Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Simon is a seventh grader whose family has moved to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska. They came from Omaha where Simon was the only survivor of a school shooting. His new hometown not only has a quirky name but it’s a “National Quiet Zone”, with not internet or cell phones. As Simon settles into his new life nobody in town knows about his past. He is making friends, has less anxiety and he is back in the classroom. When one of his friends finds out about his past, how will the town and Simon react?

School gun violence is a scary and disturbing topic for today’s school children. The book addresses the subject with seriousness but it’s not heavy handed. The delightful humor in the novel keeps the reader laughing despite Simon’s struggles with PTSD. A great book for any middle schooler.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2023	Profanity: No
Publisher: Disney Hyperion	Violence: Yes
Age Level: 10-14 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 5.2	Mature Themes: School Shooting
Pages: 320
Stars: 5 Awards: 2024 Newbery Honor

Big by Vashti Harrison 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Everyone has feelings and sometimes words can be very hurtful. One girl finds this out when other children start to make fun of her because of her size. When she is criticized by both adults and children her fragile self-esteem is damaged. The book teaches readers to be mindful when talking to others. A child’s self-confidence can be shattered with just a few words. The book has a wonderful message for all children.

Published In: 2023
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co,
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 60
Stars: 5
Awards: 2024 Caldecott Medal

Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman 🟊🟊🟊🟊

All the colors take on a different role as the author moves through the seasons. In spring “Yellow shouts with light!”, in summer it “smells like butter”, in fall “it grows wheels”, and in winter it has “gone home”. The poetry is easy to read but my granddaughter’s eyes started to glaze over with all the abstract narrative. The illustrations are what kept her sitting long enough to finish the book.

Published In: 2009
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: 3.2
Pages: 32
Stars: 4
Awards: 2010 Caldecott Medal

Locomotive by Brain Floca 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

If your child likes trains this is the book for them. A family is moving out West, the year is 1869, the transcontinental railroad has just been completed, and they will be traveling by train. The book gives insight into the passenger experience through the eyes of a young boy traveling with his mother and sister. It describes all the sights along the way as well as what it is like living on the train over the course of the multi-day trip. Details are given about the mechanics of the train and what it takes to keep it moving. The jobs of the men working on the great machine are told simply and accurately. Younger children will find the story about the family moving out West fascinating. Older children will appreciate the history of building the train and the details of how a steam engine works.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Atheneum
Age Level: 2-8 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 60
Stars: 5
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Medal

 

Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

“Belle Prater’s Boy” is a historical fiction novel set in the 1950’s. The story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains in the heart of coal county. Woodrow’s mother is missing, and his father can no longer take care of him, so he’s sent to town to live with his Grandparents. Gypsy, his cousin lives next door, and both sixth graders are keeping secrets. Woodrow secret is about his mother disappearance and Gypsy’s is about her father’s death. These two characters are well developed, and they draw the reader into the story. The book has enough humor that the very serious topics don’t overwhelm the reader. A wonderful book for any middle schooler.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 1996	Profanity: No
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.	Violence: Yes
Age Level: 10-14 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 4.4	Mature Themes: Domestic Abuse
Pages: 196	Suicide, Abandonment, Alcoholism
Stars: 5                                                        Series: 2 Books Awards: 1997 Newbery Honor

Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A family moves into a hew home that has a cherry tree in the yard. A father tells his child that “it’s a pie tree”. The child watches the tree over the course of the four seasons to see any signs of pies growing in the tree. Finaly summer arrives, and something is sprouting in the tree. It’s not pies, but cherries and the father and child make a pie together. The book has wonderful illustrations, with bold and vibrant colors. The story is simple, but the artwork is what keeps the toddlers coming back.

Published In: 2004
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Age Level: 4-7 years
AR Level: 2.7
Pages: 36
Stars: 5

Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

 

Bink and Gollie are two friends, Gollie likes pancakes, and Bink likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The book is about the funny antics of these two friends and the compromises they make to stay friends. The plot is uncomplicated, and beginning readers will have no trouble following the story. It was simple enough that my 7-year-old granddaughter could read it on her own. A great series of books for elementary school children just starting to read chapter books.

