Mello Jello Magoo is a book of mixed genres. First, it is a story about Zo and Ray, who adopt a stray cat they name Mello. Zo finds Mello in an alley one day while she is on a walk. Mello follows Zo as she begins to walk home, so Mello is welcomed into the home of Zo and Ray. They try everything to find the owner of Mello, eventually finding the owner who tells them they can keep him. What follows is the narrative of Mello’s life, with a smattering of commentary from Mello himself.
Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones is part of a series and is an amusing mystery novel for children. Bubba and his sister Squirt have a magical hole in their backyard that acts as a portal to other places in the world. Their father is missing, and Bubba has a dream about his Great Great Great Grandpa Jacob telling him the answer is in the art in Paris. Bubba and Squirt use the portal to travel to Paris and end up in the catacombs. They meet Jacques, a boy the same age as Bubba, and his cousin Simone.
In The Ascenditure, Klarke Ascher is attempting a feat never accomplished by women in her kingdom before: to become an Ascenditure, a member of the elite climbing group of Ectair. She has been beaten out for the job once before, even though she is clearly the better climber, but was denied the position because she is a female. Females in Ectair are expected to be wives and mothers, married off in arranged marriages starting at the age of seventeen. Klarke is seventeen and she is lucky enough to be lodged in an all woman tenement.
A Name for Dog is a story about the people and animals of a village, living in the same space but separately, as has always been. Animals are not pets, nor are they predator or prey of humans. Animals are predator and prey to each other, but hunting is not to be done in the village. The animals have no names; they are just simply called what they are, by people and other animals. Tinnet, Nalana and Grat are three children who become friends, and they all secretly wonder what it would be like to have animals as friends.
Life’s but a Poem by Peter King is a short collection of poems about a variety of topics in life. The book is a mini autobiography in poems. It takes us through the author’s life from being born to present, making stops along the way. Just a few of the topics include learning of his attempt at sports, falling in love, and enjoying nature with him, and he imparts some wisdom on us as well.
Immortal Warriors by Julian Rosado-Machain is a three part story about the immortal heroes and citizens of Ridyani “the Jewel of the East", an ancient abandoned human city that is now inhabited by animals of all species. The city of Ridyani is protected by Immortal Warriors Radji the Just, a brown monkey and Erdai the Knight of a Thousand Eyes, a peacock. Under the protection and watchful eyes of the immortal warriors and the Inner Circle, Ridayni is a refuge for animals of all species to live in peace.
