Author Ellen Tarlow and illustrator Julien Chung create a clever and engaging picture book about finding what it means to be your true self.
Blue very much wants to be like his friend Red. Red is exciting, funny and fascinating. Blue tries to copy his friend Red, but it isn’t easy or as fun as Blue thought it would be. Blue sets out on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.
The illustrations in this book are simple and bold. The message of self-acceptance is easy for young readers to relate to and understand. It would be a wonderful book to add to classrooms and library collections.
The YA novel, A Secret Princess, is a creative collaboration by two renowned young adult literature authors, Margaret de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl. With clear homage to Frances Hodgson Burnett, the author of The Secret Garden, A LittlePrincess and Little Lord Fauntleroy, de la Cruz and Stohl weave an entertaining but fanciful story around three young people who chance to meet in a repressive English boarding school called The Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Gentlemen. The 2022 novel holds no surprises in plot, setting or character development. Teenage attraction at almost first sight, the unfair use of adult power, the instant friendship formed from disadvantage and the magical powers of a hidden garden are formulaic and expected. The surprising and refreshing aspect of this light and breezy novel is the inclusion of a person of color, Sara from the Philippines, who experiences subtle and blatant prejudice from every class level in pre-industrial England. The “prince” is a physically challenged young man whose wealth and privilege cannot bring him what he most desires: health and mobility. The third main character is Mary, a strong-willed, determined young woman who will not be the “lady” that is expected of her. The rewriting of the classic stories by Burnett to reflect multi-cultural backgrounds and people of color is to update the original work with an air of honor and respect. These young characters overcome difficulties through friendship, courage and a bit of “luck”. A Secret Princess is a whimsy, frivolous read.
Interweaving Arthurian legend with the harsh realities of slavery and its modern affects, Bloodmarked will be a compelling and educational read for people of all ages, but primarily the YA audience, as it has a young female lead on the path of discovering more about her heritage and newfound powers. This retelling of Arthurian legend will engage readers who enjoy books with themes involving confronting racial prejudice and discovering oneself and abilities.
Soon after the events of the previous book Legendborn, Bree Matthews is learning to control her powers as a medium and the Scion of Arthur in order to rescue fellow scion Nicholas, a quest on which her right to rule is questioned by the Order of the Round Table, and her relationship with the Kingsmage Selwyn Kane develops.
I liked that it had a strong female protagonist whose struggles included people challenging her right to rule and discovering the implications of her new status as a medium, which includes obtaining the powers, skills, and qualities of her ancestors, such as Arthur.
Personally, I didn’t feel that there was much development with her relationship with Sel or Nick. Nothing substantial happened because Nick was kidnapped throughout the entirety of the book, leaving Sel to remain his Kingsmage. There was some discussion about whether Sel would be able to be Kingsmage to the both of them, but this was an unresolved point in Bloodmarked.
Readers who like Karen McManus will love this new book by Rebecca Barrow. Set on an old-money island, Luca and her peers believe the place to be cursed. Too many of Parris Island’s young girls have gone missing and turned up dead; including Luca’s best friend and sister. As Luca pursues the clues surrounding the disappearance of the girls, she quickly becomes surrounded by her own dangers. This is a thrill ride from the start; lots of clues to be had in this fast paced mystery. Just when we think things are working themselves out; there’s always more to uncover. Highly Recommend.
Arden Grey is a coming of age story through a female protagonist who is struggling to make sense of her parent’s recent divorce and incessant harassment from her peers at school. Arden has fell in love with film photography, she carries her camera around everywhere, capturing the little things in life; one of her prints becomes featured in a local art show – giving her the credibility for her art that she’s longed for. This book has a very diverse cast of characters; Arden is wondering if she may be Aromantic/Asexual, and is definitely attracted to girls (hence being a target at school); and her best friend is a trans boy experience his first romantic relationship with a girl; and Arden’s father newly out status allows him to date an old acquaintance.
This book deals with some heavy topics – and Arden’s struggle is clear. Fortunately through the heavy, there are true moments of light and acceptance. I think many kids will relate to Arden’s experience – there’s so much goin on in her life that it’s easy to connect to something; however, this is also what makes the story a bit less believable. I do recommend this for high school libraries.
