You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

“High school is complicated, and the lines of demarcation that The Breakfast Club said divided us aren’t quite so clean-cut…..But there’s still those outliers. The people who are everywhere but fit nowhere. People who are involved but not envied — present but imperfect — so the scrutiny pushes them out of the race. People like me.”

Liz Lighty is Black in a mostly-White high school. She’s smart and driven and fatherless and now motherless. She’s poor and she’s musical and she rocks at community service. Oh, and when she meets the new girl, Mack, she realizes she’s queer.

A high school senior, Liz knows exactly what she wants: she wants to attend her mother’s alma mater, Pennington College, play in their orchestra and go on to medical school. With her excellent grades and extra-curricular activities, she’s confident she’ll get the scholarship needed to make her dreams a reality. But when she doesn’t get the scholarship she had counted on, there’s only one thing to do: run for prom queen and earn the generous scholarship for “outstanding service and community engagement.” As an outlier, what are Liz’s chances of rising to the top of the 25 girls in the run for prom queen? Does the title of the book give away the ending, or set the reader up to wish good things could happen to good people? This book tackles tough teenage angst in a book that is a laugh a page.

The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell

The Circus Rose is a queer re-telling of Snow White and Rose Red fairy tales told in the alternating perspective of twin teen sisters, Ivory and Rose. Ivory writes in prose; Rose writes in verse. The girls have been raised in the circus by their single mother, the ringmaster of a circus. The girls each have separate fathers but were born within two minutes of each other. Rosie and Ivory have spent their lives in the circus, and have been traveling on tour for years. When they finally return to Port End, the town that is the closest place to home, something has changed: there are flyers all over posted by the Brethren, a fundamentalist religious order. Brethren preachers are seen throughout the community, including in front of the circus ticket booth. When the circus presents its big homecoming show, disaster strikes. From that moment on, the themes darken, circus staff disappear, and despair builds. Ivory is left to salvage the circus with the help of her transgender Faerie sweetheart, Tam.

Faeries have historically been persecuted by the Brethren and this complicates the plot even further. (This novel is a fantasy set in an unknown time period and undetermined location. It is a time before electric lights as gaslights were used in the circus. People travel by ship, wagon, and airship reminiscent of the steampunk Finishing School series by Gail Carriger).

As Ivory and Tam frantically try to track down the missing circus members, including Ivory and Rose’s mother and Rose herself, the battle becomes pitches against the religious extremists. The ending of the novel is reminiscent of thrilling, other-world scenes found in various books in the Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children series.

For those who enjoyed author Betsy Cornwell’s 2015 steampunk version of Cinderella, Mechanica, those who like Steampunk or Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children, The Circus Rose is an excellent choice.

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One Little Bag, by Henry Cole (author & illustrator)

An absolutely charming wordless picture book describing that long life of our main character – a paper bag! Henry Cole, at his best, delights us with the very beginning of a life of a bag, as a tree. The picture shows the tree looking vibrant and content in a forest, and then through the logging process, milling, manufacturing, and into a grocery story.From there, it really becomes loved in a family home and used as a lunch bag for a young boy to carry his sandwiches to school.His father draws a small red heart on the bag, which is later used with the boy’s flashlight at night, goes camping and holds the marshmellows, follows him as he ages and holds a ring he gives to his love, ect. By the end of our story the bag is appropriately used to hold a small seedling which is planted back into the earth by our main character and his son.

A lovely story for earthday, recycle/reuse, over consumption, generational stories, lifecycle and more. Recommended book for your library!

Here is Henry Cole’s website: https://www.henrycole.net/main.php

Addy’s Cup of Sugar, Based on a Buddhist Story of Healing By, Jon J. Muth

A beautifully written and illustrated story designed to assist a grieving child. The plot centers around a girl who experiences the death of her cat and wishes that the effects could be reversed. She was instructed by Stillwater, her wise friend, to assemble the right ingredients needed to assist her. She then walked around her neighborhood and asked for a cup of sugar from any house whose occupants have been immune from grieving a death. Further and further into the day, she realizes that there wasn’t one house that hadn’t experienced the loss of someone they love.

