The Very Cranky Bear Book Review

Written by: Nick Bland

Illustrated by: Nick Bland

Book Review: Four furry friends, Zebra, Lion, Moose, and Sheep, escape the rain and cold by ducking into a cave to play. Unfortunately, the cave is already occupied by a cranky bear! When the friends wake the cranky bear, he scares them back outside. Zebra, Lion, and Moose (leaving Sheep out) hatch a crazy plan to cheer up the cranky bear in hopes he'll let them come back in. The comical outcome doesn't get the response the friends were hoping for, but sheep has a better plan that saves the day. Written in rhyme, Nick Bland's The Very Cranky Bear is one of a series. The artwork is filled with soft, neutral colors. Each page is engaging and portrays friendly animal characters with expressive faces that young readers are sure to enjoy.

Interest Level: Grades Pre-K-2
AR Level: 2.9 (worth .5 pts.)
Lexile Level: 710

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Parental Concern Rating:
0 out of 5

Counting by 7s

Written by: Holly Goldberg Sloan

AR Level: 5.6 (worth 10pts)
Lexile Level: 770
Interest Level: Grades 5-8

Book Summary: Twelve-year old Willow is a "highly gifted" girl who loves nature, studying diseases, and counting by 7s. "Almost everything interests me," she says. She has no friends and starts middle school outside her district to get a fresh start. Things are not going well at Sequoia Middle. Willow earns a perfect score on a standardized test and is accused of cheating. Instead of worrying her parents, she takes the punishment, which includes counseling every week. Dell Duke, the school counselor is unprofessional and unfit for his job. He knows it. Willow knows it, too. At counseling she meets Mai, the sister of a Quang Ha who is a fellow counselee. Just when things are looking up, everything falls apart. Willow's loving and supportive parents suddenly die in a car accident. She has no next of kin. Mai begs her mother to take Willow in. Mai's mother, Pattie, reluctantly agrees but insists its only temporary until the state can find suitable foster parents for Willow. Stunned and empty, Willow wades through the grief and getting back to a new normal. She no longer counts by 7s or focuses on the dangers of germs and disease. Willow's living situation could change at any second, but while she waits for a foster family, she makes the best of an uncomfortable situation. 

Book Review: Though 378 pages, Counting by 7s is a quick read. The story moves rapidly and readers will get invested in the interesting and mysterious characters. The tragedy and sadness experienced by the main character, Willow, are dealt with in a tasteful and appropriate way. Counting by 7s depicts an unlikely family (a single mom, her two teens, an inept school counselor, and a heartbroken, orphaned tween) who, whether they realize it or not, somehow make each others lives better.

Profanity: None

Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors:
Willow keeps secrets from her parents.
Willow runs away.
Dell and Quang Ha channel surf for shows with violence ("a cartoon man gets stabbed in the eye with an ice pick") or "appealing females" a.k.a. "hot girls."


Potentially Inappropriate References: None

Parental Concern:
1 out of 5

Ribbit Book Review

Written by: Rodrigo Folgueira

Illustrated by: Poly Bernatene

Book Summary: A family of frogs find a pig in their pond who only says, "Ribbit," so they seek the advice of a wise old beetle who suggests that maybe the pig wants to be friends.

Book Review: When a large family of frogs wake to find a "surprise visitor" in their pond, they are confused. Their confusion grows when they try to speak to the pig, but pig's only reply is, "Ribbit!" Forest friends find the situation funny, but the frogs are feeling angry. The chief frog steps in and exclaims, "We're not getting anywhere by fighting! We must go and find the wise old beetle. He'll know what to do." The wise old beetle helps the frogs see the solution is simple and leaves it up to them to fix their pig problem. Ribbit is rich in engaging dialogue and uses varying font sizes to convey the emotions of the characters. The watercolor illustrations in Ribbit are colorful and fresh. The background of each page is filled with Earth tones and a texture similar to a woven blanket. Pay special attention to the forests animals, whose eyes and mouths are perfectly expressive and humorous.

Interest Level: Grades Pre-K-2
AR Level: 2.1 (worth .5 pts.)
Lexile Level: AD500L

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Parental Concern Rating:
0 out of 5

The War that Saved My Life

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

AR Level: 4.1 (worth 9 pts.)
Lexile Level: 500
Interest Level: Grades 6-8


Book Summary: Ada has never left the London flat where she lives with her mother and brother, Jamie. Ada is not allowed to leave; her abusive mother doesn't want anyone to see her "crippled" daughter. In the summer of 1939, when World War II could begin at any second, parents are sending their kids to the English countryside to escape the impending bombing of city. Jamie is going, but Ada's mother, Mam, refuses to let Ada go. "They're sending kids to live with nice people. Who'd want you? Nobody, that's who. Nice people don't want to look at that foot," says her mother. Ada's will is stronger than her disability and on the morning her brother is to leave, she sneaks out early with him, boards the train and rides off into a new life. Things are better with Susan, their reluctant guardian, but even though Ada has escaped her mother, she can't escape the trauma of her past.

Book Review: Bradley weaves fascinating historical facts into an already engaging story of an abused girl who shows herself and the world that she is as valuable as any "normal person." Readers will find Ada relatable and inspiring. Though some of the details of Ada's life with her "mam" are disturbing, the author moves passed the rough subjects quickly and appropriately.

