Famous Graveyards

Famous Graveyards
Author: Kristen Rajczak
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Sue

Summary: This 32 page book is full of information, interesting facts, and lots of pictures.  Let’s face it, death is part of life.  Famous Graveyards presents different cultural, religious, and historical information about numerous graveyards. 

Review: What a fascinating book! I learned so much, and the information is presented in a kid-friendly way.  This is a book that I will definitely be recommending to others (especially those reluctant readers out there).    

Tape

Tape
Author: Steven Camden
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: In 1993, Ryan records a diary on an old tape. He talks about his mother’s death, about his dreams, about his love for a new girl at school who doesn’t even know he exists.

In 2013, Ameliah moves in with her grandmother after her parents die. There, she finds a tape in the spare room. A tape with a boy’s voice on it – a voice she can’t quite hear, but which seems to be speaking to her.

Review:  A book debut from author Steven Camden. I loved the idea of this story. The cassette tapes being found by Ameliah and flashing back to 1993 during their recording by Ryan. But then I started reading it and I don’t know if it’s just me but does every kids chapter book have to start off with a parent being dead? In this case, of the two kids there are three dead parents. Anyway, I found this book good enough to keep reading to the end but that’s about it. Ryan and Ameliah’s thoughts are very prominent in the book which makes it a slightly spacey read. The ending had a bit of a surprise which helped everything to come together.

Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator

Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator
Author: Jennifer Allison
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: During the summer before ninth grade, intrepid Gilda Joyce invites herself to the San Francisco mansion of distant cousin Lester Splinter and his thirteen-year-old daughter, where she uses her purported psychic abilities and detective skills to solve the mystery of the mansion's boarded-up tower.

Review: This book sparked my interest because I was wondering how the idea of a psychic investigator would be geared towards young readers. I think Jennifer Allison did a great job of keeping interest for both the young and old reader. This is a mysterious and funny book with a loveable and relatable main character that young girls can relate to and appreciate. The book is quite well-written and is a great alternative for a young reader who enjoys mysteries and the paranormal or loves reading Harriet the Spy books. I would recommend this series for ages 10 and up.

Zombie Elementary

Zombie Elementary
Author: Howard Whitehouse
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Julie H.



Summary: In this hilarious, zombie-filled comedy, fifth-grader Larry Mullet tells the story about how he and his friends fought back against the undead monsters that overran their town. Larry and his friends, unnoticed by any of their parents, battle their baseball-team-turned-zombies while trying to search for the source of the outbreak and destroy it. The book is filled with helpful “Zombie Tips” and is written to teach readers what to do if zombies come to their school!

 Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this silly read. I love zombie books in general, but I really liked that this quirky book, aimed at middle-school readers, had the right balance of comedy, excitement, and action. This book has some age-appropriate gore but is not overly graphic (for a book about zombies) and has a happy ending. The book is somewhat long at 244 pages, but I think it was well worth the time! Read it yourself to see how Larry and his pals triumph over undead teachers and dreaded school lunches!