Crusherby Niall LeonardDoubleday CanadaISBN: 978 0 385 67928 2Finn's life is not exactly glamorous - his dad is an out-of-work actor, his mom left when he was a little kid, and his dyslexia has held him back enough that he is working at a crummy fast food joint that he hates just to make ends sort of meet. This all looks not bad in retrospect, though, because one day he arrives home to find his dad murdered, and he's a suspect. Since the police don't seem interested in investigating too hard, he starts digging around himself, and soon finds himself... More »

My sister is a stylist. Her teen years were a revolving door of trying on different styles and personas as she figured out what she wanted to wear - and some of these phases were shockingly bad, given her current profession! If only she'd had this book... Learn To Speak Fashionby Laura deCarufelOwlKidsISBN: 978 1 92697 342 5Starting from the premise that fashion is a means of expression, and can be seen as art meeting clothing, the author goes on to talk about fashion at length. What are people saying with different looks? Where does "fashion" come from? How do... More »

There are kid books, and then there are teen books, and also there are adult books - but some books are anyone books. This is one of those. Oddly compelling, it's a blend of fascinating and amusing, and it's perfect for dog lovers. Maddie On ThingsTheron HumphreyChronicle BooksISBN: 978 1 4521 1556 6This book is subtitled "A Super Serious Project About Dog and Physics" - but it's also a collection of photos and reminiscences about traveling with a buddy. Having a foot each in different areas is perfect, since it's also about balance - specifically about a dog with phenomenal... More »

There have been a few big series of kids books about dragons in the last few years - Inheritance and Ice Fire come to mind right away. Honestly, I haven't read them. Fantasy isn't really my area, so I read selectively, and the kids who wanted those were already into them. I had heard, though, though this new one was something a little different, and a lovely book, at that, so I dove in - and am glad I did. Seraphinaby Rachel HartmanDoubleday CanadaISBN: 978 0 385 66839 2Seraphina has a secret, and she and her father think it might... More »

It's MAY!!! At last! And the weather has suddenly turned nice like it just realized it's supposed to now that April is officially done. Shall we celebrate with some good books to enjoy outside? Elf Mouses's First Summer - I like these mouse books for the toddler age - they are simple, cover their themes nicely, and have just enough softness and sweetness, but not enough to make your teeth ache. Good introductions, aimed at just the right level. One Love - I like this adaptation of Bob Marley's classic song to have a message about community spirit. I've got... More »

We all love infographics, right? Information chunked into digestible little bits and represented in a pictorial spread makes things easy to understand, quick to process, and draws us in by being visually catchy. They are all over the online world, but have also long been a staple of children's non-fiction, where breaking up information into chunks has been going on for a while now. This new pair of books does a great job of making their topics accessible using this tool. The Natural World: The World in InfographicsISBN: 978 1 92697 374 6Planet Earth: The World in InfographicsISBN: 978 1... More »

April is Poetry Month - and always a great opportunity to encourage kids to have fun with language. Paper Dolls by Julia DonaldsonHarperCollinsISBN: 978 0 230 74108 9This story is about a little girl and the string of dolls she made and took on adventures, and also about how things may disappear, but live on in memory, and about making paper dolls one day with her own little girl. It's lovely and sweet and fun, without ever lingering too much on either the awfulness of boys with scissors or on the sweetness of how things go on. A bit of... More »

A pet can be a best friend - if dreams are lived up to. Or they can have a mind of their own - or other, less savoury drawbacks. Choose wisely, kids! These girls have had to make certain adjustments to their expectations... A Pet for Petuniaby Paul SchmidHarperCollinsISBN: 978 1 06196 331 5Petunia loves skunks. Small, cute, they are everything she wants, and what she wants is a pet skunk. Her parents refuse, to no one's surprise but Petunia. Thwarted and grumpy, she goes into the woods, where she meets one and discovers that her parents are right, they... More »

Reading this book this week was timely, since it deals with the aftermath of a tragic event and how the family members are affected. Moving forward from something traumatic is not an easy thing, and we have a window here into how Henry starts to make his way, with a little help. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsenby Susin NielsenTundra BooksISBN: 978 1 77049 372 8I loved Word Nerd, by Susin Nielsen, who knows her way around giving good quirky, offbeat characters, and even writes that lovable nerd, Ambrose, into this book as a minor character. This book is... More »

Whether you are trying to get a young one moving and stretching or feeding the sports obsession of a bigger kid, I've got something for you! The Yoga Gameby Kathy BeliveauSimply Read BooksISBN: 978 1 89747 672 7Little kids need some work on their gross motor skills and on their paying-attention skills, and yoga makes for a nice activity to help in both these areas. But how to get a kid interested in something that is complex for some adults, not to mention how to answer the questions about the names of the poses? How about making a game of... More »