Category Archives: Highly Recommend

Misfit Mansion

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By Kay Davault

In a huge house full of horrors, Iris has never felt at home. Halloway, the man who saved her, protects them all from the outside world and the paranormal investigators who want to capture them by locking them into the mansion, never allowing them out. But what happens when someone finds the mansion and unlocks the door? What happens when one of the horrors finds their way to the town of Dead End Springs?

This is a wonderful graphic novel about friendship and resilience. The characters are rich and diverse. I highly recommend this book for all readers who enjoy graphic novels.

Beatrice and Barb

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By Kate Jenks Landry, Illustrated by Vivian Mineker

More than anything, Beatrice wants a pet to cuddle, snuggle and take care of. After a long negotiation with her mom, they agree upon a plant. While Barb is not the most affectionate pet a girl can have, Beatrice does everything she can to take care of her plant. She begins to notice that Barb is not doing well and is beginning to look sick. What can Beatrice do to save her beloved pet?

I would highly recommend this well illustrated book that shows determination, dedication and love.

The Snow Man

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By Jonah Winter, Illustrated by Jeanette Winter

This is the biography of billy barr (he chooses not to capitalize his name), a man who chose to live in the Rocky Mountains alone in the early 1970’s and continues to live there to this day. The author’s note at the end explains that billy become bored and thus started measuring and noting information about the first snowfall, snowpack and when certain animals and flowers returned to the mountains or came out of hibernation. His notebooks are still used when researching climate change and global warming.

I would highly recommend this book for elementary school. It is a wonderfully written and illustrated book that can be used extensively when recognizing climate change as well as a great example of the scientific method in action.

Styx and Scones in the Sticky Wand

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by Jay Cooper

Miss Hildy and Miss Hattie, two friendly witches, leave Styx (a purple cat) and Scones (a ginger colored dog) alone in their cottage when they go off to gather some fenfruit. They instruct their pets to leave various magical items alone, including a crystal ball, potions and herbs and the flying brooms. They don’t say anything about the stick on the mantel. So, Scones figures it’s ok to play with, right? Well, mayhem ensues as the two animals scuffle over the magical stick, turning Styx into a variety of purple animals and adding a ship, pirates and many other magical things to the mix. Upon the return of the witches, they learn that the stick is just that, not a magic wand. Yet, they turn Miss Hattie into a jar of peanut butter. So, what is that about?

This hilarious beginning graphic novel is perfect for new readers, who are introduced to the format by Styx and Scones on the first few pages. Cartoon-like illustrations are bright and the text is very accessible. This book will not be on the library shelves for long! Highly recommended.

I’m Going to Build a Snowman

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by Jashar Awan

A young boy wakes up to a snowy landscape and decides to build “THE BEST SNOWMAN EVER!” He mulls over the steps to the perfect snowman and about daydreams about the result, so perfect that it will be a dream come true! Well, sometimes the outcome isn’t as perfect as planned. But, this little boy is undaunted. He creates his “BEST SNOWMAN YET!” And, it is.

Bright, bold colors in simple illustrations help tell a story that is full of fun, exuberance and heart. Text is spare, yet moves the story along and readers will enjoy the onomatopoeia along the way. Add this to your collection. It will become a classic!

Lia Park and the Missing Jewel

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by Jenna Yoon

All Lia wants is make it into the International Magic School with her friend, Joon. Her overprotective parents, who work mundane desk jobs for the magical organization, won’t let her do anything and she can’t figure out why. In an act of rebellion, Lia attends the party of the popular girl from school and ends up revealing her family’s location (by breaking an ancient protection spell) to the evil diviner spirit, Gaya, who kidnaps her parents and demands a ransom. Lia’s parents manage to get a message to her during the kidnapping and she and Joon are magically transported to Korea. There, they discover Lia’s true lineage as they and Lia’s grandmother desperately fight to save her parents and destroy Gaya before she returns Korea to a vastly different time hundreds of years before.

