Book Review - Frog and Friends

Frog and Friends: Frog Saves the Day

By: Eve Bunting
Illustrated by: Jose Masse
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-1585368105
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: October 2013

Racoon was all upset. Very upset as a matter of fact and he went off to Frog to talk to him about it. Racoon was having trouble sleeping and told Frog “Every night a big, big, big noise wakens me.” Just what could that be? Every time it happened Racoon had to hide because it was so, so scary. No, it wasn’t thunder but sounded just like it. Frog had to think about what to do and he thought very, very hard. “You and I,” he said to Racoon, “and our friends will go together and find out what it is. It is better to face up to what frightens you.” And so they would do just that.

The next night Frog and his friends, including Racoon, went off to find out just what that noise was. Possum, Squirrel, Chameleon, Rabbit, and Little Jumping Mouse didn’t hear anything strange, but Racoon told them to wait. “It will make your fur stand on end,” she declared. All of a sudden Frog and friends’ eyes grew wide as they heard a very loud and very scary sound. “Raaaaaaaaaaa-cla cla cla!” Everyone was very, very frightened and Possum’s hair certainly stood on end. What could that very, very horrible, scary sound possibly be?

Once again Frog and his friends get together in a couple of very humorous stories young readers will love. Of course that very, very horrible, scary sound was none other than a people eating train that was a “ferocious dragon.” In the second tale in this beginning chapter book, Frog saves the day by jumping into swirling waters in an attempt to save Possum’s wayward youngster, Baby Five. Newly independent and confident readers can tackle this book alone or with a minimum of assistance with more difficult words such as “frightens.” The artwork, combined with the exciting, humorous tales with Frog and his friends, has high appeal that young readers are definitely drawn to. Appropriate for grades 1 to 2.

Quill says: If you have a young reader who loves a little humor and adventure, the Frog and Friends series has just the recipe for fun!

Book Review - Soccer Hour

Soccer Hour

By: Carol Nevius
Illustrated by: Bill Thomson
Publisher: Two Lions
Publication Date: February 2011
ISBN: 978-0761456896
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: October 2013

A couple of soccer balls tumbled from the carry net as if they were anxious to play with the kids. Everyone began to arrive on the field for soccer hour, ball tucked under one arm and a drink grasped in one hand. It was time for those drills. First came the stretches, and then a bit of warm up and then “We toss the ball up in the air / and juggle it to keep it there. / We try to bounce in a steady beat / with heads and thighs as well as feet.” The soccer hour has begun. Some call the game soccer while others call it futbol, but all agree it’s fun.

There are hurdles to jump, weaving around cones, footwork, “fake-out moves and rainbow kicks.” Practice makes perfect, but the scrimmage will show which team is the best. “Our keeper charges, yells commands, / lunges, grabs the ball with hands. / We’re running backward, spreading out. / I hear my name as the goalie shouts.” A boy is working the ball, but there’s an open teammate. It’s now his turn to head to that goal. Bang! The ball and his head meet for just a second, but will he make that goal?

This is a fun, action-packed tale of a practice “soccer hour” young players will love. The sepia-toned, realistic photo-like illustrations spring to life in this book. The artwork is so realistic, the reader can almost count the pores in some of the players. The excitement of the game is readily captured as the team works through their practice drills in this story in rhyme. This is not a book to learn how to play soccer, nor improve one’s skills, but rather a short tale for the young soccer enthusiast to enjoy. No doubt about it, Carol Nevius has another winner on her hands!

Quill says: This tale, a story in rhyme, will excite the young soccer aficionado and wow them with the mesmerizing artwork!

Book Review - Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going to School?

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going To School?

By: Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson
Illustrated by: Laura J. Bryant
Publisher: Two Lions
Publication Date: August 2013
ISBN: 978-1477817223
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: October 2013

Kitty Cat pulled his mother’s paw as he hurried off toward the school where his teacher waved at them from the doorway. There was a bounce in his step, but there was also one in that little brown mouse’s who tagged along. The little gray and white kitten was ready to begin. “Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, / come sing a little song,” / “Okay, Teacher, I like / to sing along.” The kittens held hands as they sang with delight. Oh, and there was that little mouse on someone’s shoulder joining right along with the chorus. It was time to take a look at the monkey in the book. Can you see what the little mouse is reading?

