Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.9

Imagine that you have to live your live secretly living in the basement of a massively beautiful mansion. Now imagine that you are a twelve-year-old girl whose main job is to be the Biltmore Estate's CRC, or Chief Rat Catcher. Sound like a job you want? Yeah, me neither, but it is the perfect job for Serafina. She lives in the basement of the historical Biltmore Estates with her Pa, hidden away from everyone. No one except her Pa knows that she exists.  Her Pa's main job is to work on all the machinery that keeps Biltmore Estates running. Serafina is not like other humans - she see in the darkness, she can move around without making a sound, and because her body and bones are different she can hid in the smallest of spaces. Serafina uses this to her advantage when she is catching rats, she just didn't know that she would have to use it to catch a murder. Someone is taking the children of Biltmore Estates and when the men of Biltmore and the police can't come close to solving the mystery, it is up to Serafina to catch the rat. Serafina, who has never spoken to anyone but her Pa, is forced to befriend the Estate's owner's nephew, Braeden. Together they try to fight this magical demon wearing a black cloak. Can Serafina and Braeden solve the mystery of where the children of Biltmore have gone? Can they bring them back safely? Can they even survive the attacks from the Man in the Black Cloak? Read this fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat mystery to find out. 

Serafina and the Black Cloak is a yearly read aloud to my 6th grade book club. When it is time to stop they always moan and groan because they want more. This book brings history alive to students in a mysterious and scary way. Don't miss this first book in Robert Beatty's Serafina trilogy.

Also, don't miss out on the Serafina and the Black Cloak PowerPoint that you can purchase through my TpT store. This PowerPoint has 120 slides and asks students comprehensive and thought questions chapter by chapter. It also has pictures of the different rooms described in the book. The students will learn so much about the Biltmore Estates. Click here to go directly to my TpT store or scroll down to access it. If you read this book as a read aloud, this PowerPoint is a must!!

Interest Level: 5-8

Imagine that you live in a place where you have to hide all of the time because you are being hunted?  How would it feel to have to sneak around and hide all of the time? This is exactly Rook and Drift's life. They live in a place called Talhaven where magic used to abound. Then one day without any warning there was a great explosion in the doorway between Vora and Talhaven that causes the magic to die, or what magic is left is dangerous. Everyone who is left in Talhaven that has magic is now being sought after to be put in prison, or even worse, some just disappear. Drift and Rook are best friends. Drift can cause great winds with her magic and Rook can create magical doors to travel anywhere. Rook is always trying to create a door back home to Vora so that they can live in peace. One day when Rook has created a door a red fox jumps through and threatens everything they have ever known. Is the red fox an enemy come to harm them, or is the red fox the answer they have been looking for? Will Rook ever make the door to get them back home, or will Rook find out that home may be something different all together? Read this fast-paced, action packed, edge of your seat adventure to find out.

This type of fantasy book is not usually my type of book but I received it from a publisher to review, so I did. Boy was I wrong! This book grabbed me from the beginning and wouldn't let go until I finished it. It was absolutely fantastic and Jaleigh Johnson now has a new fan! Do not miss this book!!

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Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 6.4

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Imagine that your parents have passed away and you have to live with an aunt and uncle that do not want you, you are poor and you have no friends. That is the life of Elizabeth Somers. So when she comes home from school for Christmas break and there is a note on the door, a bag of clothes, a bus ticket and $3, she is not quite sure what to think. Someone gave her aunt and uncle money to go on a trip and send her to hotel for three weeks. Elizabeth imagines the hotel to be a dump but when she arrives she finds the complete opposite. Winterhouse is an extravagantly luxurious hotel with meals served three times a day, they make their own famous candy, and they have a three-story library. Elizabeth even makes a friend her age, Freddy, who comes to Winterhouse every Christmas break while his parents go on vacation.  
Elizabeth is in paradise, but not all is as it seems.  The creepy man and woman who stared at her throughout the whole bus trip is staying at Winterhouse for the holiday season. They even bring in a coffin-sized box that they claim has books in it. Then when Elizabeth finds a mysterious book, strange things begin happening. There is a peculiar portrait in the gallery that has code that needs to be deciphered, the book has letters that appear each day (and only Elizabeth can see them), creepy stories of the Falls family, and maybe even a ghost. Can Elizabeth decipher the mysterious code and save Winterhouse, or will evil overtake the majestic hotel? 

This book was absolutely incredible. From the very beginning it grabs hold of you and won't let go. It has just the right amount mystery to keep you turning page after page to see what happens next. This is a must read!! I am anxiously awaiting for book 2.

Winterhouse Book Trailer

Interest Level: 3-6

Did you think that fractured fairy tales were only for picture books? Well then think again! Liesl Shurtliff has spun an incredible story around a classic fairy tale.  From the day Borlen (nicknamed Grump) was born he was never like the other dwarves.  Because of unusual circumstances, he was born near the surface instead of deep within the earth.  Borlen has never fit in the other dwarves and he actually gets sick when he has to go to work deep in the mines. His dream is to one day go to the surface and see what is above the dirt, but this is forbidden.  Then one day Borlen got his chance to go to the surface and his life would never be the same again. He becomes "friends" with the evil queen and his life is wonderful until she tricks him and everything goes down from there.  Will Grump do what is right and help save Snow White or is he bound by the queen to carry out her vengeance? This is a must read for anyone who is a Disney fan, a fairy tale fan, or just anyone who loves a great book!

