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For Reluctant Readers | Page 7 | LitPick Book Reviews
For Reluctant Readers
A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
Mary GrandPre, Joanne Ryder, Laurence Yep
Fans of How to Train Your Dragon will love this whimsical tale, the first in a series, by a Newbery Honor winner, featuring charming illustrations and pet "training tips" in each chapter. Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet—a ridiculous notion! Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encounters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Winnie’s sketchbook is not what it seems. Somehow, her sketchlings have been set loose on the city streets! It will take Winnie and Miss Drake’s combined efforts to put an end to the mayhem . . . before it’s too late. This refreshing debut collaboration by Laurence Yep, a two-time Newbery Honor winner and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner, and Joanne Ryder features illustrations by Mary GrandPré.     Praise for A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans*“Warm humor, magical mishaps, and the main characters’ budding mutual respect and affection combine to give this opener for a planned series a special shine.” –Booklist, Starred “Aternately comical, suspenseful and sometimes sweetly emotional.” –Kirkus Reviews “With a black-and-white spot illustration opening most chapters, an engaging narrator, and a consistently fluid writing style, this title makes a fine dragon choice for readers.” –School Library Journal “In this series launch, Yep and Ryder conjure up a world where dragons and humans interact, and the results are heartwarming and quite funny.” –Publishers Weekly “A clever and amusing novel that imagines a magical world that nestles right up against our own and sometimes crosses over.” –The Bulleting of the Center for Children’s Books Praise for A Dragon’s Guide to Making Your Human Smarter"Yep and Ryder keep the magic coming with their whimsical fantasy, enhanced by Grandpré's sweet drawings. The story positively vibrates with fun." —Kirkus Reviews" Lighthearted episodes of unusual school lessons and field trips, illustrated by GrandPré’s winsome spot art, are grounded by Miss Drake’s more serious encounters with the goons...a gratifying development as this buoyant, fantastical series continues."—The Horn Book Review

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Amelia's Middle-School Graduation Yearbook
Amelia's Middle-School Graduation Yearbook
Amelia is excited to graduate from middle school, but she's nervous about starting high school, especially when she finds out she won't have her best friend, Carly, with her. In her graduation yearbook, drawings and "photos" nostalgically recap her earlier years and notebooks as Amelia figures out how to face the changes ahead.

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Forever Ruby
Forever Ruby
Top Choice
Newly qualified lawyer Ruby Edwards is pretty much where she wants to be in life: a new job in a prestigious law firm, good friends, and above all a promising future with Oliver, the love of her life. Why, then, does she feel drawn to the mysterious and magnetically handsome Cole Frost? Why does she feel like she's seen him before? South Coast is a small place but why does he keep appearing in her life? She knows Oliver is the one for her; she has no doubts about that. She would never cheat because that would make her more like the mother who abandoned her than she would ever want to be. But she can't seem to stay away from Cole Frost's piercing silver eyes, which might have seen much more than is usual in a lifetime...

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ECHO's Revenge: The Other Side, Part 1 (ECHO's Revenge Book 2)
ECHO's Revenge: The Other Side: Part 1
Book 2, Part 1 in the ECHO's Revenge seriesLuca Esposito, creator of the bestselling online video game, ECHO’S Revenge, can’t wait to release the next and most ambitious version of his game monster—a real, artificially intelligent, 35-foot-tall extreme predator designed to engage gamers in a new gaming arena. But unknown to Luca and his AI developer, Prentice Petty, ECHO-7 has changed the rules of the game even before its release. As the monster completes its final testing cycle, something goes horribly wrong. The super-intelligent predator, clad in impenetrable armor and possessing the power to shape-shift, has a plan of its own. Can Luca and Prentice solve the ultimate nightmare of a self-motivated, artificially intelligent game boss on a rampage?Echo’s Revenge: The Other Side delivers non-stop, adrenaline-pumping action and a question for the future: What happens when you lose control of an artificially intelligent game predator—in the real world? "For all you gamers out there—not to mention all readers who enjoy horror, sci-fi, or just want an amazing story that will keep you on the edge of your seat—this is THE series to choose." -- Amy Lignor, Author of The Angel Chronicles

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Adventures with Waffles
Adventures with Waffles
Guy Puzey, Kate Forrester, Maria Parr
"Adventures with Waffles follows friends Trille and Lena as they share wonderful adventures and help each other through difficult times. A Norwegian story of family, friendship, and waffles that works well for kids starting to read early middle grade novels." - Seira Wilson, Amazon EditorLena is Trille’s best friend, even if she is a girl. And there is never an ordinary day when you’ve got a best friend like Lena.Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it’s coaxing a cow onto a boat or sledding down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill—and sometimes an injury—to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny’s waffles. But when Lena has to move away and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems like nothing will ever be right again. The warmth of friendship and the support of family suffuse this lightly illustrated novel, proving that when times are tough, a little taste of sweetness can make all the difference.

