Plant the Tiny Seed

 

Title: Plant the Tiny Seed

Author: Christie Mathson

Series: N/A

Recommended for: Preschool – 3rd grade

Pages: 40

Call Number/Link: E MATHESON, C.

Synopsis:  How do you make a garden grow? In this playful companion to the popular Tap the Magic Tree and Touch the Brightest Star, you will see how tiny seeds bloom into beautiful flowers. And by tapping, clapping, waving, and more, young readers can join in the action! Christie Matheson masterfully combines the wonder of the natural world with the interactivity of reading.

Beautiful collage-and-watercolor art follows the seed through its entire life cycle, as it grows into a zinnia in a garden full of buzzing bees, curious hummingbirds, and colorful butterflies. Children engage with the book as they wiggle their fingers to water the seeds, clap to make the sun shine after rain, and shoo away a hungry snail. Appropriate for even the youngest child, Plant the Tiny Seed is never the same book twice—no matter how many times you read it!

And for curious young nature lovers, a page of facts about seeds, flowers, and the insects and animals featured in the book is included at the end. Fans of Press Here, Eric Carle, and Lois Ehlert will find their next favorite book in Plant the Tiny Seed.

My thoughts: I think this book was so cute and had great rhyming sentences.  It is very interactive and would be perfect for any storytime: lapsit, toddler, preschool or Family.  I like the fact that the children can participate by doing an action for each page, while the colors and illustrations are engaging while covering a science topic.  Great book for parents or any type of teachers that want to teach how plants grow.

 

Going Wild

Title: Going Wild
Author: Lisa McMann
Series: Going Wild
Recommended for: 3rd-7th Grade
Pages: 375 pages
Call Number/Link:  J FICTION MCMANN
Synopsis: Charlie Wilde knew her life would change forever when her family moved from the city of Chicago to the suburbs of Arizona…and that was before she found the bracelet. After putting it on, she notices odd things start to happen. Suddenly Charlie seems to have the speed of a cheetah and the strength of an elephant—and that’s just the beginning. She would be thrilled about her transformation if she had any idea how to use the device or control her amazing powers. So Charlie is forced to put her trust in new friends to help her uncover the surprising truth behind the mysterious bracelet.

This was a fun book, lots of action.  I really liked Charlie the main character, she was someone you could connect with.  Charlie and her family has just moved to Arizona and so you see how they struggle to get settled in their new jobs and schools.  It is hard for Charlie and her brother to adjust to a new school as well as Dad not being a stay-at-home dad anymore.  Then Charlie stumbles on a package that is addressed to Charlie Wilde.  The package held a bracelet and an note saying, ” You know what to do.”  Charlie puts it on and then strange things happen.  She is able to run really fast at times or is really strong.  She finds out there are five powers connected to the bracelet.  Charlie and her new friends try to figure out the bracelet, while someone is searching for the bracelet.  Some of the things Charlies does gets noticed.  This does end with a cliff hanger.

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History

Title: Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History
Author: Karen Blumenthal
Series: N/A
Recommended for: 7th Grade and up
Pages: 432
Call Number/Link:  Teen Biography Clinton, H. 

Synopsis: As a young girl growing up in the fifties, Hillary Diane Rodham had an unusual upbringing for the time-her parents told her, “You can do or be whatever you choose, as long as you’re willing to work for it.” Hillary took those words and ran. Whether it was campaigning at the age of thirteen in the 1964 presidential election, receiving a standing ovation and being featured in LIFE magazine as the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley, or graduating from Yale Law School-she was always one to stand out from the pack.

And that was only the beginning. Today, we have seen Hillary in many roles. From First Lady of the United States to the first female Senator of New York and most recently as the United States Secretary of State. An activist all her life, she has been devoted to health care reform, child care, and women’s rights, among others. And she’s still not done.

Review: As a teen biography on a politician this book was highly readable. I’ll admit that I learned quite a bit about Hillary, especially about her earlier life. The material is presented in a way that is not over dry and I do believe teen interested in politics would enjoy it. The only thing I wish would have gone more in-depth about would have been her days as in Senate as as Secretary of State. However, at almost 400 pages, I can understand why that may have been cut. Overall, an entertaining & informative read.

 

Time Traveling with a Hamster

Title: Time Traveling with a Hamster
Author: Ross Welford
Series: N/A
Recommended for: 4th-7th grade
Pages: 426
Call Number/Link:  J FICTION WELFORD 
Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Al Chaudhury discovers his late dad’s time machine and travels back to 1984 with his pet hamster to prevent the go-kart accident that killed his father.

This was an ok story.  My son and I expected more action.  His dad has been dead a few years now, his mum has remarried and they have moved to a new house. On Al’s 12th birthday his Mum  gives him a  letter from his dad.  Al’s dad has tasked him with going back in time to stop the go-kart accident that is the cause of his early death.  That sounds great and all, but there is a lot of talking about feelings and what should he do.  Even when there was action, there is still a lot of just trying to decide what to do.  Most of the book is Al deciding what he should do.  He ends up messing up the past and then having to try to fix it.  I also thought the hamster would be more than a thought, since it was mentioned it in the title.  My son didn’t finish the book because he lost interest in the book, to much time dwelling on what to do.

 

Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle

 

Title: Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle
Author: N.D. Wilson
Series: Outlaws of Time
Recommended for: Tweens and up, especially those who’ve read Percy Jackson/Harry Potter and want more, but any who love action/adventure/fantasy/sci-fi, or are at least willing to try it. Also Firefly Fankids.
Pages: 329
Call Number/Link: J FIC WILSON

Synopsis: “Misfit twelve-year-old Sam Miracle’s life is made up of dreams, dreams where he’s a courageous, legendary hero instead of a foster kid with two bad arms that can barely move. Sometimes these dreams feel so real, they seem like forgotten memories. And sometimes they make him believe that his arms might come alive again. But Sam is about to discover that the world he knows and the world he imagines are separated by only one thing: time. And that separation is only an illusion. The laws of time can be bent and shifted by people with special magic that allows them to travel through the past, present, and future. But not all of these “time walkers” can be trusted. One is out to protect Sam so that he can accept his greatest destiny, and another is out to kill him so that a prophecy will never be fulfilled. However, it’s an adventurous girl named Glory and two peculiar snakes who show Sam the way through the dark paths of yesterday to help him make sure there will be a tomorrow for every last person on earth.” — Amazon.com

My Review:

Hold onto your hats! This book picked me up and spun me around and dropped me into a world of Old West gunfights; time travel; mysterious magic; and more until I didn’t quite know which way was up (in a good way). The adventures are exciting and the story is excellent. While there is a fair bit of violence, it is at the service of the story–that is, it is NOT violence for violence’s sake, and its costs and effects are clearly shown–and the story would probably not be a problem for an average reader.
Time travel, although a very tricky thing to write, is handled well here, too; I have no idea if it jives at all with the laws of physics, but I was able to follow the line of logic without too much trouble, and don’t think it would confuse readers who are used to fantasy or science fiction. As for the characters, the heroes and villains are all very well and clearly drawn without veering into stereotypes (although I think the author let himself have quite a lot of fun with the villains.) The ending, while fairly satisfying, requires a sequel. No ifs, ands, or buts about it; we have to know what happens next!

Highly recommended.