Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud.

Stroud has done it again with the conclusion to his unique Bartimaeus Trilogy.  The book does start slowly, almost painfully so, because readers will know that there is plenty of action awaiting them.   This book occurs three years after the second.  We find out what happened to Kitty after the Golem Affair and how being a magician on the Council has corrupted John Mandrake even further. 

I don’t want to say any more about the plot because the joy of reading Stroud is discovering what happens.  Let me just say that it is an amazing conclusion to a great trilogy.

I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite, illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite.

With vivid illustrations and a rhythm to the storytelling, this book is a perfect read aloud for preschoolers through elementary aged children.  It is the story of a girl who travels to Mali to see her extended family and loses her tooth while she is there.  She is told that if she loses her tooth in Africa, the African tooth fairy will give her a chicken in return.  So she places her tooth on the ground under a calabash gourd and waits.  Eventually she gets her chickens.  The illustrations are a perfect complement to the text and children will find themselves savoring the differences between the United States and Africa, from the dance of the names on your tongue to the bright red ground, it is all different but delightful. 

Share this book with children losing their first tooth, those learning about Africa, and any child who would enjoy experiencing travel to Africa.  This one is a winner.