Category Archives: Highly Recommend

Sing It Like Celia by Monica Mancillas

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Reviewed by North Thurston High School Student, Michelle E.

A moving, middle-grade novel about identity, resilience, and the power of music. The main character is twelve-year-old Salvadora “Salva” Sanchez, whose life is turned upside down when her mother vanishes from the family store without a trace. Salva wrestles with abandonment and insecurity when she is reluctantly uprooted to live with her estranged investigative journalist father at an RV campground. The plot reveals broader social issues through Salva’s personal struggles. The subplots add dimension to the narrative, drawing attention to the struggles of immigrant families. Salva’s involvement in a band creates group dynamics, including friendship, jealousy, and identity, along with personal growth, particularly in her confrontation with the original lead singer of the band. The narrator’s yearning moments arise as Salva discovers the truth about her mother’s disappearance, forcing Salva to reckon with harsh realities and find strength within herself. Mancillas treats complex topics with sensitivity and age-appropriate concepts. The mix of Jeronimo Pretto and Celia Cruz’s legacy adds a rich cultural layer celebrating music and the importance of role models. Ideal for fans of… The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart and Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina. If you enjoy reading stories about growth and family and music as balm, you might find Sing It Like Celia especially enjoyable. This is an impressive novel that will encourage children to embrace their identities and use music as a source of solace and expression.

Camp Twisted Pine by Ciera Burch

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Review by North Thurston High School student, Michelle E.

This intriguing middle-grade novel brings together mystery, adventure, and self-discovery. Set at a summer camp in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, the story follows 11-year-old Naomi, a nature lover who likes to learn about the outdoors through books rather than experience. Naomi is drawn into a suspenseful adventure when fellow campers start disappearing in later episodes under mysterious circumstances. The story follows Naomi, a girl whose parents have separated and who is sent to Camp Twisted Pine with her younger twin brothers as their parents try to navigate this new stage in their lives. Impressed by the activity-heavy camp experience, Naomi finds comfort in her friendship with Jackie, whom she meets at camp and who is hard of hearing. The two bond over sign language lessons and skepticism of camp traditions. Things take a sinister turn when campers begin to go missing, including Jackie. Desperate to get to the bottom of things, Naomi uses her scientific knowledge and logical reasoning to combat the strange forces while embarking on a personal journey of courage. This book is ideal for fans of… Small Spaces by Katherine Arden and Whispering Pines by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski, as well as those who enjoy spooky campfire tales. Ultimately, Camp Twisted Pine is a delightful combination of spooky adventure with heartfelt storytelling. Burch’s story inspires readers to venture out of their comfort zone, to appreciate the power of friendship, and to face life’s unknowns with curiosity and bravery. It’s a MUST READ that teaches about life, while also being part of a suspenseful plot—definitely one for the middle-grade literature “A” list!

Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal

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This novel in verse follows protagonist, Evie, as she struggles to acknowledge and overcome her eating disorder. Evie’s dysmorphia prevents her from seeing and thinking about herself accurately; instead she is continually able to justify her food avoidance behaviors and thoughts as normal. Her family’s concern over Evie’s weight and behaviors propels them to take her to her doctor where they learn that she is anorexic and that her internal organs have begun to shut down. Evie is immediately taken to an in-patient facility in order to nurture her mind and body back to health. This is not an easy journey for Evie; she is angry at her family and continues to find ways to remain in control of her calorie intake. Throughout her recovery she connects with therapists and other people suffering with eating disorders; fortunately for her these connections fuel her to continue the work of healing.

The author’s note at the start of the book lets readers know that Evie’s story is based closely upon the author’s own experiences. It’s clear when reading how intimately the author knows the thoughts, emotions, and struggles that Evie is dealing with. The book is very heavy in topic and plot; the verse style helps readers access the content more easily.

Readers who enjoy realistic fiction dealing with difficult topic will enjoy this book. Although there are many dark, challenging moments in Evie’s story we still feel a bit of hope in the end.

Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller by Breanna J. McDaniel

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Before she was a storyteller, Augusta Baker, was a listener. She listened to her grandmother tell stories, emphasizing if there is a will, there’s a way. Augusta wondered if she could become a storyteller too. After attending teacher college, she became a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library in Harlem. Since there were few books with Black people in them, Augusta became an advocate for educators, librarians and writers who created stories about Black people.

This biography of Augusta Baker features a timeline, a list of citations, photographs of Augusta as a librarian and an author’s note on her own connection with librarians. This book definitely demonstrates that if there is a will, there is a way.

I Want to Read ALL the Books by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

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When Hana learns that books can answer her questions, she sets out on a mission to read all of the books. She starts with reading all of the nonfiction books on her shelf and then the fiction books. Soon she has read all of the books in the house and her friends’ houses, but her list of questions just keeps on growing. Hana’ wants to buy all of the books. ‘s mom takes her to the library, but Hana becomes overwhelmed that she will never be able to read all of the books. After a talk with the librarian, Hana starts a book club with her friends so they can share their books.

The pictures are colorful and the characters are diverse. The font changes to express how Hana is feeling throughout the story. A wonderful about the importance of curiosity and sharing the books we love.

The Hawk Shadow

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written by Jan Bordeau Caboose and illustrated by Karlene Harvey

Serenity accompanies her brother, Big Ed, on a fishing trip to the Hawk River. As they walk, the siblings chat and tease each other and Big Ed explains the significance of the river’s name. It is named for the the Hawks, Gekek, Keepers of the River and their Protectors. Big Ed and Serenity arrive at the edge of the river and cast their lines, his from a beautiful new fishing pole and hers from a spruce branch made by their father. Serenity is daydreaming as she fishes when a Red Tailed Hawk (Gekek) suddenly appears, swooping over her and screaming, before flying off over the river. Serenity looks around and her brother is no longer there. Gekek, the Red-Tailed Hawk, returns, screams and flies up the river again. Serenity follows and finds her brother, his foot caught between rocks in the river. She doesn’t know what to do until Gekek swoops down over her pole. Serenity holds the pole out to Big Ed and he grabs hold. Together, they work to return him to safety on the river bank. They lay on the river bank for a few moments before heading back home, thankful for the protection of the Spirit guides.

This lively story is wonderful for many reasons. We are given a glimpse of the culture and lives of the Anishinaabe people, an exciting rescue and the loving relationship of a brother and his younger sister. All of this is set in a picture book with vibrantly colored illustrations that transport the reader to the trails and river banks of the Hawk River. Highly Recommended.

Monster Hands

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written by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan; illustrated by Dion MBD

Milo reads some bedtime stories and makes the mistake of reading one about a monster under the bed. Now, he’s POSITIVE there’s a monster under his bed! He knows what to do. He reaches out to Mel, his friend across the street. Placing their flashlights under their hands, they sign to each other. Milo explains his dilemma about the monster under his bead and Mel gives advice and suggestions. Finally, they team up to make hand shadow monsters together to scare away any would-be monster that might be lurking under Milo’s bed. Phew! Such a relief! The story ends with Milo and Mel sharing a signed hug, because monster hands can also give hugs.

This sweet story incorporates ASL in a very natural way as part of the story as Milo and Mel work out how to chase away those monsters. Children will enjoy a story about a situation that might be all too familiar to them – seriously, who hasn’t had a monster under their bed at one time or another? The illustrations are bold and seamlessly incorporate signs along the way. Add this to your collection as it will be a hit. Highly recommended.