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Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.8

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Imagine that you were born with special powers and you could weave the shadows into anything you wanted. Pretty cool, right? Well not so much for Emmeline. She has had this power since she was born but because bad things seem to happen around her, everyone thinks she is weird and scared of her. Her only friend is her shadow named Dar. Dar is always there for her and is her best friend.  When Emmeline's family has a noble family come to their house to stay, they say that they can take her away and rid her of her powers. Emmeline's parents are all for this but Dar will not have this. Dar tells Emmeline that if she will help turn her human then she will change the noble's mind. When things go terribly wrong and the nobleman falls into a coma, Emmeline and Dar have to run away and escape. Emmeline has never been outside the borders of her house. When Emmeline comes across a boy that seems to have powers similar to her will he befriend her or will he turn her into the guards that are chasing her? Will Emmeline be able to turn Dar into a human and have a true best friend? Read this truly creepy book about what friendship is, what friendship isn't , and how Emmeline finds out the truth between the two.

I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down.  My older elementary students and middle school students are always looking for different scary, creepy books. It seems like I can never keep this section stocked in my library. Thanks goodness for Shadow Weaver because I now have a new series to add to this collection.  I know that this book, plus book 2 (when it comes out) will not stay on the shelves. This is a must read for the person looking for this genre to read!

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Interest Level:  5-8; Reading Level: 3.3

Imagine that you are completely alone with no friends and no family and you live in an orphanage.  Now imagine having a bully in this orphanage that torments you day and night. Now imagine that you are a girl who has lost her mother, had to move into a new place, and your dad works 24/7 so you are all alone with no friends. Imagine your view from your bedroom is an old abandoned orphanage, yet you see a girl in the window every night.  Thornhill is a parallel story of two girls, one from 1982 and one from 2016. Mary's story is told through her diary from 1982. Ella's story is told in pictures from 2016. This is a very creepy and mysterious story that would be a scary read for any elementary or middle school reader. 

Thornhill is a story that I just could not put down. It is part fiction and part graphic novel.  There are a few cuss words that I wish were not in there, but other than that this is a must read for the reader who loves scary/suspense/mystery. 

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

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Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 6.3

5 out of 5 Stars!!!!!

Have you ever wanted something so much that you would do just about anything to get it? Have you ever had a secret that you just didn't think you could share with anyone? In the second book from Jennier Weiner's amazing series, The Littlest Bigfoot, this is exactly what is happening with Alice and Millie. Alice needs to find out what and who she is.  She has never felt like she belongs anywhere and now she wants answers as to why that is. Millie has always felt trapped and when she get her one chance at fame, will she have the nerve to take it? And then there is Jeremy. When Jeremy finds out the truth about Alice and Millie, will he do what is right or will he use it to make himself famous?
As expected, I couldn't put this book down.  It is such an exciting continuation of the first book that you just have to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next. Warning: this book does keep you hanging and wanting the third book to read next. I can not wait for the third book to come out in this series.

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 6.8

​5 out of 5 stars!!!!!

How would you feel if you didn't have a true friend in the world? And what about if you just don't belong or fit in anywhere? This is the story of Alice and Millie.
Alice is a twelve-year-old girl from a wealthy family in New York City. Alice has been in a different school each year since she was five. She is bigger than all of the other kids, she has wild, unruly hair, and all the kids make fun of her.  She never makes it through a whole school year before she is sent home. All she wants it to find some place where she fits and and can find a true friend.

Millie is a Bigfoot from a hidden tribe that lives across the river from Alice's newest school.  Millie doesn't fit in with her clan either. She is smaller than all of the other Bigfoot members and she is the only one with silver hair, while everyone else has dark hair. She wants so bad to make a friend with the No-Hair people (humans).

One fateful night when Millie is trying to run away and Alice is trying to get away from school bullies do these two meet. Will they become friends or will their differences keep them apart? And as if they don't have enough going against them, throw into the mix Jeremy Bigelow who is a Bigfoot hunter. Jeremy doesn't belong anywhere either, not even in his family of overachievers. If he could just prove that there really are Bigfoot creatures out there he would become famous and his family would have to notice him then. Can he expose the Bigfoot clan and get his fame and fortune?

This is a must read book! When you start with mythical creatures, throw in some humans, bullying, and friendship you have a book that you just can't put down!!
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Interest Level: K-3; Reading Level:2.9


What if you were suddenly whisked away to a time long ago and landed in the time of dinosaurs? Would you be scared or excited? Well, it happens to Jack and Annie and they have a mix of emotions. Everything seems fine until the meat-eating T-Rex shows up. What will they have to do to get safely home? Read this fun early chapter book to find out what happens.

If you like this book there are many more of them. Read them to see what kind of trouble Jack and Annie have planned next.

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.4

Have you ever felt different, like you didn’t fit in with your family and friends? Have you ever just wanted to play and not work? Then I have the perfect book for you. Meet Thianna and Karn. Tianna is half-human, half-giant – and she sure doesn’t fit into the giant world the way she is. Karn is to be ruler over his family farm but he would rather play his board game, Thrones & Bones, than concentrating on learning how to run a farm. What happens when these two meet? Well get ready for a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat exciting adventure full of undead corpses, a dragon that is the most feared creature in the land, and reptile creatures that fly. Throw in a few trolls and you have the perfect combination for an adventure of a lifetime. This book even includes instructions for you to make your own Thrones & Bones board game. What are you waiting for? Check this book out today!! You will not be sorry!!
If you love Thrones & Bones Frostborn as much as I do, then you are in for a treat… Check out Thrones & Bones Nightborn, the incredible sequel to Frostborn.

Thrones & Bones: Frostborn PowerPoint for Teachers/Librarians


(In Laurie's Library TpT Store)


Thrones & Bones: Frostborn Book Trailer
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