Display: Oddities

The Search for Vile Things
By Jane Hammerslough
New York: Scholastic Inc., 2008. Informational. 80 pages.

Ephemra Churlyshe, her nephew Maldred, wee niece Nettle, creepily quiet cousin Rune, & accident-prone Tode take you on quest to the East Indies in this "encyclopedia" filled with exotic and fascinating "curiosities," including animals, plants, insects, strange customs, odd history, geology, climate, diseases, and ancient artifacts. --Editor

Haunted Objects Around the World
By Megan Cooley Peterson
North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2017. Informational. 32 pages.

Sometimes ghosts stay behind to haunt the places they once lived. Other times, they take up residence in an object. Prepare to be scared as you read about demon-possessed dolls, cursed boxes, and enchanted works of art. --Editor

Coolest Collections
By Kaitlyn Duling
United States: Rourke Educational Media, 2022. Informational. 48 pages.

Collections connect us - to the past, within the present, and even into the future. Open this book for an all-access pass to the world's most fascinating collections, from priceless art and historical artifacts to creepy collectibles and downright silly stuff. You'll travel around the globe to discover true stories of famous museums, local oddities, and everything in between. --Editor

Lost Tombs and Treasure
By Linda Barghoorn
New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2022. Informational. 32 pages.

People have long searched for the resting places of great leaders and tried to make sense of puzzling unidentified burial sites. From deadly tombs to treasure deep at sea, follow along and gather evidence to answer questions about lost tombs and treasure around the world. -- Publisher

Bone Collection: Animals
By Rob Colson
New York: Scholastic Inc., 2013. Informational. 96 pages.

Prepare to be amazed by this collection of incredible bones from some of the world's most fascinating beings. Each skeleton will show you what lies beneath the skin and teach you how these creatures live and survive. --Publisher

Comments

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

Review: Super Boba Cafe

Super Boba Café By Nidhi Chanani New York: Amulet Books, 2023. Comics. 215 pages. 14-year-old Aria is excited to spend her summer in San Francisco getting quality time with her Nainai. She loves helping at her grandmother's Super Boba Café. But she can't help but notice that her grandmother is acting strange and secretive. She refuses to let Aria into the kitchen at all and she disappears at the same time each night without telling Aria where she goes. Meanwhile, Aria is eager to drum up more business for Super Boba Café. She gets a major windfall when the shop cat, Bao, surprises them by having kittens, and Aria realizes this is a major social media opportunity. She knows this will help Nainai's shop, but she is apprehensive to get back on social media after a terrible cyberbullying experience she had back home. As the shop starts to get busier, Nainai is more and more anxious about her secret project. This prompts Aria to investigate with help from her Nainai's neighb...

Review: The Mixed-Up Owl

The Mixed-Up Owl Written by Marzena Sowa Illustrated by Joanna Lorno New York : Hippo Park, 2025. Picture Book. When Owl can't sleep at night, he heads off to see if any forest animals can help him understand why, and even more so, how to fix it! Unfortunately, all the animals Owl runs into at night are asleep and all the animals he meets during the day are too rude or too busy to answer him. Will Owl give up or will a chance meeting with a grumpy hedgehog provide all the solutions Owl was looking for? The premise of an owl trying to stay awake during the day because all the other animals around him do is very fun. Kids who know that owls are nocturnal will get a kick out of Owl's confusion and be quick to try to tell him what's going on. Readers who don't know many facts about owls (or nocturnal animals in general) will get a brief introduction to the different ways animals sleep. The illustrations are charming, especially cute Owl and his expressive body langua...

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