Deep Water by Jamie Sumner

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This verse novel is perfect for anyone who finds solace in swimming, or knows a loved one dealing with mental health challenges. Tully Birch feels responsible for her mom leaving without explanation. The novel subtly explores her complicated feelings around her mom’s battle with clinical depression, including Tully’s hope that if she becomes the youngest person at twelve to complete the 12.1 mile “Godfather” swim across Lake Tahoe, her mom will see the news and come home. The chapters are organized around her hours in the water (hour 1 – hour 6)  and though most poems are free verse,  I was delighted to see that some are concrete poems. As readers, we simultaneously grieve her mom’s absence with her, while also cheering for Tully, hoping she doesn’t give up on her goal, despite the storm that moves in. The metaphor of the storm will resonate with readers, both “the one out here/ and the one inside me./” (203). Tully’s positive self talk of “…I am a winner/ and I can do HARD THINGS./”(127) and “…I am HERE and I am ALIVE/ and I’m worth/ showing up for./” (108) is juxtaposed with her complex feelings like “If you are dead/ I can miss you more/ and hate you less./” (169) and “‘You… did not cause your mother’s depression,/ and you are not responsible for fixing it.’” (164).  Tully is a character to grieve with and cheer for with both compassion and empathy. For fans of Dusti Bowling’s novels. 

The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World

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In the Terezin ghetto where Jewish people were confined during World War II, survival was not guaranteed. A teacher named Irma Lauscher asked a fellow prisoner to risk his life to smuggle in a sapling to help the children celebrate Tu BiShavat, the New Year of the Trees. This sapling planted in a pot then later in the ground. Water was scarce, so the children shared a few drops of their water every day. It became known as Etz Chaim, The Tree of Life. The tree survived, but many of the residents of Terezin did not. Many died in the ghetto and many others were shipped off to concentration camps. The horrors of the Holocaust is summed up in the books words, “The children were the future of the Jewish people. And the Nazis wanted a future without Jewish people.” The tree survived and after the war, Irma saw that seeds from the tree were planted all over the world in memory of the children in the ghetto. In 2007, the tree died after taking flood damage, but it’s 600 descendants around the world thrive.

The Tree of Life focuses the story on life, hope, and strength in unity during a truly horrific time in history. Pair with This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin.

The House Before Falling into the Sea

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As the conflict that became the Korean War was erupting, many people were forced to flee from the violence. In The House Before Falling into the Sea, a young girl’s family welcomes one group after another to shelter in their home at the base of the Korean peninsula. The sacrifices she is asked to make and the disruptions to her life at times grate on her. With the help of her parents, she accepts that its okay to be scared and that as a group they can hold each other up.

The image a rock reappears throughout the story; from the travelers looking like stones, suseok (stone art), the stony beach, and finally the stone commemorating the generosity of the Tak family in welcoming those displaced by war. In the words of Umma, “Our visitors are not stones we can toss to the sea.”

A gently told story of time and place not often seen in picture books. Use when teaching about the Korean War, displaced people, or on a unit on kindness and compassion.

Beautiful illustrations show dark and light, the fear and the peace of a home that stood as a refuge for family and friends fleeing south.

Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo

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Jun moves to America from Hong Kong. She only knows a handful of words and they are written on her hand. School feels isolating and very scary. Her lunchbox is filled with familiar comforting things from home and leads the way to new friendships.

The book is mostly wordless and the only text is speech bubbles and a few pages. The illustrations of school are dark and you can feel Jun’s sadness, but when Jun opens her lunchbox, joy and color burst forth. The end of the book includes the English and Cantonese translations of the few words that Jun knows, as well as a description of the things in her lunchbox.

The Together Tree

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Rumi starts at a new school and doesn’t feel like he fits in; not in class and not at recess. At recess while the other kids played, Rumi sat beneath a shady old willow tree, twirling a stick. Everything was different at his old home. Some of his classmates started making fun of him and it escalated to bullying. When a student threw a rock and hurt Rumi, his classmates realized their behavior was hurtful and gradually they all joined Rumi under the tree to create beautiful drawings in the dirt. The story ends with the bully being invited to join the group under the tree.

A beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of being a new student from a different cultural background and how teasing escalates to bullying.

Leena Mo, CEO

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Written by Deena Shakir and illustrated by Nez Riaz

Leena had to shovel snow and she really didn’t like that job. So, She dreamed, brainstormed, investigated and eventually built a duck-like robot to do the job for her. Her neighbors noticed how great her new snow removal device, aka Helmy (Arabic for “my dream”) and the orders started pouring in. Leena asks her two friends to join her business – Olivia (a robotics whiz) and Lily (a successful lemonade stand entrepreneur). Leena’s only remaining problem was Helmy parts procurement. How would she pay for them? Her nice neighbor, Miss Irma, offered to invest in Leena’s venture. Her business was ready to go! The girls got right to work with production, They sold all the Helmys they produced and business grew. Leena was a CEO! The story ends with a tv interview, which a man and his granddaughter watch in Leena’s mom’s hometown in Iraq. That little girl saw her future dreams in Leena’s story. Anything is possible!

