Bananagrams

Recommended grades 3 and up.  Bananagrams (costs around $15.00) can be described simply as competitive, speed, solitaire Scrabble.  Players receive individual tiles and create their own connecting words.  The first user to use all of their tiles after several rounds wins.  Because players are in charge of their own words, the game works at any level; third graders can play within their working vocabulary, while seniors in high school can play within theirs.  Younger players may need more oversight and guidance in playing the game. One drawback is the little pieces, which can easily be lost, but the game can still be played with a few missing letters.  This is an excellent pick-up game that does not require much set-up and easily adapts itself to any players.  Educational, friendly, and competitive, this game will make an excellent edition to a board game collection.  Highly recommended, *****.

Judy Moody's Summer

Recommended grades 1-3.  Judy Moody has her heart on an exciting summer when she devises her Thrill-Point Race system in Judy Moody and the Thrill Points Race (Candlewick Press, 2011).  Instead of the humdrum summers of past, Judy initiates a summer-long competition with her friends to see who can have the most not bummer summer.  This transitional chapter book is not written by Judy Moody's creator, Megan McDonald, instead it is adapted from the recent Judy Moody film by Jamie Michalak.  Instead of illustrations, images are taken directly from scenes in the movie.  To this end, the story fell a little flat.  Judy's actions were captured but not the spirit of McDonald's books.  There were many valuable lessons for Judy to learn as she fell short of her expected summer, but Michalak failed to take these many opportunities.  The images from the movie will be fun for readers who have seen the film, but do not blend as well with the story as the drawn illustrations do in McDonald's stories.  As the movie fades from reader's minds, so will this book, leaving McDonald's books as longer-lasting library treasures.  Not recommended, **