By Bethanie Deeney Murguia
A short and sweet picture book that reflects on moving forward in life. It is a gentle book reflecting on peace and mindfulness as you walk your own path. The mostly black and white images are soft with pink shoes on every page showing how one can be curious, kind and thoughtful with every step on makes. This book would be a great extra purchase for any socio-emotional school curriculum.
Written by Brad Meltzer, Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
Brad Meltzer has added the series “Stories Change the World” to his repertoire after the success of the “Ordinary People Change the World” books. It is about the story of Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El. This book gives the backstory of Superman in a thoughtful way, explaining how what makes makes him an incredible person isn’t what he can do and how strong he is. It’s what is in his kind heart. The illustrations are what you would expect, remarkable! The pictures will attract emerging readers as well as older readers who want to read something quick and fun. I would recommend this fun and thought provoking graphic to all elementary grades. This is one of three books in this new series including Wonder Woman and Batman.
by Tjibbe Veldkamp & Sebastiaan Van Doninck
This whimsical picture book introduces young children to many different types of birds (as well as bats) in the race of the ages. Many teams fall to the wayside (the owls get a late start as they have slept in) and one team is cheating! This book has zany illustrations with a lot of color and will be popular with many of your young students. Who will win? You will not find out until you laugh your way through this fun picture book. Recommended for K-3.
Candice Iloh
This coming of age is tied to tons of social issues facing Americans today. Yaminah Okar feels like she has moved past the hurt from her past when it suddenly comes back and she must once again face her multiple traumas. Maybe this will be the time she will overcome. Candice Iloh dangles a mystery in front of the readers so we willingly follow Yaminah into the heart of many social ills plaguing America today. This is a page-turner that will have the reader intrigued from the first sentence of the prologue.
Iloh introduces many characters, subplots, and conflicts and doesn’t seem to fully explore any of them. This book needed to be longer, or the focus narrowed. Iloh does include a letter to the reader informing them about the tough topics and emotions of the book; I would encourage all readers, especially younger teens to take her warning seriously.
By Kristina Forest
This romance bounces between the past, present, and perspective. Kai and Zyla fell in love, broke up, and then fell in love again….maybe. Kai is a romantic and serial monogamist while Zyla has long ago sworn off love. Their twisty relationship, heart-wrenching-back-stories, and likable personalities will be appealing to most readers. It’s nice to have a romance featuring students of Color where race and culture are treated as a natural element of the story instead of the focus. This novel is great at the build-up but sputters to an underwhelming conclusion.
by Jeff Bishop
Review by David R. 11th Grade
A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy surprised me. Based on the cover, I thought it would be too romantic and light. I was wrong. This book is darker and definitely more suspenseful and interesting than you would think by looking at its pink cover. I definitely recommend it, especially for guys who want to read a romance from the boy’s point of view.
By Estelle Laure
An empowering novel with a lot of heart. Jo Beckett is still reeling from the death of her dad; he was her best friend and lifelong wrestling coach. Looking for comfort, Jo gets into romantic relationships with several different guys on the wrestling team. Each time Jo thinks it’s true love, but the guys don’t feel the same. Soon Jo finds out that the guys on the team have a nickname for her, “practice girl.” She’s someone to practice sex with before moving on to a real relationship. This revelation is crushing. Jo feels betrayed by her teammates and her own heart. Not willing to give up on herself, Jo makes a plan to show the guys that she’s more than a “Practice Girl.” Her initial intention is revenge, but what she finds is healing.
This realistic novel about the double-standards girls face and the labels society places on them for being sexually active is given a unique spin by being set in the world of high school wrestling. Many teens will connect with Jo’s struggle to distinguish between physical attraction and true affection. Although this is a needed story, with a strong heroine, the novel is hampered by character voices that are not distinguishable from one another.
Mouse loves playing alone with his ball and then he starts playing with Elephant and they start playing together. Then Elephant and Mouse meet Giraffe and start playing with him. Each time they don’t think they need anyone else until they meet someone new and get to know them and discover a great friendship. The illustrations are beautiful and the expressions on the animals faces are detailed and add to the story. The message that we all have value and each add something beautiful to the group.
Nina lives in San Francisco and visits her Nana in England and her Nenek in Malaysia. The similarities and differences between the two visits give us a peek into the places that her grandmas live. She wears different clothes, eats different foods and plays different games, but she loves her grandmas and they love her. The side-by-side colorful illustrations show the similarities and differences between the places Nana and Nenek live.
The text spans across both pages when it is talking about both Nana and Nenek. This can be confusing for readers as sometimes you read the text on one side and others you have to read across the gutter. Without reading the book jacket or the dedication the readers would not know where Nana or Nenek live since it is not mentioned in the story.
The story would be good for reflecting on families, identity and different cultures that make us who we are.
