Author: M.P. Kozlowsky
What would you sacrifice to make your fondest wishes come true?

Juniper's family used to be close and loving. Juniper would write elaborate plays and her actor parents would make them come to life. Her parents longed for fame and fortune, though. When they finally "made it" in the movies, their lives changed drastically. Suddenly, Juniper's parents have no time for her, and don't even seem to really care about her anymore. When she meets a new neighbor named Giles with similar parental problems, they decide to investigate.

This isn't just a tale of family changes, though. Juniper suspects something sinister has happened to her formerly loving parents. When she follows them out into the woods one dark and dreary night, her suspicions are confirmed. Can she withstand the temptations of her own deepest desires long enough to rescue her parents?

Juniper Berry is a wonderfully creepy tale, but not terrifying. It's a great choice for kids who want to dive into a book that will make them shiver. Students who are overly sensitive (as some of my students tend to be) may want to wait until they are slightly older. It's a great example of a strong female lead who will also appeal to the boys in the room!

Note: I won a copy of this book from Walden Pond Press. Check them out on Twitter! (@WaldenPondPress) 

My students simply adore reading fantasy and mystery - but it's time to help them spread their wings. What better way than to read about the real lives of some amazing women from our history?

This series introduces the idea of primary sources to younger audiences, which definitely appeals to me.  Every child should be able to see images and "hear" the real voices of the time period as they learn about real people. I think this is a lesson that can be taught well before middle and high school, especially when we use images as our primary sources. 

The actual writing style comes across as a little dry, but the pictures and quotes make it a bit more interesting. The fact that the books are short will hopefully make it enticing to my students that are attempting to branch out into new genres. 

I missed a few weeks of recommendations due to the Thanksgiving break at my school.

This week's book is a compilation of Native American stories from tribes across the United States. 

Simply told and simply illustrated - the tales get to the heart of the reverent relationship Native American tribes had with the world around them. I see students diving into Greek and Egyptian lore to tie into their love for Rick Riordan stories, and I want to help them broaden their knowledge of myths and legends. 
The stories are told by Joseph Bruchac -the author of Code Talker (a novel about the Navajo who were integral to our successes in World War 2)

As an added bonus- the stories are a perfect add on for a student who is learning about Native Americans in school (as they do in my school in third and fourth grades). It also dovetailed beautifully with two books I am using in reading groups this year. One group is just finishing Sign of the Beaver and another read Code Talker at the start of the year.