Martin, Ann M. Ten Rules for Living With My Sister.

Martin, Ann M.  Ten Rules for Living With My Sister.  Feiwel&Friends/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, 2011.  228p.  $16.99      ISBN 978-0-312-36766-4

elm/ms      VG-BN Realistic Fiction

     Ten Rules for Living With My Sister presents a year in the life of a nine-year-old New York girl who lives with her parents and teenage sister.  It has just enough humor, warmth, and plot to keep an 8- to 12-year-old girl reading.  Martin has a way with storytelling, and even though the main character still believes in Santa Claus, she also deals with preteen issues of friendlessness, embarrassment, and dealing with a beloved grandfather who is losing his faculties.  This will be sure to resonate with youngsters who like a realistic story told with attention to emotions and human relationships.   

Carol Kennedy

 

A Girls’ Guide to Conflict/A Guy’s Guide to Conflict.

Kavanaugh, Dorothy. A Girls’ Guide to Conflict/A Guy’s Guide to Conflict.
Enslow, 2008, 63p, $23.95, 978-0-7660-2852-4.
Flip-It-Over Guides to Teen Emotions (Enslow) Conflict management

A Girls’ Guide to Conflict /A Guy’s Guide to Conflict by Dorothy Kavanaugh is a flip book designed for both girls and guys. Each segment of the flip book has thirteen chapters devoted to one’s emotions, the brain, resolving conflicts, listening, relationships, bullies, cliques, parents, siblings, divorce, blended families, and feelings.

The author offers practical tips/advice organized in short chapters and geared toward middle school students, but high school schools would also be able to relate. The information is presented using great graphics, callouts, boxes and bulleted and numbered lists. Since the information is presented in an easy-fun-to-read fashion, the title would appeal to reluctant readers.

Since the author presents information for guys and girls in the same book, the book would appeal to everyone and provide readers with realistic answers and suggestions. The unfortunate part about a flip book occurs when you display the title and readers can view only one side. Although the cover suggests for readers to flip the book over, I wonder how many students will actually do that.

Includes color photographs, fact boxes, fun quizzes, checklists, interesting sidebars, chapter notes, a glossary of terms, books of further reading, Internet addresses, and an index. CFM

Treatment of animals from a scientific and ethical viewpoint

Bekoff, Marc. Animals Matter.
Shambhala (Random House), 2007. 202p $14.00 978-1-59030-522-5

This title, from the author of “The Emotional Lives of Animals,” examines the treatment of animals from a scientific and ethical viewpoint. Beckoff, who has a PhD in biology, analyzes the scientific research with the philosophical ideas and humane values to present arguments for the ethical treatment of domestic and wild animals. The forward is written by Jane Goodall. Some of the topics include: animal feelings, the difference between animal rights and animal welfare, captivity, and experimentation. Bekoff takes the point of view that animals are sentient and should always be treated humanely.
This is an updated edition of the 2000 copyrighted title “Strolling with Our Kin: Speaking For and Respecting Voiceless Animals” which was printed for children by the American Anti-Vivisection Society. Bekoff has expanded the information to include new research as well as a glossary and an index.
“Animals Matter” is a thoughtful book that would be a very good addition to high school libraries. It will be of interest to animal lovers as well as a good title for research. TW