Ten little ducks, all lined up in a row, were on the wall just waiting for Kitty Kat to count them. Little mouse was learning to count as well. Out on the playground all the kittens ran to play. “Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, / go outside and play.” / “Yippee, Teacher, my / favorite time of day.” The little gray and white kitten was pretty good at jumping rope, but maybe little mouse was even better. After play it was time for a snack. Yum, yum! Can you guess what Kitty Kat had to eat? What do you think the little mouse had for his snack?

This is a charming little tale of Kitty Cat and little mouse’s day at school that young children will love. Of course this is really a story about Kitty Cat, but we see that little brown mouse as he tags along to share that day at school. The artwork, rendered in watercolors and pencil, is whimsical and quite adorable. This story in rhyme is told in ballad form (every second and fourth line rhymes) and is simple, yet quite effective in relaying just how much Kitty Kat is enjoying his day. If you have a preschooler who is looking forward to school, this is a perfect book to show just how much fun can be had at school from singing to nap time.

Quill says: This is a tale that is totally delightful and the perfect addition to any preschool Kitty Kat collection!

Book Review - Old House, New House

Old House, New House

By: Phillis Gershator
Illustrated by: Katherine Potter
Publisher: Two Lions
Publication Date: April 2009
ISBN: 978-0761453864
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: October 2013

Bushes surrounded the little old house that had a welcoming rocking chair on its porch and an apple orchard in the back. A tiny house stood off to the right and black-eyed Susans twinkled their welcome to the little girl and her family, including her teddy bear. “The house had no pipes, / no faucets, no sink, / but it had a well / and good water to drink.” There were lots of things for little girls to look at and explore. There was that red cranberry bog, the sound of a creek, the frogs, and the little mice in the house. There were other things she’d find that summer.

“I made friends with the mice / and the family down the road / and the pigs that oinked / and the rooster that crowed.” Ah, it was fun to get that egg from the hen while the cat stood watch and it was fun to pick berries. Of course that pie from those berries was even better. Have you ever had a bath in a washtub? The little girl did and even loved that, but there was one problem with all that fun. The summer would soon be over and it would be time to leave that little old house and the friends she’d made. Would she really have to leave that very special place?

This is a charming tale of a little girl’s very special summer in a little old house. Of course all those special times were going to have to end as they often do in “real” life. The little girl was in distress at the very thought of having to leave what she had learned to love and grieved at what she would miss in the old house. Transitioning from one place to another can be difficult, but this charming tale can help ease the angst. This story in rhyme, told in ballad form (the second and forth lines rhyming), has a calm lilt to the verse. The artwork, rendered in chalk pastels, exudes an aura of childlike innocence from that “perfect” summer. This would be a nice read and discuss tale in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: If you are planning a move, this is the perfect book to read to your little ones!

Book Review - Nabeel's New Pants

Nabeel's New Pants: An Eid Tale

Retold by: Fawzia Giliani-Williams
Illustrated by: Proiti Roy
Publisher: Two Lions
Publication Date: April 2010
ISBN: 978-0761456292
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: October 2013

Ramadan was over and everyone was preparing for Eid. Nabeel was a shoemaker and his day had been so busy that he didn’t have a single shoe in his shop. He decided to go on a shopping excursion and buy his family some special gifts so they would look nice for the holiday. He bought his wife a beautiful blue burga, a dupatta for his mother, and some pretty bangles for his daughter at Hamza’s Shop. He wanted to please them and worked hard making the best choices he could.

Hamza noticed that Nabeel’s pants were patched and worn and convinced him to purchase a pair of pants, but he didn’t have time to shorten them. Nabeel left the shop with pants “four fingers too long,” but was certain his wife would shorten them. Yasmeen was delighted with her burga, but had no time to shorten the pants because she had to make biryani for Eid. His mother, Habiba was very pleased with her blue dupatta, but had to make sheerkorma for Eid. Miriam was equally busy and it looked like Nabeel was going to have to figure out what to do with those pants, but what could he do?

This tale about the celebration of Eid and the special love Nabeel’s family had for him is delightfully humorous and heartwarming. Many children have learned about Ramadan in school, but few know about the celebration of Eid. This book is an excellent stepping stone to learning about the celebration. The book is presented in a fable-like manner, something that is very appealing and makes it quite interesting. There is a glossary in the front explaining many of the words or phrases. For example we learn that Wa alaijum salaam (wa-Lay-kum sa- LAM) is “a common response to the greeting ‘Asalaamu alaijum,’ meaning ‘And upon you be peace.’” This book would be a lovely edition to your holiday collection for your homeschool, classroom, or library shelves!

