Category: Transitional Chapter Book Review

REVIEW: Izzy in the Doghouse by Caroline Adderson

REVIEW: Izzy in the Doghouse by Caroline Adderson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Izzy is a spunky girl with tons of spirit, gumption, and crazy ideas. Zoe is her best friend – most of the time. But when Izzy’s ideas get them sent to the principal, Zoe storms off with another friend, leaving Izzy all alone.

But a new puppy might be just the thing to help Izzy in the lonely times when her mom is travelling or when she’s in the doghouse with Zoe. Plus, what’s better at a play date than a puppy?

Review

This was darling! Izzy is a hoot and completely believable for her age. Her quirks are endearing instead of annoying. And she shows great resilience when she and Zoe hit a friendship snag.

The puppy part of the story is a lot of fun. I especially liked how many times Izzy fell in “love at first sight.” The puppy doesn’t magically fix things with Zoe. Time does that on its own. But Rollo does make for a fun playmate when the friends reconnect.

There’s a great adoption thread to this that’s naturally woven into the story. I found it very sweet!

If you are looking for a great early chapter book for your new reader or for your classroom, be sure to check out Izzy!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast by Jessica Gunderson

BONUS REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast by Jessica Gunderson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Picture Window Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Beauty is the youngest of three girls. She loves books and music and flowers and has a sweet disposition, unlike her selfish oldest sister Gritty and the vain middle daughter, Petty. The family has had a run of bad luck. They had to sell their possessions, get rid of their servants, and move into a small cottage.

When Beauty’s father takes a rose at a mysterious castle on his travels, the Beast who lives there says he can leave if Beauty comes and stays instead.

Beauty gets to know the Beast, and likes him. But when her father becomes sick, she leaves and the Beast is lonely and sad.

Review

The art in this is lovely! I enjoyed the familiar basics of the story and the diversity of the cast. Beauty’s sisters have a Cinderella’s step-sisters feel to them. Other than being catty, though, the story doesn’t do much with them, which was disappointing.

The art really made this enjoyable. I was pleased with some of the “extras” in the book as well – a guide to reading graphic novels, writing prompts, discussion questions and a craft. I wish the story had been more full and engaging to go with these terrific extras. The story was mild with no real conflict explored. There was space devoted to Beauty’s family, but they never became a factor in the larger story. Then that left fewer pages to explore the story with the Beast.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Party Problems by C. L. Reid

REVIEW: Party Problems by C. L. Reid

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Picture Window Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

This is the first book in the Emma Every Day series. Emma is 8 years old and lives with her mom, dad and older brother. Emma is Deaf. She uses a cochlear implant to help her hear as well as using American Sign Language to communicate to others.

In this book, Emma is getting ready to go to her best friend Izzie’s birthday party. But she’s feeling nervous.

Review

This is a cute early chapter book that includes a finger spelling guide, some finger-spelled words in the text of the story, a glossary and signs in the back matter, as well as ideas of things to write about and things to talk about. These extra features are some of my favorite parts of the book.

This is the first of four books. In the other three Emma goes on a field trip, heads to the apple orchard, and learns to dance.

This has a simple and sweet story with a low level of conflict and a fun layout. I enjoyed Emma’s honesty about anxiety – worrying about her dress, if she will know anyone at the party, and if the party will be too noisy for her to hear and communicate with others. Everything works out pretty easily in the end.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo

REVIEW: Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Stella’s second grade teacher instructs her students about metaphors and starts a unit on poetry with the class. When Stella struggles to think of a good metaphor for an assignment, she visits her friend Mercy Watson.

Sitting on the couch, leaning on Mercy, Stella writes a lovely poem. She can’t wait to share it with her teacher. She makes the mistake, though, of sharing it with Horace Broom, a know-it-all boy in her class.

When Horace and Stella get into a loud argument in class, their teacher sends them both to the principal. This was NOT how Stella thought her day would go.

