I have always been drawn to Chris Wormell's illustration style using wood engravings. My family first discovered him in An Alphabet of Animals. His newest work, The Animals Came Two by Two, is just as engaging and enjoyable. Wormell tells the timeless story of Noah and the ark simply, putting the bulk of the story at the beginning and the end of the book. The middle part is filled with beautiful illustrations of all the different kinds of animals brought into the ark, arranged in pairs of opposites; From the tall (giraffes) to the short (weasels). Wormell includes a brief biosketch of each animal at the end, and includes the names of the male, female, and what a group of that particular animal is called. (Did you know that a group of falcons is called a "cast"?)The story itself is familiar enough that the religious undertones should not deter anyone from purchasing this book for a school library. And if you really don't want to hear the story again, get it for the art work. It's fabulous!
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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