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The Freedom Summer Murders

The Freedom Summer Murders

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - Retired, Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 17, 2014

Review

This is a riveting account of the individual and institutional racism that existed in America and specifically in the south. Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner were idealistic, young men working in Mississippi to help register African-Americans to vote. On the night of June 21, 1964 they were jailed by the local sheriff and with his permission, abducted and murdered by members of the Klan. This meticulously researched book introduces the reader to the racial climate of 1960s America, profiles the 3 men, documents their murders and also the long struggle to bring the perpetrators to justice. The black and white photos are often disturbing but bring this turbulent period of American history into clear focus. An extensive bibliography, source notes, and a comprehensive index complete the package.

Overall Book Score: excellent

About the Book

Author:

Mitchell, Don

Illustration Quality: good

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre: biography / autobiography

Audience: grades 7-9, grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780545477253

Price: 18.99

Three Bird Summer

Three Bird Summer

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - Retired school librarian, Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 14, 2014

Review

Twelve year old Adam is spending the summer at the family cabin in northern Minnesota as he has for as long as he can remember, but this year everything is different. His parents have divorced so Adam's father and raucous cousins are absent, his prickly grandmother is forgetful and behaves strangely at times, and his mother is preoccupied. Adam befriends a girl who is staying in the cottage next door and his summer begins to turn around. This is a marvelous coming of age novel with realistic, fully developed characters and a complex and engaging plot. Highly recommended.

Overall Book Score: excellent

About the Book

Author:

St. Antoine, Sara

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 4-6

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780763665647

Price: 16.99

The Castle Behind Thorns

The Castle Behind Thorns

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - MSAD #6 - retired, Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 12, 2014

Review

Sand, a 13 year old blacksmith's apprentice awakens to find himself in a ruined castle with no memory of how he got there. Everything has been split apart in a long ago event know as The Sundering and here seems to be nothing alive in the abandoned castle - not a spider or a bird. The castle is surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns so there is no escape. Sand sets about repairing the broken things in the castle , he survives on food that although it is old hasn't spoiled, time seems to have stopped. As he explores the castle he finds a crypt and the perfectly preserved body of a young princess - who then seems to awaken from death.

The theme of Sleeping Beauty runs through this engaging tale. It is mysterious from the start, and when Perotte, the young princess is resureccted, the mystery deepens. Was she really dead ? Who or what was responsible for her death and the sundering of the castle? The reader follows Sand and Perotte, 3 dimensional, likable characters, as they puzzle out the answer to these questions. This is a mystery, a coming of age story, there are elements of time travel and fantasy - all pulled together with fascinating details that set the time and the place. Young readers will be riveted.

Overall Book Score: very good

About the Book

Author:

Haskell, Merrie

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure, fantasy, folklore

Audience: grades 4-6, grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780062008190

Price: 16.99

Lord and Lady Bunny - Almost Royalty!

Lord and Lady Bunny - Almost Royalty!

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - MSAD #6 retired, Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 12, 2014

Review

This is the second book starring Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, their friend Madeline and her flaky, hippy parents, Flo and Mildred. The author (allegedly Mrs. Bunny) catches us up with the Bunny's previous detective adventures in the first chapter - they helped responsible, practical Madeline recover her parents who had been kidnapped by foxes.

In this story, the characters find themselves on a cruise ship heading for England. Madeline, Flo and Mildred have inherited a candy store in the English village of Bellyflop and are hoping to earn enough money to buy some land and start an organic market garden. Mrs Bunny has decided she wants to be queen - so naturally she and Mr. Bunny set off to London.

What follows are the adventures of the quirky bunnies - Mr. Bunny finds himself on stage in a Shakespearean play, Mrs. Bunny meets a Rowling-ish fellow author in a hilarious book signing event. Flo and Mildred manage -with Madeline's help- to make a go of the candy store. The over the top dialogue and comical situations result in a delightfully silly story. Readers will be reaching for their dictionaries to decode challenging vocabulary.

Overall Book Score: good

About the Book

Author:

Horvath, Polly

Illustrator: Blackall, Sophie

Illustration Quality: good

Publisher: Schwartz and Wade Books

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure, fantasy

Audience: grades k-3, grades 4-6

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780307980656

Price: 16.99

At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui

At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - MSAD# 6, Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 14, 2015

Review

In 1972 a tomb was unearthed near Changsha, China. Nested coffins were painstakingly opened to reveal the well preserved body of a woman wrapped in yards of silk. This was Lady Dai, who died around 158 BCE - she was the wife of the wealthy Marquis of Dai and her tomb is a cultural treasure chest.

This well researched book offers a great deal of information about the cultural practices during the time of the Han dynasty. Young readers will be drawn into each chapter by a fictional account of a scene in Lady Dai's life, the authors then cite objects from the tomb and archeological findings that support their theories. The text is supported by clear photographs, labeled drawings, maps and timelines. A glossary, bibliography, and index are included.