Review

This is a sweet story about friendship and poetry. I adored Stella. She’s bright and creative. She’s not afraid to ask questions when she doesn’t understand something. She’s also not afraid to stand up for herself which she does with Horace.

Many readers will know a person like Horace. But Horace isn’t all bad. While he doesn’t believe a pig would live in a house or sit on a couch, he’s not cruel or mocking to Stella. And he shows the beginnings of self-awareness, which is a great character trait.

The poetry pieces are light and engaging. Stella’s skill at finding metaphors and her curious nature make poetry sound like something fun rather than something intimidating. This would be a great read aloud, even in upper elementary classrooms, for poetry units and discussions about figurative language, word choice in writing, etc. (Middle school students who loved Mercy Watson as kids might also get a kick out of this book as an introduction to a unit on poetry or writing.)

This is book 5 in the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, a companion/spin off from the Mercy Watson series. Readers do not need to read these in order, but anyone who discovers either series through this delightful book should be sure to check out the rest. The whole collection is quite fun.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Bark Park by Brandi Dougherty

REVIEW: Bark Park by Brandi Dougherty

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

Scout and her friends at the Bark Park enjoy three adventures as she solves mysteries for her friends in this series kick off for chapter book readers.

First, Scout solves the mystery of who popped her friend Maggie’s ball. Second, Scout figures out why Rocky has to wear the Cone of Shame. Finally, she helps Gus find his missing bone.

The mysteries are low stakes but feature Scout’s problem solving skills. The main dogs in Scout’s circle have distinct personalities. The periodic illustrations help readers keep track of which dog is which.

The back matter provides context or background information for each of the three mysteries.

Animal lovers and mystery lovers will get a kick out of Scout and her friends!

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: God Cares Series by Debbie Duncan

REVIEW: God Cares Series by Debbie Duncan

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received electronic review copies of these books from Netgalley and Lion Hudson Ltd. in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

These are two books in the new God Cares series, one for older kids, and one for younger ones. There are other books coming in the series including God Cares When I Am Strong: Friends in the Fire (ER) and God Cares When I Feel Down: Jonah and Other Stories (chapter book).

When I Am Anxious: Moses and Other Stories

This is a paraphrase of Bible stories including the life story of Moses. There is no actual scripture text. The non-Moses stories include references to the book and chapter where the story can be found. The emphasis here is on the emotions of the stories, those referenced in the Biblical text and those inferred by the author or the reader. The ultimate goal of the book is to normalize anxiety as something that everyone feels from time to time and to point readers to God when they are anxious. There is information for parents at the end of the book, written by a therapist, specifically about helping children with anxiety.

According to the publisher’s website, this is a “chapter book” for readers 8 and up. To me, the book feels young for kids 10 or older. I might target this more for the 7 to 10 range. It is unillustrated, but each section ends with a suggested activity for readers.

I was frustrated by this book. The chapter content moves from Moses to other Biblical personalities like Jesus or Gideon without a clear indication of what is happening. This may be a function of the structure of the review copy. I would have liked these transitions to be more clear. The chapters could have focused on one personality at a time for clarity, and then references could have been made back to Moses to tie them together.

I was also frustrated that there weren’t more references to the Bible. The research I am hearing says that the younger generations are growing up without a concrete connection to the Bible. I am all for storying the Bible in contemporary language – as a starting point. But I try to point kids back to the Biblical  text so the Bible itself is comfortable and familiar to them. Then they will go back to it time and time again. If they are counting on me, or on another resource to paraphrase for them, they will miss out on all the Bible has for them.

Here is the cover for When I Am Anxious. I love it. I think they could have offered this as an illustrated book, too. The art would have enhanced the story.

When I Am Afraid: Jesus Calms the Storm

This is one of the Early Reader books in this line, an illustrated book for readers between 6 and 8 years old. Originally this was also going to release in April, but some places are showing this as a July release now. There are pictures to accompany the story here, another paraphrase that focuses on the feelings and emotions of the narrative. There are a few places in the book where a few lines in verse are included.