This book brings together Korean mythology, magic, modern day technology and typical tween feelings in a wonderfully rich, exciting story. Lia is a twelve year old that is feeling a little (ok, a lot) hemmed in by her parents and sets off a chain of events that will change her life (and possibly the world) when she sneaks out to a swim party at the popular girl’s house. This act of rebellion leads to a fast-paced fantasy adventure that will cause you some sleepless nights, because you just can’t put it down. Hand this book to those students that love Rick Riordan’s books. They will thank you!

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh

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Amazon.com: Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh eBook : Lippincott, Rachael: Kindle Store

Lippincott is known for writing sweet, sometimes heartbreaking stories involving challenges like illness and loss, such as Five Feet Apart. Her characters’ experiences are relatable and are always refreshingly reflective, which is a perk for adult readers, as seen in The Lucky List. Her first venture into sweet, queer ya romance with She Gets the Girl was one of my favorite and most recommended reads of 2022.

In Pride, Prejudice, and Pittsburgh, she adds some time travel and destiny into the mix. Both modern day Pittsburgh and the 1812 settings are characters themselves and the miscommunications about how life works in these different eras between the two main characters, Audrey and Lucy, are amusing. In the beginning, Lucy is betrothed to marry a man and Audrey was recently dumped by her first love, so both are experiencing romantic woes before the sparks fly between them. As with most time travel stories, Audrey learns to appreciate her life and I especially liked her relationship with her dad and their convenience store that felt very Pittsburgh . 

My one complaint is that the title is misleading! This is not a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, at least not that I (someone who is admittedly not a P&P stan) caught.

By Emma-Kate Schaake @hiketothelibrary

The Hopi

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Liz Sonneborn presents excellent information about the past and present Hopi people – the “people who live the correct way”. The Hopi live in present day northern Arizona which is a very dry arid land. The Hopi have devised unique ways to successfully live in this climate, in balance with nature, but present-day draught/climate change is making it more difficult.

The book informs about traditional and present use of the Hopi’s resources, the Hopi’s introduction to European contact, their government, and their use of both English and the Hopi languages.

The book includes: a timeline, glossary, index, and a safe internet web site- FACTSURFER.COM- for further information.

Submitted by Mary Pong

My Red, White, and Blue by Alana Tyson

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Follow a young boy through his community as he walks the reader through his thoughts and feelings about the American flag. The flag invokes feelings pride and hope.The flag symbolizes freedom. The flag is part of the boy’s community every day. Reflecting on the flag reminds the boy of the struggles of Americans in the past and the ways we can work individually and as a group today and tomorrow to make America a better place for all people.

My Red, White, and Blue does a good job showing that the flag represents different things to different people Through images and words, the book reinforces the idea that an individual’s experience and as well as perceptions of the past influence what the flag represents to each individual.

The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland

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Reviewed by OHS Substitute, Megan C.

Ireland’s book is a lot of fun – reminding me of the reality show The Bachelor. Main character Jasmine has a cheating boyfriend; after this realization her family goes on a mission to find her a replacement boyfriend while hosting her graduation party.

Not only is this book fun, it includes a lot of valuable voices and representation including mixed race voices and adopted families. In addition to prose, much of the text is written in text messages, which allows for alternating voices to come through. A great example of a YA Rom/Com.

Try a Bite, Trilobite!

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by Jonathan Fenske

Bug really wants his friend, Trilobite, to try his snack. But, Trilobite ONLY eats noodles. In the end, Trilobite is willing to take a nibble and eats the whole thing. Fortunately, she has LOTS of noodles to share.

This easy reader is written in the same way as “Elephant & Piggie” and uses speech bubbles to convey the story. Colors are bright and there is a lot of white space on the page. The characters’ emotions are clearly shown in their expressions and the book is simple enough for early readers. This book should fly off the shelves as another option for those kids that love Mo Willems’ books and easy graphic novels. Highly recommended.