Overall Book Score: excellent

About the Book

Author:

Liu-Perkins, Christine

Illustrator: Brannen, Sarah

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre: historical fiction,biography / autobiography

Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9781580893701

Price: 19.95

Fat & Bones

Fat & Bones

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - MSAD#6, Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 14, 2015

Review

Fat and Bones, both residents of Bald's farm, hate each other - no one is really sure why but they always have. Fat is not a Disney fairy,cute and mischievous, he is mean and vindictive. Bones,the son of the recently deceased farmer Bald, is also mean and vindictive and not very bright. The first tale in which Fat and Bones try to kill each other sets the grim mood for this series of loosely related short stories. Subsequent stories feature pigs who have their hoofs cut off one by one to make Pig Foot Stew, Leonard the clumsy spider who bravely saves an attractive lady spider and finds love, a song sung by maggots, and 3 others.

These dark fairy tales are appropriately accompanied by Adam Doyle's equally melancholy spattered ( is it blood?) illustrations. The stories are absurdist tales of hate, love, sacrifice and vengeance and perhaps require a particular sort of reader but could also spark some very interesting discussions if used as a read aloud.

Overall Book Score: good

About the Book

Author:

Theule, Larissa

Illustrator: Doyle, Adam

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy

Audience: grades 7-9

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9781467708258

Price: 16.95

Drones

Drones

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - RSU # 6 (retired), Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 11, 2015

Review

This comprehensive book covers both military and civilian drones. It begins with a brief introduction that defines what drones are and what drone operators do. Specific types of drones are featured in a two page spread with information on each machine's size, purpose, and method of launching. Clear photos show each drone in action and fact boxes contain additional information. Most of the drones profiled are used by the military for reconnaissance and combat purposes and most are aerial but some underwater drones are also shown. One of the most fascinating examples is the Amazon Prime Air delivery drone - a device that may become commonplace in the near future.

While in depth information is not provided, this book gives the interested reader a good overview of the many and varied types of drones used around the world. A table of contents and index are included.

Overall Book Score: good

About the Book

Author:

Dougherty, Martin

Illustrator: ,

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Scholastic

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9

Binding Type: paperback

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780545664769

Price: 8.99

Guilty?: Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face of Justice

Guilty?: Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face of Justice

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - RSU # 6 (retired), Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 11, 2015

Review

Guilty? is a provocative introduction to the American criminal justice system for middle and upper grade readers. Teri Kanefield, J.D. begins by examining how we determine what it is that we call criminal behavior. The author then cites several very interesting cases that illustrate an action that may not seem morally wrong but legally is criminal behavior and vice versa. She then considers how we punish those who have committed crimes - and raises many questions about the purpose and effectiveness of imprisonment and the death penalty. The final section considers due process and the presumption of innocence .

This intriguing, very readable book will certainly raise more questions than it answers and will inspire young readers with an interest in the law to delve further. The author respects young people's ability to handle abstract ideas and never patronizes her readers. Difficult concepts are deftly explained and clearly illustrated with actual legal cases. One small quibble - some of the photos are ineffective - for example a rather blurry photo of the constitution.

Useful and complete back matter is appended and includes a glossary, a list of further reading, notes, a bibliography, and an index.

Overall Book Score: very good

About the Book

Author:

Kanefield, Teri

Illustrator: ,

Illustration Quality: fair

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780544148963

Price: 16.99

Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I Poetry and Comics

Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I Poetry and Comics

Reviewed by: Sybil Shiland - retired MSAD#6, Standish, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 6, 2015

Review

This book is a collection of poems many of them by soldier poets known as the 'Trench Poets' who chronicled World War I. The poems are divided into three sections - The Call to War, In the Trenches, and Aftermath. Each poem is interpreted and illustrated by a graphic artist. Although there are a few silly songs, for example, "I Don't Want to be a Soldier' that leaven the grim mood and serve as a relief to the horror of the front (as they must have for the soldiers who sang them) most of these pieces are deadly serious.

The illustrations, some extremely realistic, some more abstract, are chilling and convey the brutality of war for the soldiers and the civilians caught between armies. Animals fare no better, the terrified horse in Thomas Hardy's "I Looked up from my Writing" and the quaking mules in "Dead Man's Dump" are also casualties.

The last section features the poem "Repression of War Experience" by Siegfried Sassoon, a poemCBR that describes what was then known as shell shock and will be instantly recognized by modern readers as post traumatic stress disorder. This is a deeply affecting book and would be an excellent introduction to this group of poets but it is more important than that. "Above the Dreamless Dead" could describe the soldier's experience and the savagery of any war.

Overall Book Score: excellent