Stick Dog

Stick Dog
Author: Tom Watson
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: Stick Dog is a story about a dog and his four friends that were created by a young boy who can’t draw too well. These groups of canines are on the hunt for food, but have to go through some adventures to find it.

Review: Any reader who enjoys Diary of a Wimpy Kid books or any diary/journal series will appreciate this one. The series starts off with a young boy who is told to draw something in school. Tom discovers he isn’t that good at drawing, but that doesn’t stop him from creating Stick Dog. Stick Dog becomes a loveable character, along with his similar looking friends, who is on the hunt for some hamburgers. The funny antics of these dogs and Tom’s amusing banter make this a fun read. The simple illustrations throughout the book add to the story and it’s entertaining to hear this story in the point-of-view of Stick Dog and how he chooses to explain certain things to the reader.

Haikyu!! Vol. 8

Haikyu!! Vol. 8
Author: Haruichi Furudate
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Aleece

Summary: The Inter-High match between Karasuno and Aoba Johsai continues. Karasuno has dragged the game into a third set and is struggling to keep up their momentum. In a desperate move, Coach Ukai decides to bring out Tadashi Yamaguchi as a pinch server! Could this be the push Karasuno needs to keep the team’s hopes alive and beat Aoba Johsai?

Review: Things get intense in this volume and it makes this series one that is hard to put down.

Where Do They Go?

Where Do They Go?
Author: Julia Alvarez
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Leslie

Summary: Children wonder what happens to their loved ones after death.

Review: I was happy to see this new book and I had to check it out to bring home to read to my kids. They just lost 2 family members in less than 2 weeks from one another so they have had a lot of questions at their young age and this is a great way to explain to them that our loved ones are always near and you can reach out to them wherever and whenever.

Fashion Rebels

Fashion Rebels
Author: Carlyn Cerniglia Beccia
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: Get to know the women who've wielded the power of fashion and brought about change with this illustrated biography that features twenty-five of history's most influential fashion icons.

Review: I was just going to take a glance through this book, but then I couldn’t put it down. From Cleopatra to the Olsen twins and from Marie Antoinette to Lady Gaga this book has some great info for the fashionista in you. Chalk full of information and nice illustrations this is a book that young and old would enjoy. 

Sun & Moon Sisters

Sun & Moon Sisters
Author: Khoa Le
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: Sun and Moon are sisters who rule the day and night, respectively—until the day they begin questioning which one is more important.

Review: The 3D illustration on the cover is what urged me to choose this book. I liked how it had a lesson of not to envy anyone and to realize that everyone is important and is needed in their own way. I also liked how they used the symbols of sun and moon and siblings, specifically sisters, to convey this lesson.

Author and Illustrator Khoa Le combines a unique fable with beautiful Asian artwork. 

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. 

 

Review:Pretty much everyone has heard of The Hunger Games with its popular following in both print and film. I admit I watched the movie before I picked up the first book in the series. However, it was the movie that made me want more detail and the book does not disappoint.

Suzanne Collins does a brilliant job describing the post-war futuristic America now called Panem and of The Hunger Games that are put on each year. After Katniss finds out her younger sister has been picked to fight to the death with other children from various other districts, she volunteers herself in order to save her sister from the games’ barbarism. Since a boy and a girl from each district must be picked as a way to remind each district of the war fought, Peeta, a boy also from District 12, has been chosen to go with Katniss.

Collins takes the reader on an exciting journey with a female protagonist in a world like no other. I enjoyed reading her depictions on their bleak surroundings during the games and how each character felt and reacted different. I’ll be reading the rest of the series.