The Angry Little Puffin by Timothy Young

The Angry Little Puffin book is a cute story about a puffin that lives in the zoo.  He's pretty angry because everyone mistakes him for a penguin and he is NOT a penguin!  This short picture book is a great way to teach a young child about a new animal.  It can also be the beginning of a conversation on what other animals look alike and are often mistaken for something else such as moose and deer.  I think this would be a great book for a JK to 2 class.

Abroad by Katie Crouch

Abroad was a truly twisted book.  The story is about Tabitha, known by her friends as Taz.  She is on a year abroad studying at a University in Italy.  She arrives in Italy alone and eager for new friendships and experiences.  Both friends and experiences quickly come her way but neither exactly what she had in mind.  Everyone has secrets.  Everyone is telling lies.  Taz experiments with alcohol and drugs and sometimes doesn't remember the experiences that she's had.

I know this book has been compared to the real life events of the Amanda Knox story.  I haven't followed the reports in the news to make comparisons myself.  

I would expect that Abroad might make quite an interesting movie.  Abroad could serve as a good warning to any young students travelling abroad.

I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads.  

Skink on the Brink by Lisa Dalrymple

Skink on the Brink tells the story of a little lizard that is on the brink of extinction.  The book is full of interesting facts about the Skink such as habitat, life-cycle and more.

Skink on the Brink is illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo.  The pictures in this book are absolutely amazing!  They are stunning.  

The cover says the book is 'A Tell-Me-More! Storybook'.  The books are published in Ontario, Canada in 2013 which means lots of up to date Canadian content - something I look for when purchasing library books.  If I remember correctly, grade 4 has a unit on extinct animals in the curriculum.  This would be a great book for that unit.

I read this book with my son who is starting grade 4 in the fall and he really enjoyed it.  I will definitely look for more books in this series and be adding this series to my fall shopping list.

Sleeper by Eric Walters

In October 2014, seven of the best Canadian children authors will release seven sequels to their popular Seven series published in 2012.  I can't say enough about how much I love this series.  I was very fortunate to receive an ARC of Sleeper by Eric Walters from Orca Book Publishers.

Sleeper begins with some of the cousins meeting at their deceased grandfather's cottage.  Within the first few pages a mystery is uncovered and the action begins.  With a puzzle to solve, the cousins don't even have time to get settled at the cottage, before they each grab a pile of the hidden cash they've discovered and jet off to locations all around the world.  In Sleeper, DJ, now known as David, heads off to England to visit his friend, Doris, from his Mount Kilimanjaro climb.  While he is there, he also hopes to figure out the truth about who is grandfather really was.

Sleeper will be the answer to all 'Which book should I read next?' questions this upcoming school year.  It has something for everyone - strong male character, strong female character, mystery, spies, action, travel, fast cars, good role models, history and, yes, even a touch of a love story.  Everyone should read Sleeper and when you read one, you'll be sure to read them all!