The Lover's Dictionary

The Lover’s Dictionary

Written by: David Levithan

Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Reading Level: Made for adults but can be read by teens

The Lover’s Dictionary is an Alex Award Winner.  This book is told in dictionary form.  It starts with A’s and continues all the way to the Z’s.  The first word that appears in this books is aberrant.  You would think that this book is an actual dictionary with actual definitions, but it is the story of a relationship with each word describing a piece of that relationship.  I found myself very confused when reading it because I wasn’t sure whether it was told in the perspective of a man or a woman.  I soon realized that it was told by both but I had trouble figuring out which gender was currently telling their story.  This book explores all the elements of love in alphabetical order.  Any adult, and maybe even teen in love or in a relationship will be able to relate with this book, the characters and the way they are feeling.  Each word may have an impact on the reader to where they can read the word and the text under it and say “I have felt like that before!” or even “Hey, that is what I am feeling right now!”  In this book you will see many ups and downs in the relationship like you would in every relationship and you will keep wondering if the couple will end up still being together or breaking up.  I really enjoyed this book and found myself being able to relate to the characters.  Being in a relationship myself, I can understand some of the things these characters are going through.  Also, I was able to learn new words that I didn’t know before, as well as finally be able to find the word to describe what I had been feeling at some points during my relationship.  This is the perfect book for a parent and a child to read because although it might be awkward, they will both be able to relate and maybe even have something to talk about and bond over.  This book will have every emotion you can feel in a relationship.  It captured the essence of most relationships.  I recommend this book to any adult and even to teens.

Big Girl Small

Big Girl Small

Written by: Rachel DeWoskin

Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Reading Level: Ages 14 and up

Big Girl Small is an Alex Award winner.  The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  It really made me laugh.  Judy Lohden was a really funny character with her sarcastic remarks.  Judy is sixteen years old  and she is very talented and wants to be famous one day.  She has an awesome singing voice that can quiet a room in an instance.  She makes it into Darcy Academy which is a school especially for the arts.  In the beginning of the book, we see that she is hiding out somewhere.  Why though?  Well did I mention that Judy is only 3 ft nine in tall?  This story takes place during Judy’s junior year of high school and her first year at Darcy High.  In reading this book, it does take a while to find out why exactly it is that Judy is hiding out and what it is she did to cause such a scandal that she has to hide out, but in the end it makes perfect sense.  I feel that any teenager will be able to relate to Judy once they stop thinking about how she only almost 4ft tall.  Judy’s attitude is the perfect epitome of a teenage girl.  Things seem to go surprisingly well for Judy during her first few months at her new school.  She makes friends with other girls who are considered outsiders.  Molly who is one of the few African Americans at the school, Sarah who is a somewhat a Goth and has dark black hair and piercings.  In order to find out why exactly it is that Judy is hiding out in the motel with everyone from the press to her parents looking for her you really need to read the book.  I would love to tell you, because it makes for one good story but I really do not want to ruin the whole book for you.  I guarantee you will not regret reading this book.

Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again

Written by: Thanhha Lai

Published by: HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers

Reading Level: Ages 8 and up

Inside Out and Back Again is a Newberry Honor Book Award Winner. The Newberry Award Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This book is a novel told in verse.  I like that this book is told in verse because this can help children understand that poems don’t have to be about rhyming.  This book also fits the month of April because April is the month of poetry.  I can see teachers reading this book with their class during the month of April to help their students understand poetry better.  This book is the touching story of a girl’s year of change, grief, dreams, and healing as she travels from one country to another.  Ha is practically changing lives when she has to flee with her mother and three brothers from Saigon to the United States.  This story takes place from the height of the Vietnam War.  Ha’s father has been missing for nine years during this war, and in time everything is getting worse. Her family knows it is best for them to flee but they don’t want to in hopes that Ha’s father is still alive and will come to find them eventually.  How will he be able to find them if they no longer live in their home? When her family finally flees from Saigon they travel by boat and eventually end up in Florida, and then they finally end up in Alabama with sponsors.  This is where Ha ends up staying.  She ends up in a school where all her classmates are mean to her, and she ends up eating lunch in the bathroom.  Many readers will enjoy reading Ha’s tale told in verse of her struggles to fit into this new culture where she is supposedly safe but tormented constantly until she finally decides to get back at the bully’s who have been making her life difficult.  Ii really enjoyed this story.  I found it funny and sad at the same time.  Ha had so many things to overcome and you know her life could not have been easy.  I recommend this book to anyone who would be interested in reading it and I also see this book as being a perfect read in the classroom after learning about the Vietnam War.