This is an inspiring STEM related story that will resonate with young girls, who may not even realize that their interest in one area might turn into something even bigger. Characters are culturally diverse and the community seems to be positive and supportive of the young CEO. The illustrations are colorful and complement the storyline. Buy this for your library and share it with your young scientists. What if a child read this and said “I can do this, too!”? How cool would that be?

Pedro and the Monster Eaters = Pedro y los devoradores de monstruos

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written by Xequina María Berbér and illustrated by C. Rod. Unalt

Pedro is a young boy that comes from a family of artists that creates papier maché art pieces – from pinatas to giant puppets called mojigangas that are used in parades and festivals in Mexico. His family is very busy, because their artwork is so beautiful. So, Pedro learns the aspects of the art from an early age. One night, he becomes very sick and has a high fever. He has some terrible dreams in which the mojigangas chase after him. In his nightmares, colorful creatures called alebrijes rescue him by gobbling up the scary puppets. He awakens and is determined to create these monster-eating creatures in papier maché. Soon, people from all around are buying his colorful art pieces and he become world renowned for his beautiful work.

This story is loosely based on the life of Mexican folk artist Pedro Linares, who created beautifully painted fantastical creatures in papier maché. The book is written in English and Spanish and illustrated with colorful otherworldly creatures that spring from Pedro’s imagination. Text and illustrations work very well together to convey Pedro’s story. An author’s note at the end gives more information about Pedro Linares and is a great starting point for more thorough research about an artist in a medium about which there is typically little information.

Purchase this book for your library for a variety of reasons – the subject matter, dual language presentation and the beautiful illustrations. Students will be curious to explore more about the artist and the medium after such a wonderful introduction.

The Dagger and the Flame by: Catherine Doyle

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Reviewed by OHS Student, Lakshitha R.

In The Dagger and the Flame, Doyle puts together an enthralling narrative with an air of mystery and hint of romance drawing the reader in.

The City of Fantome is run by the Cloaks and Daggers made up of thieves and assassins. Seraphine Marchant, the daughter of a smuggler, lives a happy life in the plains until the day her mother is murdered by the order. In seeking refuge with the Cloaks, Seraphine uncovers the secrets of her mother’s murder. Ransom, the heir to the mysterious order of the Daggers, is tasked to kill Sera but soon becomes drawn in by this mystery spitfire and her strange abilities; thus leaving him torn between duty and desire. This enthralling, forbidden romance is enhanced by magic and mystery.

The vivid details, spicy romance, and constant suspense will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Readers who like books by Sara J. Maas and other romantasy books would like one, too.

The Dragon Slayer

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By Tatyana Feeney

What a fun story about a girl who was content and happy in her life but wanted MORE! Freya wanted a dragon to SLAY! And yet, not far away there was a dragon who was dreaming of a girl TO EAT! They both go out into the world and search for what they want but neither of them can find it. When they find each other will they end up slaying and/or eating? You’ll have to read to find out!. This is a wonderfully illustrated book with a fun ending that many will enjoy. I highly recommend this book for your library!

