Module 9: Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective

Summary:

Ace Lacewing is a detective in Motham City. He's on the case when the best honey maker in town, Queenie Bee, has been kidnapped.  Ace and Sergeant Zito, a mosquito, are hot on the trail of the kidnapper as they follow the clues that lead to what is really going on in Motham. 

Reference:

Biedrzycki, D. (20050. Ace Lacewing: Bug detective. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridege.

Impressions:

As a detective book goes, this is a great introduction to solving mysteries for young children. Those who pay close attention to discarded newspapers on the first few pages will have additional clues when trying to solve the case. The author really had fun adding in bug related jokes such as a flyswatter wielding S.W.A.T. team and crime scene tape with the words "Bug Off". All in all, this is a clever and fun detective book that is a good introduction to the mystery genre.

Professional Review:

When Queenie Bee, of Hive Rise Honey, goes missing, Motham City is abuzz. Tough P.I. Ace Lacewing (“Bad bugs are my business”) is on the case. Red herrings (mosquitoes, maggots, and walkingsticks in this case) abound, all with different stories, but the trench-coat-and--fedora-clad detective remains undaunted, sleuthing his way through the clues until a sticky surprise revelation. Biedrzycki (The Beetle AlphabetBook, 2003) makes his debut as an author here, and although his story is sometimes text heavy, it’s filled with snappy dialogue, wordplay, and puns that will especially appeal to kids with some knowledge of insects (words such as pupae are used). The slick, computer-assisted art has a cartoon flair; and its shadowy backgrounds have a noir flavor. Biedrzycki uses occasional pops of primary color and an array of perspectives and witty detail to add interest. Entertaining fare for those who appreciate creepy crawlies on the humorous side, this will attract both good readers and fans of seek-and-find books. — Shelle Rosenfeld

[Review of the book Ace Lacewing: Bug detective]. (September 2005). Booklist. Retrieved from: https://www.booklistonline.com/Ace-Lacewing-Bug-Detective-David-Biedrzycki/pid=1494764

Library Uses:

This book includes a plethora of interesting bug characters. After reading this book, students can look through the book and choose a bug to research. This would be a wonderful time to introduce TexQuest resources including Kids InfoBits. 

Module 8: Nightmares!

Summary:

Charlie Laird has been having nightmares each night that have been increasingly more realistic and frightening. One night, the witch in Charlie's nightmare threatens to come into the waking world and drag him into the realm of nightmare land. She does just that and it's up to Charlie and his friends to face their fears - no matter how terrifying - in order to find their way back home!

Reference:

Segel, J. & Miller, K. (2014). Nightmares! New York, NY: Random House.

Impressions:

This book had a little bit of everything: scares, laughs, mystery, and even tears! I absolutely loved the humor that this book provided and the touching moments near the end. I had the opportunity to enjoy this in audiobook format and was so pleased with my choice. The narration brought the characters to life and gave them their own personalities that really gave me the opportunity to connect with the main characters. I think this is a wonderful choice for readers who want a book with twists and turns and a splash of humor and heart. 

Professional Review:

Charlie Laird’s nightmares become a reality when he discovers a portal to the Netherworld.

Charlie’s widowed father has recently remarried, and Charlie hates it. He hates his stepmom. He hates that his young brother, Jack, is taken in by her. But most of all he hates the new house his family has moved into, as well as the never-ending stream of nightmares he experiences there every night. An evil witch haunts Charlie’s sleep, threatening to eat him and his brother up. When the witch appears in the real world and snatches Jack away, Charlie follows her into the Netherworld and, with the aid of a gorgon and a few slumbering friends, sets out to save not just his brother, but the Land of Nightmares itself. As a first book in a proposed trilogy, there’s a lot of promise here. The authors set up the supernatural rules of this world with ease, not getting bogged down with exceptions or contradictions. The book succeeds at scaring and amusing in equal measure, with the Nightmares as varied as they are humorous. At the heart of the endeavor is a story of personal growth, one that fits nicely with the spooky doings surrounding it. Best of all, this is a contained story. There’s no cliffhanger, no shoddy lingering threats. Upon completion, readers could set it down and never return to the Netherworld, but this world is so enjoyable and interesting, it’s hard to not anticipate future trips.

Sweet, charming and imaginative: a promising launch. 

[Review of the book Nightmares!]. (July 2014). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-segel/nightmares/

Library Uses: 

This book is available in audiobook format and is narrated by Jason Segel himself! The narration was excellent and I believe this would be a great opportunity to introduce students to our ebook and audiobook collection. 

Module 7: Hoot

Summary:
Roy, who has recently moved to a small Florida town, finds himself wrapped up in an attempt to save a colony of burring owls from certain demise at the construction site of Mother Paula's pancake house. Roy is intrigued by a mysterious boy who goes by the name "Mullet Fingers" and his attempts to sabotage the pancake company that is trying to destroy the colony of owls.

