How can a servant defeat a seven-headed dragon? What happens when a woman’s husband, who happens to be a mouse, falls into the soup? What can a lazy man learn from a thousand leaf-cutting ants? This book converts famous Latin American myths into comics. There are tricks, bravery, jokes, magic, and more in this fast and fun read.
¿Cómo se enfrentaría una sirvienta a un dragón de siete cabezas? ¿Qué pasa cuando el esposo una mujer, que resulta ser un ratón, cayó en una hoya de sopa? ¿Qué puede aprender un joven de un millar de hormigas cortadoras de hojas? Este libro convierte famosos mitos de Latino América en cómicos. Hay trucos, coraje, bromas, magia, y más en esta lectura rápida y divertida.
Missed our best books program back in November 2018? Youth Services staff created a great list of all the best children’s books at different reading levels.
Combine Science Fiction with Realistic Fiction and you get The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge. The realistic portion features home-schooled science and math genius Maisie and the sometimes stormy relationship with her over-protective parents and angry older sister. The story begins on her 10thbirthday and Maisie can’t wait to hopefully receive materials to make her own nuclear reactor and to celebrate with her family. However, the sci-fi portion surfaces where she seems to be in an alternate universe complete with infinite stairways, missing family, broken things reassembling, and a black abyss. Chapters alternate between these “lives of Maisie” leaving the reader wondering what’s really going on and what will happen next!
Don’t get too confident in your predictions, as this compact story takes you on some unexpected twists and turns keeping those pages turning until the very end…. and even then you can’t help but wonder!
I recommend this book for 5th grade and up, particularly for the science fans.
Book reviewed by Carol C., Elementary School Liaison
Kathrine Switzer grew up in a time when people believed girls were too fragile and weak to participate in sports. So, whenever she would go run and sweat, people found it strange. Eventually, she gained attention of the running coach of a local school. He let her train with the men’s team. When she hears about the Boston Marathon for the first time, Kathrine knew that she had to run the 26.2 miles of the race. Many people doubted her ability to run that far, but Kathrine trained hard to show that women were capable of running a marathon. If you love hearing about people who work hard and have had an impact on the world: this book is for you!
This book made me hungry for Indian food. One of the things Nisha loves to do is prepare food, which she does with Kazi, who is her family’s cook. Kazi also happens to be Muslim, while Nisha’s family is Hindu. Nisha never thought about this before, until suddenly India is being split into two countries– a new India for Hindu people and Pakistan for Muslim people. Gandhi doesn’t think this is right, and neither does Nisha. The book is told through diary entries that Nisha addresses to her mother, whom she never knew. Her mother was Muslim, which also makes Nisha feel conflicted about her identity. This is a well-written and interesting historical fiction. The narrator has an authentic voice and the story tells about a part of India’s history with which many kids may be unfamiliar.
Book reviewed by Erin E., Youth Services Programming Coordinator
How can a servant defeat a seven-headed dragon? What happens when a woman’s husband, who happens to be a mouse, falls into the soup? What can a lazy man learn from a thousand leaf-cutting ants? This book converts famous Latin American myths into comics. There are tricks, bravery, jokes, magic, and more in this fast and fun read.
Missed our best books program back in November 2018? Youth Services staff created a great list of all the best children’s books at different reading levels.
