Age: Preschool-1st grade
Nonfiction: 576

Concise without feeling condescending, Husband provides wonderfully captivating illustrations that will keep kids hooked as the text adds meaning and depth to the first forms of life all the way through to homo sapiens.

Age: 7th grade-high school

Easy read with a delightful easter egg hunt, May must find the meaning behind the underground resurgence of a comic book that she wrote years ago with her artist friend--her friend that tragically died in a car accident. The incorporation of artwork is seamless and develops the plot without feeling overbearing. Sure, it's full of plots holes and unrealistic situations, but Priest keeps the book moving fast and the action stays strong until the very end.

Neither a fantasy nor realistic fiction, I would definitely recommend this to fans of mystery and thriller.

Age: Adult (but older high school girls will enjoy)

The first few chapters felt like this was going to be another biography full of overwrought, eye-rolling motivational phrases but, low and behold, Amy Poehler captured my heart. It may be tempting to compare Tina Fey's biography with Poehler's but where Fey uses her excellent comedic writing to comment on her life and illicit giggles throughout, Poehler's has a motivational bent--especially for women and high school/college age girls (Not surprising, since Poehler runs Smart Girls with two other fabulous women). While I may not directly recommend this to a passing teen (references to drugs and sex), I certainly would have enjoyed this girl power book in high school and college.

The audiobook has a delightful amount of unique treats including readings from Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Michael Schur, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, and even Amy's parents. The last chapter of the book was read in front of a live audience at the Upright Citizen's Brigade theatre in Los Angeles.

Age: 5th-8th grade
First line: "The sofa wasn't there on Monday but it was there on Tuesday."

I kinda became obsessed while reading this. The snarky humor is full of wit and one-liners without feeling egotistical and the plot moves fluidly and is full of action. This book would make an excellent introduction to science fiction and fans of Hitchhiker's Guide will find Douglas Adams' influence where the plot reins supreme--but fresh, silly jokes abound.

Age: 4th-middle school
Special needs: Autistic older sister
History: 1930s

Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
Manners: Naughtiness

Mabel has quite the personality: bubbly, arrogant, and naive--particularly naive about her over-the-top naughtiness. Kids will certainly giggle along with Mabel's antics. The fart joke at the end will get kids laughing (I mean, when does a child not laugh at a fart joke) but it felt like a cheap, uncreative ending.

Although Mabel is behaving quiet poorly throughout the book, in the end, we see that family love trumps all.

Age: K-5th grade
Art: Surrealism, optical illusions

Although I have not read the other books in the series, I thought the text (written by the illustrator this time) was wonderfully complimentary to the paintings, asking readers to ponder positive transformation. The artwork is thoroughly provocative and would serve as a wonderful writing prompt.

Ah, the ol' use-of-parenthesis-to-describe-awkward-plot-progression rut. On top of that grating writing technique, the humor is forced, the geometry integration feels weird, and Peg and Cat win the race because the other competitors get distracted. The inclusion of numbers was well done but I wish there was more about the construction of the race car. Another sacrifice to the television gods.

What just happened?

Age: Preschool-1st grade

The watercolor and ink illustrations add a bright imagining to this informative and light-hearted list.