The Dead and Buried

The Dead and Buried
Author: Kim Harrington
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes... But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things…

Review: A great October read for grades 6 and up. Not too scary – the scare level would be about a 6 or 7 out of 10. Has a normal ghostly haunting (no vampires or werewolves) of main character Jades new home. Unfortunately, that is the same home that the most popular girl in high school died in. Can Jade and the dead girl’s boyfriend find out if her death was accidental before the ghost hurts her little brother again? And if it wasn’t accidental then who did it? Is Jade walking right into a murderers path?

Ghoulia

Ghoulia
Author: Barbara Cantini
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Kelly

Summary: Ghoulia lives with her Auntie Departed in their mansion called Crumbling Manor.  Ghoulia is a zombie and spends most of her time playing with her dog, Tragedy.  All Ghoulia wants, more than anything, is a real friend.  She wants to get past the manor walls but is consistently stopped by her Auntie Departed.  Her other problem is that she doesn’t look like all of the other “normal” kids.  She has pale white skin, dark purple circles under her eyes, and long black hair.  She begins to devise the perfect plan; that she will venture out into the nearby neighborhood on Halloween.  That way, all the kids will be wearing their costumes, and she can be herself, a zombie.  Will the other children realize what Ghoulia really is?  Will they understand that friendship comes in many forms?

Review: There are three words that I will use to describe this book.  Illustrations.  Illustrations.  Illustrations.  I read this story out loud with my 20 month old daughter and we loved it.  The book is complete with illustrations on each page.  It was such a thoughtful, festive and creative story.  A beginning chapter book for some, it is the perfect addition to our fiction collection.  I would recommend this to any young reader looking to get into the Halloween spirit.  I also think it is great for fans of, The Nightmare before Christmas, as the illustrations are of the same style.

Also included in this book, were fun Halloween activities, a list of items needed to dress up as Ghoulia for Halloween, and much more.  I plan on purchasing a copy of this book for our, at home library and reading it yearly together for Halloween.  Such a creative way to get in the spooky spirit and learn a valuable lesson about friendship.

Ten Cents a Pound

Ten Cents a Pound
Author: Nhung N. Tran-Davies & Josee Bisaillon
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Juan

Summary: A heart-warming story about a mother’s love for her daughter. The mother shares the sacrifices she’s willing to endure for the betterment of her daughter. At first the daughter is torn on leaving but after highlighting her mother’s hard work, she sets off to pursue a life of opportunity. 

Review: A moving story about a mother who endures any hardship so that her child can live the best life possible. The illustrations are nicely done as well as the descriptions the author uses throughout the book. Overall, it paints an inspiring picture of determination and willingness to have a successful life.  

Heal the Earth

Heal the Earth
Author: Julian Lennon
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: Encourages the reader to join in an imaginary journey aboard a magical plane, the White Feather Flier, to help sick and hungry children, restore coral reefs and rain forests, and more. Includes a note from the author about The White Feather Foundation. 

Review: I was looking for more interacting picture books and came across this one with a very important message. I really liked how the author made sure that kids can make a difference in this world and how this works so well with them being able to press buttons in the book, and tilt the book sideways. Just like a child needs to be active when reading the book, so do they when they want to help the world. The illustrations are fresh and the explanations about difficult environmental topics are explained in a simple way for children to understand. I especially enjoyed the added poem at the end. I would have loved to have seen even more interaction opportunities in this book.