Review: The Third Mushroom

The Third Mushroom by Jennifer L. Holm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Third Mushroom is an excellent sequel to The Fourteenth Goldfish, but it also works as a standalone book. I love Jennifer Holm's novels because they tackle important topics while still being funny and appropriate for young readers. As an elementary librarian, I often worry about putting books out in the library that have profane language in them because I work in a very conservative community.

This story is all about friendship in its many different forms: the current best friend, the old best friend, a pet, and a family member that becomes a friend. I completely agree with the main character Ellie; someone needs to create a "friendmance" category of books "because friendship is as important as love" (p. 212*). I love that Ellie learns that failure is normal and acceptable if you learn from it. In our "everyone gets a trophy" society, students seem to be destroyed by failure. When they fail, they want to find someone else to blame instead of seeing the chance to learn from their mistakes.

I will definitely be recommending this heartfelt story to all of my third through fifth-grade students. I can't wait to get it in our school library.

*Quoted from an ARC

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Review: The Bridge Home

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The cover of this book is stunning, but the words inside will captivate your heart. I'm struggling to find the best words to describe this book. Each time I type a few lines, I realize they don't do the story justice, so I just delete them. Instead of trying to summarize the story, let me just say why I love it. I love books that show the world as it truly is, even when the truth is ugly and hard to swallow. I want my own children and the students I teach to appreciate every gift they are given; sometimes those gifts are as simple as being born in the United States. The only way to appreciate the things we often take for granted is to see into the lives of others.

Children who are suffering in abusive homes or living in poverty will read this book and realize they aren't alone. They may even feel like they are doing well compared to the suffering the four homeless children in the book endure. My hope is that students will read this book and feel hopeful for their future. Despite all that Viji loses, she still finds a way to hope that she can create a better life for herself.

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Review: The Once and Future Geek

The Once and Future Geek by Mari Mancusi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book totally took me back to 10th grade English and my love for The Once and Future King. After reading it, I found myself searching Netflix and Prime video for movies and shows about King Arthur and Merlin. Mari Mancusi's fun tale of gamers being transported to the day that young Arthur is meant to pull the sword from the stone will delight MG readers. This book is perfect for fans of fantasy and those who dream of living out their video game triumphs. I look forward to reading the next installment in this series when it is published.

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Review: Mostly the Honest Truth

Mostly the Honest Truth by Jody J. Little
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jane isn't thrilled when Officer D, her foster mom for the next 12 days, brings her to Three Boulders. There isn't anywhere for her to longboard; no one has a TV, but the worst part is she can't see her Pop. Pop has gotten himself another twelve day stint in rehab. He's an alcoholic, and the last time Jane was with him, she suffered a severe burn to her hand. It's not really clear if Pop did something to cause Jane's injury; the adults around Jane seem to believe there was some foul play, but Jane is adamant that Pop loves her and would never hurt her.

As Jane's next twelve days unfold in the rural community of Three Boulders, Jane befriends Gertie (or G as Jane likes to call her). Gertie is straight-laced and knows everybody's business because she is the town recorder. She keeps detailed journals of their softball games, garden produce, and everyday life. G feels like something big is going on because people keep leaving the community. Jane helps her uncover the truth, while Gertie helps Jane survive the next twelve days without her father.

This book takes an honest look at what it is like to be the child of an alcoholic. Jane often has to fend for herself, but she knows that her dad is her "matching sock," and she doesn't want to be without him. Jane is willing to do just about anything to be with her father again, until she realizes that being with him might not be most healthy for her. This book will tug at your heart strings.

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