tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33187494337369065472024-03-12T18:57:56.767-07:00Read Ebook Best CollectionPaidi Optimushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02985886616151704404noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318749433736906547.post-80118057162263552612017-05-31T12:23:00.001-07:002017-05-31T12:23:17.056-07:00World War II Book 1: The Right FightGr 8 Up—Lynch ('Vietnam' series, Scholastic) begins a new war series, this time set during World War II. Professional baseball player Roman Bucyk realizes that U.S. involvement in the current European war is imminent and decides to enlist. Roman is sent to the African front, first to Algeria and then to Tunisia, where his mediocre baseball talent takes a backseat to his earnest enthusiasm for fighting against the Nazi regime. An often overlooked portion of the war effort, the Allied battle with the German Afrika Korps is well delivered through a first-person narrative and a series of letters to Hannah, his fiancé. The letters also illustrate how the women at home, like Hannah, did their duty by serving in the Women's Army Corps and other military organizations. Roman's youthful optimism, bravado, and fear allow readers to experience a firsthand look into a soldier's life, from long days waiting for orders to the perilous battle arena. Perhaps most affecting is the portrayal of friendships with Roman's military unit, which help highlight the lifelong bonds fellow soldiers formed during and after this war.—Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI<br />
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Paidi Optimushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02985886616151704404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318749433736906547.post-10398272397441050692017-05-31T12:22:00.003-07:002017-05-31T12:22:57.034-07:00Hilda and the Midnight Giant (Hildafolk)*Starred Review* Pearson has received well-deserved acclaim for his Hilda series, and each volume is a stellar example of sequential storytelling. In this installment, Hilda joins the Sparrow Scouts and sets out to win her camping badge. Following a lively, humorous montage, she’s finally ready to head off, but once on-site, she is distracted by a homeless nisse, or house spirit. Every time selfless, brave Hilda tries to help the poor sprite, she gets in trouble. And that’s not the only problem—a giant black hound has been stalking the Scandinavian city, and soon there are homeless nisses everywhere. Could the two mysterious occurrences be linked? Hilda seems to be the only one with the patience and sense of wonder to solve the mystery. In gorgeous, oversize pages filled with warm jewel tones, Pearson’s varied panel layouts and detailed, purplish backgrounds artfully carry emotional weight and subtle humor in equal measure. The house spirits are all nose and hair, while the black hound looms as a menacingly large shadow in the forest. Hilda is, as always, a charming hero, from the top of her blue-haired head to the bottom of her slouchy red boots. Every volume of this fairy-tale-adventure series is a must-have. Grades 2-5. --Sarah Hunter --This text refers to the edition.<br />
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Paidi Optimushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02985886616151704404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318749433736906547.post-52581408642300406182017-05-31T12:22:00.001-07:002017-05-31T12:22:40.092-07:00The Emotional Literacy Series: AngerKindergarten-Grade 3-Mrs. Murgatroyd, a woman who possesses rainbow paintpots, was introduced in And Peter Said Goodbye (Enchante, 1993). She appears again in this bibliotherapeutic story about Ryan, a dreamy, unathletic type who is plagued by the class bully, and responds by hitting and kicking not only that boy, but his other classmates as well. His teacher sends him to the principal's office, but Ryan slips into the art room where he encounters an odd lady with silvery long braids collecting colors in jars. Mrs. Murgatroyd tells him he can use her magic paints to portray anything he wants and that he will always be in control of his creation. His anger inspires a picture of a roaring volcano, which comes to life and spews burning lava, threatening the school. Quickly Ryan converts his painting into a VCR screen and rewinds the disaster. Now that his anger is correctly channeled, the boy faces up to Mark without fighting, gains friends among the smaller children, and explains to his teacher why he misbehaved. Large, bright, busy, double-page colored pencil and watercolor illustrations are done in a flat, realistic style. The vocabulary is lively, but the plot is forced to fit its didactic mold. Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VACopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate edition.<br />
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Paidi Optimushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02985886616151704404noreply@blogger.com0