Lisa Wheeler is one of my very favorite picture book authors! I'm delighted to review her latest publication, Where, Oh Where, Is Santa Claus?, a Christmas book about Santa gone missing! Written in Wheeler's trademark rhythm and rhyme, we watch as several different types of polar animals search for Santa through a soft snow fall. Wheeler's fun rhyme scheme, use of onomatopoeia (sound words), and the repetitive phrase "Where, oh where, is Santa Claus?" make this a perfect read-aloud for children. The full 2-page spread illustrations are beautifully done in wax crayon and watercolor. I've always liked the way Ivan Bates does fur! Put this one on your wish list for Christmas books. You'll be glad you did!
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
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