ISBN: 9781536233568
Publisher's Synopsis:
Who is Madame Badobedah? Mabel sets out to prove that an eccentric new hotel guest is really a supervillain in this witty storybook about an intergenerational friendship.There's a strange new guest at the Mermaid Hotel -- a very old lady with a growly voice, bags stuffed with jewelry and coins and curiosities, and a beady-eyed pet tortoise. Mabel, whose parents run the hotel, is suspicious. Who is this "Madame Badobedah" (it rhymes with "Oo la la") who has come to stay indefinitely and never has any visitors? To find out, Mabel puts on her spy costume and observes the new guest. Conclusion? She must be a secret supervillain hiding out from the law. The grown-ups think Madame Badobedah is a bit rude -- and sad -- but when she invites "dahlink" Mabel for a cup of forbidden tea and a game of pirates, the two begin a series of imaginary adventures together, and Mabel realizes that first impressions can sometimes be very wrong.
"Adventure is worthwhile in itself."
Amelia Earhart
MrsK's Review:
Meet Mabel who is a self-proclaimed "Adventurer." She lives at the Mermaid Hotel because her mom and dad are the managers. Her job is to "watch" their guests, so many avenues for discussions, to learn secrets, as well as have an adventure or two!
Meet Madame Badobedah the oldest, "best-ever" guest. She loves sweets, building sandcastles, and traveling the world. Yet, at the Mermaid Hotel, Madame Badobedah has had no visitors. On Saturdays, Madame B and Mabel try their luck larking on the beach or at the river.
Whether treasure is found on a beach, river, or in Madame's closet, or her dressing table with 507 drawers... there will be great discovers and grand adventures within the covers of this delightful picture book. An excellent read aloud for discovering new research projects.
MrsK
Meet the Author:
Sophie Dahl (born Sophie Holloway) is an English author, cookbook writer and former model. She was born in London, the daughter of actor Julian Holloway and writer Tessa Dahl. Her maternal grandparents were author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. Her paternal grandfather was actor Stanley Holloway. She was the inspiration for Sophie, the main character in her maternal grandfather's book The BFG.
Sophie Dahl (born Sophie Holloway) is an English author, cookbook writer and former model. She was born in London, the daughter of actor Julian Holloway and writer Tessa Dahl. Her maternal grandparents were author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. Her paternal grandfather was actor Stanley Holloway. She was the inspiration for Sophie, the main character in her maternal grandfather's book The BFG.
Multi-Cultural Discoveries
Johanna Ho
ISBN: 9780063320277
Publisher's Synopsis:
A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers'. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self-love and empowerment."My eyes crinkle into crescent moons...
carrying tales of the past and hope for the future."
MrsK's Review: Read Aloud
Beautifully woven story about a young girl who values her family and the world around her. This brief journey into the heart ignites a youthful look at the blessings that we can find that are unique to our heritage. In a poetic verse are threads of love, beauty, strength, and hope... such an endearing and yet simple belief that our hearts can recognize, celebrate, and stand alongside of the valued sentiment of life. A must for librarians, educators, and homeschoolers.
Meet the Author:
Joanna Ho Bradshaw is the author of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners (HarperCollins, Jan 2021), Playing at the Border: A Story of Yo-Yo Ma (HarperCollins, Fall 2021), and One Day (Winter 2023). She is a writer and educator with a passion for anti-bias, anti-racism and equity work. She holds a BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s from the Principal Leadership Institute at Berkeley. She has been an English teacher, a dean, the designer of an alternative-to-prison program, and a professional development mastermind. She is currently the vice principal of a high school in the Bay Area, where she survives on homemade chocolate chip cookies, outdoor adventures, and dance parties with her kids.
Malala Yousafzai
ISBN:9780316564533
Publisher's Synopsis:
As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true. Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Malala Yousafzai's first picture book, inspired by her own childhood.MrsK's Review: Read Aloud
What would you do with a magic pencil? Could you erase what was painful or draw that which you didn't have? In this "child" voiced collection of hopes, dreams, and hardships there is an inner heart that is beating a rhythm for opportunities unrestricted. A purity of common-sense justice and freedom that every child born should be provided. This eloquent story of the world's view must be experienced within our schools, homes, and churches. Bridging the gap between cultures has a courageous healing power for our next generation!
