I am Goose! written by Dorothia Rohner, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This is a cute book about a variety of animals playing Duck, Duck, Goose and the misunderstandings, arguments and fun that ensue. Rabbit is starting a game with other animals and Goose shows up. Goose is asked to play the game but then does not understand why others are being called Goose! Rabbit tries to explain many times to no avail. A group of squirrels give commentary on the situation every once in a while and they are very funny. Young children will enjoy their banter on the situation. The story is a nicely illustrated and the story is fun. The story demonstrates sportsmanship, misunderstandings, collaboration, friendship and fun. Highly recommended. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book covers very good subjects in a fun way for young children. 

Quiet Wyatt Super Shy - Or Superhero?, written by Tammi Sauer, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This is an excellent book about being different, being lonely and accepting others as friends. Wyatt is a quiet, lonely little boy who is fine with his way of life. This way of life works for him. He still participates in the school play just very quietly. He is a star at ninja camp where he excels. And as a museum visitor Wyatt is the best at standing quietly and observing the dinosaur bones. But then a school field trip happens. Wyatt is partnered with Noreen as a field trip buddy. Noreen is the polar opposite of Quiet Wyatt. Wyatt observes and remains quiet as Noreen explains their every move while fishing, canoeing, loudly observing wildlife and other activities. But Noreen's loud voice loosens some rocks that start to avalanche and Wyatt is loud for the first time in his life. He saves Noreen and becomes a hero. The story and illustrations are great. The huge differences between the quiet and loud personalities is illustrated perfectly and young children will enjoy those differences. And listeners and readers will enjoy how the friendship develops between the two children.This is a cute, friendly, enjoyable story. Highly recommended.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book about different personalities and finding a new friend will work great as a read aloud.

The Lady is a Spy, written by Don Mitchell, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: The Lady is a Spy tells the story of unsung hero Virginia Hall, an American woman who was a renowned and respected member of the French Resistance during World War II. The book is a true biography, starting with her spirited childhood and following her unique path into a college career studying economics and languages. She was traveling through Europe in 1939 when Hitler began his invasion of Poland, an event that motivated Hall to get involved with the growing resistance movement. Her educational background, along with her independent spirit and unparalleled bravery, made her a perfect candidate for intelligence work.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Mitchell provides details of Hall’s lengthy career working for both the British Special Operations Executive and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. He perfectly captures her fearlessness in the face of danger, as well as her incomparable commitment to justice. Her story is both fascinating and gripping, a nice balance between historical background and Virginia’s own dangerous daily life. Feminist themes surrounding pay inequity and the respect shown to women in a male-dominated field are captured honestly, particularly in discussion of Hall’s intelligence work post World War II. Students will meet an American hero who they may have never heard about in this slim and exciting volume. A must purchase for those trying to enhance biography collections.

Time Bomb, written by Joelle Charbonneau, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Six kids with little in common all visit their high school during the last week of summer break with big plans. Frankie, captain of the varsity football team and popular man-on-campus, has a big surprise for the JV football team. Diana, daughter of a prominent congressman, is ready to change her perfect daughter image. Tad, who has just come out to his family & friends, is ready to confront the boy he shared some tender moments with over the summer. Rashid, a devout Muslim, needs to make a dramatic change in order for people to see his true self. Cas, a recent transfer with a challenging social history, wonders if there is anything that she can do to make people notice her. Z, whose mother has just passed after a battle with cancer, has nothing left to lose and is ready to confront the people who have been judging his frequent skipping and absences. Each student expects their morning at the school to change their life significantly, but none of them anticipate the bombs that will begin exploding throughout the school, trapping them together in a life-threatening situation. They will have to work together to stay alive and to have any hope of escape or rescue. But when the police announce that the suspected bomber is one of the students trapped in the school, the group has an entirely new challenge on their hands.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This is high-interest, high excitement suspense for which kids will clamor. Each of the six main characters shares chapters of the story in their own voice, expressing their inner thoughts and concerns, and gaining the reader’s sympathy and understanding. Their individual backgrounds and struggles will keep readers guessing about which student was involved in the bombing and why. The bomb inside a school issue is a legitimate potential trigger for some students, so this would best be offered as a choice for individual reading. The issues that each student is struggling with include some hot topics as well, including descrimination based on race, religion or sexual orientation, mental health concerns, death of a loved one, bullying, and the pressure to be perfect. Outside of these big societal issues, the plot of the book is appropriate for both middle and high school. Fans of Charbonneau’s other works (The Testing series is extremely popular in my library) might gravitate to this book. It would also be a perfect read-alike for kids who enjoyed One of Us is Lying, as both books offer high suspense plots involving multiple narrators who are all suspects in a crime. This one is guaranteed to fly off your shelves!

Spin, written by Lamar Giles, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: When local DJ on the verge of stardom, Paris Secord (aka DJ Parsec), is murdered, no one is more crushed than her former best friend, Kya, and her superfan, Fatima “Fuse” Fallon. Unfortunately, Kya and Fuse have never liked each other, so mourning the loss together is out of the question. When the police trail turns cold, and Paris’ obsessed fan-base, Parsec Nation, starts demanding justice, Kya and Fuse feel forced to step in. As the two people closest to her, and the ones who found her body, they have as good a chance as anyone to hunt down Parsec’s killer. But they will have to work closely to solve the crime, and they each have secrets about their relationships with Paris that threaten their credibility.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Lamar Giles has spun together a fast-paced, music-forward whodunit in Spin. The industry lingo and insights will appeal to aficionados and real-life superfans, and the mystery, complete with obsessed-fan kidnappers and secret-laden characters, will keep readers turning pages. Well-read sleuths may sniff out the killer before the book reveals him or her, but multiple red herrings will delay that point significantly. As with Giles other books, nearly all of the characters are African-American, providing much needed representation in the YA world, particularly within the mystery genre.

Frida & Diego, written by Catherine Reef, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: This slim volume on the lives of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo is an accessible and interesting glimpse into the minds of two of the world’s greatest artists. The book is a full biography of both Rivera and Kahlo, beginning with their childhoods and families, and flowing into their passion for art and, eventually, each other. The book contains a myriad of images, including not only many pieces of art created by the Kahlo and Rivera, but also photographs of them throughout their lives, during their travels, and with other famous artists and individuals. Reef provides extensive back matter including a timeline of the two artists lives, extensive research notes and bibliographic citations, picture and image credits, as well as a full index.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Reef’s research is impeccable, providing details about each artist’s training, travels, projects, and setbacks. She shares the important impact of Rivera and Kahlo’s enthusiastic participation in the Communist Party, particularly the way that their political beliefs were often found referenced in their art and the various consequences that followed, both positive and negative. Reef also brilliantly captures the passion and tumult of the two artists' marriage, the wonderful times spent together, the affairs that separated them, the enduring friendship and intimacy that bound them until the end of Frida’s short life. It would be easy to judge this relationship, or either individual artist, critically from an outsider’s perspective, but the presentation of their stories in this fascinating work of nonfiction engages the reader’s awe for the artwork and sympathy for the humans who created it. This book is a valuable addition to a library art collection or biography section, particularly in schools in which Rivera and Kahlo are referenced in the art or history curriculum