How to Make a Friend written by Stephen W. Martin, illustrated by Olivia Aserr and reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary: From start to finish learn to make a friend by following these instructions. Do you want a friend to play with you or a friend to help you do homework? Once you choose what you want, it is time to start building your new friend from blueprints. Remember to measure twice and cut once and don’t forget to hide your spare parts. You can play games with your friend, but remember that you have to share them with others. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This is written as a mechanics manual on how to build a friend using material & tools. After a lot of sweat, we learn of the ups and downs of relationships. Some friendships last and others were not meant to last because of our differences. We should reflect and recover and take away something in every relationship. This is a funny and entertaining book relatable to everyone. Highly Recommended.

Tough Chicks Go to Bed written by Cece Meng and illustrated by Melissa Suber , reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary: Mama Hen tries to get her 3 chicks to go to bed. As children do, they come up with excuses why they can’t sleep. They have the wiggles and giggles and are ready for adventure. They walk through the farm yard noticing how all the other young animals are sleeping. They go through the nighttime rituals of counting sheep, back rubbing and snuggling like pigs to fall asleep, but Molly still has the zoomies. As she zooms through the farm, she wakes everyone. After the zoomies, Molly settles down to sleep, but the others are all wide awake. The wind whispers a lullaby and everyone falls to sleep. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: The book not only incorporates current children' s thoughts and actions, it is an activity book. Asking them to count or perform actions. There are laughable moments that every mother can attribute to feeling.

Wolfie Monster and the Big Bad Pizza Battle: A Graphic Novel written and illustrated by Joey Ellis, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary: Wolfe and his monster brothers, Jackson and Roy, own Magik Cheez Pizza. There’s a new pizza place in town run by Lord Mudpant and he has taken over all the other stores in town. He wants their pizza store too. Lord Mudpant has evil plans to turn the town into zombies and take their money. He is not going to let these brothers stop him. It’s up to Wolfie to get to the bottom of his deceit. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Entertaining, colorful artwork, and humorous. Every page was illustrated with interesting detail. Great for teachers to get a low level reader interested in reading. Elementary students were very interested in reading this book over my shoulder. A lexile of 430 makes it well suited for elementary students or struggling middle school students. Highly Recommended

Sherlock Bones: #2 Sherlock Bones and the Sea-creature Feature written by Renee Treml, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary: The octopus of the new ocean life exhibit at the natural history museum goes missing. The trio of sleuth detectives, Sherlock Bones, Watts, and Grace the chocolate loving raccoon are on the case. Visiting students stated they spotted a sea monster in the mangrove exhibit and several puddles are found around the smaller exhibits. Could there be a connection? 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book is silly, light hearted and educational. It is written in chapters to make it easier to read with several chapters dedicated to the sea creatures. Introducing students to exhibits with live creatures and mangroves can be highly entertaining when mixed with humor. The sea monster is found out to be a lonely sloth who came in with the mangrove and the missing octopus is not missing, only camouflaging itself. This book could be used to motivate slower readers. Highly recommended.

Sherlock Bones: #1 Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery written by Renee Treml and reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary: Sherlock Bones lives in the natural history museum with his trusty sidekick Watts, a stuffed blue parrot. When things go missing or lost, they are first to arrive on the scene. The Royal Blue Diamond goes missing and there is no time to waste. If only Grace, the silly new racoon, can stay out of their way, they may have the chance to find it. Time is getting away. The museum might close their doors if they don’t find it quickly. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Cute and funny for all ages and genders. Great way to introduce the concept of a natural history museum and all it contains. This graphic novel is written in chapters. There is a lot of satire when Sherlock has one sided conversations with his stuffed bird pal Watkins. Sherlock introduces students to using deductive reasoning by asking questions. The interaction with the pesky raccoon Grace turns into a real friendship and a lesson on how to deal with different types of friends. I would recommend this book to a child that doesn't like to read. The humor and characters are very entertaining. Highly recommended.

Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months written by Maurice Sendak, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  Anytime of the year is a good time to have chicken soup with rice.  A small child goes through the months of the year while reiterating it is always nice to have chicken soup with rice.  Each page has a month and each month has a rhyming story, but in every month it is good to have chicken soup with rice.  

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Obviously for all you foodie teachers out there, this would be a wonderful book to have around during the cold season along with a cup of chicken soup with rice.  It helps to teach the months of the year and you cannot overlook the rhyming poetry lesson that goes along with it.  Some months are congruent to the seasons and some concentrated on rhyming.  Originally written in 1962, this book may need a makeover like an old house needs an update.  Update the pictures and rewrite some of the months to relate to today’s students. Keep it congruent to the seasons.  The bones are good, but it is revealing its vintage pages.