 

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2010	Profanity: No
Publisher: Candlewick Press	Violence: No
Age Level: 5-8 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 2.5	Mature Themes: None
Pages: 81
Stars: 5 Series: 3 Books

The Stray Dog by Marc Simont 🟊🟊🟊🟊

A family from the city has a picnic out in the country. While eating their lunch a “scruffy little dog” interrupts their picnic. The children spend the day playing with the dog. When it’s time to leave the kids want to take the dog home but Mom and Dad say no. The family spends all week thinking about the dog and by the time it’s the weekend they decide to go back and bring him home. Will they be able to find him before the dog catcher? The story is sweet and simple and animal lovers will appreciate the compassion given to the stray dog. My granddaughters were ok with the book but did not ask for it again. So, it gets only a 4-star rating from this family.


Published In: 2001
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 30
Stars: 4
Awards: 2002 Caldecott Honor

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

"Finding Winnie” is a beautiful story and I learned so much about one of America’s most famous bears by reading this non-fiction picture book. Winnie was a real bear that was purchased by a Canadian veterinarian on his way to the front lines of WWI. While his Infantry Brigade was training on the Salisbury Plain in England, Winnie stayed with her veterinarian. But when the Brigade was called to France to fight, a hard decision had to be made about what to do with Winnie. Any child that has read the Winnie the Pooh books will find it fascinating to know the true story about the real bear. Both my grandchildren and my grown children loved this book.

Published In: 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 3.4
Pages: 52
Stars: 5
Awards: 2016 Caldecott Medal

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Miranda is in sixth grade living in NYC and the year is 1978. Sal, Miranda’s best friend, has stopped talking to her and she doesn’t know why. When she starts to receive strange notes, her life gets even more complicated. These notes predict the future with accuracy and one of them has an alarming prediction that someone is going to die. This middle-school novel is a combination of genres, historical fiction, mystery, time travel and friendship. The mystery keeps your reading, the historical portrayal of the 1970’s is informative and the friendship among the characters is heartwarming. I will be recommending the book to my grandchildren.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2009	Profanity: No
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books	Violence: Mild
Age Level: 10-12 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 4.5	Mature Themes: Homelessness,
Pages: 199	Bullying
Stars: 5 Awards: 2010 Newbery Medal

Paperboy by Vince Vawter 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

The year is 1959 and an eleven-year-old boy called Little Man is living in segregated Memphis. His best friend has asked him to take over his paper route for the month of July. Little Man agrees to the job but is worried about having to talk to the customers, when he collects the weekly payment. He has a stutter that makes it difficult to communicate with people. Little Man not only has to interact with the customers on the route but the adult bully in the neighborhood is stealing from him.

There are a lot of serious and complicated concepts in the book, domestic violence, bullying, segregation, and brutality. Even with all these difficulties the book is heartwarming, and the drama keeps the reader engaged. For those readers who want to know what it was like for their grandparents growing up in the 50’s this book is a great snapshot of that time in America.

 

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2013	Profanity: No
Publisher: Delacorte	Violence: Knife Fight
Age Level: 10-12 years	Sexual Content: Mild
AR Level: 5.1	Mature Themes: Racism,
Pages: 224	Domestic Violence, Bullying
Stars: 5 Awards: 2014 Newbery Honor Series: 3 Books

The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock 🟊🟊🟊🟊

“The Noisy Paint Box” is the story of Vasya Kandinsky, one of the first painters of abstract art. Vasya was a very “proper Russian boy” but when his aunt gave him a paint box a whole new world opened up to him. When he painted, he heard noises, then the more he painted it turned into an orchestra. As an adult Vasya tried to conform to Russian society and he becomes a lawyer, but one night he goes to the opera, and again sees the music as art. Not able to stop himself from doing the one thing he truly loved, he quits his job and moves to Munich to paint. Buy this book for the artist in your family. They will appreciate Vasya’s nonconformist approach to art.

Published In: 2014
Publisher: Knopf
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 4.4
Pages: 36
Stars: 4
Awards: 2015 Caldecott Honor

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A beautiful picture book about a boy and his grandfather. The grandson describes the life of his grandfather by both words and by the shapes of topiary trees illustrated in the book. The grandfather was a horticulturist, and his memories are told through his garden. My granddaughter was OK with the book but did not ask for it again. I liked it more than she did, so it got a five-star rating from me and a four from her.

