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Alvin Ho: Allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions

Alvin Ho: Allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions

Reviewed by: Laurel T. Parker - Windham Public Library, Windham, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 18, 2014

Review

Alvin Ho is back, this time taking off to visit relatives in China which is very far away from Concord, Massachusetts. Alvin's good intentions, sweet soul, and constant ability to create panic situations are in full swing throughout this sixth volume in the series. His ever present PDK (Personal Disaster Kit), carefully packed before airplane travel, falls upon the hands of airport security, and is wiped out. With great humor Look infuses Alvin and his family with believable circumstances. A most enjoyable reference to his baby sister Claire as a fish is enhanced as each time he finds a new type of fish to call her. Artwork by Pham is spot on and is less abundant than in a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book and can be used as a hook for folks looking for something other than DWK suggestions. A great romp with Alvin, his family, and the relatives in China. This series is maintaining its appeal and quality well.

Overall Book Score: excellent

About the Book

Author:

Look, Lenore

Illustrator: Pham, LeUyen

Illustration Quality: good

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades k-3, grades 4-6

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780385369725

Price: 15.99

Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale

Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale

Reviewed by: Laurel T. Parker - Windham Public Library, Windham, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 21, 2016

Review

16 year old Noah, who has survived a crushed foot at age 3, joins a Revolutionary War militia in upstate New York to retaliate against Mohawk warriors. Following the ensuing battle he discovers a warrior his own age whom he tries to help by applying the medical skills he learned from the group's doctor. Six characters are based on actual people whose paragraph biographies are included. Information about the battle and the remoteness which lead it to be discovered forty years later in 1822 is provided. Though this is a fictionalized account of an actual battle, the author has used her skills to transport the reader into the thick of the battle, the moral dilemma Noah faces, and the inevitable conclusion of the conflict. This is a solid, 130 page addition to books on the Revolutionary War of the United States.

Overall Book Score: very good

About the Book

Author:

Mann, J. Albert

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Highlights: Calkins Creek

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: historical fiction

Audience: grades 7-9

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9781629794655

Price: 16.95

Cleo Edison Oliver: Playground Millionaire

Cleo Edison Oliver: Playground Millionaire

Reviewed by: Laurel T. Parker - Windham Public Library, Windham, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 21, 2016

Review

Cleo Edison Oliver, adopted fifth grader with two adopted brothers, has big plans for money making. She takes the ups and downs of business in stride, never losing hope that things will succeed. Her business idea for her Passion Project to extract classmate’s teeth with a Nerf gun gets her so excited that she forgets the rule of no guns in school. She also faces a bully who uses her adoption as his weapon. The strength of the story lies within the family bonds and enduring friendships which help keep a steady course for Cleo. Entrepreneurship with a female protagonist at a young age may inspire girls to pursue their own plans, knowing that the road to success is not sure but can be traveled.

Overall Book Score: good

About the Book

Author:

Frazier, Sundee T.

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 4-6

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780545822350

Price: 16.99

Slingshot and Burp

Slingshot and Burp

Reviewed by: Laurel T. Parker - Windham Public Library, Windham, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2016

Review

Boy double cousin best friends Slingshot and Burp imagine themselves as the best bike riding cowboys on the edge of their desert homes. Typical youth adventures are transformed into wild west antics involving siblings and great finds on the open plains. This duo rides high with enthusiasm, practical skill, applied book learning to identify fauna, always with a good dose of humor attached. As an easy chapter book this selection is just right for young readers, particularly boys, who could immediately relate to the pair's circumstances, even if they do not live on the edge of a desert.

Overall Book Score: very good

About the Book

Author:

Haynes, Richard

Illustrator: Gilpin, Stephen

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Candlewick

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780763670764

Price: 14.99

Skating with the Statue of Liberty

Skating with the Statue of Liberty

Reviewed by: Laurel T. Parker - Windham Public Library, Windham, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2016

Review

Jewish Gustave has arrived in America with his parents, aunt and cousin. He struggles to fit in, as he experiences discrimination which he thought would be left behind in Nazi occupied France. Befreinding a Negro girl in his class leads to complications which he also does not understand. The Double V campaign, Victory at war, Victory at home, is well presented, as the Negro community is struggling too, to be treated fairly. With New York City as the setting, the reader is transported to a complex time where ethnic groups are working hard to be accepted as an equal part of the communities in which they work and live.

Overall Book Score: good