Nobody Is Perfick written by Bernard Waber, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Sometimes life can be annoying!  What do you do when a person says they want you to stop scaring them, but really loves to be scared?  Or when someone starts telling you a story, but is laughing so hard they cannot finish it?  These are some scenarios in this short story collection.
This collection of short stories proves that you can write about any of life’s inconsequential occurrences, instill a little laughter or shock, and you too can be an author. You can laugh or be indignant for the people in the stories. 

Straight Talk for Librarians:  The collection of life’s inconsequential stories is a great way to teach writing.  Everyone has a story inside them waiting to come to be written.  Nobody is perfick felt like I was reading a collection of 4th grade written books.  Some are cute and most say nothing of interest with little to no humor.  The illustrations saved the book from drowning in bad reviews.  The pencil drawings bring to life the characters and are more interesting than the written words. Teachers can use the book to teach early days of writing.  Recommended

 

Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake written by Barbara Lehman, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Little Red and Big Red bake a cake for Grandma.  Wolfie, the cat, thinks he’ll be getting cake until it’s boxed up and put in a basket.  Sneaky Wolfie, follows Little Red all through town and through the park hiding behind things for the right opportunity to grab the cake.  Little Red greets several people, but the timing is off for Wolfie.  Wolfie gets into Grandma’s house, puts on her clothes, and gets in bed, but Wolfie does not know that Little Red and Grandma have a surprise for him.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This fractured fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood is told through pictures.  It is wordless, but not worthless.  The colorful pages tell a strong story and incorporate other fairytale figures along the way.  There is a find me section in the back pages of the book to find certain items or characters. Having the students look for items is a precursor toward learning to be observant and detail-gathering for later comprehensive reading.  Great for teaching fractured fairy tales or rewriting a story too.  Goes to show, you don’t need words to tell a story.  Highly recommended. 

 

Haggis and Tank Unleashed #2: Digging for Dinos written by Jessica Young and illustrated byJames Burks, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  Haggis and Tank take off on an adventure to find Dinosaurs.  Tank read that they found dinosaurs right there near their backyard.  Haggis gets talked into searching for dinosaurs.  They pack food and set off on an adventure.  They find 3 dinosaur eggs all alone so they make a plan to sit on them to hatch, when along comes Mama triceratops and charges at them.  Tank shows her they mean no harm and helps cover them with leaves and grass.  She trusts them and makes them her friends.  They play games until a Tyrannosaurus Rex comes along to eat them, but as the ground starts to shake, he runs off.  Suddenly all the creatures, followed by all the dinosaurs, run away.  Tank and Haggis get worried and find a way to get home quickly.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This easy reader chapter book with colorful pages has entertaining comical conversations between Haggis and Tank.  Tank is a dreamer, who misunderstands a lot of what Haggis says.  He constantly confuses similar sounding words into something else, which makes for a highly funny and entertaining book about vocabulary. Haggis, who is the smart one, is talked into these adventures by Tank.  Students learn how to be friendly towards people, some who are aggressive towards them or misunderstanding the conversation.  We all can learn to handle a hard of hearing grandparent or older person in our life.  This book would make a great classroom library book on diversity and age differences.  Highly recommended. 

Carmen Sandiego: Clue by Clue written by Catherine Hapka, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  Carmen Sandiego is on a quest in Tortuga to find pirate Captain Goldtooth’s treasure.  It has been hidden since the 1600s.  Carmen needs to find it before VILE gets to it.  A former pirate who traveled with Goldtooth, wrote a diary and coded where to find the treasure. In this diary is the code breaker.  This pirate stole the treasure from Goldtooth and hid it in Tortuga.  This time VILE sent four of their best agents to retrieve it.  Tigress, Mime Bomb, El Topo, and Le Chevre are all there as well as Inspector Devineaux.  Can Carmen outwit them all?

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Mysteries are sought after books by students and this one will be a big hit with its special symbol decoder built right in.  These books are a welcome addition to any classroom library.  There are extra codes to solve in the back pages that will keep students engaged past the reading of the book.  Upper elementary teachers could have a field day which includes decoding of a puzzles, like an escape room environment to reach the treasure.  It’s a great way to engage students minds.