This is a compassionate story intended to explain and soften the feeling of loss and grief. It is based upon the Buddhist legend called “The Mustard Seed”, from a collection of sayings called the Dhammapada (first century BCE). A woman who loses her infant to death is instructed by Buddha to search for a household and receive a mustardseed from anyone not touched by death. This leads to her acceptance of death and the normalcy of this aspect of life.

Beautiful illustrations and lovely emotional expression. Recommended book.

Island Endurance by Bill Yu

Could you survive if you were washed overboard and marooned on a deserted island? This is not a new concept for a story, but it is a new modern version of survival for intermediate readers who enjoy graphic novels.

When a snobby entitled teenage girl (Valerie) gets washed off of a resort’s new yacht with a young teenage girl (Merissa) member of the yacht’s crew during an upcoming storm, the two must work together to survive. Merissa knows all of the survival skills and many of the dangers of the island they land upon. Merissa is more than willing to show Valerie the ropes. By the time they are rescued, the reader has gained important real life survival skills, and Valerie has learned an important lesson about respect for others, as well as survival skills.

This book includes: three true short tales of survival, an “Island Survival Guide”, “What Do You Think?”, “Island Survival Trivia”, nonfiction network resources through abdobooklinks.com and a QR code.

Thank You, Garden by Liz Garton Scanlon, illus. by Simone Shin

People of all ages taking care of their individual plots in a community garden. Planting, cultivating, watering, weeding, and playing in the garden over the long weeks before an edible enjoyment of the garden’s success.

Written in short phrases, the word garden makes 24 appearances. Two of my personal favorites are, ” Garden hardly makes a sound growing, slowly, underground” and “Garden growing like a child, rosy, leggy, fresh, and wild _”

Simone Shin’s illustrations are full of the pride and joy of gardening from the work of being hands-on in the soil.

It’s My Tree by Olivier Tallec

Squirrel is very possessive – “This is MY tree” and “Those are MY pinecones”. His obsessive greed leads him to wonder about others taking possession of HIS tree and HIS pinecones. In order to protect HIS things, he builds a wall (a very large and long wall). But, he begins to worry anew. What if there is a better, more beautiful tree on the other side or bigger pinecones? Is he missing something that could become HIS? The story ends with him climbing the wall to look over and seeing an entire forest a swarm with happy squirrels.

Short sentences and vivid illustrations make this an attractive read. The squirrel is engaging and the colors are warm. While this story is a fantastic conversation starter about possessiveness and greed, it does seem to end rather abruptly. There is no resolution to the squirrel’s problem and students might be left with more questions than answers. We all want to know – does the squirrel learn that sharing is better? We just don’t know…

Wherever I Go, by Mary Wagley Copp and illustrated by Munir D. Mohammed

Beautifully illustrated picture book of a refugee family from who has been at the Shimelba Refugee Camp the longest — seven years! In spite of having to flee their humble home and community, the main character Abia (elementary aged) has been told by her father as she plays imaginary games, that she is a queen. He makes her a crown of the Acacia tree crowns and she feels like she has super powers while helping her mother with chores, or simply walking the perimeter of the camp with other kids. Eventually this family makes their way to the United States, where Abai can still howl to the hills.

This picture book concludes with resources and additional information in the back of the book. Such as informing the reader that there are 68 million displaced people in the world right now. About 25 million are classified as refugee status. Relevant books to further your reading are suggesting in a list in the back as well as middle grade and young adult list. Recommended+ for your library!

Little Goddess Girls, Artemis & the Awesome Animals. By, Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, Illustrated by Yuyi Chen.

