May I Bring a Friend?

May I Bring a Friend?
written by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
illustrated by Beni Montresor



May I Bring a Friend? is another fun sequential story for children to enjoy. This one is all about any child's favorite thing--animals! It combines aspects of a fairytale fantasy world with a regular child's world, sure to delight young children Kids will definitely relate to the young child and his menagerie of friends. They'll find it funny and learn their days of the week at the same time. I'm not really a fan of the illustrations at all. I know the book won a Caldecott, but the images are extremely dull and blurred, hard to make out what is even being depicted. Not all that great.

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The House in the Night

The House in the Night
written by Susan Marie Swanson
illustrated by Beth Krommes



In the vein of stories like Goodnight Moon and This is the House that Jack Built, The House in the Night is a calming sequential story for children to enjoy. This book serves as a perfect bedtime story, lulling children to sleep with its melodious, repetitive words. Preschoolers would love this simple book as a read-aloud, or a book with which to learn to read. Cute, short, and simple, sure to grab and keep a young child's attention! Just as the text carries with it simplicity, so do the illustrations. Everything is done in only two colors, black and gold, with various levels of shading to darken/lighten various areas. The golden areas really jump out at the reader, grabbing their attention immediately.

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein



This is a great book to memorialize both the Twin Towers as well as an amazing feat performed by Philippe Petit. Children will get to experience the thrill and wonder of what the towers embodied while reading and looking at the amazing pictures. It's a good way to bring up a really difficult emotional subject with younger children who may not fully comprehend what happened on 9/11 Even without that element, it's a fantastically inspiring story of one man and his adventurous nature. The illustrations are done dramatically to portray a sense of grandeur. Some of the pages expand outwards, adding further drama to the book. The colors are pretty subdued, but they all swirl together, creating a sense of tranquility.

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The Higher Power of Lucky

The Higher Power of Lucky
written by Susan Patron,
illustrated by Mike Phelan



The Higher Power of Lucky is a charming small-town story about a girl named Lucky looking for a "higher power" as her guidance in life. It is a book that emphasizes the love of a caregiver and the doubt that comes with it. The narration is flowery, filled with insightful thoughts that can only come from a snarky ten-year-old girl. While often unrealistically written, there are moments where you just shake your head, knowing that that one particular thought could only come from a child. There are many non-essential elements written into the story, such as the whole reason this book has been banned in many places. Many of the situations and subject matters feel horribly overdone, as if hundreds of authors have already written about them. Fans of Beverly Cleary's Ramona series will love this down-to-earth book, and will probably want to check out its sequel, Lucky Breaks. There are small sketch-like illustrations throughout the book. They don't really add much to the text, and the book could have done without them.

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The Three Pigs

The Three Pigs
written and illustrated by David Wiesner



David Wiesner's The Three Pigs is a hilariousu take on a traditional fairy tale. With simple writing and interactive (to say the least) illustrations, a child will easily be drawn into the story. It requires a familiarity for the traditional story, and should probably be read in conjunction with that tale, but both kids and adults will go crazy for this new adaptation. It's dialogue centric and kid-friendly. Children may be reluctant to pick this one up, thinking it's just a retelling of the traditional story, so it's important to encourage them to read it, letting them know there's a different story ahead for them. This is a fantastic book for children to really get to sit down with the story alone and have time to pay really close attention to and examine the illustrations, as they provide half the story that is untold in the dialogue. The variety found in the various styles of illustration are integral to the story, which is why I would not suggest this as a read-aloud, as those don't typically allow for great examinations of the images.

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
written by Julie Andrews Edwards



This is such a classic children's fantasy book! I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't get to read it as a kid, but I am glad that I found it later on. It seems like it would make a really great read-aloud to a group of students. As often seen in children's fiction, a lot of it is really convenient, parts of it are really predictable, but it all makes for a great story, and there are some great suspenseful bits along the way. There are a lot of smaller conflicts that quickly get resolved, under the umbrella conflict of finding the Whangdoodle, and then the greatest conflict of all that isn't revealed until near the end. A really cool part of this book is its exposition to vocabulary through the Professor's narration. I'm really glad we didn't get the cop out "it was all a figment of their imaginations/a dream" ending. I'm also really glad that in the end, it's a story about the Professor and the realization of his dream, rather than a focus on the kids, although they are still a big part of the story. There are parts of the book near the ending that do get a little preachy, but it's still a fantastic fantasy read for kids and their parents/teachers.

