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 Girl from Felony Bay

The Girl from Felony Bay
by J.E. Thompson

Abbey's happy life is torn apart when her father is accused of stealing jewels from a wealthy client.   With her father in a coma and unable to defend himself, Abbey loses her home, Reward Plantation, and is forced to live with her cruel Uncle Charlie and his wife Ruth.    Convinced her father is innocent, Abbey is determined to prove that he is not a thief.

At the start of her summer vacation, Abbey meets Bee, the daughter of the family who bought Reward Plantation.   As Abbey shows Bee around the plantation, they come across something at Felony Bay that makes them very suspicious.   Suspecting that the activity at Felony Bay is connected to her father's accident, Abbey, with the help of her new friend Bee, begins to investigate in hopes of proving her father's innocence. 

The Girl from Felony Bay is an exciting mystery full of suspense and adventure!    It also is a wonderful story about friendship and family.    I was very happy to learn that the author is writing to a sequel story because, although the ending was great, I felt that Abbey's story was not yet complete.  I'm looking forward the sequel, as will many others who read this excellent book!

Author's website: http://booksbyjohnthompson.com/the-girl-from-felony-bay/

Book trailer:


girl from felony bay from Authro on Vimeo.

Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked

Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked 
by Jarrett Krosoczka

It's Rick Zengo's first day on the Platypus Police Squad!   After a rough start with his new partner, Corey O'Malley, Rick and Corey must investigate the suspicious disappearance of a missing school teacher.   Rick immediately suspects the involvement of Frank Pandini, Jr., a well-respected and admired leader in their city of Kallamazoo.   Unfortunately, trying to prove Pandini's involvement is going to be a challenge, especially when Pandini owns almost everything in the entire city!    Will Rick and Corey be able to work together to solve the mystery of the missing school teacher?   

What a fun book!   The entertaining animal characters  bring humor to this action filled mystery.    Readers looking for a funny detective story will enjoy this book and look forward to future books in the series.    

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

Book trailer:
  

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:

The Sasquatch Escape

The Sasquatch Escape
by Suzanne Selfors

Ben is convinced that spending the summer with his grandfather is going to be boring, until his grandfather's cat shows up with a baby dragon!  When he and his new friend Pearl bring the unique creature to the new vet in town, they realize that it's not an ordinary veterinary hospital, but a vet for imaginary creatures!  If things aren't  weird enough, they accidentally let a sasquatch loose and are forced to catch the creature before he's seen by anyone else!

This funny tale, full of unusual animals, is the first book in what will surely be an entertaining series!  Fans of animal fiction will likely enjoy Ben's wild adventures!

Author's website: http://www.suzanneselfors.com/imaginary.html

Book trailer:

The Abominables

The Abominables 
by Eva Ibbotson 
illustrated by Fiona Robinson

When young Agatha Farlingham is kidnapped by a yeti during a family camping trip, she soon realizes that the creatures are not the mean, violent animals that many believed them to be.  Rather, she finds that her new yeti family is kind and caring and devotes her life to teaching her new friends manners and how to speak.   Years later, as a new hotel is built close to the home of the yetis, the aging Agatha worries about how her yetis will survive without her and enlists the help of two children, Ellen and Con,  to transport the yetis to her family home in England.   With the help of truck driver Perry, Ellen and Con help to bring the quirky family of yetis on a long journey to England.   The journey is not a quiet one, however, as the travelers find themselves involved in many wild adventures along the way!  Will they make it safely to the childhood home of their dear friend Agatha?  And, when they arrive, will they be accepted by her family?

This imaginative tale is full of adventure and humor.  Author Eva Ibbotson has written a heartwarming story that challenges the notion that yetis are violent creatures and instead has portrayed them as gentle, loving, and frequently quirky characters.   With its fun illustrations and exciting adventures, this story will be a hit with many readers!

Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic

Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic
by Mark Tatulli

Desmond Pucket has created many ingenious, gross pranks.   Unfortunately, the sixth-grader's creative tricks have gone too far and he finds himself left with just three chances to prove that he has changed.  If he doesn't, then it will be a new school and missing out on the class trip to Crab Shell Pier.   Will the prankster be able to change his ways?

What a funny book!  I found myself laughing many times as I read this story.   In addition to the humorous writing, author Mark Tatulli includes many hilarious illustrations that only add to the humor of this great book.   Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and similar books will want to read this book!

Book website: http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/landing/desmondpucket/


Book trailer:
 

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda
by Alicia Potter
illustrated by Melissa Sweet

In 1934 very few had ever seen,  or even knew of, the panda.   Few had dared to travel to the bamboo forests of China to see the mysterious animal, but Ruth Harkness knew her husband was one who would be able to make the journey.  Although she wanted to go with him to China to find a panda, at the time very few felt women should be explorers.    Waiting at home while her husband journeyed through China, she received the heartbreaking news that her husband had died in China before completing his quest.   Despite the doubts of many, Mrs. Harkness decided to travel to China and brave the bamboo forests so that she could complete her husband's quest to find a panda.

This is a well-written story about the history of the panda and how the first panda was brought back to the United States.   While sharing this story with students, be sure to include the author's note at the end, which explains how, in the 1930s, the views of animal conservation were very different than they are now.   The author also explains that, although what Mrs. Harkness did nearly eighty years ago would likely not be done today, her actions helped bring world-wide attention to the panda.   

Jangles

Jangles: A Big Fish Story
by David Shannon

No one has ever caught the legendary fish Jangles, but many have tried!   A young boy recounts the incredulous tales his father has told him about the amazing Jangles, a huge trout residing deep in Big Lake.   His father tells him of numerous attempts to catch the famous local fish, from the use of entire turkeys as bait to throwing dynamite into the water to lure the enormous trout out!    Despite the many attempts to catch Jangles,  no one had been successful.   That is, until one fateful day when the boy's father had an unusual, memorable encounter with the famous trout that changed his life.

   This entertaining story is a great book to use to help teach about tall tales.   I recently shared this book with some of my classes and we discussed the use of exaggeration when telling tall tales.   As always, David Shannon's illustrations are wonderful!

Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?

Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?
by Eve Bunting
illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

Poor Duck can't find his new blue socks!   He asks all his friends, but no one has seen them.     As Duck continues to unsuccessfully look for his blue socks, he grows sadder and sadder until one young friend helps him find is socks in a very obvious place!

This story is a cute rhyming tale with fun, bright illustrations of Duck and his helpful friends.    This will be a great read aloud for younger grades followed by discussions about our own experiences of losing items that are special to us.