Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Recommended for: Grades 5 and up

2012 Newbery Award Winner
It all starts when poor Jack Gantos dooms his own summer fun by inadvertently firing his father’s Japanese rifle.  Next thing he knows, he’s in Miss Volker’s kitchen watching her melt her own hands!  Jack’s summer gets more and more interesting as he helps his father dig a fake bomb shelter, reads a series of history books, helps Miss Volker type up obituaries, and visits dead bodies at the morgue with his friend Bunny (all the while gushing blood from his nose).
Melding fact and bizarre fiction, this book is laugh-out loud funny, informative, and poignant.  Highly recommended for older boys who like history.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Waring

The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood
Recommended for: Grades 3 and up

The Unseen Guest is the third book in Maryrose Wood’s Incorrigible Children series and it is just as delightful and even more thrilling than the first two books. Ever optimistic, plucky governess Penelope Lumley learns more about how the three Incorrigibles were raised by wolves. In fact, one of the most thrilling moments occurs when Mama Woof suddenly makes her first appearance. Throughout the story, there is a lot of clever word play and puns, a bit like Lemony Snicket but without the sarcasm. The book tells us “there is power in words used accurately and well” and this book is a powerful joy to read. It would be a great read-aloud for younger children who may have a little difficulty with some of the more sophisticated language.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Rutigliano

The Masterwork of a Painting Elephant by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Ed Young
Recommended for: Grades 1-4

Pigeon (a boy) is raised by Birch (an elephant) after being abandoned by his parents. Birch longs to find his former acrobat partner from his circus act, so the pair travels to Paris (by way of New York & Hollywood) on their search for her. Along the way, they meet an unusual cast of characters: the Ringmaster, hobos, zoo animals and an ancient sea turtle.
Birch may be an elephant, but he is a talented artist who can see and paint the true essence of people. The themes of family, security, and the true nature of love are explored while telling of many strange events in the lives of Pigeon and Birch. If you like magical realism, you’ll be entranced by these two special friends.

Reviewed by: Mrs. McIntire

The Fairy Ring, or, Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure
Recommended for: Grades 5 and up

Have you ever innocently told a lie, then it get out of your control?  Have you ever wanted to tell the truth, but were scared of the consequences?  At the end of WWI, two cousins in Cottingley, England, told a lie that ended up fooling many important grown-ups and got the girls swept up in a media frenzy.  Elsie (15) and Frances (9) saw fairies in the beck behind their house.  When the grown-ups refused to believe them, they staged photographs with beautiful hand-painted paper fairies.  The adults (including some famous and well-respected ones) believed the photos were real, and Elsie and Frances quickly saw their innocent prank spin out of control.  The cousins took their secret almost to their graves.

This was a fascinating story, illustrated with wonderful photographs and illustrations done by Elsie, a talented artist, when she was a young woman.

Recommended by: Mrs. Waring

When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew by Jan Andrews
Recommended for: Grades 2 and up

Ti-Jean is the unlikely hero of these three short folk tales that emigrated from France.  Other characters include the greedy princess of Tomboso and a magical little man named Bonnet Rouge who gambles at a game of marbles.  These stories are full of old world magic: coin purses that are always full, buckets that can empty a lake and apples that make your nose grow.  Like most traditional folktales, these stories have their share of danger, but may be suitable for younger children as a read aloud.

Reviewed by:  Mrs. White

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Recommended for: Grades 4 and up

Auggie’s life has been full of challenges. He has a loving family, a nice place to live, even a few friends. But he also has a severly deformed face and a history of surgeries, therapy, and homeschooling.  Now, he’s about to enter 5th grade, and his parents have decided it’s time to go to a regular school.  The book is written from many points of view: Auggie’s, his new classmates, and his sister (who is having her own challenging year starting high school).
I learned so much from this book: about being a friend, about what it means to be brave, about how to forgive.  Palacio’s book is a real wonder.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Waring

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Recommended for: PreK – 2nd grade

Annabelle finds a stash of magic yarn, and begins to turn her dreary town into a colorful and warm place, one knitted garment at a time.  What will happen when the evil archduke wants to take the yarn from her?  The black, grey and pastel illustrations by Jon Klassen add a lot of humor and heart to this story, which has a bit of mystery and a lot of wonder woven into it.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Waring

Tulsa Burning by Anna Myers
Recommended for Grades 5 and up

Fifteen year old Noble (Nobe) Chase grew up in a world of abuse and hatred.  Based on the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921, Anna Myers has woven a riveting story of a boy’s experience with the loss of his father (the abuser) and dog (shot in front of him by the sheriff). Nobe has to make hard choices to survive and to save his friend, an African American, from a KKK lynching.  This compelling story is a fast paced page-turner, that will put the reader right in the middle of the civil rights issues.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Baumgartner

The Scrimshaw Ring by William Jaspersohn
Recommended for Grades 4 – 6

This book, from the Family Heritage Series, is based on a true story about Rhode Island in 1710.  William, an imaginative boy, tells many tales of pirates and sea dragons to his parents after his daily play along the shore.  When left alone with the cook one day, William experiences a real meeting with some gruesome pirates, and has an object to prove it to his parents.  Jaspersohn’s description of the pirates – right down to the smell and toenails, makes the reader grimace.  Well illustrated with paintings, this book is a great introduction to history and has an endpiece about the value of heirlooms to historians!

Reviewed by:  Mrs. Baumgartner

Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky
Recommended for All Ages

Jack Prelutsky and Peter Sis have surpassed earlier levels of rhyme, wordplay and humorous illustration.  On a journey to Scranimal Island, which is not found on the map, we meet many animal combinations with flowers, vegetables and other animals like the Porcupineapple, Bananaconda and a clutch of Spinachickens.  Families will be memorizing these poems and laughing at them in the bathtub, on walks and long car rides.  This book  is a great gift for a child and will be a favorite on the bookshelf for years to come.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Baumgartner