Why We Broke Up

Why We Broke Up

Written by: Daniel Handler

Art by: Maira Kalman

Published by: Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group

Reading Level: Ages 15 and up

Why We Broke Up is a Printz Honor Book award recipient.  This book is about a girl named Min, short for Minerva who is breaking up with her now ex boyfriend Ed.  The book is all told in a letter form.  What the readers are reading is what Min is writing to Ed explaining why they broke up.  She has gathered a box full of all of Ed’s things, or things that remind her of Ed that she does not want anymore.  Then she calls her friend Al who is going to take her to drop off the box along with the letter she is currently writing.  In the letter she is writing Min is taking out one item at a time out of the box she is taking back to Ed, and explaining where she got it, the events that took place when she got it, why she doesn’t want it anymore, and most importantly why they broke up.  Throughout the letter Min tells Ed exactly why it is they broke up.   Within the book there are illustrations of all the items that Min is returning.  I loved the drawings that were in the books.  They made the book that much better.  It helped me visualize better what it was that she was returning.  I also loved the page type that was used.  It was very glossy and nice.  This book is perfect for teen girls to read.  I feel that most of them will be able to relate to this story.  Especially the girls who have gone out with a guy who is completely wrong for them and nothing like them.  This book has many topics that teenagers will be able to relate to.  Some topics include, love, heartbreak, relationships, friendships, sex for the first time, and more.  Although some boys may like this book, I see girls enjoying it more.  I would only recommend this book for high school students and anyone older. 

Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller (English and Spanish Edition)

Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller (English and Spanish Edition)

Written by: Xavier Garza  

Published by: Cinco Puntos Press.

Reading Level: Ages 8 and up

This book has been awarded the Pura Belpre (Author) Honor Award.

When I first picked up this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it because I am not really into Lucha Libre, or wrestling.  However, I found myself getting really into the book.  It is an easy read, and is actually smaller than it looks since it is in both English and Spanish.  When I first opened the book, I was really confused because I only saw the Spanish language part.  Then I finally decided to look to the left side of the book and there was the English.  This book would be a perfect read for boys.  It has the perfect amount of wrestling action and not to mention a boy as the main characters.  I feel that many boys who read this will be able to relate to Max.  Girls will also like this book because in it, there are girl lucha libre wrestlers as well.  In this book, Maximilian has a hero.  His hero is the Guardian Angel who is the best lucha libre wrestler out there.  There is no better wrestler.  Lucha libre is a famous Mexican sport much like American wrestling except that they wear masks and know one knows their true identity unless they get unmasked.  One day while watching the Guardian Angel, Max gets to actually meet him.  He also learns the true identity of the Guardian Angel.  This ends up changing his world a little bit.  In order to know who exactly the Guardian Angel is, you need to read this book.  I also found this book perfect for English language learners and Spanish language learners.  With the translations on the next page, the reader will be able to translate, and learn new words.  On the start of every chapter, there is a black and white illustrations.  I liked that this book included some illustrations.  It made the book more interesting and I feel that it will draw in younger readers.  I recommend this book to any reader interested in wrestling, or who would like to learn English or Spanish.

See Me Run

See Me Run
Written and illustrated by: Paul Meisel
Published by: Holiday House
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up


See Me Run is a Geisel Honor Book.  In this book there is a dog who wants you to see him run!  He also wants you to see him play in the mud.  After playing in the mud he wants you to see him rinse off in the water.  He also wants you to see him dig!  When he digs, what do you think he will find?  The pictures in this book are bound to captivate anyone who reads it.  Even children who can't yet read will love flipping through the pages of this book.  This book is good for beginning readers.  The text is very minimal and an easy read with small words.  The illustrations capture the traits of a dog.  All the different dogs in the pictures are really cute.  This book will most likely have children either wanting a dog, or wishing they were a dog. 

A Ball For Daisy

A Ball For Daisy 
Illustrated and written by: Chris Raschka
Published by: Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up

A Ball for Daisy is the winner of the Randolph Caldecott Award.  The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. 

