Storytime Book: "Press Here"

Press Here

by Herve Tullet

Goodreads Summary: Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read-aloud fun for all ages!

Thoughts: This is an absolutely delightful book to read during small group settings.  It works best with a smaller group, so reading it during everyday storytime might not work well if large numbers are expected.  I would also say that it's definitely geared for the preschoolers and it might work for 3 year olds, but not any younger.  I've read this book twice during my library's Story Stop (which is an informal, 15 minute storytime we offer), and the kids loved it both times.  It also draws the kids who are a little bit shy because they really want to see what happens on the next page.  There's not a whole lot of vocabulary or narrative building skills, but it's a very fun book that I think kids would love to read again and again.

Book Review: "The Body Finder"

The Body Finder

by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose has a special ability to feel "imprints" left behind by the dead, especially those who were killed violently.  As her junior year starts, her ability is the farthest thing from her mind as her feelings for her best friend, Jay, begin to change.  However, when Violet stumbles upon a dead girl in the lake and other young girls go missing, she begins to realize that her ability could help catch the killer.  While well written, The Body Finder is definitely a book that is more suited for teens than adults.  The plot was alright and moved along at a good pace, but the climax was fairly anti-climactic.  The characters, especially the side ones, were one dimensional and the romance was predictable and juvenile.  What eventually docked the overall rating for the book were the jokes that occurred throughout the books.  Some of the jokes told were crude and offensive, and didn't have any place in the book.  They did nothing to further the plot or develop the characters, and are not jokes that teens should think are okay to make.  However, the book was decent and I would most likely recommend it to teens that enjoy mysteries with a paranormal twist.

Rating: ★★