By the way, what IS your favorite Magic Tree House book? Please let us know by adding a comment below.

To go along with Rohmann’s award-winning story, this month’s craft is an Airplane! Fly on by the Youth Services Desk to pick up a craft kit. You can use your airplane as a story prop for Rohmann’s tale or take it for a spin to kick off this year’s Summer Reading Club: Have Book, Will Travel! So, pick up some exciting books about planes, trains or automobiles and get ready for a fun adventure here at Skokie Public Library.

The exhibit will feature more than 160 pieces from 33 popular children’s book illustrators. Many of the artworks are being supplied directly by the artists. Featured artists include David Wiesner, Ed Young, Chris Raschka, Jerry Pinkney, Mo Willems, and David Macaulay.

We hope you’ll take some time to enjoy this exhibit which runs from June 1st through August 16th. Also, come join us for a fun-filled afternoon celebrating the art of children’s picture books. On Saturday, June 1st beginning at 1:30 p.m. there will be a “look and find” game with the artwork, a chance to get your picture taken with your favorite picture book and visit from authors/illustrators of Caldecott Medal and honor books. No registrtation required.

Would you ever dream of moving into a retirement home as a teenager? Or want to roam Japan with Bobby Valentine, one of the best managers in MLB? Well, Andrew Jenks did those things, while also being an astounding filmmaker. At the young age of 19, he sold his movie Room 335. Two years later he went to Japan to make a film about Bobby Valentine called, The Zen of Bobby V.  A few years after that, his show The World of Jenks premiered on MTV.

This autobiography, My Adventures as a Young Filmmaker showed the hardships of Andrew Jenks’ life at a young age and as an adult. Those hardships included extreme homesickness and insomnia. Also explained in the autobiography is that Jenks got into film at a very young age. When he was growing up in Belgium, he always carried his camera with him. Later, when Jenks was in high school, he decided to submit some of his episodes to a smaller TV station in his hometown. A few episodes aired, but the show was later rejected because of a controversial situation.

Before I read this book, I had no interest in reading autobiographies. But after reading this book, it didn’t feel like an autobiography. It felt more like a novel!  My Adventures as a Young Filmmaker is a good book for anyone who loves movies and films.

Under The Cover is your chance for to submit reviews on the books you love. Contribute a review.

In the book, Horten’s Incredible Illusions: Magic, Mystery & Another Very Strange Adventure by Lissa Evans, Stuart Horten, grand-nephew of the famous magician Teeny Tiny Tony Horten, travels to a magical land and tries to solve the mystery of Tony Horten’s will. Stuart and his neighbor April continue the adventure they began in the first book by traveling through the rest of the great uncle’s Illusions (the Book of Peril, the Cabinet of Blood, the Arch of Mirrors, the Reappearing Rose Bower, the Pharaoh’s Pyramid, and the Fan of Fantasticality) to solve puzzles, save their friends, and try to find Tony Horten’s will before someone else does. This book has an exciting intro, a very sweet ending, and a plot sequence that will keep you reading!

For the entire beginning and background story, read Horten’s Miraculous Mechanism, although it is not necessary. I did not read the first book first, but still completely understood the plot. This is one of those series where you can jump in in the middle and still get it. I really enjoyed Horten’s Incredible Illusions: Magic, Mystery & Another Very Strange Adventure by Lissa Evans; it was funny, suspenseful, creative, and really fun to read! I recommend this book to kids in 6th-8th grade, and anyone who likes magic, mystery, and creative thinking. Also, if you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society series, you will love this book. So grab a copy, put your feet up, and enjoy!

Under The Cover is your chance for to submit reviews on the books you love. Contribute a review.

How would you feel if your best friend turned on you for a snotty new kid? In the book, 33 Minutes by Todd Hasak-Lowy, that exact thing happens to Sam Lewis, a typical brainiac who is the leader of his school’s mathletes. Sam’s best friend, Morgan, the star running back and captain of the football team, begins hanging out with the rich, snotty, new kid, Chris, instead of Sam. Morgan and Sam grow apart and eventually become angry with one another. Sam’s anger with Morgan heightens when Morgan laughs at him during a pep assembly. Out of his rage, Sam writes “Morgan is so stupid” on a sheet of paper which Morgan discovers. Morgan says he is going to “kick his butt at recess” the next day. The entire book – and the title – focuses on the 33 minutes before the recess where Sam will supposedly get his butt kicked.

Despite the situation, this is a very funny story occasionally interrupted by even more hilarious drawings, which definitely helped tell the tale. The refreshing illustrations were a bit like Diary of A Wimpy Kid, to draw a comparison. All in all, 33 Minutes by Todd Hasak-Lowy is fun and hilarious, the characters are interesting and easy to relate to. I would especially recommend this to 6th or 7th Graders.

Under The Cover is your chance for to submit reviews on the books you love. Contribute a review.

During your visit to the Library, stock up on your spring reading with some books about caterpillars or butterflies. Eric Carle’s delectable story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a personal favorite and was the inspiration for this craft!