Written and Illustrated by Tomie dePaola
Pascual was touched by God at a very young age. Initially, he was a shepherd but as a young adult he felt the desire to feed the poor and thus he decided to become a friar. He traveled to a Franciscan monastery where the friars asked him to become their cook. Not knowing anything about a kitchen, he prayed to God and angels came to the kitchen where they made incredible meals. Pascual never did learn to cook but by the gift of God he provided food to the friars as well as the poor. An author’s note at the end of the book explains that Pascual is the patron saint of cooks and the kitchen. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is light. I would recommend this book as an extra purchase for an elementary library.
Ayaan, a young African American boy, speeds around the playground at school wearing a cape and helping his friends. He feels proud of his efforts until some classmates laugh at him and tell him he can’t be a superhero – real superheroes don’t look like him. With the support of his father, Ayaan realizes that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes and their most important identifying characteristic is that they are committed to helping others. By continuing to be kind, helpful, and brave, Ayaan can live up to his superhero cape.
While not likely to engage most elementary school children, this book speaks to the preschool child through the relatable experiences, cute illustrations and clear language.
Moving to a new country and leaving extended family is hard. Rocio misses so much of her old life. Most of all, Rocio misses her Abuela. Rocio and Abuela used to spend a lot of time together and their love for each other is evident in the many small rituals of their lives together. Missing that connection to her Abuela, one night Rocio finds the brightest star and makes a wish. Her family wakes her the next morning singing Las Mañanitas for her birthday and she finds a package from her Abuela. That night she sends her love back across the sky to her Abuela.
Sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, the story will resonate for children with similar immigration stories. The themes of family, relocating, and staying connected to family and traditions make this a meaningful story for all young children.
With rhyming repetitive text, Step by Step shows how many activities that can appear daunting or impossible for a child can be conquered with one small action after another. “Stride by stride, one by one” a child can make it to school. “Smile by smile, one by one” a child can make new friends. “A to Z, one by one” a child can learn the alphabet. And when working together with friends, children can accomplish even more. The story ends with a challenge to continue to learn and grow by tackling future adventures “step by step, one by one”. The illustrations are cheerful and optimistic, featuring diverse children and supportive adults.
Step by Step would be a great read aloud to encourage the reluctant student on the first day, promote perseverance when learning new things, and celebrate the next steps at the end of of the school year.
Daddy Speaks Love explores the special bond between father and child. Daddy speaks of nurturing though love, truth, joy, and comfort. Daddy also speaks of learning with dream, future, unity, and pride. The book then circles back to love and promise of together. The author’s note indicates that the story was inspired by words of 6 year old Gianna Floyd after her father’s death.
Beautifully warm illustrations feature father-child relationships of various races and ethnicities and children various genders.
What are some of the smelliest things in the world? Why do some things smell bad? Where do smells come from? These are some of the questions answered in this Ready to Read Level 2 book. Dr. Ick and his friend Sam the dog take us through why some things smell. There are 2-3 sentences per page and includes illustrations as well as photographs. Important vocabulary words are in bold and many also include a pronunciation guide. The glossary is located at the front of the book and an experiment is located at the back of the book.
Plunger does not want to be a plunger anymore, it wants to be a vase. Soon other household items want to be different things. The vacuum is so adamant that they have to be what they already are that he makes a mess, spraying dust everywhere. Vacuum realizes that nothing bad would happen if others got to be what they wanted.
The artwork is vibrant and jumps off the page. While I feel that the idea of the story, that we can be whatever we want, is important, I am not sure that it is effective with some of the items chosen. I think kids will be attracted to the vibrant colors and will find the book funny, but may miss the idea that you can be whatever you want.
This novel is a little bit Harry Potter magic, a little bit X-Men or Black Panther superheros, a little bit Lightning Thief mythology & adventure. It’s rich with girl-power and learning to love oneself – flaws and all. Set initially in the States, the plot moves quickly to Nigeria and its magical school in the country’s capital city of Lagos. This action-packed story hits all the marks for an amazing middle grades read. While some readers may be thrown by pronunciation of Nigerian names, some of which include potentially unfamiliar accent marks, if they just read on without too much worry, it doesn’t really effect the story. I enjoyed the audio book because I got to hear the actual pronunciation of these names. The book does include a glossary of cultural terms the reader may need explained. I loved that Onyeka’s superpower is her hair which she hates at the beginning of the story because it is so different from her friends and is so unruly. She learns through the story to love it and the power it brings her. By the end, you realize this is definitely meant to be book 1 in a series. Future books to come. I think middle school readers will be anxious to read the next one! (Due out May, 2023) This is a nice addition to any fantasy collection, especially if you’re interested in having diverse authors who tell a rich tale. This fits the bill!
Review by Lili, Student
Be prepared for plot twists and the unexpected–even for a vampire book. You will never know where it is going to go. Kat and Taylor were best friends until the age of 13 when their parents fought, and Kat moved away. Later, Kat and Taylor find themselves roommates at a private school, a vampire school. My favorite part is when Kat finds out who her true fang-maker is. It all begins to make sense when Kat has a meeting with Victor Castel.
