James, Brian. Life Is But A Dream.

James, Brian.     Life Is But A Dream.    Macmillan/ Feiwel & Friends   235p $17.99 978-0-312-61004-3       hs          E-BN      Realistic Fiction

In an in-patient mental health facility, Sabrina, a schizophrenic teen, and her new friend Alec make the decision to live life as they are, without medications to keep their illnesses under control.  What are the consequences of the choice that Sabrina and Alex make?  How do the people surrounding them cope? These are just two of the questions that are answered in this very well-written novel about the difficult topic of mental health, and specifically schizophrenia.  The characters are all well developed.  Readers can empathize readily with their illness, treatment and consequences.         

Mental illness-Fiction                                      --Lynn Fisher

James, Harry Graphing with Pets

James, Harry  Graphing with Pets  

Capstone Publishers 2011   32p     19.99   978-1-4296-6618-3          

elm/ms                       Real world math        E-BN  

Mathematics meets young entrepreneurship in this book that uses the finances and organization of a startup pet care business to illustrate how graphing information can be really

useful when running a business.    This delightful book presents graphing in the

most nonthreatening manner possible, perfect for the elementary/middle school

audience. Full color illustrations highlight graphing and the importance of this

kind of data analysis when running a business, but again, in a very kid friendly

fashion. ╘Spending money╒ (pg. 11) teaches students how to keep a record of

business expenses and is a perfect example of the many kinds of graphs that can

be found in this book.           A very large series of books, many of which are found in

leveled sets, that serves to present mathematics in an innocuous fashion for

elementary and middle school levels.         Fisher, Lynn

Gatto, Kimberly. LeBron James.

Gatto, Kimberly. LeBron James.
Enslow 2011 48p 23.93
978-0-7660-3776-2
Sports Stars Who Care(Enslow) VG

LeBron’s name is well-known to all fans of pro basketball, but young readers learn so much more about his career and community service in this short biography about James, current star of the Miami Heat and former star of the Cleveland Cavaliers. When compared to Barry Wilner’s book about Tom Brady of the same series, this book does not offer the same level of complexity with regard to author’s style. That does not diminish the quality of the information within the pages, yet to appeal to the middle school literacy teacher, more complex and compound sentences would add to its readability level. Instead, if one can reconcile the short, simple sentences and a general flatness to the writing, Kimberly Gatto offers a solid, short biography about a major star. LeBron’s transition from poverty in Akron, Ohio, to fame in Miami was cemented when LeBron’s mother made the sacrifice of a lifetime by allowing LeBron to live with his coach, Frankie Walker, where he was given the chance to lead a normal childhood and learn the sport at the same time. His high school career was simply put, stellar, and this led him directly to the pros after graduation. “King James” largely led the Cavaliers to the NBA finals in 2007, but the team lost against the Spurs. In 2010, he made a controversial career change to become a member of the Miami Heat where he plays today. His contributions do not only shine on the court but also in the area of community service. In 2004, he created the LeBron James Family Foundation to help children in many ways. The foundation builds playgrounds, provides bikes to needy children and serves turkeys to needy families.
The strength of this series lies in the combination of career information and charitable contributions thereby making the series informational, entertaining and rewarding. The photographs are exciting and relevant to the text. The book ends with a listing of career statistics, a glossary of vocabulary, a list of sources to consult for more information & an index.
This series focuses on the careers of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Garnett, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, David Wright, & others. The first 5 chapters deal with the star’s contribution on the playing field and are followed by a chapter on the charities of focus of each star. A good choice for the elementary school and middle school libraries, this series combines two topics that are of high interest value to young readers, sports information and community service.
Squaresky, Martha

James, Rebecca. Beautiful Malice.

James, Rebecca Beautiful Malice
Bantam see Random 2010 260p 25.00
978-0-553-80805-6 hs Grief, friendship, revenge VG


Katie changes schools and her name after the murder of her younger sister, and tries to blend into the background for her senior year. When vivacious Alice befriends her and draws her out, it seems too good to be true. A first novel that rises above a fair amount above the majority of current chick lit. The portrayal of Katherine’s friendship with the mercurial Alice is believable and slighty disconcerting, keeping the reader on the edge of the seat, and eagerly reading to find out what makes Alice behave in the way she does. The reason, when revealed, seems almost contrived, but readers will look past that to the resolution of the frightening tale.

The subplot of the “love-at-first-sight” relationship between Katherine and Mick seems almost too easy, providing predictable angst in first the unwanted pregnancy and then the death of the too-perfect Mick. This said, the plot is riveting enough, and Katherine’s character development well-done enough, to reel in even reluctant readers and leave them hoping for a sequel.

The portrayal of drugs and alcohol, mention of rape, teen sex and pregnancy will make this a book for older teens. Conflict Naismith, Pat