RISE OF THE EARTH DRAGON by Tracey West

Drake is taken from his family home to be a dragon master. But his dragon can't do what the others do. Bo's dragon is Shu who can spew water. Ana's dragon is Kepie who emits light. Rori's dragon, Vulcan, is huge, strong and spits fire. Drake's dragon, Worm, looks like a snake and doesn't fly or anything.  But Drake may be more powerful than any other dragon master and Worm has secret of his own, too.

I enjoyed this addition to the Branches line of colorful, illustrated transitional chapter books for developing readers. I believe my students will enjoy this one - a great dragon story for readers not quite ready for the Wings of Fire series. Essentially, this is a pet story, and it's a great one. Book 2 releases in November 2014 and Book 3 releases in February 2015.

4 out of 5 stars

   

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

MOLDYLOCKS AND THE THREE BEARDS by Noah Z. Jones

Princess (a girl who is not a princess and who doesn't like pink or anything princess-y) falls through a portal in her fridge and lands in the Land of Fake-Believe. There she meets a girl named Moldylocks, and they go to the house of the Three Beards in search of food. What Princess finds is just a shade off from what someone familiar with the Goldilocks story might expect - and that is exactly the point of this new series in the Branches line of transitional chapter books. When I told my students about the story, the ones who are into princess-y stories weren't quite sure what to do with this one. Other kids really got a kick out of a girl named Princess who liked mud puddles and monster trucks, and they thought the "three beards" was hilarious. I think this has appeal for both groups of readers.

3 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at this time.

Book 2, Little Read Quackinghood releases in August 2014

CINDERELLA STAYS LATE by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Cinderella is the new student at The Grimm Academy. She connects with Red, Snow and Rapunzel, and they become great friends. The step-sisters are there, too, looking to cause as much trouble for Cinda as they can. Someone else is trying to cause trouble at the school, too. Can Cinda and her friends figure out what is really going on at The Grimm Academy?

This was excellent! This would be perfect for readers who already enjoy the Whatever After series and fans of the Ever After High book, Storybook of Legends. The characters are likable. The fairy tale elements aren't cheesy - something I worry about when I start a book like this. The world-building is fantastic; I especially loved the magical library. Some issues are left unresolved for book two, and I personally can't wait to read it. I told my students about this book when we previewed some of the books that will be coming in our Scholastic book fair later this month. I predict this will be one of my best sellers - and I'll be the first in line to buy it because my nieces are going to love this one. Photos of the next two books are shown below.

5 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at this time. Books one and two release on March 25th, but may be available through Scholastic sooner. Book three is scheduled to release in June 2014.

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

      

KUNG POW CHICKEN: LET'S GET CRACKING! by Cyndi Marko

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Gordon the chicken (a second grader) and his little brother Benny fell in a vat of toxic sludge and became superheroes - Kung Pow Chicken and Egg Drop. At the Fall Festival, someone is selling weird cookies that make everyone's feathers fall out! Kung Pow Chicken notices a little old lady selling itchy sweaters to all the naked chickens, and she is making a killing. Something is not right!

This was cute, colorful and fun! This pokes fun at some of the superhero staples like toxic sludge and leotards. This is a fun, simple mystery. My students will love this! This is a new piece in the Branches line of books by Scholastic that targets the earliest readers. There are more books planned for the series - they are pictured below. Book 2 releases in March and book 3 comes out in June.

PICTURE DAY and BORIS ON THE MOVE

   

(I received copies of these from Scholastic at ALA this summer)

Both of these are what I call early chapter books or transitional chapter books. I love finding books like this that I can recommend to my Kindergarten through second grade students who want to make the transition to chapter books.

Picture Day is about a girl with her own style who has to go to school for picture day in a non-ruffled, non-special outfit. I can think of specific students who will share Missy's dismay at wearing something "plain" for school pictures. (AR reading level of 2.5)

Boris on the Move is about a boy who longs for adventure. But camping at the local conservation park was NOT what he had in mind. In the end, Boris might find more adventure than he bargained for. (AR reading level of 2.0)

Three out of 5 stars. These books kick off new series from Scholastic. Pictures of other volumes are listed below.