Age: Preschool+
Art: Painting

A common tale about endless material wishes coming true but never being fully satisfied. Mr. Renny is given the ability to paint whatever he wants and have it become real. Only when Mr. Renny is asked to paint for the sake of painting does he realize that this gives him most happiness.

Age: K-2nd grade
Family: Intergenerational

Wyeth has us follow an heirloom necklace during the pivotal moments when it is passed down from one generation to the next.

Age: Preschool+
Animals: polar

Who's going to win the talent show? Is it Rabbit's magic tricks? Is it fox's belching? Is it Bear's juggling? Animals compete for the one-of-a-kind polar talent show! The suspense! Now, wait just a minute. Did this talent show spring out of the ground? Who planned this amazing event? Celebrating the not-often-celebrated party planners, Penguin finds out his hidden talent in organizing parties.

Age: 1st grade+
Writing

Age: Preschool+
Art: Illustrations are gorgeous

Stoop's idea for this book originated from her participation in Earth Hour where everyone is encouraged to turn out their lights for an hour. A trial-and-error attempt at seeing the moon at night, where Red Knit Cap Girl sees it only when she is quiet and the area around her is dark. However, I agree with my Goodreads friend Melissa when she points out that Red's curiosity to reach the moon begins with her being quiet and the surrounding area being dark. Hmmm...

Age: K - 2
Science: Astronomy

A more abstract examination of stars and their existence in our world and in us. A very interconnected look at how stars fill the sky and helped form the Earth; therefore, they have touched all living things, including yourself. I loved the expanding artwork and the smooth storytelling that addresses the reader/listener in second-person.

Age: Freshman-Senior
Award: Printz, Young Reader's Choice

Cameron is the typical recluse character with an immensely sarcastic humor. His parents are distant, his popular twin sister feigns revolt against him, and he has no real friends. He smokes pot to deal with life's seeming "unreality" and appears content with simple, mundane pleasures like visiting his local record store and, well, that's pretty much it. When he's diagnosed with the human strain of Mad Cow Disease he's sent to the hospital

Spoiler

where his brain is left to deteriorate into madness. In the end, and with little hints throughout, we realize that this is exactly what happens. But Bray expertly hides this with fantasy elements that (appear to) covertly exist in the real world.

Going Bovine is an adventure to save the world which is given to Cameron by a punk angel. Accompanied with his neurotic side-kick, Gonzo, and a viking dwarf they pick up on the way, the gang travels from Texas to Mississippi then to Florida on a search for Doctor X who will cure Cameron's disease and stop a wormhole on Earth that has unleashed a dark force from another universe.

Spoiler

In the end, Cameron finds Dr. X, who has been leading him there all along to meet his demise at the hands of an evil Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan's at it again!) who turns out to be Cameron himself. The book ends with Cameron's realization that he would take nothing, not even his life, in exchange for the fond memories and friendships gained from the trip.
Bray presents a rich and poignant humor unlike most young adult literature I've read. It is incredibly witty with a lot of social commentary that may still be relevant in the future because the popular icons that Cameron comments on are more like concepts than names existing in our current reality. Not only were the jokes humorous, but they were also descriptive and real. They carried out far more literary techniques than just humor. The end of this novel is tragically beautiful. Cameron's life is finally worth something because he has lived and experienced friendship, love, adventure, excitement, and spontaneous excitement.

Spoiler

But he actually didn't experience these in real life. A true tragedy, Cameron is strung about like Don Quixote, meant to enjoy a reality that is not really there.

Eva Nine continues to unravel the secrets of her origin on her quest across Orbona. Without her loving Muthr to guide her and protect her, Eva Nine begins to emerge from her vulnerability as a brave and compassionate character. DiTerlizzi has a strong grasp on character development, including Eva Nine's slow embrace of her unique fate. For most of the book, she still has underlying hesitation and fragility but, in dire situations, her courage and perseverance dominate, especially when her friends are in danger. I also enjoyed the connection between Rovender and Eva Nine, as their personalities develop together as a result of their loving friendship and learning from each others values. In spite of the great characters, I had a hard time following some of the too-fast action scenes.

I was so excited to read this sequel and find out the answers to some looming questions. Are there any humans left on the planet? Why did she grow up in a secluded shelter? What is Rovender's past? If Eva is Eva Nine, is there an Eight, Seven, etc.? What does her fortune mean? What other creatures will she meet? How did they get here? What happened to Earth? Why can she talk to animals when others cannot?

This book seems to have solved most of these tantalizing questions. I feel like the third book might just be one big action scene. I'll definitely still read it to figure out Eva Nine's true connection to this new world.

Rovender: "A heart of compassion is just as hard to hold within you as one of indifference." pg. 368

Age: Preschool+
Art: Colors

A fun introduction to colors but somewhat boring even with the absurd amount of onomatopoeias and the ecstatic monsters. I also didn't understand why yellow represents "prowl" and "growl."

Age: K-2nd grade
Animals: Dogs (not pets)

I usually don't care for friendship books because they're always cookie-cutter but this had some fun elements. I loved the non-fiction, instructive feel when they showed the secret handshake. Also, the last page has a fun surprise that has a nice connection to the beginning of the story.