Does the intrigue into the lives of kings and religious temple life from distant tropical islands interest you? How about gifted women who possess spiritual powers, enabling them to gain knowledge and secrets of the unseen world make for an interesting read? Lizz Huertauses flowery, descriptive words to bring you into the hearts and minds of her characters as they interact with Indir, the Dreamer, the seer.
Royalty passes the throne of power from the father to the son and song with this succession, comes change. Immediately, the new king tells his audience of the old traditions that, “I am here to usher in a new age.” The tradition of Dreamers is now threatened. What does Alcan, the new king want? Power. He believes power means having control over others.
But Alcan is also an angry person. Indir escapes from Alcan’s threats. Not until three quarters into our story is Indir told the source of this anger, the secret brother of Alcan. Even kings are not spared from the consequences of unfaithfulness in a family. You’ll just need to read for yourselves how Indir’s lost Dreamer is found.
For readers who equate “corn maze” with dread, this is your book. This perfect Halloween season story is narrated by Claire, a teenager who is about to testify in her sister’s murder trial. She’s a horror movie fanatic, but a total scaredy-cat of anything that moves in real life. The plot twists in cryptic ways and I certainly couldn’t have predicted the conclusion. It’s a real nail-biter and readers will have a hard time putting it down …to go to sleep (!?).
Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions is a classic high school novel with a cast of diverse and unique characters. Sunny, a nerdy senior with a stutter, must make his way through a night full of trying experiences and difficult revelations. With the help of Mindii, the strange and aggressive girl he met at prom, Sunny will start making his own “rash decisions”, and in doing so learn more than he expected about himself and his deceased brother.
Throughout the book, Sunny is constantly driving around his town on his quest to make rash decisions. This makes the book quite a page-turner, but it also means there are very few characters who are fully fleshed out and developed. Also, while it is realistic for a high school-age environment, the frequency of swear words is both jarring and distracting from the actual plot. This book will make you realize why most YA novels choose to include only a few swears.
Sunny’s continuous struggle throughout the book is his grappling with the death of his brother, who was an alcoholic. Other themes include bullying, cultural differences, and personal identity.
Overall, Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions is an engaging book that will easily kill a few hours of time. However, the overwhelming host of problems the main character is faced with, as well as the quick, snappy writing style, can cause it to be a bit much at times. 6.5 out of 10 Stars.
A Cinderella retelling. In this book author is able to spin a tale threaded with fancy balls and sweet romance at every corner.
Even though Cendrillon’s father dies in an untimely manner, and her new stepmother is anything but motherly, Cendrillon is able to find her way through French society and steal the heart of the prince himself… and his younger brother. Leaving the horrors of living with her stepmother to be married to the prince would be a welcome escape for Cendrillon, but she doesn’t feel as much of a connection to the prince as she does with his younger brother, but she must make a decision.
Cinder and Glass stays with the main theme of the original Cinderella, but is able to tie in more current ideas and slip in historical elements.
I liked that the characters were diverse in their personalities and interests. I disliked that the beginning was a little bit slow, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.
This realistic fiction novel will be a sure winner with early intermediate readers. Melody and her mother live together in New York City while her father works in South Korea. He visits Melody and her mother three times each year. All of the sudden, Melody is told that she and her mother will be moving to Korea for her senior year in high school. How will she ever survive leaving her new best friend while learning to love a culture that she does not feel a part of? Melody enters a whole new elite world in Korea that is vastly different than the life she left behind. Korean culture, Korean fook, and language are infused throughout the book which is absolutely wonderful.
The novel The Road To After by Rebekah Lowell written in verse with beautiful illustrations will surely be a wonderful hit among middle-grade readers. Lacey and her sister and mother have long been kept captive by her father without realizing it, and now that her grandparents are here to set them free from his grip, Lacey now has the opportunity to explore outside with nature and maybe even make some friends. The wonderful descriptive language found in this novel, and the pictures alongside that are truly a marvel. It is a powerful story that will touch the emotions of readers. Review was written by a WMS Middle School student.