This is an easy to read, larger sized print, chapter book for younger readers. Very appealing with a colorful jacket and black and white illustrations on the inside. This series was modeled after the version of Goddess Girls for intermediate readers, and makes a great introduction to the series for it’s reader base. Artemis is the main character and is joined by Athena, Medusa, Zeus and others. I appreciate how the authors retain the integrity of the character traits of each mythical goddess or creature introduced into the story. It’s a great way for children to learn about Greek Mythology through the adventures of the relatable characters in our story. Recommended for readers in the primary grades and even intermediate struggling readers will very likely enjoy this series!

Someday we will fly

Someday We Will Fly is the story of a Jewish family, as told through the eyes of 15 year old Lillia, as they escape Poland, without Lilla’s mother, and find refuge in Shanghai. Lillia, her young disabled sister, and her heart-broken father learn to fit in as best they can in a foreign culture. The father struggles to find work and the reader is moved to see a once-proud parent reduced to the beaten down hopelessness that settles over him.

Lillia works hard to learn English and to help her little sister whose disabilities and malnutrition weigh on Lillia. Desperate times make people act in ways they might otherwise never consider, as when Lillia takes a job (unbeknownst to her father) as a dancer in a gentlemen’s club.

The reader is impressed by how hard Lillia works to learn Chinese and to achieve in school. She makes friend with Wei, a Chinese boy in her school. Lillia has less supervision in Shanghai than she ever had in Warsaw, but this benefit is greatly overshadowed by the suffering of both the Jewish and the Chinese communities under Japanese occupation.

For a Young Adult novel, there is a pleasantly surprising lack of romance. The ending is a bit contrived and seemed unrealistically optimistic. But it was plausible.

Someday We Will Fly is unique from other WWII historical fictions, covering the little known history of Jewish refugees in Shanghai. The reader learns that 23,000 Jews escaped from Europe and found refuge in Shanghai during the Nazi Regime.

Author Rachel DeWoskin spent much of her life in China, including the past six summers in Shanghai where she researched and wrote this book. She teaches fiction at the University of Chicago, and is an affiliated faculty member in Jewish Studies and East Asian Studies. Her scholarly background is evident in the Author’s Note and the extensive Sources Consulted at the end of this novel.

Extraordinary Warren’s World

This darling beginning reader chapter, picture, graphic novel book was written by Sarah Dillard. She masterfully blends a picture book with beginning reading book, and a graphic novel which will appeal to all readers and ability levels. The pictures are charming and will be appealing to younger readers who need the visual cueing and enjoy the illustrations of “Everybody” books. The organization of a beginning reader chapter book with features such as chapters, should appeal to the reader who wish to identify with the format of older students. But, just as appealing is the graphic novel fusion, where reluctant readers usually choose to reside. This book has it all, almost creating a new genre’ which I suspect will appeal to a wide range of readers.

The story is light hearted adventure featuring our main character, Warren, who is a young chicken hoping to learn to fly so he can go to the moon. Supporting characters include the coach, who helps Warren practice flying utilizing activities such as yoga. Once he learns and acquires a “side kick” who was an egg and then a chick. Warren becomes both a role model to the young chick and also a hero as he realizes that rat and fox have nefarious plans for the chicken barn. Very cute book in a boutique series collection! https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Extraordinary-Warrens-World/Sarah-Dillard/PIX/9781534463462

Eels: the superpower field guide; by Rachel Poliquin ill. by Nicholas John Frith

This is the fourth book in a non-fiction series “The Superpower Field Guide.” I confess I’ve never been a big fan of eels, but this book really held my interest. I wanted to know about Olenka’s migration. Black and white line drawings and more realistic colored illustrations help tell the story of “Olenka, migrating mistress of mystery.”
Olenka is a freshwater eel and her saga is divided into her ten “superpowers.” The author prefaces the superpower section with an introduction to eels in general and hooks the reader with the mystery of European eels, specifically one named Olenka. Having a specific eel to follow engages the reader in a story rather than just providing a list of facts.
A true-false quiz (with answers) adds some facts about a third of the way through the book. A second quiz at two thirds is a ‘Where’s the Eel?’ picture with the answers at the end of the book. The end of the text also includes a glossary and bibliography. Sadly there is no Table of Contents or Index provided.