Nugget (a chicken nugget) and Dog (a hot dog) are so excited to have some fun at summer camp. Unfortunately, Dijon (yes, he’s mustard) has an evil plan to scare everyone! He and his sidekick, Crouton (self-explanatory) mess up their plan to scare everyone with the Mean Green Pine Thing, which ends up being Honey Dijon (Dijon’s cousin), who just wanted a little attention herself. Rounding out the cast of delicious campers is Fry and the grumpy camp counselor, Grizzle.
This beginning graphic novel begins with some simple information about panels, thought bubbles and speech bubbles as well as how to follow the story on a page. This is very helpful for those readers new to graphic novels. Illustrations are bright and text is simple. This is a nice introduction to graphic novels and is really humorous. How can it not be funny with a hot dog and chicken nugget as main characters? highly recommended.
Bicycles are missing from Kim’s school and rumors are flying. Kids start accusing the new boy, Corey. So, Kim takes matters into her own hands and assigns her friends to gather facts and evidence. She convenes a “Kids’ Court” in the tree house that her dad just built, overcoming her fear of heights to climb the ladder for court. Kim handles the case with unusual maturity, which is not surprising since her mom is a judge and Kim’s been to her courtroom. The story ends happily with Corey’s explanation that he wanted to fix up his peers’ bikes in order to make friends and apologizing for stealing them to do so. His classmates forgive him and are thrilled with their newly fixed bikes.
The book begins with a short explanation about the correct way to read a graphic novel. This is helpful, because readers new to graphic novels will now know the difference between a speech and thought bubble and the direction of the story on each page. The story itself is fairly short and the text is very accessible. Illustrations are bright and characters are diverse. Highly recommended for those new to graphic novels.
Izzy and her friend, Zoe, love to dress up her dog in baby clothes and play “baby stealer” with Zoe’s older brother. It’s typically a giggle-filled screamfest when Izzy and Rolo are at Zoe’s house. Unfortunately, things are changing and it’s hard for Izzy. Rollo is growing into a big dog and the baby clothes are getting too small. He’s also getting into some big doggy trouble. Lionel, Zoe’s brother, is becoming a teenager. And, he is the epitome of a teenager – surly, pimply and no fun at all.
Izzy doesn’t like these changes and is determined to find out of there is some kind of cure for these two maladies. She and her mom take Rollo to obedience school and he doesn’t do well. Izzy works hard with him and uses some of what she learns to engage Lionel, which turns out surprisingly well.
Through some gently comedic adventures, Izzy works on these problems, realizing along the way that change is inevitable. But, the fun doesn’t have to end, it’s just different.
Readers new to chapter books will enjoy this story. Accompanying illustrations in black and white break up the text and provide extra giggles. Add this to your collection along with the first book, Izzy in the Doghouse. Recommended.
This is the Spanish translation of Dress-Up Day. It’s a sweet story of a young girl who is all excited, anticipating a school costume party, but after helping her mom make a fabulous bunny costume, she is disappointed to wake up ill on the day of the party and has to miss the party. When she’s feeling better the next day, mom suggests she where her rabbit costume that day instead, and her joy is restored. Until she gets to school and the other kids stare and laugh, and she begins to doubt. Joy is restored once again when another classmate who was ill the day before also turns up in his costume, and by the end of the day he has become her best friend. The next day all the kids show up in costumes, convincing our protagonist that she’d had a great idea all along. The illustrations are charming, and the dilemma, as well as its solution are very relatable for young children: the difficulty of being all alone, and the power of a single friend to turn things around.
This is the Spanish language translation of Growing an Artist. I like this book for a lot of reasons. It’s a very personal book for the author/illustrator, sharing how his own experiences working alongside his dad in the family landscaping business as a child nurtured his own interest in art, while showing him how he could use is art to contribute to his community. It shows readers that their own stories are worthwhile, even if they seem ordinary. It shares experiences that may be familiar to a lot of readers, validating those experiences. It’s a feel-good book, celebrating and honoring ordinary life and work and relationships.
I like this book for a lot of reasons. It’s a very personal book for the author/illustrator, sharing how his own experiences working alongside his dad in the family landscaping business as a child nurtured his own interest in art, while showing him how he could use is art to contribute to his community. It shows readers that their own stories are worthwhile, even if they seem ordinary. It shares experiences that may be familiar to a lot of readers, validating those experiences. It’s a feel-good book, celebrating and honoring ordinary life and work and relationships.
I’ve heard of Rube Goldberg Machines, and I know the super-over-complicated type of thing to which the term refers. I’ve seen some in action at science museums and such. I only realized from reading the flap of this book that Rube Goldberg never actually built any of his creative, inventive machines — he was a cartoonist; he drew things that his training as an engineer told him should work in theory, but he never put those theories to the test. Yet his work inspired many others to design and build contraptions in the spirit of his drawings. This book is a series of cartoons starring a young Rube designing incredibly complicated ways to fake being sick and then do all sorts of things a kid might want to do one a day off from school, always in the most complicated, absurd, silly way possible. The steps of each contraption are labeled with alphabet letters, and the text describes in sequence how each is theoretically designed to work. It’s fun. It’s silly. It may trigger readers’ inner inventors and engineers. A website in the back directs those kids who are intrigued to where they can learn more about such designs.