Out of Season

March 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-Two lighthearted hi/lo tales. In the first book, Angus has a crush on Ella and tells her that he is a mentalist. When her sketchbook goes missing, she enlists him and his best friend to help solve the crime. High jinks ensue along the way as the trio tries to track down the notebook. Out of Season focuses on Maya, a 14-year-old kayaker who loves sea otters. She sneaks out of her house every morning before school to watch them. Soon, she discovers that poachers are killing the otters, putting her life and her family's livelihood in danger. Both tales are suspenseful and filled with red herrings.-Lindsay Klemas, JM Rapport School for Career Development, Bronx, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Grades 4-7 Twelve-year-old Astrid moves from Canada to Ghana with her parents and younger siblings while her father assists in the nation's 1979 election (which was ultimately derailed by two coups led by military leader Jerry Rawlings, only weeks apart). The events leading up to the election, which was meant to be a democratic first for Ghana, affect Astrid at school and at home, where her mother grows increasingly protective and frightened. Meanwhile, Astrid narrates the unusual circumstances of her life in Africa, her friendships with other Ghanaian children at school, and the growing unrest in her new country. Although some characters seem two-dimensional and Astrid's mother's fears seem over the top and inexplicable, Astrid, her younger brother, and her friend Thema are well-developed young characters, and the relationships that the Ghanaians have with each other and Astrid's family are compelling. Astrid's first-person narration is appropriately childlike, and her youthful perspective is a concise, honest glimpse into an event relatively unknown in the U.S. An author's note briefly explains the historical context, which is a helpful addition to Astrid's perspective.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
Though forbidden to do so, fourteen-year-old Maya sneaks out every day in her kayak to the nearby kelp beds to observe a family of sea otters. But Maya soon discovers that the otters--and her family--are in danger from poachers. It's a predictable read, but fast-paced seafaring action and tense plotting will satisfy the hi-lo set.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)