THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS: WHIRLY SQUIRRELIES by Mike Nawarocki I am reading my way through The Dead Sea Squirrels series, and I know some of you are as well! They continue to be a great series with a fun way of teaching character traits that can sometimes be challenging for our kids. Dead Sea Squirrels is a series that I would recommend starting at the beginning. Whirly Squirrelies deals head on with the character trait of self control. This can be a tough one for our kids (and for us), because we often want what we want when we want it no matter the cost. This attitude can get us into some serious trouble as we find out with Merle and Pearl. I don't want to give away too much of the story, so I'll just say video games and drones are some of the pits are favorite characters get stuck in. Rest assured that this book will give you an avenue into some great discussion if you so desire!

CHARLOTTE'S WEB by E. B. White Illustrated by Garth Williams I can't go by E.B. White's birthday without getting this classic on our list. Charlotte's Web is the idyllic picture of childhood growing up on a farm. A slower paced life, overalls, dewy mornings, days spent in a barn surrounded by farm animals, a rope swing, friendship, and the county fair are all given their turn in the spotlight. Even if you don't physically live on a farm, it will feel as though you have left whatever setting you are in and joined Fern as she rambles around her beloved home. I said this recently, but I believe E.B. White has written one of the best opening statements for a children's book ever published. "Where's Papa going with that ax" piques our interest immediately and fully sets us on "the hook" when we learn that he is going out to the hoghouse to take care of the little runt pig that will never amount to much. Of course, we know that our heroine, Fern, confronts her father and rescues the little pig she later names, Wilbur. This launches us into a delightful adventure that causes us to question where childhood imagination and reality come together. Charlotte's Web is ultimately a story of friendship. A friendship that runs so deeply everything is sacrificed for it. When we close the cover of the book for the last time we realize it demonstrates a friendship each of us would be so lucky to possess.

JAN KARON'S MITFORD COOKBOOK AND KITCHEN READER edited by Martha McIntosh Mitford Fans - Did you know there's a cookbook that shares all the delicious food from the series including Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake?

THE BUTTERFLY by Patricia Polacco Patricia Polacco is known for her very moving picture books that often portray true events from her family's history. The Butterfly is no exception. Set in France during World War II, The Butterfly is the true story of a single mother, Marcelle, who takes it upon herself to hide Jews in her home despite the danger it puts both her daughter, Monique, and herself in. Monique is unaware of the additional occupants in their home as the Jews are safely hidden away. That is until one night, she wakes up to see a Jewish girl, Sevrine, sitting on the edge of her bed petting her cat. A fast friendship is formed and Monique spends her days collecting things of interest to share with Sevrine during their playtime in the night. One of the items is a beautiful butterfly. As the girls release the butterfly into the night air, they are spotted by the neighbor next door. Everyone is now in terrible danger and a plan of escape is put into effect immediately. This is a beautiful story that highlights friendship and the lengths people were willing to go to assist the Jewish people during WWII.

A SITTING IN ST. JAMES by Rita Williams-Garcia This is one I quit. YAfter I read the first chapters and realized where we were headed, I did a short flip through for confirmation. Yep. This book contains about every type of graphic sexual relationship you can imagine. This is a YA read, and it is disturbing. Heterosexual sex, homosexual sex, rape, oral sex, and after reading Amazon comments incest. No warnings on the book about the content. A Sitting in St. James takes place in 1860 on a Louisiana plantation and focuses on the Guilbert family, the owners of the plantation. This book is essentially an exposure of their disgusting lifestyle. Now don't get me wrong, it is proven that slaves were sexually abused. It was more common than we would like to think, and it was completely wrong. This author takes us right into the heart of the matter. I get that. although personally, I could go without the visual descriptions. But that's not where it stops. We deal with sex of a minor at a whorehouse, orphan sexual abuse including oral sex, homosexual relationships, and I didn't physically read the incest parts, but supposedly incest. Maybe I am super naive and don't know my history, and if that is correct please feel free to point me in the direction of historical documentation that this is how the traditional southern family lived. I am always up for learning. I flipped to the back where the author shares her thoughts. This should be telling enough about this book. In the second paragraph Williams-Garcia shares a story about a daydream she had while doing a residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She says," I daydreamed about a white West Point Cadet grooming his horse. I realized his sensual brush strokes were about his longing for his love, a fellow cadet." I'll just leave it at that.

EXILE by Loren G. Warnemuende It is always such a win when I can bring you a squeaky clean YA read, and I've got one for you today! EXILE is the retelling of Grimm Brothers Fairytale "Maid Maleen." The Kingdom of Arden is about to be attacked by their bitter enemy, the Aharrans. For her protection, the king gives Princess Maleen a choice. Either marry Prince Jared (whom she doesn't love) and move to a neighboring kingdom for safety or be locked in an impenetrable tower until the end of the war. When she chooses to lock herself away the kingdom is shocked. As her country wars outside the walls of her tower, the princess has her own internal battles to fight. The question is will she ever have the chance to use what she has learned or has everything and everyone that she has ever loved perished in the war? This story took me a few chapters to really get into, but once I did, it was hard for me to put down. I will definitely be continuing on with the trilogy and meanwhile I will be pulling the Grimm Brothers Fairytale Book off the shelf and reading the original tale!