Descent by Roland Smith

This is Bk. 4 in the Peak Marcello Adventure series and the final installment. The “outdoorsy” cover will attract readers who love climbing / survival stories. Welcome into the novel, also, those with an interest in international politics. Peak’s famous mountaineering father, Josh, and his climbing partner, Zopa, are on the run from Chinese government, wanted for questioning by the People’s Liberation Army. The setting is Tibet, the goal is to safely descend while not being discovered, while at the same time facing the usual survival challenges of avalanches, food and drink scarcity, and unpredictable weather.

Having not read the previous three books in the series put me at a disadvantage, especially in the lack of character development, probably established in the earlier books. The pacing was sometimes slow, typical for a survival story, but often action-packed as well.

Bad Brows by Jason Carter Eaton

Children’s books can be silly, sad, serious or goofy. But, it is not often that you can call a picture book “absolutely weird”! This story is just that – weird! Bernard wakes up one morning and his eyebrows have taken on a life of their own. He tries to smooth them down, but to no avail. They bunch up, grow to crazy lengths, bush out, tie in knots and all sorts of other strange activity ensues. Bernard has no control over his brows and those around him are offended, angered and stumped by their unruliness (and place a bit of the blame on Bernard). Fortunately, things calm down for Bernard when his real eyebrows return. Apparently, they were on vacation. Hmmm…where did the substitute brow go? The answer is on the last page on his baby sister’s forehead. Oh, no!

Cartoon-like illustrations match the weirdness of the text. Characters are diverse, which is one normal part of this book. Hand this to your readers who like some of the stranger cartoons on television, like Gravity Falls or Steven Universe. They’ll understand this book.

I Got You a Present! by Mike Erskine-Kellie & Susan McLennan

It’s a birthday party and Duck comes bearing…nothing! He tells a story of his search for the perfect gift, from socks that took six months to make (and still look pretty bad) to a a really cool rocket ship that some lost aliens needed to use to fly home. But, all is not lost! Duck has the perfect gift – this story! What could be better than a story about your favorite things and your good friend, Duck?

Fans of silly friendship stories like Elephant and Piggie will enjoy this zany duck and his mishaps as he tries to find the perfect gift for his friend. Illustrations are bright and cartoon-like. Duck is animated and engaging as he moves from gift to gift in his search for the perfect one. Recommended.

LGBTQ Service In the Armed Forces by Duchess Harris, JD, PHD

LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces by Duchess Harris, JD, PhD. looks at enlisted LGBTQ people and legislation that made their experience in the US military difficult. It also discusses how LGBTQ soldiers served during times of war but were often discharged for their gender identity or sexuality after the war. The book includes include a glossary, further readings, websites, source notes, sidebars, and an index. Period and modern photographs put faces to the historic characters and modern service members discussed in the text. LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces is appropriate for use in school curriculums and is aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.

LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces is part of a series which includes Being Transgender in America, Growing up LGBTQ, LGBTQ Discrimination in America, LGBTQ Rights and the Law, and LGBTQ Social Movements in America.

Just One Itsy Bitsy Little Bite / Solo uan mordidita chiquitita

Written by Xavier Garza with vibrant illustrations by Flor deVita, this bilingual picture book is fun both for young children as well as older student learning Spanish. It is a cute Day of the Dead counting story: one skeleton, then two, and more and more, come to the Joaquin’s door wanting his mother’s traditional pan de muerto. They eat it all up, not leaving even one itsy bitsy little bite for Joaquin.

