Bug-a-licious, by Meish Goldish

Rating: Recommended

Bearport, 2009, $16.96

ISBN: 1597167576

Age/Grade Level: Ages 6 to 11

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DO NOT open this book if you have a queasy stomach or if you don't like bugs! Boys will love this book for the yuck factor alone. The book talks about which countries eat bugs and how they cook them or eat them raw. There is a map at the back with the countries highlighted that eat bugs. On every other page is an insert in the form of a plate with a knife and fork; on the plate are facts, such as the fact that 1700 insects are eaten in over 100 countries around the world. Quite informative and gross!

Reviewer: Kim Christofferson, Orange County Public Library, Cypress Branch

Ink Exchange, by Melissa Marr

Rating: Very Good

HarperCollins, 2008, $16.95

ISBN: 978-0-06-121469-1

Age/Grade Level: Teen

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This is an engrossing story about the hidden society of Faery Courts existing in our world. Very contemporary, with good and evil clashing. Well written. I ran out and got the first book in the series, Wicked Lovely, and it was as good if not better. More to come in this series, worth waiting for.

Reviewer: Cathy Gillette, Orange County Public Library/LaHabra

A Chair for Always/Un Sillon Para Siempre, by Vera B. Williams

Note: This review covers both the English language original and the Spanish translation by Liliana Valenzuela.

Rating: Very Good

Greenwillow, 2009, $17.99

English: 9780061722806

Spanish: 9780061722837

Age/Grade level: Grades 2-4

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In this fourth book about Rosa, Vera Williams again shows the warmth and vitality of family life. Central to the story, though, is Rosa's steadfast love for the now old velvet-rose-covered chair so beautifully described in A Chair for My Mother. Now that a new baby is about to be born in the family, Grandma suggests that the worn fabric could be replaced. Her mother even mentions buying a new chair, causing Rosa's offended outburst: "Don't you even care about history?" She reminds them how long it took to get the chair and all the memories associated with it. She already looks forward to telling it all to little Benji and asserts that no matter where she goes in the future, this chair will go too! The lovely gouache illustrations wonderfully enrich and enhance the text.

In the Spanish version, lovingly translated by Liliana Valenzuela, the text perfectly conveys the spirit of the original. The soft, sunny gouache illustrations which capture the atmosphere of the story will make this book an appealing choice for many Hispanic families.

Reviewer: B. Carswell, Orange County Public Library/West Garden Grove