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Children's Book Reviews

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast

by Josh Funk

Kids’ favorite breakfast foods turn competitive when they learn the syrup is almost gone. There is a fun, colorful race through the refrigerator that leaves our friends tired and messy. In the end they learn a good lesson about sharing instead of fighting. The creative rhyming promotes new vocabulary and the fold out page at the end is a nice treasure for kids to explore. Review by Laurie Reeves

Smart Cookie

by Elly Swartz

Frankie Greene is a 6th grader who lives with her widowed father and Gram in The Greene Family Bed and Breakfast. She is determined to find her father a wife before the school’s family festival. She loves her father, but is ready for a mother to make them a family of three. Her best friend Elliot helps her create an online dating profile for him. In between baking batches of cookies for their B&B guests, Frankie meets with several “Possibles” that have responded to the dating profile, but she isn’t convinced that any of them are qualified to join their family. Frankie is also trying to figure out what Gram is hiding; solve the puzzle of her former best friend, Jess, and determine if Elliot is correct about a ghost haunting their B&B. This smart, determined, young lady learns a lot about family and friendships throughout this story. Review by Missi Watts

What Were the Twin Towers

by Jim O'Connor

The “Who Was/What Was” Series is very popular and for good reason. The books are easy to understand and offer a quirky cover to draw the kids towards the books. They also have illustrations inside the book, as well as time lines and other great visual treats for children of all ages. I read What Were the Twin Towers because the subject has always interested me. This book goes into intricate details about the designing, planning and building of the Twin Towers which would be perfect for a budding engineer. From the construction to the demise of these iconic Towers, this book does not disappoint. Reviewed by Kelley Welch