Published In: 2011
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Age Level: 3-7 years
AR Level: 2.5
Pages: 36
Stars: 5
Awards: 2012 Caldecott Honor

Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

It is summer and the whole world is locked down because of a deadly virus. A young boy, Clay, spends his days in the woods behind his house. Away from his pesky sisters and his parents worries. The woods are the same place that the Under the Mountain people go hunting with their dogs. When one of the dogs is separated from the pack Clay finds her and of course takes her home. The dog becomes part of the family after they try to find its owner. The dog has a very ornate collar with its name on it, Elphinore. Elphinore takes Clay to magical places in the woods that Clay never knew existed or could have found without her. But as with all magic, danger is right around the corner. 

The adventures that Clay and Elphinore go on are thrilling and captivating. I was enthralled with the book from the beginning. This fantasy story is perfect for middle-schoolers. The book has similarities to other fantasy stories, but its updated version will be more relatable to today’s readers. This is one I will be getting for the Grandchildren.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2023	Profanity: No
Publisher: Candlewick Press	Violence: Mild
Age Level: 8-12 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 4.8	Mature Themes: Animal
Pages: 229	Cruelty
Stars: 5 Awards: 2024 Newbery Honor

Inspector Flytrap: The President's Mane Is Missing by Tom Angleberger 🟊🟊🟊🟊

Inspector Flytrap solves BIG DEAL mysteries, and he has decided to also take on THRILLING mysteries to become the World’s Greatest Detective. This is the second book in a series of three about Inspector Flytrap and his assistant Nina the Goat. In this mystery the President’s of the Unites States, who is a horse, mane is missing from his statue. Can the Inspector and his assistant solve the mystery?

The story is very silly but perfect for the beginner readers of chapter books, especially boys. The print is big and with graphics on nearly every page making the book easy to read. The series may not win any awards, but elementary school kids will love the ridiculous humor.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2016	Profanity: No
Publisher: Amulet Books	Violence: No
Age Level: 5-8 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 3.8	Mature Themes: No
Pages: 99
Stars: 4

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Jude and her mother have left their turbulent country of Syria for America. They leave behind her father and beloved brother. Jude’s Uncle has taken them in, to live in his very American home in Cincinnati. Warga does a beautiful job of expressing the difficulties of being a new immigrant in America. She not only expresses the cultural differences but also the racial prejudice that many immigrants experience. The book is written in verse and flows seamlessly. A great book to expose middle-school students to the realities of being an immigrant in this county.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2019	Profanity: No
Publisher: Balzer & Bray	Violence: War
Age Level: 9-12 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 5.3	Mature Themes: Hatred to
Pages: 342	Immigrants
Stars: 5 Awards: 2020 Newbery Honor

One of Those Days by Amy Krouse Rosenthal 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Everybody has “One of Those Days” and the reader goes through all the things that could go wrong in a day in a child’s life. Both adults and children will be able to relate to this book. This is a great way to explain to kids that not all things are going to go your way but tomorrow is another day. A wonderful book to have on hand when your child is having one of those days.

Published In: 2006
Publisher: G.P. Putman’s Sons
Age Level: 2-7 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5

The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Annie lost her mitten, the fifth time in one winter. She knows she must find it, or she will be in big trouble. She and her dog retrace all the places they where that day and no mitten to be found. Then she thinks about all the animals that would have found the mitten and used it for their own purposes. Next, she thinks about planting the one mitten she has left to see if she can grow a mitten tree and have an endless supply of mittens. Then she notices the snowman she has made has a red heart, could that be her mitten? All the grandchildren loved this story. You can never go wrong reading a Steven Kellogg book to a child.

Published In: 2000
Publisher: Puffin
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: 2.2
Pages: 36
Stars:5

First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A wonderful baby book that explores what comes first and then second in the life cycle of animals, plants and art. It has cute die-cuts that add depth to the simple words of the story. The book would be a great present for newborns and their parents.

Published In: 2007
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Age Level: 1-3 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5
Awards: 2008 Caldecott Honor

The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A mother tells her son he has powerful magic living inside him and to understand this magic he must go on a quest to learn the truth about dragons. The first part of the quest is to find out what his European grandmother knows about dragons and the second part from his Asian grandmother. Each grandmother has their own version of what is true about dragons. Can they both be right? I love the way the two cultures are put on display by having to answer the same question, each having different answers. A great book for the biracial child, the child that loves dragons or for those that like a good story. Get this book for your home library.

