Skip to main content

Joe and Sparky, Superstars!


Joe and Sparky, Superstars!
by Jamie Michalak
Candlewick Press, 2011. 37 pages. Easy Reader.

Reminiscent of the great Frog and Toad series, this book is laugh out loud fun! Joe, a giraffe, and Sparky, a turtle, are unlikely friends. They happen to watch a TV show called "What a Pair", and Joe takes it very seriously when the host invites them to "...join us next time as we look for more talented pairs!" Sparky just likes to sit on his warm rock all day, but Joe is determined to find him a talent so that they can be on the show. Sparky tries to learn the Hokey Pokey, how to tell a joke, and a few other things he just doesn't seem to be cut out for. He finally decides that he will never be Sparky the Star. Just as he gives up, Joe figures out Sparky's talent and declares him not just a star, but a superstar! The illustrations are lively and comical; Joe and Sparky's personalities really shine through. This is actually the second book in the Joe and Sparky series; both are great entertainment for either reading aloud or for independent readers.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...