The Marked Girl, written by Lindsey Klingele, reviewed by Anneliese White

Summary: Liv is your average teen, making a movie with some of her best friends during the summer, when her whole life changes after a mysterious earthquake brings a group of time traveling teens here on a quest to save their land. Cedric is a prince with special warrior powers who jumps through a portal with two of his friends to save his land and royal family from a group of evil creatures called wraths. His journey only begins when he bumps into Liv, and both of them become intertwined in a whirlwind adventure full of danger, magic, foreign creatures, and more. Liv eventually ends up helping Cedric and his friends who are trying to find magical scrolls needed to reopen the portal back to his land, Caelum. A romance begins to spark between the two of them, but Cedric is engaged to his warrior friend Kat, who just happens to be one of the two friends who traveled with him to Earth. As this fantasy tale unravels, readers will be hooked on Liv and Cedric’s dangerous quest to save the land of Caelum, and following Liv’s personal journey as she discovers she has a bit of magic in her too. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This is definitely a must pick if you’re looking to beef up your fantasy collection for young readers aged 13-18. It is appropriate for upper middle school, but it should be noted that there is profanity in the story, and reference to alcohol abuse by Liv’s foster mom. A compelling feature of the book is that Liv is in the foster system, and it explores the hardships she feels in having lost her parents and siblings, as well as the difficulties of not having a permanent home in the foster system. This would make for some great discussions with students who can identify. It is a well written crusade story that ends with a major cliffhanger, so those who enjoy this book would definitely want to get the sequel by Klingele. Not for everyone, “The Marked Girl” is a recommended purchase for those fans of magic and fantasy. 

Mystery Club: Wild Werewolves / Mummy Mischief, written by Davide Cali, reviewed by Anneliese White

Summary: This is a great graphic novel selection that includes two detective stories revolving around the Mystery Club, a group of kid sleuths. In “Wild Werewolves,” the Mystery Club is trying to figure out why werewolves are being spotted all over London at night. This story takes Zoey, Kyle, Ashley, and Tyler across town to a wig factory, a shuttered down store, a farmer’s market and more. They use deductive reasoning at each stop, and are even able to interview the self-proclaimed werewolves to figure out what is really going on. In “Mummy Mischief,” the foursome picks up right where they left off to deduce if local sightings of mummies are really what they appear to be. Spending the night at a museum, the kid sleuths are in for another great mystery and adventure to crack the case, leading to a creepy cemetery at night time. Both stories create an exciting comic read from cover to cover! 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Graphic novels are in such high demand at school libraries, and this title will be no exception as it is perfect for upper elementary aged students. Cali does a great job of empowering young readers to be great sleuths, figuring out mysteries that even the adults cannot accomplish. Both stories within this title are intriguing, and will inspire students to do their own evaluations and assessments to try and figure out what is going on as they read along. The illustrations that accompany the text are well done, and the writing style is fun and humorous at times. Hopefully there are more stories to come in a series, as these fun adventures will leave readers wanting more. 

Pros of Cons, written by Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar, and Michelle Schusterman, reviewed by Kalie Mehaffy

Summary: Vanessa, or Ness, was looking forward to meeting her internet girlfriend at WTFcon, the convention for all things fandom. Phoebe was excited for the Indoor Percussion Association Convention (IPAC). Callie was excited to attempt to reconnect with her dad at the World Taxidermy Championships. Unfortunately, all three of them find that perhaps their excitement was misplaced. Luckily for them, misery loves company, and between the three of them, they're sure that they can find a way to make the best of their bad situations. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: I think this book is absolutely delightful. It is a great book for a reluctant reader, especially any reluctant readers who want something that is realistic fiction instead of sports. I think the review puts it the best - this book shows us how three girls can come together, make a connection, and find solutions to their problems - even if they mess up. There is nothing explicit in this book - although there are vague mentions of hooking up, and about three scenes where characters kiss and/or make out with each other. Additionally, there are a few LGBTQ+ characters, so if you are looking for more representation for your high school library, this book is a great choice! This book utilizes its plot and characters to show teens that there are others who have their problems, and helps to teach them life lessons; I think that the best way this book can be used with students is as an example that even if things are messy, or complicated, or difficult, that you can still come together with friends and find hope in your circumstances. In addition, I think it is great for showing how to apologize when you have made a mistake, and it shows what an acceptance of that apology can look like. Overall, I love this book for my library - it has great representation, it teaches important life lessons in a way that students can connect to, and it is an amazing book for my reluctant readers who want realistic or literary fiction. 

