is exactly why sixth-grader Tommy asked everyone to share their Origami Yoda stories. He complied them into this case study, allowed non-believer Harvey to comment and then lent the whole file to Kellen who only added a bunch of doodles. Angleberger draws the reader into the plot by combining believable characters and a plot liberally peppered with spot-on middle school worry and humor, all wrapped up in short easy chapters with "hand-written" fonts on crinkly paper. Although there are many videos available on folding variations of Origami Yoda, readers may be interested in watching Angleberger's version.

5 of 5 stars. Highly Recommended.

Big Nate : In A Class By Himself

by Lincoln Peirce

"Today you will surpass all others." The best fortune Nate could ever receive, and Nate needed help. Dreading the upcoming test he hadn't studied for, Nate spends his day trying to discover the greatness of his fortune only to collect one detention pink slip after another. Peirce successfully combines the readability of short chapters, plenty of his classic black-and-white ink illustrations, and quirky humor to make Nate a likeable hero for many a reluctant reader.

5 of 5 stars. Highly Recommended.