Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Ranger in Time #1) by Kate Messner

Ranger is a search-and-rescue dog that does not pass his final test because he can't resist chasing squirrels. Now, who isn't going to love that type of protagonist? Dog-slobbering squirrel chaser. Shucks, I'm that way with food - enticing smells easily lead me off-task. One day, Ranger spots a squirrel and kicks into ADHD mode only to stumble upon a first aid kit that portals him to Missouri in the mid 1800's where a family is going on the Oregon trail to find better farmland.

Sam Abbott is supposed to be watching his toddler sister, Amelia, when she disappears on him. Ranger's search-and-rescue skills click into place and he sniffs out Amelia keeping her safe and endearing him to Sam's family. Although he isn't endeared enough to get a name. They call him "Dog" as if they know he is only going to be with them temporarily. The Oregon trail is treacherous and just the place for Ranger. He helps many others on their adventure whether warning the group of danger or saving lives.

Ranger is the main character with the mentality of a dog that adds humor. Sam is comforted by having Ranger because his dog was too old to make the long 2,000 mile trek journey. Others on the trail lose family to disease. Treacherous animals and river crossings add to the excitement. While this is a historical book, there are plenty adventures to keep the reader flipping the pages.

Even though the dog failed to pass the search-and-rescue test, his skills saved many lives on the Oregon trail. The dog doesn't really have a character arc but readers can apply the message of never giving up in their own lives. Tests don't determine a person's character. In an age of accelerated student testing, this subtle message is worth paying attention to. Other themes include, grief, courage, and importance of pets. Add to that, Kate Messner's clean, tight writing and you have a well-paced plot that will be a good addition to any library.

While this story reminds me of the Magic Tree House series in that it has a character that finds an item that magically transports it back in time, I think the text is higher. At 125 pages it is easy to think it is at a lower reading level, but when I looked up the levels the book is placed in grades 4 or 5. Not that those levels are always correct, but concepts might need to be explained to younger readers. It would make a good read aloud.

4 Smileys

Fly Away by Patricia MacLachlan

Every spring the Red River would crest stretching its murky water over the school's football field where I worked in North Dakota. Many of the students lived on farms and dealt with yearly floods. I just read the picture book, "Blizzard," by John Rocco to 4th graders and told stories about surviving seven blizzards one winter followed by the North Dakota flood of 1997. This story is about a family that travels to North Dakota to help their Aunt Frankie fight the Red River from flooding her farmstead. Patricia MacLachlan brought back many memories of the prairie and rising river. Her word choices create a rhythm and beauty that lulled me into the quiet start only to end with some big drama. Likewise, the protagonist Lucy, creates melodies with words; poetry to be exact, but she can't carry a tune in a musical family. Even though this intermediate reader has 100 pages, it would be a good read aloud as it carries much emotion and depth in a solid setting.

Lucy is traveling in an old Volkswagon van to her aunt's farm with her parents, two-year-old brother, and six-year-old sister to North Dakota. Her dad loves cows and opera while her mother loves musician Langhorne Slim. Her sister can sing in a "high perfect voice" and her selective mute brother can sing perfectly in tune. It's their secret. No one knows that he can hum in tune. They think he's mute. "Teddy has music but no words." She explains. "I have words but no music. We are a strange pair." When Teddy sees a cow for the first time he speaks to the amazement of his family. As the trip continues, he starts to say more aloud.

Some factors in selective mutism are anxiety by being overwhelmed in an unfamiliar situation or trouble processing sensory information. We see this at our school quite a bit and it is usually temporary. Teddy suffers from the same issues but will "talk," so-to-speak with Lucy. He says her name, "See" and sings to her a song every night using "la" or "ba." When Lucy tells the adults he can speak, he refuses to show them. At first annoyed, Lucy later likes their secret. It is like their secret language and makes her feel special. She obviously adores Teddy and looks out for him, perhaps more than the average sibling. When Teddy does start to talk he turns the tables on Lucy and forces her to sing. The message of facing your fears and having the courage to be bad at something makes for good discussions.

The subplot about writing and the fear of rejection is subtle, but apparent in Lucy's character arc. She might hate singing but Lucy loves to write poetry; however, she is afraid her family will criticize it and she's reluctant to share it with them. She keeps a journal and uses poetry to sort through her feelings about her Aunt's farm. Writing is hard, "I stare at the blank lined page. I feel the same way about a blank page that my Mama feels about her old home in North Dakota. I love it because it is fresh and clean. I hate it because I have to fill it." Lucy's mom doesn't like to go back to her family farm and Lucy tries to figure out why as the story progresses.

