Owings, Lisa. Do Your Research.

Owings, Lisa.  Do Your Research. Lerner/Graphic Universe/Milbrook/21st Century/Carolroda/DarbyCreek/Stoke Books  2014  24p        ISBN 978-1-4677-1503-4        series: Library Smarts   elem  VG Nonfiction

Elementary students are introduced to what research is and how one gathers information.  Students are presented with the steps in the research process, beginning with asking a question or choosing a question to answer, then gathering information from a variety of sources, writing down facts and resources used, and then sharing what one has learned.  After one shares what was learned, an essential piece is to evaluate one’s own findings about what went well and what could have been better.  As human beings, we are constantly seeking new information to research, and with time and practice one’s research skills will get better.

The author includes vivid color photographs, easy-to-comprehend sentences, a glossary of terms, and an index.     As of this review, six titles have been published in the Library Smarts series, covering basic library skills.  Titles include topics such as doing research, exploring the parts of a books, finding out about authors and illustrators, doing book reports, and staying safe online.

Library research                                      --Charleen Forba-Mayer

Hinton, Nigel. 2 Die 4.

Hinton, Nigel.  2 Die 4.  Lerner/Graphic Universe/Milbrook/21st Century/Carolroda/DarbyCreek/Stoke Books  84p  $6.95  978-1-78112-110-8  2012 elm/ms      VG-BN       Horror     

This Scottish publisher (Stoke) is directed at dyslexic readers, with lettering spaced in a way that makes it easier for them to read.  In 2008, while I was in Scotland, I learned of Barrington Stoke and wondered why we don’t have a publisher like this in the U. S.  Their books use up-to-date research on fonts that are geared specifically to dyslexic students.

In this story, Ryan finds a cell phone at a flea market that the seller seems very eager to get rid of.  It is voice activated and does more than any other phone Ryan has ever seen, so he is thrilled to have it.  After he gets it, however, he finds that the phone seems to have a mind of its own, and often takes him to scenes of pornography and violent, disturbing images of death and gore.  Then he realizes that the phone is telling him his time is running out, and Ryan feels threatened with death himself.  The book builds its suspense step by step very skillfully, and the reader will race to finish it to see what Ryan’s fate will be.

My only caveat for American readers is this: the text is clearly oriented to British readers, with words like "roundabout" and "cinema" which most American kids do not use in their everyday speech.  I would have preferred to have the American edition reflect the way Americans speak, substituting "movies" for "cinema" and "traffic circle" for "roundabout".  Otherwise I think it is a great book!                

Cell phones–Fiction, Horror                           --Carol Kennedy