This book is the first in a series of fast-moving time-travel adventures for middle-grade readers.
Sarah and Jack are in the midst of preparing to move from Colorado to Maryland. While on a hiking adventure, they discover a cave. Sarah cannot contain her curiosity and she entices her brother to follow her.
They enter a portal that leads them to ancient Egypt where the siblings meet Zach, the son of an architect who is building the pyramids. The threesome will encounter crocodiles, cobras and assorted dangers of the Nile as they try to uncover who is beheading statues and stealing from tombs.
Will this brother and sister find their way back to the cave entrance? How will this adventure change their lives going forward?
This book is well-written with interesting characters and plot lines. Recommended especially for readers in grades three through six.
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MCBD 2021 is Honored to be Supported by these Media Partners!
Check out MCBD’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!
MCBD 2021 Twitter Party Questions and PRIZES!
Join us on Friday, Jan 29, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party! REGISTER HERE.
This hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
*** US and Global participants welcome. **
The Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party 2021 will be giving away a 5-8 diverse book bundle every five minutes!
We also have some bonus prizes and prizes specifically for our non-USA participants. Scroll down to see all of the amazing book bundles and prizes.
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
This year, our 1/29/21 Party will occur at 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET and we promise it will be INSANELY fun and fast-paced! Be sure and follow Multicultural Children’s Book Day on Twitterso you can join the party. Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians.
GO HERE to view the 2021 MCBD TWITTER PARTY Questions!
GO HERE to view the 2021 MCBD TWITTER PARTY Prizes!
Not sure how to participate in a Twitter Party? Check out this great article from MCBD’s Project Manager HERE.
I am proud to be a participating author reviewer for the eighth year since the inauguration of Multicultural Children’s Book Day.
Here is my review for MCBD 2021:
FINDING HER WAY
Farah Rocks: New Beginnings
Written by Susan Muaddi Darraj
Illustrated by Ruaida Mannaa
This is the second book in the Farah Rocks series. Farah’s last name roughly translates to rocks in English and that is why she refers to herself as Farah Rocks. For those who are unfamiliar with this middle-grade book series, Farah is a gifted student from an Orthodox Christian Arab family. This year she is scheduled to begin attending a middle school called Magnet Academy. While she is apprehensive, her best friend, Allie has also been selected.
Right before school opens, a tragedy occurs. A fire destroys most of their home. When Farah discovers it might have been her fault, she keeps silent. Like a “rock in her stomach,” her feelings of guilt and remorse never leave her. Will she be able to come to terms with her guilt and stop lying to her parents?
Farah is a strong female character who is not afraid of trying new things, like setting up a creative writing club, even though the school is strongly math and science based. She is tender and loving toward her younger brother, Samir, who is speech impaired. The author deftly describes Arab culture and includes a glossary to explain Arabic vocabulary as well as some advanced English concepts.
Readers receive a bonus. The author shares seven writing prompts that will nurture the talents of budding poets, writers, and journalists. There are a few nicely done black and white illustrations. Length of the book is less than one hundred and fifty pages making it a good choice for reluctant readers as well. I would highly recommend this multicultural book to be used as a read aloud and discussion text about cultural diversity.
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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)
Written by G Pa Rhymes
Illustrated by Erica Leigh
Cray the Crawfish is observing humans coming to the shore on a sunny day. He notices the trash they leave behind. Soon some of his fellow creatures are in trouble.
Cray mobilizes his friends to help, while enlisting the organizational skills of a mermaid. Maybe one day humans will learn environmental awareness from Cray and his sea friends.
The book teaches preschoolers and primary grade readers about environmental hazards and the need to clean them up. A suggestion list on how kids can help is provided at the end of this picture book written in rhyme.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: In this interactive follow-up to Don’t Wake the Dragon, our beloved Dragon is wide-awake and preparing to celebrate one of the kingdom’s most important events of the year: the annual Friendship Festival! It’s a time for everyone to gather and have fun, all honoring their meaningful friendships. But on the day of the feast, the cooks are called away to cater to the Queen and the knights must report for special duty in the Enchanted Forest. With everyone gone, Dragon is upset and worried that this year’s Friendship Festival is doomed. Could they be planning something special for her? And in the meantime, can you help cheer her up? With colorful and humorous illustrations throughout, this read-aloud picture book encourages kids to interact with the text on every page. Young readers will love waving to characters, blowing kisses, dancing, and more on this fun ride alongside Dragon and her adorable friends in this delightful story that will beg to be read again and again.
This book is a sequel to Don’t Wake the Dragon. Readers meet a lovable dragon once more when a cat and mouse team urge them to enter the castle and cheer up their dragon friend.
Dragon is feeling down because today is the Friendship Festival. This day is marked by celebrations of all kind throughout the kingdom. But the caterers have been called away, the knights have left for the Enchanted Forest, and no ne is left to celebrate.
Readers are asked to cheer up the despondent dragon. This interactive book asks readers to count to ten, tell jokes, do something kind, and get their little bodies moving. Who could not feel happy after making a friend feel better?
Will you succeed in cheering up Dragon? Will the Friendship Festival ever get reinstated? Read and participate in this fun book to find out.
