The brave and adventurous Zita finds herself on a strange planet after following her friend Joseph through an interdimensional portal. Upon her arrival Zita witnesses Joseph’s abduction by a bizarre tentacled creature and discovers that the very planet she finds herself on is doomed for destruction. Zita manages to assemble a rescue team consisting of a flute-playing inventor, a horse-sized rat, a robotic battle orb, and others determined to find her friend before it’s too late. This is a must-read comic for 3rd through 5th grade fans of Jeff Smith’s Bone and Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet.

WPL Call Number: J Comic HA
Review Date: 4/23/11

Fern is new to Bert Lahr Elementary and is being bullied by the principal’s son. His plan to stop it involves creating a fake superhero friend to protect him and staging a spectacular ninja battle involving all of the other kids at school. What Fern doesn’t know is that he will fall into a gross pool of green gooey liquid. After the disgusting liquid incident, Fern touches ketchup and becomes a superhero himself-Super Chicken Nugget Boy! This hilarious book about an accidental superhero will especially appeal to fans of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady series. For grades 2 and up.

WPL Call Number: J Lewis
Review Date: 9/25/10

When the Vietnam War reaches Saigon in 1975, ten-year-old Hà and her family flee on a ship and are rescued by American soldiers. After spending time in tent cities in Guam and Florida, a sponsor helps the family relocate to Alabama. The community does not welcome the immigrants with open arms, and Hà discovers a lot about herself as she learns English from a tutor, deals with attacks from bullies, struggles with her father being missing in action, and adjusts to her new life in America. This novel is told in verse, and each poem is an entry from Hà’s diary. Recommended for grades 4-8.

WPL Call Number: J Lai
Review Date: 6/27/11

It is 1962, and Franny’s college-aged sister disappears from home. After snooping around like Nancy Drew, Franny discovers a set of letters in a locked chest that might explain her sister’s mysterious departure. When her friend Margie starts being mean to her, Franny feels stuck with her too-perfect brother and embarrassing Uncle Otts. As Halloween approaches, everyone fears that the Soviet Union will bomb the United States and disaster (both worldwide and personal) seems inevitable. This documentary novel features quotations, full-page black and white photographs and other documents from the past that teach as much as they entertain. Recommended for history buffs in grades 4 and up.

WPL Call Number: Y Wiles
Review Date: 10/23/10