Aye- Aye Gets Lucky: Endangered and Misunderstood Animals Book 1

Written by Terri Tatchell

Illustrated by Ivan Sulima

Aye-Aye, a lemur, enjoys pulling pranks on the people who live in the villages of Madagascar. After a time, the inhabitants tire of his pranks and ban Aye-Aye. He wanders around scared and hungry.

After a while, Aye-Aye encounters a flying fox who terrifies him. The fox did not mean to frighten the lemur. He turns out to be a friend trying to teach Aye-Aye a valuable lesson. Aye-Aye becomes brave enough to attempt to regain the villagers approval. He hides for a while, building up his courage. Will he discover a way to obtain their forgiveness?

This rhyming, picture book for elementary school age children teaches them about endangered species and encourages children to get involved in their protection. A portion of the book’s profits go to that cause. As a bonus, readers learn how to draw lemurs and flying foxes, discover fun facts about them, and learn different ways they can protect them.

Recommended for elementary age readers who enjoy books about animals, the environment, and community involvement.

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Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar

Written by Tommy Davey

Cora is a spunky preteen who is traveling alone for the first time on a overnight train from the city to Topaz Mountain to spend some time in the country with her Uncle Andre. She meets a colorful cast of characters including a single woman, Mrs. Bronwyn, and her dog, Calvin. Almost immediately she notices a man named Mr. Sloane, who is being overprotective of a silver briefcase that he does not let out of his sight. It turns out that he has good reason for that because Mr. Sloane is carrying a valuable gemstone. The stone disappears from his sleeping car; Cora, a honeymoon couple, Mrs. Bronwyn, a college student, and the railroad porter will all be suspects interrogated by an undercover detective on the train.

The inspector is determined to solve the mystery by interrogation, but Cora has a few plans of her own. Will they be able to unravel the mystery to find out the identify of the thief? Cora proves her cleverness and keeps her cool. All the action takes place in less than two hundred pages before the passengers disembark from the train. Certainly this is a first ride that Cora will long remember and the beginning of her interest in solving many mysteries to follow.

Great story for tweens. It has the elements of a good mystery, colorful characters, and a respectful, intelligent strong female role model. This is a quick, fast moving read that will appeal to reluctant readers. Recommended highly for boys and girls eight years up and older.

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