Awards and Recognitions:
Newberry Honor Book
Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2017-2018

Profanity:
Slut
Hell (written in dialect as "'ell")

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors:
Mam slaps Ada
Mam locks Ada in a cupboard
Ada ties up Jamie briefly, but immediately feels sorry.
Mam is emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive.
A teacher ties Jamie's left hand to his chair (he's left handed and the teacher insists he write with his right hand).

Parental Concern: 2 out of 5

The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days

Author: Michele Weber Hurwitz 

AR Level: 3.5
Lexile Level: 530L
Interest Level: 6th to 8th grade

Awards and Recognition: Sunshine State Young Readers Award nominee 2016-2017

Book Summary: Thirteen year old, Nina, still mourning her beloved grandmother's death, is inspired by her grandmother's "Simple Truths" theory that good things happen when they are supposed to. This, combined with her 8th grade teacher's last words before summer, "It's the ordinary things that go unnoticed that end up making a difference," convinces Nina the time for good things to happen is now. Her goal is to perform 65 good deeds before summer's end without anyone knowing. While Nina is busy fixing everyone else's problems, her problems seem to be piling up. Her parents are never available, her brother is always M.I.A., the neighbors are getting suspicious, and her best friend Jorie only has time for her when the more popular kids aren't around. But worst of all, Jorie has a mission of her own: Score a date with Nina's secret crush, Eli, for homecoming.

Book Review: The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days has little to object to. It's a story of a good kid doing good things, while managing her own teen relatable problems. The language is clean, the actions of most the kids are reasonable, and the only things parents might be uncomfortable with are two kisses between 13 year olds.

Profanity: None

Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors:
Kissing in the park
Kissing in the street
Teens break into a vacant house to hang out.
Nina lies to her parents.

Potentially Inappropriate References: None

Parental Concern:
1 out of 5

A Big Guy Took My Ball!

Author: Mo Willems

AR Level: 0.5
Lexile Level: AD270L
Interest Level: Pre-K - 2

Book Summary: In A Big Guy Took My Ball!, Gerald is outraged when Piggie tells him some big guy took the ball Piggie just found. "What makes those big guys think they are so big?! Well, I am big too! I will get your big ball from that big guy," exclaims Gerald the elephant. Things are not what they seem, though, and Gerald and Piggie both learn a lesson about what it's like to be the "big guy."

Book Review: In his usual style of simple pictures, minimal words and lovable characters, Mo Willems delivers another entertaining edition to the Elephant and Piggie Book series. Readers will laugh while learning that sometimes first impressions are all wrong. 

Profanity: NONE

Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors: NONE

Potentially Inappropriate References: NONE

Parental Concern Rating: 0 out of 5 (0 = no concern, 5 = major concern)

Nerd Girls - The Rise of the Dorkasaurus

Author: Alan Lawrence Sitomer

AR Level: 4.7 (worth 7pts)

Lexile Level: 660

Interest Level: Grades 6-8

Book Summary: Standing up to the ThreePees (a group of popular girls) is never a good idea. But Maureen is fed up with their cruelty and decides to do something about it. Unfortunately, her attempt to stop a prank ends up on YouTube where she comes off as a total loser, definitely not heroic. One good thing does come out of Maureen's selfless act. She gains two new friends. 

Maureen (AKA: Mo), Alice (AKA Allergy Alice, Q), and Barbara (AKA: Beanpole), are three self-described middle school nerds. Maureen is the fat one. Alice is the quiet one. Barbara is the clumsy one. The ThreePees taunt and harass the "Nerd Girls" on a daily basis. Tired of the tormenting and sick of seeing the ThreePees win the annual talent show year after year, the three girls band together to win the talent show and knock the ThreePees down to size. However, there are several problems with their plan, the biggest being that they don't have a talent. The "Nerd Girls" begin a mission to find a talent, overcome their fears, and win!

Book Review: Reading Nerd Girls is like running track, it seems like you're going somewhere, but in the end, you are right back where you started. I love a good underdog story, but these underdogs don't make any progress! The characters are stereotypical of nerd girl teenage comedy movies. (Like Clueless and Mean Girls.) Allergy Alice is so awkward and weird that she often takes insults as jokes and her only response is a clueless, "You're funny." She says this a lot. And Barbara (Beanpole) is a klutz who, annoyingly, runs into and trips over everything, repeatedly. She always follows with, "I'm okay, I'm okay." Another character is portrayed as hopelessly stupid. Why would anyone write about girls this way? There is quite a bit of trashy talk in Nerd Girls, all of it sexual. The girls talk about "tongue kissing," several times. Sometimes, it borders on vulgar, if not completely stepping over the line. At least it's all talk, though, and no action.

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors:
Bullying
Name calling
Intimidation
Lying
Destruction of another's property

Potentially Inappropriate References:
"Lick its crouch." This is in reference to the robot and what it can be programmed to do.
"Tongue Jason." This is in reference to kissing a boy, which never actually happens.
"They see those, both of them." This is in reference to large breasts and the reasons why boys like mean girls.
"Tongue kissing."

Parental Concern Rating:
3 out of 5 (0 = no concern, 5 = major concern)