A Planet is a Poem

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This book is the perfect fusion of poetry, planetary facts, and illustrations, with a bonus fold out feature on every page. It will speak to all types of readers, and be a source of inspiration for teachers looking for ways to introduce poetry.  Each poem is a different style; the book includes a sonnet, ode, villanelle, ballad, concrete poem, and an acrostic, to name a few. The first is a sonnet for the solar system, followed by an ode to the Sun. Then,  each planet poem is introduced in order of how it appears in the solar system, a clever way to structure the collection. I particularly enjoyed reading each poem and then opening the foldout to learn more about each planet, including facts I didn’t know.  Did you know that we named craters on Mercury in honor of Earth’s artists, musicians, writers and dancers, like Shakespeare, Picasso and Dr. Seuss? Or, that Venus spins in the opposite direction as Earth? Or that Uranus is a sideways planet, making scientists believe that a rock the size of Earth knocked it sideways billions of years ago, causing it to spin like a barrel? I don’t love that the foldout pages don’t tuck back in very easily; I’ve already bent one page. Readers will need to be reminded to be careful. Overall, a very accessible, inspirational book, whether you want to read all the poems/facts, or choose one poem for a library/classroom lesson. Highly recommended. 

 

Telephone of the Tree

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This upper elementary/middle grade novel is perfect for anyone navigating loss and grief, especially early stages of this circuitous journey. 10 year old Ayla uses various coping strategies, including denial, to deal with the loss of her nonbinary best friend, Kiri. Ayla’s neighborhood plants trees for people when they’re born or when they die. The tree metaphor is woven throughout the story, how roots reach for each other across distances, how trees share resources. Readers, even younger ones, will easily see how we are also like trees.  Early on, a rotary phone is placed in a tree and neighbors take turns calling and talking to loved ones who’ve passed on. (This book is inspired by a phone booth in Japan nicknamed “phone of the wind”, detailed in the author’s note.) Who hasn’t wished they could talk to a loved one, just one more time?  One of the characters, a 5 year old, calls his gecko, which young readers will relate to if they’ve lost a pet.  Ayla’s family and neighbors give her space to move toward a place of acceptance. This is a sparse, heartfelt story about a community watching out for each other. Ayla takes the time that she needs to accept her friend’s passing, while bearing witness to how others around her deal with their grief. The author dedicates this book to “all readers missing the voices of their loved ones.” It’ll speak to readers of all ages. Highly recommended.

A Guide to Grief

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by Cole Imperi; illustrated by Bianca Jagoe

A very readable non-fiction book defining grief – both the death-loss  (the loss of a loved one) or a shadow-loss (the loss of something not someone) type while providing useful strategies for moving forward through all types of grief. I don’t think I was ever aware of what shadowloss was, but I absolutely understood it and why it causes grief after reading the book. The book provides calm, gentle assurances throughout that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Grieving is a process & not an emotion. LOTS of emotions can be part of grief. Outside support organizations are also provided in every chapter, as are words of loving kindness. I found the book’s calming voice reassuring and soothing and the organization of each chapter helpful. Scattered throughout are examples of real people moving through their grief. I appreciated the section aimed at adults who might be trying to help younger folks dealing with grief and the lists of suicide-prevention organizations at the end of the book. I think this will be a very helpful book to put in students’ hands – even those who may not be grieving now. The strategies will be helpful someday, and they might be surprised to learn about shadow-loss as I was and recognize their own, less-obvious types of grief.

Life in the Wild: The Collected Adventures of the Bear, the Moose and the Beaver

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by Nicholas Oldland

This is a collection of six stories about three good friends – Bear, Moose and Beaver. The stories are full of kindness, humor and friendship. Bear hugs everyone and everything, Moose is pretty anxious and Bear is laid back to the point of carelessness (especially when he’s cutting down trees). The collected works are cleanly illustrated and the text is fairly simple, making them perfect for young readers, who will enjoy the silliness of these three endearing pals.

Is This a Tiger?

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by Elina Ellis

Atticus wants to meet a tiger. Luckily, his friend, Alex, has all the information in her journal and is eager to share. As Alex shares a characteristic of the animal (“they have stripes” and “they have big teeth”), Atticus locates other animals with the same attributes that are not tigers (skunks, lemurs and zebras have stripes, too!). Finally, Atticus is able to find an animal that has all the characteristics that Alex has described. And, the final page shows Atticus and Alex running from the tiger that they found.

This book is sneaky! The reader is lured into learning some great information about tigers while enjoying a happy romp through a story where two kids are looking for a tiger and find everything but one until the end. In addition, there is information about the other animals that Atticus mistook for tigers along the way. The book ends with some great resources, including organizations that work to preserve the existing populations of tigers. Illustrations are vibrant and fun and the energy abounds in this fun-to-read addition to the Alex’s Field Guides series.

