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Elementary School (K-5)

Nurturing friendships and traditions

Posted by Molly W on Aug 21, 2018
Katie
O'Neill

A young blacksmith's apprentice named Greta discovers a lost tea dragon at the market and uncovers the forgotten world of the Tea Dragon Society. The book follows a year of seasons starting with spring and the developing friendships between Greta, the tea dragon masters, Hesekiel and Erik, and a mysterious and shy girl named Minette.

#1000blackgirlbooks

Posted by Tracy on Jun 15, 2018
Marley
Dias

Marley Dias Gets it Done: And So Can You! is an up close look at the amazing girl who founded the #1000blackgirlbooks campaign. She talks about how the campaign got started (“If only there’d been one book at school . . . just one . . . about a black girl and her dog . . .

Ouch!

Posted by Jennifer on Jun 8, 2018
Barry
Wittenstein

Earlier today I cut my finger and put on a band aid. And then this book showed up on my hold shelf - coincidence? Back in 1917, a young couple is married and the wife seems to hurt herself with great frequency. I didn't really care for the descriptions of her injuries, both for the yuck factor, and rather condescending manner Josephine is talked about. But, if you can make it past that, this is a rather interesting story. The husband, Earle, has the idea to place small pieces of sterile gauze on a long piece of adhesive tape and then Josephine can put on a bandage easily by herself.

For the young "Hamilton" fan

Posted by on May 11, 2018

Newberry Medalist, Avi, writes a gripping story of the American Revolutionary War through the eyes of Sophia Calderwood. Sophia, a well-educated young lady, lives with her parents in British occupied New York. Her beloved older brother is a captured soldier in the Continental Army and her parents are secretly committed to the cause of the American Patriots. Sophia, herself an ardent Patriot, wants nothing more than to help the cause and free her brother from a horrific British prison. She is enlisted as a spy; however, the plot she uncovers is almost too outrageous to believe!

Starting Over

Posted by Jody M on May 4, 2018
Ali
Standish

Ethan and his family are getting a fresh start in the hot, coastal town of Palm Knot, Georgia, or at least they are trying to. While there's a promise of finding new friends and rebuilding family relationships, Ethan's guilt of who he was and what he did continues to haunt him. Whispered phone calls at night, family secrets and the secrets of his possible new best friend, Coralee, ultimately contribute to Ethan's understanding of the importance of remembering and forgiveness. This is a capably written story that discusses death, forgiveness, and the effects of guilt on a young mind.

Finding ways to help

Posted by Karen L on Apr 5, 2018
A review of Wolf in the Snow by
Matthew
Cordell

Winner of the coveted 2018 Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, Wolf in the Snow artistically explores themes of moving beyond fear and mistrust of “the other” to a place of caring and helping. Cordell’s watercolor illustrations depict a little girl and a wolf cub who find each other in a blizzard that renders each of them lost from their families and homes.

ALA Youth Media Awards Announced

Posted by Molly W on Feb 12, 2018

The American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, video and audio books for children and young adults, including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards at its Midwinter Meeting and Exhibits in Denver today.

Refugee Life

Posted by Rebecca M on Jan 26, 2018
A review of Where will I live? by
Rosemary A.
McCarney

People all over the world are often forced to leave their homes. Sometimes they leave because of war, hunger, or disaster. Sometimes they leave to find better opportunities. But the question that comes next is always “Where Will I Live?” In this photo-story children from all over the world are depicted as they leave their old homes and journey to find new ones. No matter where someone comes from we all need the same things: a place to sleep, food to eat, and someone to love us.

Monsters need to eat, too

Posted by Molly W on Jan 12, 2018
A review of Brave Chef Brianna by
Jillian
Crab

A famous chef and restaurateur in failing health decides to pit his children against one another in order for one of them to achieve the rights to his successful empire.  All of the children (12 boys!) and one daughter, Brianna Jakobsson, must start a new restaurant.  The child with the most successful restaurant wins the inheritance.  Each restaurant must be in a different town and all of the children must open their restaurant without any assistance from their father.  Brianna is at a major disadvantage because she is the youngest in the family and has only recently graduated from culinar

A Very Punny Graphic Chapter Book

Posted by Carissa on Dec 1, 2017
A review of All Paws on Deck by
Jessica
Young

Haggis (a Scottish Terrier) and Tank (a Great Dane) are two very imaginative doggy friends.  They spend most of their time in a back yard, but sometimes they go on adventures in their minds.  In “All Paws on Deck” Tank decides to deck out their little red wagon as a pirate ship.  They sail off into a land of make-believe and have many adventures together!  The format for this book falls right between graphic novel (there are lots of full-color illustrations with speech bubbles) and chapter book (there are also blocks of text, though never more than a quarter of the space on a page is filled