THE NIGHT WAR by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley If you are familiar with The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won, then I don't need to give you much of an introduction to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. You already know how talented she is! If you are not familiar with her work, you'll want to check her out! Baker is back with another WWII novel, but it has a little different twist to it and is a fantastic read. Set in France in 1940 when France was split into two halves, Occupied France and Vichy France, The Night War follows a young, Jewish girl named Miriam, "Miri" for short. When her neighbors and family are rounded up and imprisoned in Velodrome d'Hiver, Miri escapes. With the help of a nun, she is smuggled to the small town of Chenonceaux where she lives under a new identity in a covenant. Located in the town is the castle Chateau de Chenonceau. On the grounds of Chenonceau is a bridge that crosses a small river that separates Occupied from Vichy France. It is the only gate to freedom for the Jewish people for several miles. Because of this, German soldiers reside in the castle and patrol the grounds often. Despite the patrolling, a small group of people risk their lives to help the Jews escape. When one of the members is injured, Miri steps in to help on the dangerous missions. This is a great historical fiction read where several of the locations and events are true places and happenings. HEADS UP- There are 2 minor heads ups in this book. First, there is a ghost that appears. She is a true individual from history and Baker juxtaposes some of what she did in the past to what is happening in the war. It is very interesting. The ghost is not scary in the least, and I did not find her to be a cheesy addition. Second, the book deals with King Henry II's wife and the fact that he had a mistress. It does not go into detail about the relationship, just about the jealousy and difficulty it created.

JUMPER: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BACKYARD JUMPING SPIDER by Jessica Lanan Jumper is one of my TOP PICKS for 2024. Just to tell you how much this book caught my family's eye, one of my daughters stopped in the bookstore for me last week. A few days later I stopped in and made some purchases. When I got home my daughter asked if I had happened to buy a copy of Jumper, and I was happy to tell her I had! Now as I am writing this post my youngest daughter is asking me to pass it to her to read. This beautiful book follows the life of a jumping spider that lives in a garden. Even though Jumper is very tiny, she is able to accomplish some amazing feats that are fun to read about! If you have children that love creatures from the crawling world, this book will be right up their alley! There's even a fun long page spread to open and enjoy! I can't end this post without talking about the gorgeous artwork in this book. Jessica Lanan is not only the author, but also the illustrator. Her watercolor and ink pictures are delightful! Filled with lots of shades of yellows, browns, and greens since this story is set in a garden, the pages give off an inviting vibe shrouded in coolness.

THE ADVENTURES OF SOPHIE MOUSE; LIGHTNING BUG LIGHT SHOW by Poppy Green. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell Sophie is back with a new story just in time for summer! The Lightning Bug Show is coming to town and Sophie is finally old enough to stay up for it! This newest edition to the series is complete with lightning bugs, a show that is reminiscent of fireworks, and a new character that is homeschooled! This fun story focuses on being old enough for new privileges and also how to handle situations when your gifts are a little different than everyone else's around you! (SPOILER ALERT - Rory, a lightning bug that Sophie befriends, has a light that is brighter than the other lightning bugs. This has kept him from appearing in the show, but it comes in handy for other needs!) This series continues to be a super sweet option for Early Elementary readers!

I'M AFRAID YOU'VE GOT DRAGONS by Peter S. Beagle I wrote in a post a few days ago that I bought 2 books based on their covers. This was the second one. I'll share a picture of the end pages in the comments. I could not pass this one up! I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is a mix between a Fairy Tale (complete with a princess, princes, dragons, wizard, and castles) and How to Train Your Dragon. Robert is a dragon exterminator. He didn't pick the trade. He inherited it when his father passed away. The only problem? He hates killing dragons. In fact, he would rather keep them as pets. When the castle is overcome with them, and the princess wants them out to impress her newest possible suitor, Robert is called upon to do the job. In fact, he is so good at his job when the prince decides it's time to slay a dragon and become the man his father wants him to be, Robert is called on to lead the hunt. What unfolds is an epic journey that brings old wrongs into the light, explores the age old question about the class system, and determines what makes a true hero. HEADS UP- There is magic in this book. The book begins with 3 "Wise Women" who can tell that something bad is coming. They stand outside and chant, pray, and recite incantations. None of their words are given. Also, their words don't work. They're powerless. The book also has a wizard in it. There are approx. 8-10 profanities. Mainly d*** and 1 s***.

PARACHUTE KIDS by Betty C. Tang "Parachute Kid" was not a term I was familiar with, so I looked it up. A Parachute Kid is an underage child (or children) who is from Asia whose parents drop them off in a different country to live with friends or family while the parents go back to their home country to live. In the case of this graphic novel, the parents are from Taiwan and they bring their children to California to live. What comes about is a complete crash course into a new culture, language, etc for Feng-li and her siblings without the steadying hand of their parents. The book is honestly very heartbreaking as each child tries to find their place. They are taken advantage of, make poor decisions, and turn on each other at different times. When you reach the end of the book the Author's Note explains that she and her siblings were parachute children. This is not her story, but part fiction and part stories of fellow parachute children rolled together. For a long time she was angry at her parents, but later came to understand, and even appreciate, the hard decisions they made. HEADS UP- Feng-li's brother is attracted to boys and attempts to kiss one which causes a huge accident to happen. You get a bit of his back story in Taiwan where he attempted to kiss a boy there and the teacher called his mother. The mother encourages her son to keep it to himself so he won't have a difficult life.

MONSTER HANDS by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillian. Illustrated by Dion MBD. Why is it as kids we all believed there were monsters under our beds? Well, Milo, in Monster Hands, is no different. Not sure what to do, he turns to his friend Mel for help in getting the monster out. Sounds like the same old same old monster under the bed story right? Wrong! The book doesn't tell us which one or if both children are deaf, but they communicate with sign language to try and defeat the monster. They even use their hand signs to battle against him.The book is full of text telling the story with the illustrations showing the ASL signs Milo and Mel use. This is a fun read and may just give your kids another weapon in their arsenal of defeating the monsters under their beds.