The Navajo

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My friend born and raised on the Navajo reservation was very impressed with how accurate and up to date this book on his native people is. I reached out to my friend and former colleague after reading author Betty Marcks statement, ” I am a white women of European descent. As such, I can claim no direct lived experience of being a Native American…”

My friend thought very highly of Marcks’ inclusion and importance of the Navajo language, the clans, the early history of the Navajo with white culture, the native uses of resources- the rug weaving, basketry, jewelry making, the cultural upbringing of the women, and the current Navajo government. Mt friend was under the impression Marcks must have talked with a Navajo elder.

The book includes a timeline, glossary, a student safe to use FACTSURFER.com internet site, and index.

Submitted by Mary Pong

This Is Why They Hate Us by: Aaron H. Aceves

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Reviewed by OHS Student, Ffiona P.

This romance will resonate deeply with anyone who is struggling with their mental health, navigating their sexuality, or finding themselves in unrequited love.

Enrique has been in love with his close friend Saleem for quite some time now. With the help of his best friend Fabiola, and a number of potential romantic conquests, he plans to work through his crush. With each new encounter he learns more about himself, and about living as a bisexual person than he ever thought he would. Through all of this he is struggling with his mental health, attempting to come out to his parents, and inform Fabiola about his past mental breakdown. With unexpected support from various sources he is able to end his summer in a way that leaves him satisfied, though not in the ways he would have guessed.

I loved how relatable it is, Aaron H. Aceves was able efficiently explain thoughts and feelings that the character was having, in a way that was very satisfying. For lack of a better word. I loved how the author was able to trick me, and I’m guessing everyone else who read the book. I thought I knew exactly where the book was going to end up, then he convinced me I was wrong, then I ended up being right again at the last minute when I thought all hope was lost. This book was an emotional roller coaster that had me squealing, kicking my feet. Then would make my chest heavy the next minute with how deeply I felt for the MC and his situation while he was battling his mental health. THIS BOOK LEFT ME SATISFIED! I feel like whenever an author wants the book to make an impact, or to make a heavy statement about life, they feel the need to leave it on a plain note. Not even necessarily a bad one. But many authors write these types of books with the hope of the reader being satisfied with the MC being content. Which is the whole point I’m sure. But this book made me celebrate the happy ending as if it was me experiencing it. I kind of went into it with the mindset of “this seems like the kind of book where the happy ending is a given, and everything will turn out okay.” But the author was able to write the story in a way that made me feel RELIEVED almost when the happy ending came. Relief and genuine joy. He was able to capture that same feeling of when something good happens in real life. Because nobody in real life is thinking “it will all work out great for me, I will find the love of my life, and be happy.” He was able to capture that “Oh my god, how lucky am I to have this wonderful person in my life” mindset. I really appreciated that.

Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez

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Reviewed by OHS Student Wiley P.

In this book, three Mexican main characters Juan, JD, and Fabi are all trying to figure out what to do with the problems life throws at them, especially in a world where having brown skin can make things extra difficult. The fast paced and intriguing writing keeps in going and the characters learning. This novel is constantly engaging and makes you keep reading.

Themes of racism and poverty within the southern United States.

A definite purchase for all libraries.

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

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Reviewed by OHS Student Adelaide E.

Book 2 in the Legendborn Series

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.

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.

The Friendship Wish

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Moving to a new place is just as hard for this little mermaid- Rosie- as it is for any other person. In this first book of the Mini Mermaid Tales series, Debbie Dadey works her magic of sharing life experiences with which young readers will be able to relate.

Rosie, the little mergirl, is too young to start Trident Academy. Rosie just moved into the area 3 days ago and is lonesome. Rosie has only just met Aqua, who talks her into going to take a quick look at the school. From there, they get swept into the school as the regular students enter the building. Impetuous Aqua cannot help herself from exploring the school, while shy Rosie is weary and reluctant, but follows Aqua deeper into the school.