Of the two formats, I preferred this illustrated Early Reader. The artwork is sweet and captivating. I didn’t care for the shift from prose to verse. The prose sections would have been sufficient. I feel like the paraphrase makes more sense here, with a younger reader, but I would have liked at least a reference to where kids could find the whole story in the Bible.

After the story, there are a few questions for kids to discuss with their parents as well as some prayer prompts. The Early Reader also includes advice for parents/caregivers about helping children who are afraid. There is no reference in the review copy to who wrote the information for parents. Therefore, I am not sure if that was provided by the author or by a therapist or psychologist like with the chapter book.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for Christian resources to talk about anxiety or fear with children, I think these could be a good starting place. I would definitely anchor your discussion in the full stories from scripture if you use these resources to start your conversation. I would love for kids to see the WHOLE Bible as a resource to help them with fear, anxiety, and other feelings they experience.

Rating: ♥♥♥

 

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Frankie’s 3rd grade class is getting a class pet. They are going to set some parameters for the pet, and then students will research their options, and make a presentation to the class. Then the class will vote on what pet they should choose.

Frankie’s aunt is a rodentologist, and Frankie loves to visit the animals in her aunt’s lab. So she decides the class should get a rat.

Frankie is so convinced her idea is the right one, though, she wants to skip the classroom process and just present her research right away. She also assumes her best friend, Maya, will vote with her for a class rat. But when Maya confesses that she doesn’t like the idea of a rat and she wants to research betta fish instead, it causes a fracture in their friendship.

Review

After an afternoon of reading a variety of only-okay early chapter books, I discovered Frankie. What an absolute treat!

Frankie is a complex character. She’s quite bright, although she does struggle some with reading and writing at times. Her enthusiasm for rodents is fun; this is a great age for kids to go all in on a topic or passion. She is an inventor with her own space and supplies for her creations. She can be moody and pouting when she doesn’t get her way. And her parents challenge those moods in really healthy ways. I loved all of this!

The friendship fracture is mild compared to what you might find in a middle grade novel, which is perfect for lower elementary readers. Frankie’s feelings are hurt because Maya doesn’t do what Frankie wants. Frankie tries to manipulate Maya and gets called out for it. Maya’s response is withdrawal rather than confrontation or nastiness. And Frankie figures out how to apologize with actions, not just words, as she prioritizes her best friend over her own desires about the class pet.

The class pet project process in the classroom is well developed. Frankie tries to push against the structure to get her own way, but her teacher kindly holds the boundaries. Frankie is never shamed for her behavior, but she is held to a reasonable standard and coached to help her fix her own problems.

I loved everything about this! Don’t miss this one. Great for home and classroom use. Would be a great readaloud!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz by Megan McDonald

BONUS REVIEW: Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz by Megan McDonald

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Judy, Stink, and some of their friends make up the Virginia Dare School’s book quiz team, the Bookworms.

The Bookworms have been competing at school, and now they’ve made it all the way to the Book Quiz finals. Judy, Stink, Sophie, Frank and Jessica have been reading like crazy to prepare. Judy has even tried speed reading, although it didn’t go very well.

The Bookworms are feeling pretty confident, aside from some tummy butterflies – until they hear about their competition. The Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders have a 4th grader on their team! “Mighty Fantasky” is supposed to be a for-real speed reader. And she’s already read the 5th Harry Potter book. That’s almost 900 pages long! How can the Bookworms – three 3rd graders and two 2nd graders – compete against that?

Review

This was a delight! It felt like a Mr. Lemoncello book with all the book references, but for a younger audience. There’s supposed to be a book list in the back of the final copy, but it was not in the reviewer’s version.

Kids who read a lot will have a great time answering the book quiz practice questions along with the characters. And the book list is pretty vast. Readers will probably find some new titles to try as well. The only potential negative here is that the emphasis is on reading fast and accumulating knowledge to answer questions rather than on enjoying reading for the stories and the characters, being transformed by what we read, etc.