I got this book from...:Bookmooch

Sweet Valley Jr. High--Get Real

Sweet Valley Jr. High--Get Real
created by Francine Pascal



I wish I'd been aware of this book when I'd gone through middle school; it would have been such a great time to get into this series instead of starting off with the age-inappropriate Sweet Valley High series. This is the only Sweet Valley series that I haven't read, so naturally, the curiosity got to me. I only read the first book and loved it a lot more than some of the other SV series, I can tell you that. The characters are more real, and, as of book 1, although I don't know if it changed or not, this series seems like it might lack the unrealistic and/or supernatural elements found in some of the other SV series. Say what you will about the writing and plot in the Sweet Valley universe, and we all know that they are subpar, props to Francine Pascal for creating such a wonderful circle of characters that we've all come to know very well and love (or hate, depending on the character!). That being said, I wish some of the old characters were included in this series to provide at least a bit of continuity. As much as I dislike her, I was glad to see Lila make an appearance, just as a connection to the other books. I did like the new character Salvador, and I think he fits in with the universe perfectly. Wouldn't he and Winston Egbert be a laugh together? Anyways, yay for more teen angst, or something along those lines?

Rating: For an SV book, this one gets a high rating. I'm going with a 4/5.

I got this book from...:BookMooch

Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch

Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch
written by Barbara Park



This, among the other Junie B. Jones books, is a fantastic example of children's literature. The journal entries as well as the first-person narration make for a very relatable book for this age level. I know when I was a child, I completely related to Junie B. Jones, despite her love of over-exaggeration. It's childish in a charming way, and I can't wait to keep these books in my classroom when I'm teaching. The series is funny for all ages, and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing through this reading of Boss of Lunch. I thought the humor would all be for the kids, but even as an adult, it's hilarious how insane Junie B's mind is. It's just a funny book, possibly even funnier to an adult than to a child!

Rating: 5/5

I got this book from...:Swaptree

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy
written by Wendelin Van Draanen



The awesome thing about Sammy Keyes is that unlike her literary counterparts Cam Jansen and Encyclopedia Brown (nothing against the two of them, really, they both have their wonderful stories that I love and adore), her mysteries are not easy to figure out. The stories are filled with more plot twists and amidst the unpredictability is room for a lot of characterization, which is done wonderfully by Wendelin Van Draanen. The mysteries are, as I mentioned, a lot more complex. They're not just "hey, look, I've found a minor discrepancy in your story that solves this case" simple, there's actual sleuthing on Sammy's part, with false trails everywhere, never quite sure who the culprit is until the final big reveal. The Sammy Keyes books are descriptive in a witty, not annoying way, unlike most books. The description is all very true to the narrative tone. Another great thing about the books is that they really are a series, they work as stand-alones, but you miss out on some great subplots that run through the entire series that make it a really dynamic set of books. The greatest thing about this series is that it deals with real issues. There are children in foster care, really poor foster care at that, kids who take up smoking at a really young age, and things like neglectful parents do exist. They're not major issues in the story, but they're there in the background, dealt with in extremely tactful and age-appropriate ways. And yet, in spite of the hardships the characters have thrown at them, they do act their age. For instance, a majority of this book focuses on Sammy's tangential softball adventures, and her and her group of friends simply being kids. It's a fantastic series for kids that I highly recommend.

Rating: 4/5 for this installment of the series,
5/5 for the series overall

I got this book from...:Swaptree

Walking Backward

Walking Backward
written by Catherine Austen



Walking Backward is a great book for children who are dealing with a death of a loved one. The narrator is a really perceptive character whose thoughts are interesting to follow along with, as long as one is prepared to be depressed. There are subtle happy moments in the book, but for the most part, it's a serious-toned book with a purpose. There is only one conflict through the entire book--a child and his family dealing with his mother's death. It portrays different coping strategies, but that's pretty much it. There's not much else storywise, and what the readers are given is really predictable. It would have been good as a short story, but as a book, I think I'd only recommend it to kids who are going through a similar point in their lives. It's really not interesting if you don't know the emotions that go along with the death of a loved one.

Rating: 3/5

I got this book from...:LibraryThing Early Reviewers