A Ball for Daisy is a book that is told in only pictures.  There are no words.  It is one of those books where you make up the words yourself as you read it.  In this book Daisy is a dog who loves her ball.  She sleeps with it, and plays with it.  Anyone who looks at the pictures can tell the love Daisy has for her ball.  One day while playing with the ball, it pops.  Poor Daisy gets really sad.  I loved the illustrations in this book.  They were really interesting.  The illustrations look as if they are done by water colors.  They are very different from any other illustrations I have seen.  Chris Raschka brings a unique quality into his book.  Anyone who reads this book will love it.  It sends a good message about love and loss.  Any child who has had a toy break will understand what Daisy is going through.  

I Broke My Trunk!

I Broke My Trunk!
Written and illustrated by: Mo Willems
Published by: Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up


I Broke My Trunk! is a Geisel Honor Book.  I found this story to be really funny.  I really enjoyed this book.  This book is part of the an Elephant and Piggie series.  In this book Piggie hasn't seen Gerald the Elephant.  When he does see him, he finds out that Gerald has broken his trunk.  When he asks how it happened, Gerald tell him it is a long story.  Piggie still wants to hear it and Gerald tells it.  When I finished the book, I was laughing.  I thought how Gerald broke his trunk was really funny.  The ending is even funnier.  Hopefully this book will make every child and adult laugh.  The pictures in this book are also really good.  I enjoyed how the pictures didn't take up the whole page yet still captured me.  I also liked how the text is organized into comment bubbles.  This book is perfect for the beginning reader and even an experienced reader. 

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
Written by: Melissa Sweet
Published by: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up

Balloons Over Broadway is the Sibert Award winner.  The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois.

Balloons over Broadway is the story of Tony Sarg.  From the time Tony Sarg was a boy, he loved to figure out how to make things move.  He loved making puppets on strings move and said he was going to be a marionette man when he grew up.  He was always coming up with ways to make things move.  For example, his dad used to have him wake up early in the morning to feed the chickens, something Tony hated because he liked his sleep, and Tony figured out a way to do it without having to get out of bed.  When Tony grew up he moved to London and discovered that no one was making marionettes anymore.  So started creating puppets which turned out to be a success.  Everyone loved them.  In New York City their biggest store was Macy's.  Macy's had heard about Tony's wonderful puppets and wanted him to make some for their store.  What Tony made turned out to be a hit! Eventually, Macy's started a parade every Thanksgiving for the foreigners who missed their families during the holidays.  They wanted Tony to build big puppets for their parade.  It took Tony a couple of tries to perfect his puppets but soon, everyone wanted to go see the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade and see all of Tony's puppets.  Tony was right.  He would grow to be a marionette man.  He also helped the success of one of the biggest parades of all time.  I love how this book is organized.  The illustrations are amazing.  Some pages have only illustrations while others have drawings of papers glued and taped together.  Even if you cannot read well yet, you can still enjoy the wonderful pictures.  Children will get inspired by this book and may want to learn how to play with puppets.  They might even start experimenting with making things move.  I recommend this book to both children and adults.    

The Elephant Scientist

The Elephant Scientist
Written by: Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson
Photographs by: Caitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwelland
Published by: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Reading Level: Ages 9 and up

The Elephant Scientist is a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book honor award.  The Elephant Scientist is a really interesting book about Caitlin O'Connell who studies Elephants.  The beginning of the book shows Caitlin as a child studying frogs and eventually studying Elephants.  Caitlin's dreams came true and she was able to go to Africa to study her passion.  She loves elephants so much that the villagers would call her the mother of all elephants.  Throughout the book Caitlin and her team watch the elephants and study them.  She watches out for their behaviors such as how they respond to each others alarms, and how the girl elephants stick together while the boy elephants or bulls stick together.  If you like elephants, then you will love this book.  This book will teach you so much about these huge mammals.  Within this book you will see many pictures of elephants including close ups of things such as their foot prints to photographs of elephants playing together.  You will also of course see pictures of Caitlin doing her work.  The elephants are one of my favorite zoo animals, so I just knew that I would really enjoy reading this book.  I found this book to be really interesting and now I know more about elephants than I ever thought I would.  Also by the end of this book, Caitlin makes an important discovery about elephants.  If you would like to know what it is then go get this book and read it!  It is a book you are guaranteed to love.

Young Fredle (Audio Book)

Young Fredle (Audio Book)
Written by: Cynthia Voigt
Narrated by: Wendy Carter
Produced by: Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc.
Reading Level: Ages 8 and up

Young Fredle was given an Odyssey Honor Award.  The Odyssey award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.