Meet the Author:
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. She is known for human rights advocacy, especially education of women in her native Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Her advocacy has since grown into an international movement.
Matt Tavares
ISBN: 9780763641375
Publisher's Synopsis:
Oliver Hall loves baseball. He loves the ritual of helping out in his grandfather’s store, Hall’s Nostalgia, and he loves listening to Grandpa Hall’s innumerable baseball stories. But one day, Oliver makes a startling discovery. It seems his grandfather has kept one very special story as his own. With stunning black-and-white and sepia-tone illustrations and a heartwarming narrative, Matt Tavares portrays one man’s lifelong love of the game, and the enduring legacy he passes on to his grandchild.MrsK's Review: Home Teams
Oliver loves Hall's Nostalgia, listening to his Grandpa's stories, baseball and the Cubs! When a customer requests an item, Oliver is sent to Granpa's storage closet. What he discovers will lead him to a discovery that he never imagined. In 1941 the Cubs were getting ready to play the Cardinals. While the Cubs were practicing,.. a game of stickball was being played outside of his Grandpa's home. What became a homerun led to once in a lifetime invitation. Yet, there was an important world event that changed the course of so many lives... America was at war!
The beauty of generational stories is what leads the next generation forward. For a time, such as this, a story of baseball could provide a thread to the weaving of a family's tapestry of life. What better journey could a Read Aloud provide?
Meet the Author:
Meet Matt Tavares: For his senior thesis project, Matt wrote and illustrated a story called Sebastian's Ball, which eventually became Zachary's Ball, Matt's first published picture book. Zachary's Ball went on to win a Massachusetts Book Award Honor and was named one of Yankee Magazine's 40 Classic New England Children's Books.
Since then, Matt has published eighteen more books and has won several awards, including three Parents' Choice Gold Awards, an Orbis Pictus Honor, and two ALA Notable books. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Mazza Museum of Picture Book Art.
When Matt's not working in his studio on his latest book project, he travels the country speaking (and drawing) at schools, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. He has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and he's even done a few book signings at Fenway Park. Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters.
Since then, Matt has published eighteen more books and has won several awards, including three Parents' Choice Gold Awards, an Orbis Pictus Honor, and two ALA Notable books. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Mazza Museum of Picture Book Art.
When Matt's not working in his studio on his latest book project, he travels the country speaking (and drawing) at schools, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. He has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and he's even done a few book signings at Fenway Park. Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters.
ISBN: 9781737868415
Publishers Synopsis:
Why America Matters is a children's book about the Judeo-Christian values of America and its founding, and the importance of the Four Pillars of the American Cornerstone Institute: Faith, Liberty, Community, Life. Through rhymes and colorful illustrations, readers understand how our founding values continue with today's patriotic Americans."Does America Matter?"
MrsK's Review:
It is with great hope that I've included this "much needed" American read-aloud. In a time, such as this, our young learners must have a grounding about our country. Dr. Carson has created America's story into an accessible understanding about the values that laid the foundation of our Constitution, Bill of Rights, National Holidays, and our American Symbols. Our American Story cannot be told without the common thread of values. Faith, liberty, community, and life are the essence of our Nation. Most 4th of July parades remind us about the hope, the value of life, and the essential "to-die-for" liberties that each generation before us protected. America didn't become a great nation without the values that mattered most in the hearts of the United States citizens. It's time for us to plant seeds about our Nation's goodness and truth about that which America changed.
Meet the Author:
Benjamin Solomon "Ben" Carson, Sr., M.D. is an American neurosurgeon and the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States by President George W. Bush in 2008.