EL Crossover by Kwame Alexander

This is the Spanish edition of Kwame Alexander’s award winning novel in verse, Crossover. This is the story of two 12 year old brothers, Josh and Jordan Bell, who live and breathe basketball. They are whizzes at the crossover dribble (a player dribbling the ball switches the ball rapidly from one hand to the other, to make a change in direction in an effort to deceive the defender). Things start to fall apart when Jordan meets the new girl at school.

Crossover won the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Passaic Poetry Prize. 

Having a Spanish edition of this popular title will be a real asset to our school libraries, and is relevant to upper elementary, middle school and high school students.

Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and Feel

In Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Talk, Think, And Feel environmental educator and photographer Nancy Castaldo explores the minds of animals and explores how animals communicate, use tools, live in social societies, and show empathy. Using interviews and historical information, Castaldo looks at the  researchers from Charles Darwin to Jane Goodall, and many others, to look at the minds of animals. The reader will discover all kinds of fascinating information, including that dolphins are the animals with largest brains relative to body size next to humans. But dolphins have more folds in their cortex than any other animal, including man. Scientists believe that the folds provide more room for neurons.  

There are many more interesting facts and stories of animals, accompanied by wonderful photographs. The book includes sidebars, a glossary, source notes, an index, lists of recommended videos, books, and a Nobel Prize lecture, in addition to an extensive bibliography.

For those enjoying science non-fiction, Castaldo has two other books of interest, Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (And Their Noses) Save the World,   and The Story of Seeds: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate, And How There’s More of Less to Eat Around the World.

 

 

Beyond Me by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu

Maya lives with her Japanese father and American mother in Japan. Her grandmother and Great Grandfather live nearby. Maya is in school on March 11, 2011 when an earthquake hits off the Japanese coast, followed by a tsunami and damage to a nuclear plant. Her family is safe and intact, but Maya is scared as the aftershocks keep coming for days and weeks. She makes paper cranes and writes messages to “The People in the Northeast” to help her cope.

Written in verse, the author uses fonts and color to show the aftershocks and Maya’s feelings. Dates at the top and timestamps for the aftershocks make you feel the anxiousness that Maya was feeling. Maya and the other characters in the story of different ways of coping and the story shows us that we all have different ways of getting through a disaster.

The Crankypants Tea Party by Barbara Bottner

Clarissa is ready for a tea party, but all of her stuffed animal guests are not in the mood. They are upset about being left outside, having a rip, being forgotten, and having ice cream spilled on their head. Each animal is upset with Clarissa for a different reason and do not want to have at tea party. Clarissa has reasons for all of these things and the stuffed animals finally realize that she was trying to be kind to them.

While the premise of this story could be fun, it just doesn’t quite hit home. It is written like a script which does not lend itself to a read aloud, but the content may not be interesting to independent readers. The illustrations are colorful, but also feel chaotic.

The Good Song by Alexandria Giardino

This book was inspired by the medley “Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World” created by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole. When a baby boy is born, his grandpa tells him to listen because the world is a lullaby. All through the story the boy is trying to listen for the song until one day he finally hears it and plays his ‘ukulele and sings about dreams and rainbows. Penelope Dullaghan’s vibrant illustrations reflect the feelings on each page. There is a note about IZ and the inspiration for this story as well as the words to the song at the end of the book.

I Am Goose by Dorothia Rohner

The animals are playing Duck, Duck, Goose and Goose really wants to play. Every time an animal is called goose, Goose gets upset because he is a Goose. Goose points out the reasons why the other animals are not a goose, including Dodo, who should not even be there because Dodo is extinct. In the illustrations there are three squirrels in the tree commenting on the scene below. The book is funny and would be an enjoyable read aloud. Goose does get a little obnoxious as the story goes on, but the ending was one I didn’t see coming.

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles

Written as a message from the parents to their child, this books starts before the baby is even born, letting the child know that they have always mattered. The words are lyrical and gentle and the message important. The author’s note says she wrote this book to help parents start conversations about the racial climate today. The illustrator used collage and petal shapes to create striking images.