First, they are in ‘deep-sea trouble’ for making a mess in the art/music room and later they are in ‘deep-sea trouble’ for leaving their neighborhood without telling anyone.

Despite their destressing first experience together, Aqua and Rosie become friends when their parents are shown a school for younger ‘mini mermaids and merboys’.

Six chapters, two or more black and white illustrations per chapter, table of contents, large font, word list (glossary),and story questions at the end all make this a fin-tastic (47) first book in a new series!

Words from the glossary appear in bold type within the story. Even bigger and bolder words of strong emotions also appear.

Submitted by Mary Pong

Sometimes Love, by Katrina Moore

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Our military service members make lots of sacrifices for our country and deserve our thanks and recognition. Families of service members are also asked to make sacrifices, and those sacrifices can be difficult for young people to understand. In Sometimes Love, a young girl moves to another country with her father and service member mother. Her beloved dog cannot go with the family. Adjusting to her new home is difficult. But eventually the little girl makes connections with friends in her new home only to again move. This time the girl’s sadness is softened by the excitement of returning to her beloved dog. A very relatable book for our military families told in a way that validates and normalizes the challenges of military families.

Endpapers include a letter from the author recognizing the volunteer organizations that support the animals of military service members during moves and deployments.

A Dinosaur Named Ruth: How Ruth Mason Discovered Fossils in Her Own Backyard by Julia Lyon

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Historically, women and minorities in scientific fields rarely received the recognition of their expertise either in their time or in the history books. The voices of women and minorities in science were often ignored. Ruth Mason was one of those voices. Starting as a young girl, she collected amazing dinosaur bones. Year after year she reached out to the experts in museums and universities to share her findings and was ignored or belittled.

It was only as an old woman when a fossil hunter named Rick Brooks accidentally ended up on her land that when the value of Ruth’s collection of dinosaur fossils was finally recognized. Now, skeletons from the Ruth Mason Quarry are found in museums all over the world. In recognition of her contributions, one of the reconstructed skeletons in a museum in Wales is known as “Ruth”.

The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic

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by Jennifer Thermes

This is the incredible story of the life of Tom Crean, an explorer in the Antarctic during the ‘golden age’ of exploration in that area. He was part of three expeditions to the Antarctic, two with Robert Scott and one with Ernest Shackleton. His first trips were with Captain Scott – one on the Discovery to set up camps and later on the Terra Nova, Scott’s final ill-fated voyage. This expedition was a race to the South Pole which ended with Scott and two men dying and Tom saving the lives of two others by hiking thirty five miles back to base camp for help. Tom joined Ernest Shackleton on his exploration of Antarctica aboard the Endurance, which was crushed by ice and sank, leaving the crew stranded. They hunkered down on Elephant Island and Shackleton chose five men (including Tom) to accompany him in a small lifeboat to South Georgia Island where there was a whaling station. This island was over 800 miles away through strong seas and winds. But, they had not choice. They made it to the island and Shackleton, Tom and one other man hiked over the mountains to the whaling station. Because of their bravery, ALL the sailors from the Endurance were rescued. Tom then spent several years in the Navy and retired to Ireland. He was a quiet and humble man, who was a brave hero.

An afterward gives more details along with a timeline and additional resources. A map on the front endpapers and illustrations of Antarctic animals on the back endpapers add to the wealth of information.

This book is a true gem. While the focus of many books are on the leaders of these expeditions, Scott and Shackleton, there were truly brave men that accomplished great things alongside them. Tom’s story needs to be shared and Jennifer Thermes has created a beautiful piece that will enthrall the readers. Told in present tense and illustrated in colored pencil and watercolor, this book needs to be on library shelves everywhere. Interestingly, I shared this book with a Falkland Islander and folks there are very well aware of Tom Crean’s story and he felt that the book was a good representation of his life.