It’s fun to watch Judy and Stink working together in this story. They encourage each other in their reading, and Judy helps Stink with his nervous feelings. Fans of both characters will find something to love here. This is the 15th book in the Judy Moody series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Squirreled Away by Mike Nawrocki

REVIEW: Squirreled Away by Mike Nawrocki

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Tyndale Kids in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Michael and Justin are on an adventure in the Middle East during the summer before 5th grade. Michael’s dad is there for an archaeological dig. While exploring in a cave on the day before their return home, Michael sees something weird on a high ledge. Before he can examine it closer, it’s time to head back for dinner.

Even though Michael’s dad has told the boys they should never be in caves without an expert guide, Michael can’t stop thinking about the cave. He knows he will regret it if they leave tomorrow and he never finds out what was on that ledge. Ignoring Justin’s advice and his dad’s warning, Michael goes back to the cave.

On the plus side, Michael finds what he was curious about – two petrified squirrels. On the down side, though, he gets lost, has to be rescued, and gets in trouble.

Now Michael has to figure out how to get his squirrel discovery through airport security and what he’ll do with the squirrels when he gets home.

Review

This is the first book in the Dead Sea Squirrels series by Mike Nawrocki, one of the creators of Veggie Tales.

This is a fun transitional chapter book with a Christian message about obeying your parents. The message fits nicely into the story and never feels heavy handed.

I can see why the publisher released the first two books of this series at the same time. While this book introduces Michael, his family, Justin and the squirrels, the action doesn’t really kick in with the squirrels in this book. This book really sets up what will happen in the rest of the series. A review copy of book 2, Boy Meets Squirrels, was not available. You can see the cover of book 2 here.

Michael seems like a typical protagonist for these sorts of books – curious, sincere and impulsive. You know he’s going to screw up. Things will fall apart spectacularly at some point. And you trust that he will learn a lesson in the end.

This is a fun start to the series. I’d definitely suggest getting both book 1 and 2 at the same time or your reader will be very frustrated in the end. Two more titles will release later this year.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Wedgie and Gizmo vs. the Great Outdoors by Suzanne Selfors

REVIEW: Wedgie and Gizmo vs. the Great Outdoors by Suzanne Selfors

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The family is on their way to a week-long camping vacation! A fun adventure, but not really a great trip for a corgi and a guinea pig. So they take Wedgie and Gizmo to a “pet hotel.” Gizmo is not impressed by the amenities and Wedgie just wants his “pack” back. Between the two of then, they manage to get kicked out of the pet hotel!

So Wedgie and Gizmo are off with the family to the great outdoors. Wedgie is convinced this is their new yard and he must defend their home from the “tiny squirrels” (chipmunks). Gizmo is hoping to convince all the forest creatures to pledge their loyalty to him and his evil schemes.

Meanwhile, the family is enjoying campfires, fishing, and hiking. Well, almost everyone is enjoying the trip. Jackson, the youngest kid, is feeling left out as his siblings won’t play with him and his parents think he’s too little to do anything. But Jackson may surprise everyone in the family on this vacation!

Review

I fell in love with Wedgie and Gizmo in their first adventure, and they are still some of my favorite characters in children’s literature. These stories are so fun! And this one especially was a hoot. I love Wedgie’s energy and enthusiasm for EVERYTHING. Gizmo is clever, and I loved how his story turned out in this book. (It was so great, I don’t want to give anything away.)

One of the things I love about this series – besides the characters and the humor – is the layered storytelling. The “front” story is the Wedgie and Gizmo activity. They tell their own part of the story (a great example of voice for young writers). But woven throughout their stories are conversations between the human members of the family. And there’s always a full story going on there, too, in the “background.” I’m so impressed by the writing in this series and how the author works the two stories together.

I think this is a series that works for both chapter book readers (and kids whose parents read them chapter books) as well as younger middle grade readers. I highly recommend the whole series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½