Reviews
Kirkus Reviews - Norbert's Big Dream
The expression “when pigs fly” is given a new twist as Norbert the pig dreams of swimming—not in just any pond, lake, or ocean, but the English Channel.Norbert trains day after day and dreams night after night until he feels ready. Despite the snickering, snorting, and… View →
School Library Journal - Miss Colfax's Light
K-Gr 3—From 1861 to 1904, Miss Harriet Colfax tended the oil lamps and beacons of the Michigan City Lighthouse while living in the keeper’s house on the Lake Michigan shore with her friend and companion, Ann Hartwell. Harriet’s story begins in pictures, with a verso spread… View →
School Library Journal - Tig Ripley: Rock 'n' Roll Rebel
Gr 4–6—This novel chronicles Tig Ripley’s quest to start an all-girl rock band named Pandora’s Box. The 13-year-old protagonist does not play an instrument, and she’s been brought up with Southern good manners. In spite of these obstacles, Tig wants to be the… View →
Publishers Weekly - Norbert's Big Dream
While most pigs are satisfied with lolling around in the mud and sucking down slop, Norbert has other ambitions: “Since he was a wee piglet, Norbert dreamed of swimming the English Channel,” writes Degman (Cock-a-Doodle-Oops!). Norbert “practice[s] his flutter kick” in the mud,… View →
School Library Journal - B is for Beacon
In this alphabet book, in which X marks the spot, each letter is represented by a poem that is paired with a few paragraphs of facts. Some letters stretch to make lighthouses a part of their domain (F is for Festivals, N is for November), but there is at least one illustration of a… View →
Kirkus Reviews - Catch a Kiss
Mama and Izzie play at blowing kisses in the garden. Mama’s first kiss, a “tiny, round” one, alights on the tip of Izzie’s nose. Izzie catches the second, a “zigzag” one, in the crook of her elbow. But when Mama sends a triple-decker, Izzie’s… View →
Booklist - Crossing the Deadline
Desperate to help support his mother and escape his cruel uncle, Stephen, 13, secretly enlists in the Civil War in 1863, following in the footsteps of his brother, Robert, killed fighting for the Union. Although Stephen is too young to be a soldier, he is not too young to use his skills… View →
School Library Journal - Good Trick Walking Stick!
This delightful story explains the life cycle of a walking stick bug from egg stage through adulthood. Many characteristics of various species are explored as “tricks” that these insects perform. The life cycle and “tricks” are discussed in a narrative style, and each spread includes… View →
Kirkus Reviews - Stella Batts Scaredy Cat
Stella Batts, somewhat intrepid third-grader, is back for another adventure, and this time she’s worried about bad luck—and ghosts. It should be a fun, thrilling time, because her class won the sleepover-in-the-school-library contest, but first the white girl breaks a mirror, and… View →
School Library Journal - Crossing the Dead Line
In this highly relatable work of historical fiction, Shoulders brings to life one of the darkest chapters in American history: the Civil War. The narrative revolves around 13-year-old Stephen Gaston, who manages to enlist in the Union Army to support his mother, despite being underage.… View →