We Don't Eat Our Classmates!

We Don't Eat Our Classmates!
by Ryan T. Higgins

Penelope Rex is so excited about her first day of school!  Unfortunately, she has a bit of a problem: she keeps eating her classmates!  Although she spits them out, her behavior prevents her from making any friends at school.   Penelope doesn't understand why her classmates don't trust her, but an encounter with the class pet goldfish may help put things into perspective!

What a funny book!  Maine author and illustrator Ryan T. Higgins has created a hilarious story about a dinosaur that learns an important lesson on how (and how not) to make friends! 

Red & Lulu

Red & Lulu
by Matt Tavares

Two cardinals, Red and Lulu, live in a beautiful tree.  Then, one day, the tree is cut down and taken away, with Lulu still in it.  Will Red ever be able to find Lulu and his tree?

What a beautiful book!  Matt Tavares' outstanding illustrations are engaging and bring this wonderful story to life.  The new location of Red and Lulu's tree, as seen on the book's cover, may be recognized by many readers.  This is a great story to read aloud during the holidays.


Author's website: http://matttavares.com/

Book trailer:

Piper Green and the Fairy Tree

Piper Green and the Fairy Tree
by Ellen Potter
illustrated by Qin Leng

Piper Green's first day of 2nd grade is off to a rough start!   She has to ride the lobster boat without her big brother and, after refusing to remove her beloved earmuffs, she gets into trouble with her new teacher, Ms. Arabella.   Despite promising her parents that she will not wear the earmuffs in school the next day, Piper is not willing to easily part with her favorite earmuffs and decides she would rather not go to school than give them up.  

Set on a small Maine island, this series follows the island life of Piper Green, her family, and friends.    With short chapters, large font, and an easy to follow storyline, this book will be a nice choice for readers in 1st or 2nd grade ready to start reading chapter books.  

Author's website: http://www.ellenpotter.com/

A Handful of Stars

A Handful of Stars 
by Cynthia Lord

When Lily's beloved blind dog, Lucky, escapes from her one day, she has no idea that a peanut butter sandwich and bag of chips is about to change her entire summer!   Due to the quick thinking (and lunch) of Salma, the daughter of blueberry harvesters who are spending their summer working in the quiet, small Maine town that Lily lives in, Lucky is caught.   Soon after, Salma and Lily meet up again and develop a friendship, bonding as they work together to help Lily save up money for a surgery that could restore Lucky's eyesight.

When Salma decides to enter the Blueberry Queen pageant, Lily worries about how the people of their small town, including her close friend and  the current Blueberry Queen Hannah, will react to having a migrant worker enter.   Will the small town be accepting of Salma entering the pageant and will the two friends be successful in raising the money they need to help Lily's dog?

Written by a Maine author and set in Maine, A Handful of Stars is a wonderful story about friendship, family, hope, and acceptance.   Readers who enjoyed other Cynthia Lord books, such as Touch Blue or Half a Chance,  will want to read this one!  

Author's website: http://www.cynthialord.com/handful-of-stars.html

Half a Chance

Half a Chance
by Cynthia Lord

Like her photographer father, Lucy enjoys viewing her world through a camera.   Shortly after the family moves to their new home on a New Hampshire lake, her father once again must leave for a photo shoot, but before he lives mentions that he will be judging a photography contest for children.   Lucy realizes that this contest may be her one chance to show her father that she can be a great photographer too, and decides to enter it anonymously.

Lucy gains the help of her new friend and neighbor, Nate, as she searches for the perfect scenes for her contest photos.    As the two new friends work together, they also must deal with the declining health of Nate's beloved grandmother as well as the jealousy of one of Nate's other friends.     Lucy faces a difficult choice when she takes what she feels is a perfect picture, but risks losing her friendship with Nate if she chooses to use it for the contest.   

Half a Chance is a wonderful realistic fiction story of friendship and family.    The book is full of touching moments and deals with many issues that readers will be able to relate to.     

Author's website: http://www.cynthialord.com

Mystery on Pine Lake

Mystery on Pine Lake
by Tamra Wight

Don't you think it would be great if your parents owned a campground?  Cooper thought it would be awesome when his parents bought a campground.   He was wrong.  Instead, his days are full of chores like cleaning bathrooms, emptying trash, and watching his little sister while his parents are always too busy to spend much time with them.   Even his old best friend from Portland no longer wants to spend time with him when he comes to the campground with his family.  