Reference:

Hiaasen, C. (2002). Hoot. New York, NY: Random House.

Impressions:
The characters make this book stand apart from the crowd. With a bully named Dana and feral boy who goes by the name Mullet Fingers, there are sure to be crowd pleasing moments! This book kept a good pace as the adventures unfold. The reader doesn't know if Roy is digging himself into deep trouble or if he's doing the right thing for much of the book. This makes for a thrilling read that includes adventure and mystery. Hiaasen has created a story that really gets you thinking, "What would I do in this situation?"

Professional Review:
"The straight-arrow son of a maybe-federal agent (he’s not quite sure) turns eco-terrorist in this first offering for kids from one of detective fiction’s funniest novelists. Fans of Hiaasen’s (Basket Case, 2001, etc.) novels for adults may wonder how well his profane and frequently kinky writing will adapt to a child’s audience; the answer is, remarkably well. Roy Eberhardt has recently arrived in Florida; accustomed to being the new kid after several family moves, he is more of an observer than a participant. When he observes a bare-footed boy running through the subdivisions of Coconut Grove, however, he finds himself compelled to follow and, later, to ally himself with the strange boy called Mullet Fingers. Meanwhile, the dimwitted but appealingly dogged Officer Delinko finds himself compelled to crack the case of the mysterious vandals at the construction site of a new Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House—it couldn’t have anything to do with those cute burrowing owls, could it? The plot doesn’t overwhelm with surprises; even the densest readers will soon suss out the connections between Mullet Fingers, the owls, and Mother Paula’s steadfast denial of the owls’ existence. The fun lies in Hiaasen’s trademark twisted characters, including Dana Matherson, the class bully who regularly beats up on Roy and whose unwitting help Roy wickedly enlists; Beatrice Leep, Mullet Fingers’s fiercely loyal sister and co-conspirator; Curly, Mother Paula’s hilariously inept foreman; and Roy’s equally straight-arrow parents, who encourage him to do the right thing without exactly telling him how. Roy is rather surprisingly engaging, given his utter and somewhat unnatural wholesomeness; it’s his kind of determined innocence that sees through the corruption and compromises of the adult world to understand what must be done to make things right. If the ending is somewhat predictable, it is also entirely satisfying—Hoot is, indeed, a hoot." (Fiction. 10-14)
[Review of the book Hoot]. (July 2002).  Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/carl-hiaasen/hoot-2/

Library Uses:
Give students time to think about a situation that they feel needs to be changed. If needed, provide students with the opportunity to research their topics. After gathering facts and any other helpful information, students can write a persuasive letter to try to make a change.

Module 6: The Day the Crayons Quit

Summary:
One day when a young boy named Duncan opens his box of crayons, he finds letters from each of them explaining why they are quitting.  Each crayon has a unique complaint detailing why they are on strike.

Reference:

Daywalt, D. (2013). The day the crayons quit. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.

Impressions:
This book is truly laugh out loud funny. When reading it with young children, they giggle throughout the story. Daywalt did an excellent job of creating memorable personalities for each crayon. It's these personalities that make this book an instant classic that will beg to be read and re-read. The letter format also makes this book an excellent tool for teaching letter format to young learners.

Professional Review:

"Duncan wants to draw, but instead of crayons, he finds a stack of letters listing the crayons’ demands in this humorous tale.

Red is overworked, laboring even on holidays. Gray is exhausted from coloring expansive spaces (elephants, rhinos and whales). Black wants to be considered a color-in color, and Peach? He’s naked without his wrapper! This anthropomorphized lot amicably requests workplace changes in hand-lettered writing, explaining their work stoppage to a surprised Duncan. Some are tired, others underutilized, while a few want official titles. With a little creativity and a lot of color, Duncan saves the day. Jeffers delivers energetic and playful illustrations, done in pencil, paint and crayon. The drawings are loose and lively, and with few lines, he makes his characters effectively emote. Clever spreads, such as Duncan’s “white cat in the snow” perfectly capture the crayons’ conundrum, and photographic representations of both the letters and coloring pages offer another layer of texture, lending to the tale’s overall believability.

A comical, fresh look at crayons and color." 

[Review of the book The Day the Crayons Quit]. (May 2013).  Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/drew-daywalt/day-crayons-quit/

Library Uses:
Invite students to imagine what their crayons would say if they wanted to quit. Give students an outline of a crayon so that they can choose which color they would like to highlight. Then give students a speech bubble to add to the crayon. Students will then need to decide what their crayons will be complaining about and add the complaint to the speech bubble. These crayons would create a nice display outside of the library.