This picture book about legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head is a story stressing the themes of determination and persistence. As a young girl growing up in the deserts of Nevada, Edith made costumes for her pets and dolls. While still school age she discovered the power of costumes to create characters for her human friends. After moving to Los Angeles, California, one of her first jobs in Hollywood movies was to create costumes for animals in films. She could imagine and construct costumes, but couldn’t sketch well enough to be taken seriously as a designer.
Edith worked hard at learning to illustrate and eventually earned her way to dressing some of the most famous actresses in popular motion pictures of the last century. Fun illustrations, suggesting the bits and scraps of fabric from which Edith made her earliest pet and doll costumes, decorate the book with lots to enjoy. The book ends by noting the recognition of Ms. Head’s work in film with her many Academy Award nominations and wight wins.
The Author’s Note after the story is an excellent addition for older readers sharing the book with younger students.
Kelly Yang crafted an excellent book with an easy to follow prose that teaches people about Asian American history and the people who have had a role in building a better future for us all. Each page is illustrated by a different Asian American and shows a point in history where Asian Americans were fundamental in the changemaking that happened there. The text and illustrations are also accompanied by a one line biography of the person or historical moment you see on the page.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful. They are dynamic and vibrant and full of emotion and motion. Get the book just to look at the illustrations!
At the end of the book, you will find an extended biography of all the people and moments depicted throughout the book.
For readers who equate “corn maze” with dread, this is your book. This perfect Halloween season story is narrated by Claire, a teenager who is about to testify in her sister’s murder trial. She’s a horror movie fanatic, but a total scaredy-cat of anything that moves in real life. The plot twists in cryptic ways and I certainly couldn’t have predicted the conclusion. It’s a real nail-biter and readers will have a hard time putting it down …to go to sleep.
That’s Not My Name is written by Anoosha Syed and is a picture book that covers a familiar scenario for many students with cultural names. In this lovely book Mirha starts her first day of school and when she shares her name with her new classmates, she finds out none of them can say it right. The illustrations add to her dismay with all the speech bubbles of kids calling her any number of variations of her name, none of them correct. Even teachers say her name wrong. Mirha goes through many emotions about people saying her name incorrectly and what she should do about it. Should she change her name to something no one could get wrong? At the end of the day, Mama saves the day reminding Mirha about the beauty behind her name and the strength she has behind her to make sure classmates and teachers say it correctly.
Many kids go through this exact same experience and because of that – this book is important!
I highly recommend this beautiful book and think it belongs in every school.
In For for the Road, K.J. Reilly takes you on an unforgettable car trip with a mysterious cast of characters that you’ll root for all the way to the end.
When a car crash caused by a drunk driver tragically kills his mother, the only thing Asher sees in front of him is revenge. But during an epic car ride with newfound friends, he learns that there are other paths to chose from. Combining humor to make you smile, mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and interesting character dynamics, K. J. Reilly pulls you into a powerful read.
I loved the characters. All of the characters grieve differently, which shows that everyone is different. For example, Henry, a very old man who Asher made friends with. Henry’s wife died, and he hasn’t quite gotten over it. Henry carries his wife’s ashes in an urn that he takes everywhere. At restaurants, he’ll order for his wife even though she cannot eat it. Using characterization, readers can infer that he misses his wife very much.
The illustrations, by Grant Snider, are one of my favorite things about this picture book. I love the torn paper and colored pencil drawings of the iceberg and airplanes and snow falling on the ocean.
The story is wonderful as well. Blue is an iceberg that breaks off from his parents and begins to float away from them. You can see the apprehension and nerves on his face as he unwillingly leaves them. But, soon he floats and meets friends and enjoys seeing the sights. He travels far from his home and the water becomes warmer. He is melting into the ocean – he becomes the ocean! His friends were a bit frightened when he disappeared, but then he transformed into a cloud and got to see new things from this new perspective.
This is a great story about the water cycle without throwing the water cycle in your face. I would way rather read this, than many others out there!
I highly recommend putting this book in your classroom library or school library! A must have for teaching the water cycle and there are some great art projects you could do alongside it.
While this book feels different than Jacqueline Woodson’s other picture books, I love the prose with which she writes. This story is about friendship, community and summer. Every kid can relate to the excitement of getting out of school for summer and all the plans they have. Set in Brooklyn, the vibrant illustrations, by Leo Espinosa, add to the energy of the words with smiles, movement and color.
