The Summer Before Boys

Name of the book:  The Summer Before Boys Author: Nora Raleigh Baskin Publisher: Simon & Schuster ISBN: 978-1416986737 Audience: Grades 6-8 Summary: Julia is staying with her friend Eliza while her father works and her mother is stationed in Iraq. Her summer is going as she thought it would, hanging out at the resort where [...]

Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She was Extinct

Title:  Edwina,The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct Author:  Mo Willems Illustrator:  Mo Willems Publisher:  Hyperion Books ISBN:  978-0786837489 Audience: Ages 4-8 Summary: Who doesn’t love Edwina?  She feeds the birds, plays with children, helps little old ladies across the street, and bakes delicious chocolate chip cookies for everyone.  Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie  doesn’t love [...]

Snowshoe Thompson

Name of Book:  Snowshoe Thompson Author:  Nancy Levinson Publisher:  HarperCollins ISBN:  978-0064442060 Audience:  Ages 3-6  (I Can Read) Literary elements at work in the story:  Easy-to-read books often suffer from the use of limited vocabulary and sentence structure, but Levinson has overcome both of these obstacles.  This story is as compelling and interesting as any [...]

Leap Back Home to Me

Name of Book: Leap Back Home to Me Author: Lauren Thompson Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry ISBN:978-1416906643 Audience: Ages 3-8 Summary: A little frog’s first leap out into the world is a big, scary thing. But luckily, mama is there to catch him when he comes home. As the leaps get bigger, frog gets braver—and before [...]

Catching Fire

Name of Book:  Catching Fire Author:  Suzanne Collins Book Design:  Elizabeth Parisi Publisher:  Scholastic Press Audience:  Ages 12 and up Summary:  The second in a trilogy of science fiction stories, Catching Fire is written for adolescent youth and older due to graphic and violent content. Katniss and Peeta were victors of the 74th Hunger Games. [...]

The Hunger Games

Name of Book:  The Hunger Games Author:  Suzanne Collins Book Design:  Phil Falco Publisher:  Scholastic Press Audience:  Ages 12 and up Summary:  The first in a trilogy of science fiction stories, The Hunger Games is written for adolescent youth and older due to graphic and violent content. Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl [...]

The House in the Night

Name of Book: The House in the Night Author: Susan Marie Swanson Illustrator: Beth Krommes Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company ISBN: 978-0-618-86244-3 Audience: Ages 4 and up Summary: This is a beautiful goodnight book that uses rhythmic naming of nighttime things to bring comfort and order to a child’s world. “Here is the key to the [...]