Looking for a really good children's picture book? One that children themselves will actually enjoy? Check out Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root. It's rhythmic text and use of onomatopoeia (sound words) make this book a pleasure to read aloud as well as listen to. A group of children want to see a real moose, "a long-leggy moose- a branchy-antler, dinner-diving, bulgy-nose moose". They search through woods, swamp, bushes, and hillside. They get a little discouraged, but don't give up. Their efforts are rewarded in the end. Look sharp during their search, though. Some moose just don't want to be found until they're ready! Illustrator Randy Cecil has craftily hidden some moose (mooses?) throughout the book. A fun story, terrific oil illustrations!
Blood in the Water By Tiffany D. Jackson New York: Scholastic, 2025. Fiction. 255 pages. 12-year-old Kaylani McKinnon can't help but feel like a fish out of water. She's a Brooklyn girl spending her summer on Martha's Vineyard surrounded by wealthy family friends in their mansion. All she really wants is to stay home all summer where she her incarcerated father can easily reach her, and she can keep working to find ways to prove him innocent of fraud and embezzlement. Despite her protests, she finds herself on the island with the snooty granddaughters of her host. Soon after Kaylani's arrival, a popular teen boy is found murdered and she decides to conduct her own investigation. As she tries to discover what happened to Chadwick Cooper, Kaylani finds that not everything on Martha's Vineyard is as perfect as it appears. Thrillers for middle grade readers can be hard to find, but Tiffany D. Jackson succeeds in her first middle grade novel. A quick moving plot, tight d...
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