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Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
Eliza Wheeler, Tricia Springstubb
Middle-grade readers drawn to Judy Moody or Clementine will find a funny and charismatic companion in Cody, star of this delightful new series.For whimsical Cody, many things are beautiful, especially ants who say hello by rubbing feelers. But nothing is as beautiful as the first day of summer vacation, and Cody doesn’t want to waste one minute of it. Meanwhile, teenage brother Wyatt is moping over a girl, Mom is stressed about her new job as Head of Shoes, Dad is off hauling chairs in his long-distance truck, and even camp has been closed for the summer. What to do? Just when all seems lost, Cody bumps into a neighborhood boy named Spencer who is looking for a runaway cat. With a new friend and a soon-to-be-found cat, Cody is on her way to the fountain of happiness.

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The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
L Pichon, L Pichon
Top Choice
The top-selling U.K. series for middle-grade readers now crosses the pond!Meet Tom Gates. When his teachers don’t have their beady eyes on him, he likes to draw pictures and write about stuff, like last summer’s worst camping vacation ever (five merits!), or how much he hates sitting next to nosy Marcus Meldrew, the most annoying boy at school. All Tom really wants is to score tickets to see the best band ever, Dude3, when they come to town, and to impress Amy Porter, who is very nice and smart (but is currently ignoring him). Tom’s teachers think he is easily distracted and “lacks focus,” but that’s a bit harsh — can he help it if his grumpy big sister, Delia, made him late for school (again), or that last night’s homework had to be sacrificed to stave off a vicious dog attack? Master of excuses, creative storyteller, and middle-school comedian extraordinaire, Tom Gates is guaranteed to get kids turning the pages — and keep them laughing.

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Kate the Great, Except When She's Not
Kate the Great
Fans of Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries will love this illustrated series by the New York Times bestselling author of All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat. Meet Kate Geller, a sassy flute-playing artist, who comes up with an original way to redefine friendship. Kate’s older sister is way too perfect. Her younger sister is way too cute. And her mom wants her to be pals with her frenemy, Nora. Her art teacher, Mrs. Petty, is way too uncreative, and how can Kate pay attention at Junior Guides when her pod leader has a sweat stain the size of the town beach? Now she has to get through her Christopher Columbus role during Discovery Day and her “Colonial Buddies” report, but little does she know how much “help” she’ll be getting from Eleanor Roosevelt and Albert Einstein. This humorous debut novel features more than 350 illustrations.Praise for Kate the Great:"She's funny. Quirky. Original. Kate's the greatest."  -Lincoln Peirce, author of Big Nate"May Kate continue to be this great." –The Horn Book“Becker’s first illustrated novel falls neatly in line with many others of its ilk, series such as Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid…” –Booklist“Becker does an excellent job of channeling the behind-adults’-backs humor and friendship frustrations of the middle-school crowd…” –Publishers Weekly“Debut novelist Becker employs doodles, cartoons, and comic strips reminiscent of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Lincoln Peirce’s Big Nate.” –School Library Journal

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Cheesie Mack Is Sort of Freaked Out
Cheesie Mack Is Sort Of Freaked Out
Attention, diary fiction readers! Have you met Cheesie Mack? You’ll love Cheesie’s wacky lists, drawings, and made-up words as he tells the hilarious story of a Halloween prank that sort of freaked him out.  Cheesie and his best friend, Georgie, are too old for trick-or-treating. Besides, all that spooky nonsense is just for kids! To prove it, they pull a “far out” prank that has the whole school abuzz about aliens. When Cheesie and Georgie reveal that they were the masterminds behind the trick, Cheesie’s evil sister, Goon, plots revenge. She recruits one of Cheesie’s friends to pull off a prank that will have Cheesie wondering if the truth really is out there. . . .

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Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot (The Monster Hunters)
Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot
Adventure, mystery, and monsters converge in this fast-paced middle grade series perfect for fans of Goosebumps, Cirque du Freak, the Cooper Kids, and the Hardy Boys. "I'm one of those people who believe in Bigfoot and this Bigfoot book was AWESOME!" -- Amazon ReviewIs the legendary Bigfoot real?Twelve-year-old Alec Kerley finds out, in an adventure he'll never forget!Alec's mom died six months ago, and his world is upside down. Now, it's just Alec and his dad, alone, together but apart.Making matters worse, Alec has discovered that his dad works for a secret government agency that investigates monsters -- real, living, breathing monsters!When Alec joined his dad and the Gonzalezes, longtime family friends of the Kerleys, on what he thought was a short getaway to the Branson, Missouri area, he and his best friend Ken Gonzalez -- along with Ken's sister Sarah and her pretty friend Emily -- expected to stay in cabins with a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. What they got instead was a close encounter with a wiggly kid named Ethan Elvis Edgar, who breaks wind whenever he gets scared, and a terrifying attack by a group of the fabled Bigfoots, who are not happy the vacationers are there.And what Alec learns through his experience is that faith and hope and healing can be found in the most unexpected places -- even in the midst of the Terror of Bigfoot.****Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot is a middle grade inspirational monster novel filled with adventure. It is a legitimately scary story and a great read for all ages -- middle graders, teens, and adults. Parental guidance is suggested. 50,000 words, 22 chapters.Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot is the first in a series. The other titles are Alec Kerley and the Wrath of the Vampire (Book Two) and Alec Kerley and the Roar of the Dinosaur (Book Three).

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