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Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar"In a world where past, present, and future have collided, Diego and his friends must rescue Diego's father from an evil group of renegades, otherwise their whole existence is threatened" Grades 3-7. Michelle, Lakewood
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I love you, Michael Collins by Lauren Baratz-LogstedWhen Mamie's class is asked to write a letter to one of the Apollo 11 astronauts before the mission launches, she chooses Michael Collins, the astronaut staying in the orbiting capsule, while everyone else chooses Buzz Aldrin or Neil Armstrong. What began as a class project continues over the summer, as Mamie hangs out with her best friend and neighbor Buster, who shares her passion for the Apollo Mission. They drink Tang, build mock rockets, and eagerly await the rocket ship launch. Dramatic family events and issues occur during the space mission. The epistolary style keeps Mamie focused on events of that day, and are peppered full of questions and concerns she has for Michael and the other astronauts' safety. Eventually, her family pulls itself back together by the time the Apollo Mission is safely completed. The last letter featured is a reply from Michael Collins. The turmoil, change, and excitement of the late 1960’s, are captured in the events discussed, down to details of clothing styles and color TV. Mamie’s excitement, fear, and self-sufficiency are captured in her touching letters to Michael Collins. A more “current” historical fiction with broad appeal. Grades 4-6. Tamara, Gig Harbor
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Pashmina by Nidhi ChananiWhen Priyanka finds a mysterious pashmina in her house, she is transported to an India which may or may not be real, and goes in search of the reason why her mother left her homeland and the father she has never met. Grades 4-6. Michelle, Lakewood
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Next year : hope in the dust by Ruth Vander Zee Soft, color drawings show the devastation of the Great Plains as it turned into a "Dust Bowl" during the 1930s. Narrated by Calvin, a day begins with children playing outside in 1935. Their afternoon games end when a cloud, “Like midnight in the middle of the day, without moon and stars” sweeps across the land. The dark cloud of dust and debris covers two pages. Each year the dust clouds come, and each year his father says, “It’s gonna be better next year.” The impact the drought has on the environment, people, and animals betrays the lie. “Hungry rabbits invading by the thousands. Grasshoppers eating the bark off fence posts. My classmates dying of dust pneumonia.” After four years of dust, and witnessing his father cry, Calvin starts researching ways to bring back the land with better farming practices. Many neighbors have moved to California, but Calvin and his parents stay, trying to bring back their land. The rain returns when Calvin is 16, but his parents have been beaten by the dust and decide to leave. Calvin, galvanized by the rain and new farming methods decides to stay on the farm, "And I say to myself, next year it's gonna be better." The color illustrations are set by black line frames, and the minimal text is on the facing page or across the top. The despair of circumstances shows in the expressions of both humans and animals. The text is descriptive, but spare, capturing both the hope and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl. Grades 4-6. Tamara, Gig Harbor
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Wings of fire : the dragonet prophecy by Barry DeutschA first graphic-novel adaptation in the best-selling series The Wings of Fire follows the selection of Clay as one of a team of dragonets destined to fulfill a mysterious prophecy and end the war among the dragon tribes of Pyrrhia. Clay's not sure that he actually wants this destiny, but he does want to stick with his friends, and if that means destiny, then, well, that's what happens. Grades 3-7. Alex, University Place
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Before she was Harriet : The Story of Harriet Tubman by Lesa Cline-RansomeThe life of Harriet Tubman is told in reverse order noting all of her great accomplishments. "...remember her days a suffragist as a general as a spy as a nurse as Aunt Harriet as Moses as a conductor as Minty as Araminta who dreamed of living long enough to one day be old stiff and achy tired and worn and wrinkled and free". The water color drawings begin with a train, showing an elderly Harriet waiting to board, then show her in each of her various roles-speaking at a suffragist meeting, spying during the Civil War, and leading slaves, including her own parents to freedom. With deep tones, the illustrations show Harriet's commitment to each role in her life, until we see the young girl who's greatest dream was freedom, before moving back to the old woman on the train. The text is brief, about a paragraph for each page with her current role in yellow ink, yet full of information. A striking new narrative of a famous woman. Grades 1-3.Tamara, Gig Harbor
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March forward, girl : from young warrior to Little Rock Nine by Melba Pattillo BealsThe Congressional Gold Medal-winning civil rights activist and author of the best-selling Warriors Don't Cry presents an ardent and profound childhood memoir of growing up in the face of adversity in the Jim Crow South. Stuck in a world that kept telling her she was different and inferior to others, Melba had only one question for it: Why? Unwilling to accept the advice of the grownups to hold her peace and know her place, Melba takes her fight anywhere there's a person to listen and to ask why themselves, including to a school that's been told they have to have her. Grades 5-7. Genevieve, University Place
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Last laughs : prehistoric epitaphs
by J. Patrick Lewis
A tongue-in-cheek collection of epitaphs by the author of the Caldecott Medal-winning Owl Moon and the former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate imagines how prehistoric creatures, including the terror bird, the woolly mammoth and the T-rex, met their demise. Grades 2-4. Genevieve, University Place
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Blue Bunny lives next door to Red Dog. Though Red Dog and Blue Bunny both see each other when they are out in their respective yards, they never interact with each other. However, one evening they both witness "A shooting star!" After returning home and thinking, they both return to their yard and the fence that separates them and decide to be friends. Together they dig a hole under the fence and start playing together. “...for the rest of their days and nights, Bunny and Dog are exceptional friends.” Soft watercolor illustrations show an emotive blue bunny contrasted with a brown dog in a red and white striped shirt. The illustrations vary from small illustrations next to the text to double-page spreads. The end pages are the red and white strips of the dog's shirt. A warm story about reaching out to people to form friendships. Grades K-3. Tamara, Gig Harbor
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The forgotten rabbit
by Nancy Furstinger
The story of a rabbit, brought home as a bunny, but then neglected outside before being adopted by a new person. The narrative is told from the rabbits perspective, “When my cage started to smell they put it in the backyard. I circled my cage while the children played. . . “. With a new owner, and a new name, Bella, she gradually recovers from the trauma of neglect, and with some training participates in rabbit course racing. The double-page color illustrations are full of energy and emotion, with softer details The cover picture is of sad, caged rabbit looking at the moon, and the end pages have bunnies flopped out and relaxing. The narrative leans more on the informational, than entertaining. The last page provides information on rabbits as pets, resources, and a short author’s note on the story of the real Bella. A timely reminder that pets are a long-term commitment. Grades 1-4. Tamara, GIg Harbor
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The peace tree from Hiroshima : a little bonsai with a big story
by Sandra Moore
“I was born nearly four hundred years ago on the island of Miyajima...” begins the story of a seedling, dug up by a visitor to that island, and taken to a new home to become a bonsai. He named the tree Miyajima, and for 300 years the tree remained in the family with fathers teaching sons how to care for it. “In 1945, something terrible happened. A war raged in Asia, and Hiroshima was hit by an atomic bomb. It exploded two miles from my house.” Miyajima and his family survived and witnessed the slow rebirth of the city. Eventually, Miyajima’s family donated the tree to the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. as a “Peace Tree.” Color sketches show the journey of Miyajima and all he saw in his 300 plus years, from partial-page illustrations to double-page spreads. The tone and shading of the colors reflect the current events of the time period referenced. The family is shown lovingly caring for the tree, and training their children to care for it next. The end pages are soft blue showing an island, with some buildings sketched along the shore. The Author’s Note tells more about the tree, and a glossary and Facts about Bonsai section round out the book. A thoughtful introduction to the art of bonsai, that briefly touches on the concept of peace. Grades 2-4. Tamara, Gig Harbor
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