Weekend with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban Book Review

Weekend with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban 
Illustrations by Katie Kath
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 5, 2016

Max spends his weekends with his dad. Weekends mean pancakes and pizza, spy games, school projects, and dog-walking. As Max gets to know his dad's new neighborhood and neighbors, he begins to think of his dad's home as his home.

In a world where there is nothing new under the sun, this book felt unique. I have never read for this age group that so succinctly captures the feelings and reality of shared custody without dwelling on the actual divorce. The story is set with three different weekends with his dad. Each weekend Max deals with something that is the reality of living with one parent on the weekend. For example, when Max first comes to live with his dad, he doesn't like his new bedroom that is decorated with football curtains. He's not really that into football. But he doesn't want to tell his dad this because it is his new house and his dad seemed so proud. Now, the story for this weekend is really about playing spys, but in the end, through their spy play, Max finds his voice and tells his dad he would like a little less football in his room. This is a much needed book, because it is the reality for some children and they too need books that they can relate to.

My Life in Pictures by Deborah Zemke Book Review

My Life in Pictures by Deborah Zemke 
Publisher: Dial Books
Release Date: March 8, 2016

Bea Garcia is an artist. She draws everything in her little notebook. She draws when her friend Yvonne moved to Australia. She draws when the loud boy monster moves in next door. He is absolutely nothing like Yvonne and seeing the awful boy next door just makes her miss her best friend even more.

A cute little chapter book, perfect for readers who are transitioning into intermediate books with plenty of pictures for those who aren't quite ready to let go of needing pictures in their books. Bea Garcia has the usual kinds of problems and struggles, which is why she is so relateable. Her friend moving to Australia adds just the right amount of different to give the story some added flavor. The doodles throughout the book are cute and I found myself lingering over more than a few. I loved how the story resolved itself, although I think someone needs to put a fence around the tree in their backyard because her brother gets stuck in it way too often.

Mouse Scouts by Sarah Dillard Book Review

Mouse Scouts by Sarah Dillard
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 5, 2016

Meet Violet, Tigerlily, Hyacinth, Petunia, Junebug, and Cricket, six new Mouse Scouts who are trustworthy and strong, thrifty and brave . Best friends Violet and Tigerlily can’t wait to start earning their merit badges. But their troop leader, Miss Poppy, is one strict rodent. Earning their first badge—planting a vegetable garden—is going to be hard work for these little mice. 

I was never a girl scout, although I did do a uber-Christian version called Missionettes. Badges existed, but I don't really recall caring about them or doing much to get them. If I recall, I didn't have many. It is perhaps this ambivalence that also made me ambivalent towards this book.

Written on the same level as the Judy Moody series, this is a good bridger books for readers who have outgrown Junie B. Jones. However, I found the story to be a bit slow with a lot of gardening facts that didn't hold my interest. I imagine that the audience for this book is rather specifically tied to girls who like Girl Scouts and/or gardening. As this is going to be a series, I think there will probably be a focus on different badges for each book. For me, the book lacked a certain amount of humor that I am used to seeing in books for this age group, but the book wasn't bad though. I feel like I have a lot of caveats for this book, because the truth is, it just isn't my kind of book. Too quiet, too girly, and too focused on something that I care very little about. It has its audience, and that audience certainly doesn't include me. 

The Dragonsitter by Josh Lacey Book Review

The Dragonsitter by Josh Lacey
Illustrations by Garry Parsons
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 1, 2015

Dear Uncle Morton: You'd better get on a plane right now and come back here. Your dragon has eaten Jemima. Emily loved that rabbit! I'd better go now. I can smell burning. --Eddie

Babysitting a dragon shouldn't be this difficult, or at least it should have come with an instruction manual. The mailman isn't delivering mail anymore. His poop is well, huge. He's burning and breaking stuff. And Uncle Morton isn't answering Eddie's letters. 

Whether Uncle Morten really left the dragon because he was on vacation or because he simply needed a break isn't clear in the beginning, but it soon becomes clear that Uncle Morten failed to leave some very important instructions behind. The fantasy element, a dragon, is a bit confusing for clearly this is the kind of place where dragons exist and can be dragonsitted, yet no one has ever heard of them when Eddie calls for help. I don't think this matters in the slightest because kids aren't going to sit around deconstructing the internal logic of a dragon fantasy chapter book. And they aren't going to question the convenient ending either. 

This is a fun easy-to-read chapter book with the right mix of magic and humor.

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi Book Review

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: October 13, 2015

Diva is a small dog who lives at 11 avenue Le Play in Paris, France. Her whole world is her home and the courtyard right outside. That is until she meets Flea, a streetwise wandering flaneur who has traveled all of Paris and shows Diva world beyond her little courtyard.

A kind of Lady and the Tramp story sans the romance, with a hint of Aristocats, and a smidgen of Oliver & Co., this is the tale of friendship, boundaries, and bravery. A simple chapter book that may be a bit challenging for its targeted audience, but no less captivating in its telling. Diva and Flea, despite being very different challenge each other to do things that make them uncomfortable. What each discover is a world they couldn't imagine. Diva sees the Eiffel Tower for the first time and faces her fear of feet. You would be afraid of feet too if you were a very little dog. Flea, always having been an outdoor cat, cannot imagine an indoor world where food is brought to him whenever he pleases. I love these two characters and there is definitely the usual Mo Willems humor. More than that though are the beautiful four color illustrations. I am a bit confused as to who did the illustrations since both authors are also illustrators, so we will just assume that they worked on the illustrations together.  Kids are going to fall in love with this little duo and I am really hoping to see more adventures from Diva and Flea in the future.

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party by Shannon & Dean Hale Book Review

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party by Shannon & Dean Hale
Illustrations by LeUyen Pham
Publisher: Candlewick
Release Date: October 13, 2015

Today is supposed to be the perfect birthday party, but as the guests arrive so do the monsters. Princess Magnolia must rush to her broom closet and change into the superhero Princess in black. Of course, running off in the middle of a birthday party is going to make some people suspicious, but Princess Magnolia is able to do so...although she may have lost a shoe in the process.

Book two of The Princess in Black is the same formula as the first. Princess Magnolia must keep running off to fight monsters while her guests wait impatiently for her return. And as with the first, she is able to convince them that she is just really good at hide and seek. Perhaps it is just me, but I think it is a bit sad that The Princess in Black must hide her identity. As a superhero fan, I understand the purpose of secret identities, but I would like to think that people would only love her more if she revealed her superhero status. Besides, she doesn't appear to live with anyone and the only "bad guys" are ogres who don't see something like the Princess in Black as much of a detterant. Just saying.

I love these books. I love that there is a female superhero for this particular age group of readers. They do exist mind you, but they are so few and far between that we must champion the ones that are out there. I absolutely adored seeing some of the Princess in Black Halloween costumes that were featured on A Mighty Girl.