Review: The Walking Dead, Compendium 3

The Walking Dead, Compendium 3 by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

By far the most intense yet...It starts with Negan (and Lucille!), and it ends with the introduction of the whisperers. I may have to suck it up and buy the trades to find out what happens. There's no way I can wait till 2019 or whenever the next compendium comes out.

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Review: Small Great Things

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like so many of Picoult's books, this one was intense. No book that features an African-American nurse charged with murdering a baby (who just happens to have two white supremacists as his parents) being defended by her white female lawyer (who swears she doesn't even notice color) is going to be an easy read. It was rough and uncomfortable in sections... and it needed to be. If this book is not on your "to read" list; it should be. Well done, Jodi Picoult. This was perhaps one of your most important stories yet.

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Review: Garvey's Choice

Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a gem of a novel in verse. I love that the tanka format was used for each powerful poem.

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Review: I Love You Because You're You

I Love You Because You're You by Liza Baker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First, I have to say that I love the lunchbox near the end of the story!!! I read the StoryPlay version of this book which includes questions added throughout and activities at the end. Lots of great suggestions to make reading this book and interactive experience.

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Review: Dinosaurumpus!

Dinosaurumpus! by Tony Mitton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so much fun. Great onomatopoeia-- I could picture reading this with kids and then having them have their own dinosaurumpus dance party. I love the suggested questions to ask throughout and the extra activities at the back. I'm becoming a real fan of this StoryPlay series of books!

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Review: The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life

The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book will have mass appeal. I love that there are quotes from both males and females. While basketball is the main theme throughout the book, athletes that play a variety of sports are represented in the quotes. There are even some quotes from other inspiring people mixed in! The graphics are engaging. The text is short and packs a punch. The organizational structure of the book is a basketball game (complete with warm up, halftime, and overtime). Each "quarter" has a separate focus- grit, motivation, focus, teamwork, etc. for A kid could pick this up, read a page or two, and then close the book and ponder for a while. Once again, Kwame does not disappoint.

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Review: The Bobbin Girl

The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

McCully does a nice job of painting a picture of the many concerns of the mill girls. Readers will have lots to talk about with this book- child labor, work conditions, striking, and more.

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