Just like us! Plants, written by Bridget Heos, reviewed by Anneliese White

Summary: How can something without a mouth that seems inanimate, actually communicate and be similar to humans? In Just Like Us! Plants, readers will learn all about how plants have a lot of similar behaviors to us, and are living creatures. It features important explanations about photosynthesis and transpiration, but also features fun facts like how the Australian Christmas tree steals water from neighboring trees like the Grinch, how the Venus flytrap is actually a meat eater, and about a plant called the dead horse arum lily looks and smells like rotting flesh! Heos also covers how plant babies (seeds) are born and grow to be adults. Readers will delight in the riveting plant facts and probably never look at them the same way again! 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Another great book in the Just Like Us! series, this time author Heos takes readers on an informational journey about plants. Well organized and structured, and filled with captivating illustrations, it does a great job of balancing fun trivia with important information. This would definitely be a must have for the way it covers the background and science of how plants function, but also how it inserts funny and captivating facts about specific plants around the world. Like the others in the series, it also features a dictionary and bibliography at the end which is always a positive find in a non-fiction selection. 

Just like us! Birds, written by Bridget Heos, reviewed by Anneliese White

Summary: Another book in the Just Like Us! series, this time Heos is back with a book all about birds. Featuring some pretty fun and sometimes grotesque facts, young readers will delight in learning about elaborate bird dancing, building nests called bowers, the bird version of a dirty diaper, and more. In his signature style, illustrator David Clark has whimsical and humorous drawings, which are intermixed with actual photos of birds. This book is full of interesting and fun facts about birds, and helps readers understand that in many ways, birds are not much different from us in their behaviors. It contains a wide plethora of fascinating bird information and is a worthy non-fiction selection. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: After reviewing the Just Like Us! Cats book, the bird version is much much better and would actually be a recommended purchase. This book had much more coherent content, and was more reader friendly for elementary aged students. Again, the fantastic illustrations are a highlight of this book series, and will make readers both young and old smile. This could be used as a research book for fun bird facts, or just an introductory non-fiction text to birds for young students. Although it does not hold enough information on birds themselves and is more of a fun trivia read, it is a great introduction pick and would be definitely popular with young readers. 

Just like us! Cats, written by Bridget Heos, reviewed by Anneliese White

Summary: A fun fact filled non-fiction pick, Just Like Us! Cats provides information for elementary aged readers on all types of cats. Covering topics such as diet, physical features, skills, behavior, and more, Heos writes on a variety of information on a diverse set of cats including leopards, jaguars, tigers, and house cats. This book also features a combination of humorous cartoons and real photos of cats, and it will for sure catch the visual interest of young readers. Heos also does a great job of comparing and contrasting cats to humans to get children to think a little bit deeper about the animal world, and how humans interact with it. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: The illustrations are probably the best part about this book, filled with humor and whimsy, and they are very eye-attention grabbing. This book lacks an introduction to what cats are, and what animals are considered cats, which would be confusing to the early elementary aged students it is marketed towards. It also is missing a lot of context, and features words that will be new and above the heads of young readers, which unfortunately weren’t even in the dictionary in the back of the book. Despite all of this, Just Like Us! Cats does feature a lot of interesting and new information about a variety of cats, that it would be popular with some readers. Overall, it is just not the best non-fiction pick on cats, and would be an additional selection if needed. 

The Lost Cipher, written by Michael Oechsle, reviewed by Anneliese White

Summary: Life for Lucas has been very difficult lately. After losing his dad overseas in the military, his grandma sends him to a summer camp for children who have lost a parent. He immediately meets two boys, Alex and George, and they all become instant friends and cabin roommates, all while uniting over a common enemy named Zach. Stories float around of a lost treasure nearby the camp, buried in the mountains by an old traveler 200 years ago. The three boys branch off into their own adventure to find the buried treasure, leaving camp, and encountering many dangers along the way such as snakes, getting lost in the wilderness, and bumping into an old gun-wielding curmudgeon named Mr. Creech. Will they be able to find the treasure using the cipher left by the old explorer? Will they make it out of the wilderness and safely back to camp? The Lost Cipher will take readers on an exciting quest, keeping them guessing until the end. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: The Lost Cipher is a no brainer selection for upper elementary students. It is a well written adventure story that will interest both boy and girl readers, and have them fascinated by the treasure hunt. It deals well with the emotions of losing a loved one, especially a parent, and how an adolescent grieves and works through it. The book also features a diversity of characters in the trio of boys, which is an asset. Oechsle does a great job of balancing adventure, emotion, and suspense, all while encouraging readers to try and solve the quest too. A great summer read! 

Nugget and Fang Go to School, written by Tammi Sauer and Michael Slack, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: Nugget (a minnow) loves his best friend Fang (a shark). They adore each other so much that Nugget wants to take Fang to minnow school with him. But Fang finds that he may not be so great at school subjects. He's not good at math, he's not good at science. Next thing you know, Fang is feeling very anxious about being at school. Can friendship save the day? 

Straight Talk for Librarians: I really loved this book, and I can see it being used in so many different ways. It would be a great back-to-school book, or a great welcome to school book. Fang has some anxiety about going to school and joining the group; a feeling many students feel on the first day, and I would imagine a fear many students have when joining mid-year. His initial fear is overcome when he realizes he's surrounded by friends. It would also be a great book about fitting in and finding your place. Fang finds out that, while he's not great at math or science, he IS a GREAT friend, and during story-time, he can talk about his friendship with minnow. It would be a good book to talk about anxiety. When Fang gets anxious, the text starts to swirl and changes color to an alarming yellow, representing how Fang is probably feeling about the situation. I think this was a great representation of what anxiety could feel like, and might be a great opener into a conversation about a student's personal experiences with anxiety. Ultimately, Nugget and Fang books are a great testament to friendship. Nugget and Fang may incur trials to their friendship, but they find a way to work together to overcome it. 