I Am a Tornado by Drew Beckmeyer

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Tornado is coming through without a care of what it destroys. When the tornado picks up a cow, the very patient cow notices that the tornado seems upset and listens to the tornado. As the cow and tornado talk, the tornado starts to get smaller and smaller with the cow promising to stay until the tornado blows away.

While the focus of the book seems to be on anger and having someone listen to you there is a little bit of science about tornadoes thrown in in the middle. This would be a good book for SEL because the tornado did not realize that it was upset and just felt powerful destroying things until the cow took the time to listen.

Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series by Traci Sorell

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Two Native American baseball players, Charles Bender and John Meyers, face off in the 1911 World Series that newspapers recounted as “Indian against Indian.” The story bounces back and forth between the World Series games, their different backgrounds and life growing up, and the racism that they faced and how it is still apparent today. Charles is Ojibwe and grew up on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. He was taken to an Indian boarding school where he learned the game watching older boys play. John grew up on the Cahuilla tribe’s reservation in Southern California. He learned to play baseball on the reservation. The two experienced racism inside and outside of the ballpark and the author goes on to explain that over 100 years later Native athletes still face those challenges. Then end pages also include and author’s note, time line, quotes and sources.

Bugging Out

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By Jorge Cham and daniel Whiteson

In this volume of the series, “Elinor Wonders Why”, Elinor and her friends are preparing for insect day at school by trying to decide what bug they want to dress up as. Elinor goes home to create her butterfly costume but searches in her garden with her dad to make sure her costume is correct. While searching, she learns many things about this beautiful insect.

This graphic novel series for young readers introduces science content in a fun way. The format is pleasing and the images are vibrant and appealing. This reader highly recommends this series for all elementary libraries.

How to Carry a Cupcake

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By Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson

When Elinor and her friends realize their teacher, Ms. Mole, is having a birthday tomorrow they decide to bring her a cupcake. Olive, the elephant is ready to bring one to school but is not sure how to get it to their teacher safely and not squished in her bag. Elinor, Olive and Ari study nature to solve their problem.

This is a elementary level book in the series “Elinor Wonders Why” where Elinor and her friends work to solve problems as well as explore nature. It is a fun story in the popular graphic novel format that will introduce science concepts as well. This reader highly recommends this series for young readers in the elementary library.

The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination

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By Brad Montague, Illustrated by Brad and Kristi Montague

Sparky, a very shy mail figment in the Bureau of Imagination, has a very busy job but always has time to write poetry. He never shares his poetry as he if very shy. One day while working diligently, he finds that his lack of sharing may be a part of the cause of a possible disaster. Sparky greets Brenda the dragon who to lives at and manages the Cave of Untold Stories and finds out that the cave is exploding! Sparky tries to help but only finds that the challenge is too daunting for him alone and thus, he writes a letter to all the humans in the world encouraging them to be agents of the Fantastic Bureau of Imagination. Will others join in to fix the challenge? Will YOU be one of the NEW agents of the bureau?

This is a wonderful book for any elementary library. There are many activities that can revolve around this whimsical tale. I would highly recommend it!

My Town= Mi Pueblo

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written by Nicholas Solis; Illustrated by Luisa Uribe

Two cousins live on either side of the Mexico-U.S border and share what they love about their homes as well as their enjoyment of their cousin’s town. Each two page spread shares a unique aspect of their towns in both English and Spanish. They share about their houses, schools, markets, holidays and time together in both towns. This sweet story ends with the cousins and their families crossing the border, a bridge over a river, with guards on both sides and both kids expressing the wish that visits could be easier. They stand overlooking the river and share that both towns feel like home.

This story is great on many levels. The lovely illustrations, which offer details of life on both sides of the border, are perfect for some compare and contrast discussions. The English and Spanish is simple enough for language learners and read alouds. And, students will notice the joy that these two cousins experience no matter what town they are in together.