YA Librarian Reviews

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick – book review

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Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber Mystery Realistic Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) Perry Stormaire’s family has been hosting Gobija Zaksauskas – a Lithuanian foreign exchange student – for the past few months. Gobi is definitely not what Perry had hoped for (hot, experienced), although she does have an outrageous accent. But she’s not what she seems, either. Just before she’s supposed to go back to Lithuania, she expresses … Read more

Life Cycle of a Snail – book review

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The Life Cycle of a Snail by L.L. Owens Juvenile Non-fiction Picture book * * * Stars (Pretty good) This introduction to snail biology will have young readers racing out to their own backyards to locate their slimy subjects for a closer inspection. Detailed, close-up photographs accompany explications of snails’ life cycle – the one of the land snail laying its eggs in a moist patch of soil is a particularly good catch. While some … Read more

Book That Eats People – book review

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The Book That Eats People by John Perry illustrated by Mark Fearing Picture book * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) This book EATS people. So, if you should find it, be careful. If it makes any funny noises, you’ll want to stop reading immediately, pile stuff on top of it, and probably run for your life – just to be safe. This is the story of the book and the people it’s eaten (a … Read more

Boss Baby – book review

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The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee Picture book * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) When the Boss Baby arrives, he immediately takes control of his parents’ lives – “He put Mom and Dad on a round-the-clock schedule, with no time off.” Dressed in black footie pajamas that look just like a power suit (with a convenient flap at the back) and a tie, the Boss Baby proceeds to throw his weight around. It’s truly … Read more

Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs – book review

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The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs: A Scientific Mystery by Sandra Markle Juvenile Non-fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) In the space of just a few years, biologist Karen Lips noticed a serious decline in the population of golden frogs living in the mountain forests of Panama. She discovered massive quantities of dead frogs and was perplexed and concerned about the cause of their deaths. Sandra Markle follows Lips’ investigation into the near-extinction … Read more

House in the Woods – book review

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A House in the Woods by Inga Moore Picture book * * * * Stars (Great!) Once upon a time there were two pigs living in the woods in homes they had built for themselves – a den and a hut. When they return after a walk, they find that a bear and a moose have moved in, respectively. Due to their large size, they destroy the pigs’ homes when they get up to greet … Read more

Aviary – book review

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The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell Juvenile Fiction Mystery * * * * Stars (Great!) Eleven year old Clara lives with her mother in the old Glendoveer mansion, where mom and another caretaker (Ruby) look after old Mrs. Glendoveer. Clara has never been to school, nor is she allowed to leave the house or have any friends because of her poor health. She has a weak heart, her mother tells her, so it isn’t good for … Read more

Place to Call Home – book review

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A Place to Call Home by Alexis Deacon illustrated by Viviane Schwarz Picture book * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) A group of (what appears to be) hamsters outgrows their hidey hole home in the junkyard and the seven of them decide that they must find new digs. They are afraid to venture out into the world without some kind of protection (very, very small portable holes that they can take with them on … Read more

Princess and the Pig – book review

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The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett Illustrated by Poly Bernatene Picture book * * * * Stars (Great!) This is one of those books where two infants are switched at birth (or close enough) and raised by unsuspecting families until they come of age and all is revealed! Because of all of the stories they’ve read (where that sort of thing happens all the time) it’s not surprising to the King and Queen … Read more

Saving Audie – book review

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Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent photos by William Munoz Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Michael Vick, NFL quarterback, was running an illegal dog-fighting ring and raising “fighting dogs” at his appropriately named “Bad Newz Kennels.” When information about his crimes came to light, the dogs were seized, as evidence, and spent many months in isolation in an animal shelter. In the past, fighting dogs … Read more

The Huntley Area Public Library will be closed on Christmas Eve (Tuesday, December 24, 2024) and Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25, 2024). The exterior book drop will close on Monday, December 23, at 8 p.m. The library and exterior book drop will reopen Thursday, December 26, at 9 a.m. All of our online resources will be available at this time. Have a Merry Christmas!