Mr. Complain Takes the Train written by Wade Bradford and illustrated by Stephan Britt, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Mr. Complain takes a vacation and on the train he notices things are not quite as he wants them to be.  He is a grumpy man and lots of things are wrong on the train.  His seat is too lumpy.  The passenger next to him is too prickly, although a porcupine can’t help it.  The train is moving too fast or too uphill.  He can never seem to find the train comfortable.  After the train and tracks do a loop de loop and a ride through a river, cleaning out the inside of the train, he finally makes it to his destination of Dullsville, but is that what he wants in a vacation?

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Mr. Complain makes a lot of work for the conductor and says mean things to those around him.  All the passengers and conductor remain in good spirits while trying to satisfy his complaints.  Vacations don’t always go as planned.  Students need to learn how to handle their emotions without hurting the others around them.  They can either learn to make a bad situation into a good situation or sulk.  This would make a great classroom discussion on how they would handle himself.  The interactive book is a lot of fun.  This large picture book is fun to read as the train moves up, down, and upside down as do the words on the page and most scenes take up both pages. Highly recommended.

Carmen Sandiego: Secrets of the Silver Lion written by Emma Otheguy, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Vile stole the throne of  King Felipe IV of Spain in 1621 from a New York museum.  On it are 3 hallowed out inlays for 3 silver symbols, two of which were stolen back in King Felipe’s time. One of them was found and Vile has stolen it too.  Carmen and friends fly to Spain to steal them back.  She is up against her arch rival Paperstar from days together in Vile training.  They constantly competed against each other in school and the animosity towards each other has not changed.  They must find this throne and all its components and return it to the people of Bolivia.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Carmen’s feelings about being latin and stolen away in Argentina by Vile are surfacing in this caper. She’s longing to know who her parents were and to dig deeper into her family history.  Something several adopted teenagers have in common.  Students enjoy the mystery and the good vs evil in Carmen books.  As they run through Spain and Bolivia, they learn about the people and customs.  It would be a great addition to any social studies unit.  Detective-mystery books will always be desired in a school library and Carmen Sandiego books are like the old time Nancy Drew.   Highly Recommended. 

 

Louis written by Tom Lichtenheld and illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Louis is a teddy bear who thinks he is unloved.  He is left on the subway train.  He is splashed with milk and he has been bitten by dinosaurs.  Louis wants to leave and find another home that will love him.  Louis feels underappreciated so he makes plans to run away.  With his decision made, now he has to find the right time to leave. He can’t do it during the tea party with cake, nor during bedtime struggles, he ferrets out that maybe he likes it right here at home.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Things look different if you take the time to see it.  It’s not always bad.  This would make a great group read in a classroom or an individual building up reading skills.  A lesson plan could be about how to treat others and dealing with empathy.  Not everyone will find fun in everything you like to do. Colorful big pictures and large words will provide viewing from the back of any reading circle.

 

Cleopatra in Space #3: Secret of the Time Tablets written by Mike Maihack, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  Young Cleopatra is on another adventure to find the time tables before Octavian. These tablets will determine Cleo’s fate.  While being attacked by Octavian’s ships, the group separates into different space pods and travels down to Hykosis.  There Cleo runs into Antony, her rival.  Antony and Cleo are consistently trying to find the same items.  Antony helps Cleo and Akiri exscape Octavian’s guards only to find Hykosis is littered with Octavian’s men.  After Octavian kills the leader of the orphanage. who hiding the tablets, he sets a trap for Cleo.  She is the only one who can bring the tablets to life.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This is the 3rd book in the series.  The story picks up where it left off, but has its own mission.  It was not difficult to follow along, having not read the first two books.  There are several diverse characters and friends helping friends. Sometimes the writing is very basic.  Multiple pages of Bam, Crash, Blatz, Zwack, Zap, Zip, and Z-ting.  This is for a student’s pleasure read.  One who finds space and time travel their niche.  I ordered books 1 and 2 to add to my collection.  Recommended

NewsPrints #2: EndGames written and illustrated by Ru Xu, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  In this sequel to NewsPrints, the fight for freedom and truth continues with Blue searching for her friend Crow.  Crow is a boy that was created to end the war.  He is a flying war machine.  Blue is half Grimmaean and half Goswish.  The new Goswish queen is not backing away from the war.  She is forging ahead and wants to have all the territories under her rule by beating Gremmaeans into submission.  Blue, raised in Goswish, gets kidnapped by the Gremmaeans and learns a lesson in working together for the common good.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  A lot is lost by not having read the first book.  The beginning is confusing because characters are introduced without background.  Xu could have written a prologue to introduce the characters from book 1 and make the transition better.  This would end a lot of confusion in certain scenes.
Goswish’s have black hair and brown eyes and Gremmaeans have blond hair and blue eyes, because Blue has traits of each, blond hair & brown-eyed, she is neither friend nor foe. She has to defend herself all the time.  She can pass through either country with a few changes like a wig or sunglasses.  Her lack of acceptance strikes a true cord common among today’s teens. I purchased the first book to add to my collection.  I believe I won't be able to keep it on the shelf.