Highly recommended for preschoolers and primary grade children. This feel-good book will put a smile on adult’s faces as well.
Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win a Who Loves the Dragon? prize pack!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A hardcover copy of Who Love the Dragon?, autographed by Bianca Schulze
A hardcover copy of Don’t Wake the Dragon, autographed by Bianca Schulze
A Sugarfina “XOXO” 3pc Candy Bento Box
A $50 Target gift card
The giveaway begins January 6, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends February 5, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
The Happy Hollisters and The Trading Post Mystery (Volume 7)
Written by Jerry West
Illustrated by Helen S. Hamilton
I love the Hollister series of books. They are vintage mysteries that harken back to a simpler life in the 1950s.
Sue has made a Christmas wish for a donkey. When the family receives a telegram to pick it up at the airport in New Mexico, Sue is elated. Soon they notice a note pinned around its neck.
How will the family use this Christmas gift to help other members of their community? What obstacles will they need to solve both mysteries?
Rollicking good fun with black and white illustrations of the period that will bring back memories to parents and grandparents and lots of questions from young readers.
This book is a good read for any age but especially for middle-grade readers.
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A Letter to My Fifth Grade Self (The Diary of Janie Ray Book 2)
Written by Lila Segal
Janie Ray gets a diary from her mom as a gift. She has the same problems most fifth graders experience. Janie spends most of her time with her best friend, Sheila. But fifth grade is full of social anxiety. There are snobs, bullies, teacher problems and family adjustments.
One thing about Janie is very different. When she was seven, she found a medallion. Together with Sheila. she has developed a secret language. Soon they would find a connection to the medallion that would allow them to travel back in time. Janie would learn about the perils of interfering with events and the responsibility of being the keeper of the medallion.
The book is a coming of age novel, mixed with fantasy and preteen relationships. It moves along fairly quickly and ends with a cliffhanger that will lead to the next book in the series. I did not read the series books prior to this one and did not find that a problem.
Recommended for readers ages eight through twelve.
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Kayla Dunn had just begun fifth grade in Boston when her parents inform her that they were achieving a lifelong dream to buy a farm in her father’s hometown of rural Orchard Falls.
Trouble begins almost immediately. Kayla is determined to outsmart Charlie Slade, whose family has always won the local pumpkin growing festival. After Kayla plants her pumpkin seeds, it rapidly becomes clear these are no ordinary pumpkins.
Monsters, giant pumpkins, aliens, and family feuds pepper the plot of this middle-grade adventure. This book is an exciting page turner. I would recommend it as Halloween party story or a classroom read-aloud as well.
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Why We Wear a Mask: How a squirrel is helping to stop the spread of Covid-19
Written and Photographed by Lieve Snellings
I am a big fan of the Margot book series. In this new book, Margot’s family doctor, Dr. Sarah shares her concern about a new sickness affecting all her squirrel patients.
The author uses adorable photographs of squirrels exhibiting symptoms of the virus like headaches, upset stomach, shortness of breath, and sore throats to illustrate effects of the virus in a clear but non-threatening way. Snellings shows them wearing masks because they want to protect vulnerable members of their families as well as themselves. The author explains how the disease is transmitted, and exactly what needs to be done to keep ourselves and others safe.
Young readers will inevitably be enthralled with these adorable, personified squirrel messengers of information needed to assist children in understanding this disease without alarming them. I would highly recommend it to parents and educators of elementary school and middle-grade readers.
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Eight-year-old Ethan lives with his hard-working dad. Ethan is not looking forward to summer when he will be alone six days a week. Ethan does not make friends easily; the neighborhood kids make fun of him because his last name is Broom.
Life changes when Ethan’s dad comes home with a box that he found. It contains two glass dragons. Ethan’s dad hopes they will entertain his son. Ethan does not think much of this gift until he picks one of the dragons up and is transported to a magical land called Steorra. He gets the opportunity to ride on a dragon, meet a talking penguin, and envision a sky filled with stars.
When Ethan’s neighbor, Amelia, comes to visit, she picks up the orange dragon. They are both transported to Steorra where more adventures and new characters await them. Amelia encourages Ethan to be more outgoing. The book ends with the promise of many more adventures.
I would classify this book as a beginning chapter book. It contains just over one hundred pages filled with black and white illustrations. It is also a good choice for reluctant readers or adults seeking a fun read-aloud that can be utilized as a serial bedtime story for younger children.
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Merlin Raj and the Santa Algorithm: A Holiday Yuletide Dog’s Tale
Written by D.G.Priya
Illustrated by Shelley Hampe
The author creates a unique plot that will engage middle-grade and young teens. She does a good job of explaining how algorithms work, while creating a heart-warming tale of family devotion and holiday spirit.
Peter has a service dog named Merlin who accompanies him to school. His Golden Retriever friend tries hard to serve his master but often winds up in trouble instead. Readers are treated to a Christmas tale in while the family struggles to maintain traditions like baking and cutting down the Christmas tree while mom is traveling for work.
Along the way, readers learn how algorithms work, enjoy a bit of humor, and empathize with a close family who just want to get things right.
The black and while illustrations are charming. They enhance the feeling of identification with both human and animal characters. Recommended for ages eight and older.
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January 31, 2021
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