Loaf the Cat Goes to the Powwow

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written by Nicholas DeShaw and illustrated by Tara Audibert

Loaf the Cat (she looks like a loaf of bread) loves her boy, Charlie. She plays with him, purrs a lot and looks for him when he is gone one day. She finds him at the powwow, where he is dancing the grass dance in the regalia he made while she played with the ribbons. She is so happy to see him that she jumps on his shoulder and stays there as he dances, happily part of the experience. After they went home, the boy asked Loaf if she wanted to go to another powwow and she happily purred.

This book is a burst of energy and colorful illustrations as we meet a lovable cat and her boy, Charlie. The story is told from the cat’s perspective as she spend time with her boy, playing and watching him create his regalia and joins him at his first powwow as a dancer. Their bond is evident throughout and the end is fitting – we know that this is the first of many powwows together for this pair! There are some words that might be unfamiliar to readers, including regalia, powwow, “miigwech” and “howah”. But, readers will enjoy delving more deeply into the meaning of those words, which will lead to more insight into the Native American cultures portrayed in the story.

The Perfect Place

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The Perfect Place (y El Lugar Perfecto lo mismo en español) is written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Paola Escobar. Another important, accessible, and amazing story from de la Peña! The reader will 100% relate to Lucas who just wants to be perfect and have his home life match that image. But, his life at home is far from the pristine halls of his private school – power often goes out, his parents are busy working both in the daytime and nighttime and he shares a room with his little sister. But, one night, after falling asleep he is awakened by a gentle light that lures him towards it. In this place everything is perfect. Everything works, everyone has time for him, everyone seems happy. Lucas is so very happy to be here where it seems just as perfect as his school. But, as soon as a boy (who looks just like Lucas) accidentally drops some orange juice, spilling it, everyone in this perfect place gets very worried and the boy is asked to leave, no longer welcome as he made a mistake. This is the moment Lucas realises he doesn’t want to be somewhere perfect. He finds his way home to his family waiting to celebrate him, love him, and care for him no matter how perfect of imperfect he is in that moment.

This beautiful book belongs in classrooms, libraries and counselor’s offices.

Millie, Daisy and the Scary Storm

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written by Crystal Velasquez and illustrated by laura Catrinella

Millie and Daisy are two dogs at Danny & Ron’s Rescue that came there as rescues after Hurricane Katrina. They are a bonded pair and love each other very much. Millie is very outgoing and would love to be adopted while Daisy is more reserved and likes life as it is. Daisy has worked very hard to overcome the trauma of the hurricane she survived. But, lots of stuff still makes her nervous and storms are especially hard for her. A big adoption event comes up and Daisy is so nervous that she comes up with a plan to make Millie think she isn’t her friend anymore, because Millie wants them to be adopted together an Daisy wants to stay where she is. Fortunately, things works out, because the big adoption event is actually a celebration – Millie and Daisy are adopted by Danny and Ron as part of their family! They realize that the best place for the two dogs is right there at the Rescue home. It’s the best day ever!

This sweet story is written in very accessible language and from the dogs’ perspective. Young readers will embrace these two lovable characters and all their friends and be thrilled that the ending is just as it should be – happy for everyone. Add this to your collection. Your young readers will love it!

Singing with Elephants

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by Margarita Engle

Oriol, an 11 year old Cuban immigrant lives in California with her veterinarian parents is a thoughtful, somewhat lonely girl. Things change for her when she meets Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Oriol shares her world of words and learns that in order for change to happen, one must open up and share those words like her new friend. She discovers the strength to do so when a baby elephant that her parents care for is in danger of being sold away from its mother into a life with someone who just wants to use it for entertainment and money. Oriol mobilizes the community with her words and discovers friendships and confidence along the way.

This lyrical story, told in verse form is a beautifully written and carries a message that even the youngest citizens can help the world be a better place. People just need to listen to the words.