ISBN: 9781728259536
Publisher's Synopsis:
Crack the codes. Find the treasure. Escape the house. From the acclaimed author of Scritch Scratch and What Lives in the Woods comes a action-packed adventure novel about three friends who team up to find a hidden treasure in an abandoned 1950's funhouse. Twelve-year-old Sarah Greene wants nothing more from her seventh-grade year than to beat the hardest escape room left in her town with her best friends, West, and Hannah. But when a foreclosure notice shows up on Sarah's front door, everything changes. Since her father became ill two years ago, things have been bad, but not lose your house bad...until now. Sarah feels helpless until the day Hannah mentions a treasure rumored to be hidden in the walls of an abandoned funhouse. According to legend, Hans, Stefan, and Karl Stein were orphaned at eight years old and lived with different families until they were able to reunite as adults. Their dream was to build the most epic funhouse in existence. They wanted their experience to be more than mirror mazes and optical illusions, so they not only created elaborate riddles and secret passages, but they also claimed to have hidden a treasure inside the funhouse. Once in, Sarah, West, and Hannah realize the house is unlike any escape room they've attempted. There are challenges, yes, but they feel personal. Like the triplets knew who would get in. It seems impossible, but so does everything about the house. As soon as they're in she immediately worries that attempting the funhouse is a bad idea, but Sarah has no choice but to continue, since her future is at stake.MrsK's Review: Gr5-8 Mystery
Meet the Delta's, Sarah, West, and Hannah middle school friends who seek the thrill of breaking through the Locked Rooms in their area's Escape Rooms. Knowing which clues will unlock the escape room in record time is what the Deltas have been "honing" since the first room they went to. To be on the board as an "escape master" is worth every moment of trials and error.
Escape rooms isn't just solving a mystery by locating clues... lasers can set off alarms or unlock doors. Moving quickly almost always creates chaos.
When Sarah's dad becomes bedridden, her family makes do, at least until the eviction notice is delivered. Has something terrible turned into a "quest" to find a solution that removes all the pain? Well, that's exactly what happens for Sarah.
In an escape room, everyone's strengths must be "honed" to exact precision. Hannah has balance and an adventurous spirit without fear. West has the wisdom of deciphering riddles, as well as excellent recall, his ability to recall also means that he has many moments of "random" facts because everything he sees is etched in his memory. Sarah knows numbers, patterns, and that there is only one right answer in solving any puzzle.
In an abandoned house, in which every room is a new puzzle, will the Delta's find the hidden treasure? Can Sarah save their home and remain living in their town? Will they survive or die like the legend suggests? Delta's don't give up!
I don't know if you've been an Escape Room, but I know that this book will provide much needed experience in how to look for clues, how "not" to be too focused on time and more focused on what the room is hiding... with plenty of "twists & turns," this book is one that keeps you reading beyond the end of a chapter...
MrsK
Meet the Author:
Lindsay Currie is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of mysteries for young readers. Her most recent titles are It Found Us and The Mystery of Locked Rooms. She grew up on Nancy Drew and loves a good mystery. Bonus points if it's spooky! When she's not writing, Lindsay can generally be found looking for an adventure of her own. She loves researching the forgotten history in her city, Chicago, taking long walks with her family, and as pretty much everyone knows . . . Disney World!
When Clark arrives at Camp Evergreen he makes new friends, reconnects with old ones, and nothing seems weird at all! Well, that is until kids start disappearing... One by one... Plus, there's a lake monster, bigfoot has been spotted, there are reports of a boogeyman, and there may or may not be a UFO crashed into the lake. Clark, Bruce, and Diana will have to re-assemble the Junior Detective - er- Criminal Investigation Unit, in an all-new, supernatural adventure!
Derek Fridolfs has worked professionally as a writer, inker, cover & sequential artist for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Boom, IDW, and a majority of comic companies the past 20 years.
#1 New York Times Best Selling Writer for the DC Secret Hero Society book series through SCHOLASTIC. And Eisner Nominated co-writer of Batman: Li'l Gotham at DC.