Students run down the steps of their school building into the Brooklyn streets to begin their summer vacation. They play in fire hydrants, let their curls go natural, play street games like hopscotch and jump rope, told stories that had each person enthralled to the last moment, and joined together to lift each other up and bring everyone along for the ride…that is, until. the grownups call everyone home.
This is a relatable story for kids about the joy of summer – it would be a great addition to any library, but especially in urban schools where their experiences may be similar to those in the book.
This is a fantastic book about kids bringing lunch to school that are traditional to their home culture. Each kid who is highlighted is subjected to another student saying their lunch doesn’t look good or doesn’t smell good – and ultimately they decide to switch to a boring sandwich instead. After a few days of only sandwiches, the traditional home lunches start to come back, and smiles start to return on the faces of kids.
I love the illustrations, by Jing Li, of the food, the home kitchens, and the shopping markets. What a great window into some lives!
Words are powerful and this book is a great example of that. It uses real life experiences of four professional chefs who used to bring traditional home lunches to school and who were each in turn told it looked “ewww.”
A must have for any school library! My fourth graders give it a double thumbs up!
This story, My Own Lightning by Lauren Wolk, the sequel to a dashing book will pull you straight into the world it tells of and changes the way you perceive your own. Following the events of Wolf Hollow, My Own Lightning brings about summer to the story once more; with a tremendous storm to come with it. The story following the storm tells of growing up and finding ways to cope with change or to be the change. The figurative language and fantastical imagery leave your mind spinning with beautiful pictures created by the brilliant words in My Own Lightning A brilliant historical fiction gives you not only an intriguing image of the past but deep and wonderful characters to pull you into the words with them. If the intriguing image of the past is created by this historical fiction, the thorough figurative language will strike even the most reluctant readers as simply beautiful!
Rees’s book is very well written and quickly immerses you into its world. There’s a plague that all young teens try to escape by seeking refuge in a run down castle; however, quickly realize that the plague is directly connected to demons. Most of the story is driven by the characters trying to stop the demons. Danger looms all around in this quick paced novel; characters are constantly questioning whether or not to risk the dangers in trying to survive, or to give up.
If you like creepy books full of unknowns and adventure; this book is for you.
Based on the true life experiences of a blind deaf puppy (Piglet) rescued into a loving forever home of six dogs, turned seven dogs. The story is told from the point-of-view of the dogs. Each of the seven dogs had a key role in the dynamics of this loving family, and Piglet was no exception!
Make sure you read “The Story Behind the Story” at the end.
Before there was Jane Goodall, there was little Anne Innis who wanted more than anything to know everything there was to know about giraffes. Anne visited the Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo when she was four years old. It took Anne until she was in college to make her dream come true to learn all about giraffe. Anne was met with opposition all along the way. This was the 1950s — “A woman traveling the world on her own? A woman studying animals in the wild? Unheard of!” But Anne persevered and studied giraffe in South Africa. After her study, being a woman kept her from being hired as a university professor, so Anne turned to being a writer. “Eventually, Anne’s adventures caught the attention of someone who turned Anne’s story into…a movie!”
It was a long hard road but Anne Innis Dagg’s perseverance won out in the end to the world’s betterment.
Written by Julie Falatko, Illustrated by Ruth Chan
Rick is a rock who lives on a shelf with other items found outdoors by students that learn in room 214. Rick finds that the students seem to have many adventures and he wants them too. He wants to be the rock that does more that sit. He wants to have adventures like going through a volcano, falling off cliffs and posing on a majestic mountain. One day, he falls into a backpack and goes outside looking for new things to do. What he finds are many rocks who are quiet, and no longer want adventures in their lives. Will Rick find what he wants or will he end up being a quiet rock sitting in a field? This is a very cute book that wonderfully explains how one can find adventure and enjoy life wherever one is, even if it is just sitting on a shelf in a classroom. I would highly recommend this one!
The main character, Tim Possible, is an adventurous boy who worries a lot. He and his best friend, Tito, run into a time traveling T-Rex whose time machine has turned evil. This humorous and adventuresome book will be a great addition to a library that may see a need for more books along the vein of “Captain Underpants”, “DogMan” or “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”.