The beautiful descriptions McLachlan uses for emotions or places or things lifts the words off these pages making memorable images. She takes small moments and stretches them into tender, emotional ones; whether Teddy is slipping a hand into his big sister Lucy's or Aunt Frankie is talking about the beautiful singing she heard through the vent at night in her room below. Lucy describes the water slowly turning the farm into an island. When she looks at the cow it is her eyes that capture Lucy's attention, "Her eyes are so big I can see my own reflection there, looking tiny next to this huge cow." The author reminds me to slow down and look at the details in each day. A good addition to your library.

4 Smileys

Shelter Pet Squad #1: Jelly Bean (Shelter Pet Squad #1) by Cynthia Lord

This story draws on a child's desire to have a pet. Second-grader Suzannah lives in an apartment that does not allow them so she volunteers at the local animal shelter. She is part of the Shelter Pet Squad, a group of kids in grades 2-6 that play with the animals and make things for them. When a family brings in a pet guinea pig to the shelter because they are moving, Suzannah is determined to find it a home. She rallies the Pet Squad into advertising at the school in hopes that some teacher will step forward and adopt the pet for his or her classroom. Our students in third grade work with animal shelter dogs and adopt-a-pet for their classrooms. I know that teachers will like this book for their library or as a read aloud.

I was confused at the start of the book because the illustrations make Suzannah look older than grade 2. I didn't discover her age until after Chapter 1 and had a hard time getting an image in my head. A sweet tale emerges that shows how one person can make a difference in the life of an animal. I snoozed a bit in this slow, sweet, realistic tale directed at intermediate readers. These type of books tend to have a limited vocabulary and simple plots and words as readers gain fluency. This is the nature of intermediate books and the result is I find them forgettable for the most part. Perhaps my hyperactiveness works against me and my bias toward humor, fantasy, and action are too influential. Either way, you'll have to decide for yourself what you think about its pacing.

I like Cynthia Lord's middle grade books because of the tension she creates and depth in themes. She is one of the few writers that can sustain my interest. She just doesn't here. I actually took more interest in the broken-hearted dog, Bandit, thinking that the story might be about Suzannah trying to make friends with him. But Bandit is just an aside to showing that the animals at the shelter can find good homes. The real star is the guinea pig, Jelly Bean. Ironically, my dad used to call me "Barbara Jean, Jelly Bean" because I was always doing gymnastics around the house. I loved to cartwheel and spin in circles. Alas, this book just didn't have enough twirls for me.

3 Smileys

Be Careful What You Sniff For (Magic Bone #1) by Nancy E. Krulik, Sebastien Braun (Illustrations)

This follows the same vein as the Katie Kazoo series. The realistic story has a magical item that transforms the main character in a unique way. While Katie Kazoo has more of a Freaky Friday magical twist, this one has a rambunctious puppy that gets transported by a magical bone to another location. He bites his bone and ends up in cheer-i-o London. Except everyone is crabby and the cute pooch, Sparky, gets tossed into the dog pound with a bunch of bully bulldogs. He makes friend with a small dog like him and they plan their escape. While I'll get this series for my library I know I'll forget about it. Nothing quite stands out for me. The author does give Sparky specific traits such as him being a hyperactive puppy that uses three-word repetitions that might make it a better read aloud. It reminded me of Mo Willems, "Let's Go For a Drive" (drive, drive, drive-y, drive, drive) which kids love as a read aloud.

The animals have human characteristics and can communicate with each other but are limited in how they can communicate with their human owners. This adds humor and frames the story as the human owner of Sparky only appears at the beginning and end of the story. Notes at the end explain different places in London that Sparky explored. The facts are a good way to give some nonfiction facts in a fiction story. The illustrations should help the reader recognize Buckingham Palace and Big Ben and is a good intermediate chapter book series. Fans of some toilet-bowl humor will think Sparky's peeing at inappropriate times and puking on the floor funny. Can't tell you how many squirts I find in the library howling over books that have this specific type of tickle-your-bones humor. Or in this case it might tickle-their-magic-bone. Light, fun fare.

3 Smileys