He's also written for such titles as Adventure Time, Regular Show, Clarence, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Teen Titans Go! Dexter's Laboratory, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The New Animated Adventures, Batman Arkham City, Batman Arkham Unhinged, Adventures of Superman, Sensation Comics Wonder Woman, Justice League Beyond and many more. MrsK's Review: Family Read-Alouds (all ages)
ISBN: 9781338166361
Publisher's Synopsis:
The follow-up to the bestselling hit Study Hall of Justice! Clark Kent is thrilled when he receives an invite to a spring break academic retreat. After taking down the villains of Ducard Academy the previous year, going back to life on the farm was a bit dull. Better yet, his friends Bruce and Diana have been invited there, too! What better way to spend spring break than with old friends (Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn) and new ones like Arthur Curry (Aquaman), Barry Allen (the Flash), and Vic Stone (Cyborg)?When Clark arrives at Camp Evergreen he makes new friends, reconnects with old ones, and nothing seems weird at all! Well, that is until kids start disappearing... One by one... Plus, there's a lake monster, bigfoot has been spotted, there are reports of a boogeyman, and there may or may not be a UFO crashed into the lake. Clark, Bruce, and Diana will have to re-assemble the Junior Detective - er- Criminal Investigation Unit, in an all-new, supernatural adventure!
"It would be a crime not to join us..."
MrsK's Review: GN Grades 2-3+
When the young Clark Kent gets an invitation to the Evergreen Adventure Camp, he isn't that thrilled since he never has attended a camp before. His academic scores provided this camp experience for spring break. Now that CK has accepted the invite, he learns that many of those with special identities will be there as well. Will the camp be worth a week of his time, or will it be a rotten week in nature without his cell phone.
Superheroes aren't always those who "go along" with the rules. Even though they might be... well, super intelligent... they aren't necessarily ready for camp leaders who do not answer their questions. The daily routines, the friendly competition, the prescribed activities, and the mysterious disappearance of campers.
If a book could be a surprise, this is the one for every DC comic fan. Filled with journal entries, great black/white sketches, humorous discussions, as well as... a mystery to solve! Every reader knows the thrill of a "page-turner," usually your heart races and you just can't quit reading. What if a page-turner is such a fun experience that you don't want it to end?
I'm so excited to share this with my grands & great-grands... and every learner... educator... and parent...
Check it out... give it as a gift... just don't let it leave your personal library... it's a keeper!
MrsK
Meet the Author:
Derek Fridolfs has worked professionally as a writer, inker, cover & sequential artist for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Boom, IDW, and a majority of comic companies the past 20 years.#1 New York Times Best Selling Writer for the DC Secret Hero Society book series through SCHOLASTIC. And Eisner Nominated co-writer of Batman: Li'l Gotham at DC.
He's also written for such titles as Adventure Time, Regular Show, Clarence, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Teen Titans Go! Dexter's Laboratory, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The New Animated Adventures, Batman Arkham City, Batman Arkham Unhinged, Adventures of Superman, Sensation Comics Wonder Woman, Justice League Beyond and many more.
Kirk Cameron
"As seasons change, you will grow."
As You Grow: ISBN: 9781955550291
Wonderfully crafted quick statements about growing up to be the best you can be. With truthful wisdom, this story unfolds with topics for discussions, such as: kindness; brokenness; courage; compassion; gentleness and generosity. Simple sentences are supported with delightful illustrations by Juan Moreno. This a must read-aloud at home... in the classroom... and at library Storytimes.
"When you aren't being a great friend... what should you do?"
Pride Comes Before the Fall: ISBN: 9781955550390
Valor is the best athlete, yet when he gets to the Great Raka Rapid Race, everyone already has a partner. Why wouldn't the others be excited to be his partner? Right before the race begins, Kevin showed up without a partner. Valor can't believe that Kevin would become his partner choice, it wouldn't matter anyway since it's his strength that will win the race... or so Valor thought. Valor will learn that everyone has unique strengths. This river race is enhanced with authentically comical illustrations by Steve Crespo. Get ready for the thrill of a "ride" into pure fun!