Not recommended as a stand-alone read

This Is the Day! written by Amy Parker and illustrated by Leeza Hernandez , reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  Psalm 118:24 says This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.  Today,  we will wake up and rejoice.  God created this day - He made it for you.  Get up; get ready to go. Go see and do all the things God has created for you.  Sing songs and ride rides.  Even if you are feeling sad, you can make this the best day you’ve had.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This Christian book references Psalm 118:24.  This is the Day encourages small children to see the new day as one of wonder.  It brings the promise of a new joyous beginning and tells of all the happy things and sites to see in the new dawn. They talk about God and how he is present and gives us all these wonderful things.  This is a good fit for any school library catering to a Christian community.  This love and goodness book can be a welcome addition to an elementary library.  Recommended. 

Thank you, Mr. Panda written by Steve Antony, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Mr. Panda has bought a gift for each of his friends.  He and his friend Lemur deliver them.  In all cases the gift doesn’t fit.  Each of his friends thank him, but get a surprise as each gift has an issue.  Octopus’ sweater came with only 6 leg holes and Goat’s bow was too long.  Lemur reminds all of Mr. Panda’s friends, that it is the thought that counts.  Lemur is surprised by his own gift of underwear being way too big and is reminded by Mr. Panda, it’s the thought that counts.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Steve Anthony reminds us, it is not the gift that matters, but the thought that counts.  In many different ways he presents different animals with gifts from Mr. Panda and each gift is not usable.   Mr. Panda's little sidekick Lemur reminds us all that it’s the thought that counts. This wonderful little book which has colorful boards will attract lots of readers. The same message is delivered on every page. The repetition gives us consistency in a lesson to be learned- It’s the thought that counts- and hopefully young readers will begin to see the pattern and learn from it. This book is good for a read along or for an individual reader. Recommended.   

Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond written by Sam Hearn, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  Young middle schooler, John Watson, starts his first day of school at Baker street academy in London.  He meets many new friends including Sherlock and Martha, reunites with past friend Bart, and also meets his  nemesis James.  They take a field trip to the British Arts & Antiquities museum where they go on a treasure hunt.  During their time there, an attempted robbery took place with a flash mob providing the distraction.  Later it was discovered that there was a true crime, and a diamond was replaced with a fake.  Time for these detectives to get down to figuring out who took the real diamond.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This modern day Sherlock and Watson story is about how they get their start as detectives. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to follow.  The writing is interspersed with newspaper clippings, live tv shows, bulletin board notices and blogs on every other page.  My thoughts were interrupted many times and it was hard to focus on the story.  A lot of the information was repetitive in the excerpts. I liked the layout of the book, ⅓ story, ⅓ graphic novel, ⅓ newsprint.  It all came together in the end.  I wished the interruptions happened at a natural break in the story.  Students will be attracted to the cover and interior layout. Recommended

El Dador/The Giver (Spanish Edition) written by Lois Lowery, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  A young boy named Jonas discovers his life and the lives of his family and friends are influenced by a governing body. Their life’s path is not by chance but controlled in their utopian world.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  The Giver is still read in our school district and the spanish translation is a welcome addition to our ESL program.  Highly recommended.

Oh my Gods! written by Stephanie Cooke, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

 

Summary:  Karen is the daughter of Zeus, but doesn’t know it.  Her mom sent her to Mt. Olympus to spend quality time and get acquainted with her father.  Karen was very excited to do it.  Although once she arrived, she knew things were different.  She believed she was at an art & theater school where they took things to the extreme by dressing in character.  When people literally started turning to stone, they thought Karen might be involved.  Karen wants to clear her name.  Along with her god friends, they delve into solving the mystery of who is turning gods into stone.     

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Oh my Gods held my interest from start to finish.  Teens can relate to Karen moving schools and having to make new friends.  When the first thing goes wrong, they all look towards the newcomer.  Her new friends help her solve the mystery and Karen teaches them how to treat the villain with kindness and understanding.  Students will learn not to judge so quickly and making friends is always a good choice.  Highly recommended.