Young Fredle is a wonderful children's story about a house kitchen mouse who is very careful, yet very curious at the same time.  Mice have their own way to forage or hunt for food and if there is a mouse who is ill or injured and can't forage right, then they will be pushed out onto the pantry floor and into went.  What is went?  No mouse knows, and they don't want to know.  One night Fredle's nose and sweet tooth get the better of him when he smells something really delicious.  Not being able to help himself, he and his cousin Axle go and see if they can find the source of that wonderful smell.  When they find it, they start eating it and Fredle realizes that it is the most delicious thing he has ever tasted.  He doesn't know it but what he has found is a peppermint patty.  After eating what he can of that peppermint patty Fredle gets a big tummy ache.  His tummy hurts so bad that he can't even move!  Axle tries to get Fredle to run away with her before he gets pushed into went but Fredle can't move.  Soon he finds himself being pushed onto the pantry floor.  Too ill to move Fredle stays where he is at and is ready to face being eaten by a cat or whatever happens in went.  Luckily for Fredle, the Missus takes him outside.  This starts a whole new adventure for Fredle.  Never having been outside, he is introduced to a whole new world.  He starts learning things about the outside such as the food they eat, what the sky and moon and stars is, what flowers are, and what racoons are.  Once Fredle gets outside instinct tells him to eat grass which makes him feel better.  Once he does that, he tries to make it home but is overcome with a few obstacles on the way.  Will Fredle ever make it home?  If he does make it home, will Fredle miss the outside and all the wonderful things he has leaned?  To find out read this book.  I guarantee you that you will not be sorry. 
I normally do not listen to audio books but since this book was an Odyssey honor award book, I decided to give it a try.  I was not sorry.  Wendy Carter is a wonderful narrator making perfect voices to fit the characters.  Her voice lets your imagination run away.  This audio book would be perfect to listen to during a long drive. 

Grandpa Green

Grandpa Green
Written and Illustrated by: Lane Smith
Published by: Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up

Grandpa Green is a 2012 Caldecott Honor Award book.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  I thought it was really sweet. This is a story about family history, legacy, and love. In this book a little boy is talking about his Grandpa Greens life while walking through his great grandpa's garden which helps to tell the story of his life.  In this story, you find that Grandpa green not only used to be a farm boy but he is an artist.  Through his farming and art you hear the story of how Grandpa Green used to feed the pigs, how he stole his first kiss and where he met his wife.  While reading this book you can tell how proud of this great grandpa this boy is.  This book made me a little emotional having lost both my grandpas last summer.  Even now I love finding pieces of their lives.  In this book, Grandpa Green's garden tells his life story.  Anyone who would walk this garden would be living a story.  This book is very green in its illustrations because of all the plants.  I really enjoyed the illustrations.  They really helped bring the story to life.  This book is perfect for both children and adults.  

Me...Jane

Me...Jane
Written and Illustrated by: Patrick McDonnell
Published by: Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Reading Level: Ages 1 and up

Me...Jane was a 2012 Caldecott honor book.  This is the inspirational story of Jane Goodall and how she went from being a child who loved nature to a woman who studied nature.  It all started when she got her stuffed toy chimpanzee named Jubilee, which she took everywhere.  She loved to be outside and watch nature.  She read and learned everything she could about animals and plants by reading books and studying the animals and plants in her very yard.  She dreamed until one day her dreams came true.  This story is full of wonderful illustrations of Jane and her animals.  In the end there is a small paragraph about Jane Goodall and also a message from Jane.  Any nature lover will be inspired by this book.

Black Out

Black Out
Written and Illustrated by: John Rocco
Published by: Disney · Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up

Black Out is a Caldecott Honor book award.  I found this story to be really cute and the illustrations to be wonderful..  The first thing I noticed when I opened the book was how great the illustrations looked which is why it got the Caldecott honor award.  In this story, everyone is busy doing something whether it is talking on the phone, doing something on the computer, or cooking.  All the main character of the story wants to do is play with his family but no one will stop doing what they are doing.  Suddenly, the lights go out.  All of the lights.  At first, no one knows what to do, then finally the flashlights and candles come out.  The main character gets really hot and sticky and decides to go upstairs where they see lots of lights from the stars, and also from their neighbors.  Then when they hear noise downstairs they go downstairs to a block party.  It is really fun, but when the lights come back on, everything goes back to normal.  This story was written in the form of a comic book or graphic novel with different windows for different reads.  Perfect for any child who likes to read or just wants to look at the pictures.