Old Turtle: Questions of the Heart, written by Douglas Wood, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: A tale has been passed down through generations of a large turtle who has survived through the years and gained infinite wisdom, but the turtle's location has been lost through time. The curious villagers reach out to an elderly woman who's grandma, it is told, once found the turtle. Together the village people set off on a journey to find the turtle, who will answer their questions about life. What is play, what is love, what is death? Then, at the end of the book, the turtle challenges the future generation: "Who are you," and answers the question by saying "we give our answer each and every day... in all that we do, and in all the choices we make. Our answer is there in the ways that we treat one another, in the courage we must find to face a challenge." 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book reminded me of stories of the Oracle of Delphi, a figure known for having all the answers to any question imaginable. While I think the answers given by the turtle were very deep, honest, and thought-provoking, I think this book would be more appealing to older students, as I think little ones would not be able to follow along. I can imagine using this book as a writing assignment, giving students a challenging question, and asking them how the turtle would answer. Or you could turn it into an interview: who is your turtle? Who is someone in your life who gives fantastic advice? Think of a challenging question, and ask them what their advice might be. The pictures were beautiful. There is a note on the cover that "the illustrations were drawn with graphite pencils on Strathmore 400 series drawing paper and then combined with layers of scanned watercolor to create the final digital paintings." I think this could be a very interesting art lesson, combining watercolor painting, sketching, technology, and a little planning of colors and shadow. Overall, I think it was an interesting book. I think, in a library setting,

students would pick it up because the illustrations are beautiful, and that would spark their interest. 

Almost Time, written by Gary D. Schmidt & Elizabeth Stickney, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: Ethan is waiting for many things to happen. There is no maple syrup for his pancakes, cornbread or oatmeal. His father tells him he has to wait for the weather to get warmer before the sap can be collected to make the syrup. If that's not enough then Ethan's gets a loose tooth. Now he has to wait for the tooth to come out and for the sap to run! The illustrations by G. Brian Karas are beautiful. They are especially good in demonstrating having to live with patience or the lack thereof in waiting for something to happen. Young children will enjoy the story and, probably, ask about making maple syrup! That would be a good learning experience. But talking to young children about anticipation and patience could be good discussion topics if it can be related to their young lives. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A great book for discussions on anticipation and patience. 

Knock Knock, written by Tammi Sauer, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This is a cute book for the preschool through kindergarten set. A bear gets a lot of knock knock jokes from his friends as he prepares to hibernate. Young children will enjoy the corny knock knock jokes and the big, bold illustrations by Guy Francis. As the bear prepares to sleep for the winter different friends knock on the door with jokes such as "knock knock who's there." The answer is "Ken." "Ken who?" the bear asks. "Ken you let us in already?" The audience for this book will probably find it funny and enjoyable and give them a new repertoire of jokes to use on their friends and family. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book will provide some fun and laughs for young children. And if they are not aware of knock knock jokes this will teach them well. 

Boxitects, written by Kim Smith, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: Creativity, collaboration and friendship abound in this book. Young Meg is a boxitect because she, creatively, makes things out of boxes. Meg's loving, supportive and encouraging mom sends Meg to maker school. There Meg meets other young, creative kids who make things out of spaghetti, egg cartons, tin foil and blankets. When the teacher creates team partners to work on projects Meg is teamed with Simone who is also a boxitect. But Meg and Simone clash because they each have their own idea for the project. It does not end well and the project fails. Then the girls decide on a truce and build a project together. The story and illustrations are fun and encouraging of young girls to use their skills and friendship to work together for success. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A great book for topics such as skills, creativity, collaboration. It also demonstrates how young girls can use their skills and succeed. An encouraging book for little girls.

Felipe and Claudette, written by Mark Teague, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: Felipe the cat and Claudette the dog cannot catch a break at the shelter. Adoption days come and go and these two never get adopted. Felipe watches Claudette in disgust and tells the dog why she will never be adopted. She runs in circles, barks, digs holes and snores among other bad traits (in Felipe's eyes). Mrs. Barrett is in charge of the shelter and tries to get the two adopted with no luck. Finally, Claudette is adopted because of all of her traits. But then she is returned because the man did not see those traits at home. This is a very nice story with great illustrations.Young children may not know about animal shelters where animals get adopted. The story is cute but poignant when Felipe and Claudette or not adopted on each adoption day but then one of them is adopted. You can tell that they need one another. And in the end Mrs. Barrett adopts Felipe and Claudette and they get the life they have been dreaming of in the story. There are very good lessons for young children including friendship, pets, love of animals, kindness and caring. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A great story of animal shelters, friendship, kindness and caring. The illustrations are great too.