An aspiring Game Warden, Cooper enjoys spending the little free time he has keeping track of the wildlife around the campground.    When he learns that a loon nest is being threatened, he and his new friend Packrat work to help protect the birds.   Unfortunately, not everyone wants them to help the loons and soon Cooper and Packrat find that their efforts are being sabotaged.    Will they find the culprit before it's too late to help the loons?

Set in Maine, the Mystery on Pine Lake is a fun story that will be a good choice for readers who enjoy stories that involve camping and other outdoor activities.   With the focus of the story being about the loon, this is also a great book to use to talk and learn about Maine wildlife.     This book is also the first in a new series, so readers who enjoy this story will be able to read more about the adventures of Cooper and Packrat!

Author's website: http://www.tamrawight.com/

The Water Castle

The Water Castle
by Megan Frazer Blakemore

After his father's stroke, Ephraim and his family move to their ancestral home in Maine, the Water Castle.  As Ephraim settles into life in his unique, mysterious new home and adjusts to a new school, he learns about the Fountain, a source of magical water.  Ephraim is convinced that the water will cure his father, and sets off to find the the Fountain and, with the help of two new acquaintances, uncovers secrets about the history of the Water Castle.

The Water Castle is a touching story of family, friendship, and hope.    I enjoyed how the story alternated between Ephraim's present-day experiences and the perspective of Nora, a young girl hired to work in the Water Castle a century earlier.  

Author's website: http://www.meganfrazer.com/books/the-water-castle/

Book Trailer:

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit
by Chris Van Dusen

Randy Riley loves baseball and science.   He's a terrible baseball player who can never hit the ball, the is a genius when it comes to science.  When he spies a fireball heading straight towards his town, he cleverly devises a plan that combines his love of robots and baseball to save everyone!    Will his plan work?

As with most of Van Dusen's books, the fun, rhyming text is paired with bright, engaging illustrations.   Don't be surprised to catch familiar objects from other books in his illustrations - I recently read this aloud to a first grade class and one student spied a model version of the car from If I Built a Car on Randy's shelf.    

Author's Website:  http://www.chrisvandusen.com/

 

If I Built a House

If I Built a House
by Chris Van Dusen

Jack decides his house is too boring, so he imagines his own ideal house.  He plans a futuristic looking home that includes a kitchen that does its own cooking and cleaning, a race track room, a sky high bedroom, and trampolines built into the living room floor!  

This book is a wonderful companion to Chris Van Dusen's If I Built a Car.   Full of bright, creative illustrations, this book will leave many readers wanting a house just like the one in Jack's plans!

Author's website: http://www.chrisvandusen.com/

Small as an Elephant

Small as an Elephant
by Jennifer Jacobson

Jack's camping trip in Maine with his mother takes a scary turn when he wakes up to find that his mother, their car, and almost everything they brought have all disappeared overnight.  He tries to remain hopeful for her return but he soon decides that he must find his way back to her.   Small as an Elephant follows Jack as he struggles to make the long journey from a campground in Acadia National Park to his home in Boston.   As he travels through Maine with little money or resources, he must find ways to eat and places to sleep.   Will he make it to Boston and be reunited with his mother?  Read this exciting book to find out!

I really loved this book!    What I especially liked about it was reading about the different places that Jack traveled through on his journey across Maine.   Many readers will probably recognize the names of the some of places that Jack sees during his trip!

Author's Website: http://jenniferjacobson.com/

Touch Blue

Touch Blue
by Cynthia Lord

A small school on an island in Maine is in danger of being closed unless they get more students. To solve this problem, several families have taken in foster children to help raise the number of students. Eleven-year-old Tess is excited about Aaron, who has come to stay with her family, but soon after his arrival problems start and Tess begins to worry that their plan to save their school may not work out after all. Can they save their island school?

This is a good book for readers who like realistic fiction. It is also set in Maine, so readers looking for a story with a Maine setting will enjoy this book.

Author's website: http://cynthialord.com