Published In: 2023
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 40
Stars: 5
Awards: 2024 Caldecott Honor

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuers 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A comet is coming to destroy Earth and a few hundred scientists with their children are going to travel to a new planet. Petra and her family are among the lucky ones chosen for the journey. The space voyage will take hundreds of years, so the passengers are put in pods to sleep. This will allow them to retain their current age and teach them new skills. When the ship reaches its destination the only remaining passengers of those that were put to sleep years ago are children and they find a very different society than when they left Earth. Petra the storyteller knows she and the other children must escape the menacing Collective and try to find any remaining people from Earth.

Sci-Fi is not my favorite genre of literature but I totally enjoyed “The Last Cuentista”. The mixture of old stories that Petra tells with the reality of the futuristic society that exists on the ship mesh beautifully together. The story is a pager turner keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Buy this book for your home library, both adults and children will not be able to put it down.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2022	Profanity: No
Publisher: Levine Querido	Violence: No
Age Level: 10-15 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 5.0	Mature Themes: No
Pages: 320
Stars: 5 Awards: 2022 Newbery Medal

Russell the Sheep by Rob Scotton 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

It’s bedtime and all the sheep are ready for sleep, but Russell can’t get tired. He tries all kinds of tricks to help him, maybe it needs to be darker, or is it too hot, or does he need a different sleeping place. None of these gimmicks help him find sleep. He attempts one more trick, will counting sheep help? This is a great bedtime book for children who have trouble falling asleep. A book to have on hand when sleep is elusive for you toddler.

Published In: 2005
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: 1.9
Pages: 32
Stars: 5
Series: 3 Books

A Good Night Walk by Elisha Cooper 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

The reader takes a walk before bed with a child and parent through the neighborhood. They pass the neighbor who is gardening, the squirrels in the trees, the birds in the air and much more. The illustrations are charming and the words soothing. The book is perfect to settle down with when it’s bedtime. A great book to end the day.

Published In: 2005
Publisher: Orchard Books
Age Level: 3-5 years
AR Level: 2.3
Pages: 36
Stars: 5

The Wheel On The School by Meindert DeJong 🟊🟊🟊

I tried so hard to read all of this children’s classic but after 100 pages I was done with it. Six schoolchildren are on a quest to bring back storks to their small Dutch fishing village. They are looking for a wagon wheel which supposedly is where storks like to build their nests. The story moves very slowly, and it was not that interesting. Maybe in 1955 it appealed to elementary school students, but it will not engage today’s children.


Published In: 1954
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
Age Level: 8-12 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 298
Stars: 3
Awards: 1955 Newbery Medal

Journey by Aaron Becker 🟊🟊🟊🟊

A young girl cannot find anybody to play with her. Her friends are off doing other things, and her family is too busy. So, with a red maker in hand, she draws a red door, and that door leads to another world. She sets off on a boat to a castle, then rides a red balloon and is captured by a evil emperor. When she loses her red maker how will she ever get back home? The book is wordless so be prepared to use your imagination when “reading” this book with your child. What the book lacks in words is does make up in the stunning illustrations.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Candlewick
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 40
Stars: 4
Series: 3 Books
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Honor

Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary 🟊🟊🟊🟊

Beverly Cleary’s series of books about Ramon are classics. In this book she is in second grade, and she has two big worries. They both concern her father. First, her father has been laid off from this job and her mother must go back to work full-time. Not only is the money tight but the family routine has been disrupted. Second, Ramona’s sister had told her their father’s smoking will cause him to die. Ramona and her sister embark on a campaign to get their father to quit smoking.

In today’s world not many American families have a parent that smokes. So, I found this part of the book irrelevant. On the other hand, many families can relate to a parent losing their job. Ramona antics bring laughter to the story and overall, it is an enjoyable read, even thou if feels a bit dated. I would get this one from the library.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 1975	Profanity: No
Publisher: Fitzgerald Books	Violence: No
Age Level: 8-12 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 5.2	Mature Themes: Unemployment
Pages: 165 Series: 8 Books
Stars: 4 Awards: 1978 Newbery Honor