Quill says: If you're doing a unit on holidays around the world, or simply want to learn about other cultures, this is an excellent, heartwarming tale to introduce children to Eid.

Book Review - Now You See It

Now You See It: A Grace Street Mystery

By: Jane Tesh
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publishing Date: October 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0196-7
Reviewed by: Mary Lignor
Review Date: October 12, 2013

Now You See It is Jane Tesh’s third mystery that features the housemates who live in the house that Cam built. The previous books in the Grace Street Series are: Stolen Hearts and Mixed Signals. This particular gem, number three, is a breath of fresh air all over again.

The main character, David Randall, is a private detective, who is coming back from some horrible times. He has been divorced twice and lost his beloved daughter in an automobile accident. David lives as a tenant in a boarding house owned by his friend Camden, located in Parkland, SC. David has used ‘Cam’ many times to help him with cases as Cam is a clairvoyant, and a very laid back guy who looks as if he hasn’t a care in the world.

An unusual occurrence is about to happen. David has been asked to look into two cases. An elderly lady, Sandy Olaf, has asked him to try and find a valuable diamond bracelet that she has either misplaced or been robbed of. And the second is to try and locate a magical box for two magician brothers, Taft and Lucas Finch, that may or may not have belonged to Harry Houdini. A very short time after getting the assignment, one of the owners of the box is found dead. Now, thinks David, does this death have something to do with Houdini’s box or is it simply coincidence? Every time he tries to investigate, David runs into some magic mavens who seem to want to perform for him and anyone else who they can capture.

Frustrated, David decides to try and get his housemate, Cam, to see if he can find out what’s what. David is also still trying to get over the death of his daughter and, to top it all off, he has a girlfriend, Kary, who wants to muscle in on the detective business. This is a fun read and the characters are lovable, especially Camden.

Quill says: The book can definitely stand alone as far as the plot but it might be fun to read the first two to get to know all the characters. It is, however, a good read and a definite keeper!!

Book Review - The Eye of Minds

The Eye of Minds: The Mortality Doctrine

By: James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74139-2
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 12, 2013

It’s not an overstatement to say that when The Maze Runner series arrived in our world, author James Dashner became a icon. That series showed an entirely new way of combining humanity with the digital realm, and proved that Dashner was one of the best writers this world has ever seen.

Now, thankfully, Dashner has continued. This new book provides an exciting, enticing plotline that will have every reader jumping right back on the Dashner mind-train and wishing that it was already 2014 so they could see what happens next.

In this book, we are standing by the side of Michael. Michael, like most teenagers, is far more into his computer than real life. His parents have been gone on an extended vacation and his nanny, Helga, takes care of him well. All Michael wants to do, however, is forget school, forget real life, head to his Coffin (the place where he lies down and gets ‘hooked’ up to the VirtNet), and play a game. In his Coffin he’s able to leave the boring Wake behind and head into the Sleep - a place that is completely realistic even though its all a virtual game.

What Michael wants more than anything is to get enough credits to be able to enter Lifeblood Deep (which is THE game that everyone wants to take a peek at). However, an incident hurts his credits badly. A girl heads up to the Golden Gate Bridge, rips out her Core (which is in your brain and allows you to be protected in the Wake when you die in the Sleep), and jumps off. She dies in her real life too, of course, because the Core is gone. And she commits suicide because she can no longer deal with Kaine and how he is manipulating and killing people.

Michael wakes up and soon finds himself a target of VNS, agents who tell him he and his two friends in the VirtNet must find Kaine - a cyber-terrorist - and find his hideout within the Sleep so the Agents can destroy him. Oh yeah...this will be an easy job.

Michael has to accept the mission because of the consequences that will occur in his reality, and joins his two friends to stop Kaine from taking more innocent gamers’ lives. To get to him and learn more about something called The Mortality Doctrine, the friends must discover Kaine’s secret hiding place called The Hallowed Ravine. To do so these three friends go up against zombies, wolves with yellow eyes, snake ropes, tangents, Greenland savages - you name it.

Let’s face it, Dashner has the right words and a truly incredible imagination. The story is rich in detail with humor, suspense, science-fiction, fantasy, romance - again...you name it! It’s no surprise that Dashner has created what will be another bestselling series that no one will ever forget.

Quill says: Bring on the Dashner movies, Hollywood! Or, readers may just have to take you into the Sleep and teach you a lesson. Enjoy everybody! This is FANtastic!