The Seeing Stick by Jane Yolen

The Seeing Stick was originally published in 1977; however, the book has been re-released with new breathtaking pictures. Hwei Ming is the emperor’s daughter. She has the perfect life except that she is blind. One day the emperor sends out a decree offering a fortune in jewels to anyone who can help his daughter see. Monks come from far and wide to help the girl, but just like any other princess story it is the underdog, a little old man, who is able to help her the most.

This is a beautiful and touching story. After reading it I was grateful for my sight and touched by the little old man who spent the rest of his life helping the princess. The story was great, the pictures are fabulous. Some of the pictures are in black and white and some are in color. There is also random embossing in the book which makes some pictures look even more exquisite and makes them almost jump off the page. This is a definite must read. Don’t expect it to be a Caldecott runner however; the illustrator, Daniela Terrazzini, lives in London.

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Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

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