Category Archives: Recommend

Justice Rising: 12 Amazing Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement

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Year after year as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month, we hear about the same heroes; MLK, Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks. There are many other Americans who stepped up and made a difference during the Civil Rights Movement. This book focuses on twelve women who through their actions furthered the fight for equality and justice during the Civil Rights Movement.

In the book, you will hear about; Ella Baker, Ruby Bridges, Claudette Colvin, Dorothy Cotton, Fannie Lou Hamer, Coretta Scott King, Diane Nash, Rosa Parks, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Gloria Richardson, Jo Ann Robinson, and Sheyann Webb. The twelve women each have a page long biography detailing their work, their struggles, and their successes. Each biography is concise yet comprehensive enough to paint a picture for the reader.

Recommended for elementary libraries.

Man O’War by: Cory McCarthy

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Reviewed by OHS student, Cyrus P.

River McIntyre is a young high school trans person who spends his life in Haley, Ohio swimming, raving about jellyfish, exploring life and love, and battling all forms of discrimination. He spends the most significant of his days at the local SeaPlanet swimming with fish and being queer. Giving the full scope of a coming of age novel this book puts the reader through the full athletic queer experience the perfect read for someone who wants to learn about marine biology and life as a queer person.

I like the “sciencey” aspects to the book and the ways that River connects those aspects to themselves. At times I felt that it was egregiously queer. Gay to a fault – making the issues seem too forced at times. Queer people and athletes may like this book. They should read it because it’s a great, full journey and keeps you invested in the lives of these people while teaching you about marine biology.

The Quiet and the Loud by: Helena Fox

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Reviewed by OHS Student, Connie C.

The book “The Quiet and the Loud” highlights the importance of addressing your mental health and your personal needs, and raises awareness to ongoing problems in our world. Set in Australia, we follow Georgia, a girl who finds peace in kayaking and art. As we watch her overcome her past struggles and her present struggles we learn what is truly important in life. The heavy emphasis of art and poetry makes this book both touching and beautiful. As well as the common reoccurrence of mental health/abuse makes this book relatable and deep.

I like how this book is extremely relatable and how you can see things that are happening in real time in the book. I also like how poetic/artistic is it and how it battles important topics of mental health, relationships, and climate change. I dislike how poorly they built the setting. I had to guess they lived in Australia but I didn’t know exactly until like halfway through the book where the header said “Sydney”… That made me really confused. And (since it dealt with tough topics) it was not the most interesting book and I found myself getting bored really easily and I really wanted the book to end.

I think people who are interested in reading books about LGBTQ+ romances and mental health/climate change topics.

Westfallen

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by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares

The first book in what will eventually be a series, Westfallen follows six teens – 3 in 1944 and 3 in modern day. They all live in the same neighborhood, even homes, years apart. Both find old radios that strangely link them together in an old shed. As seemingly innocent information is shared, the butterfly effect comes into play and huge changes are wrought in the world beyond 1944. Fixing the problems just leads to more problems, the biggest is finding that the modern teens no longer live in the United States but in the Nazi-ruled Westfallen. The ending is clearly a cliffhanger for a yet-to-be written/published sequel. I normally prefer to read first books AFTER the next book has come out. I get impatient to know what comes next. I hope we do not have to wait long!  I also sense that there were some teasers of further secrets in the beginning, though I can’t quite see how they will play out yet. I did enjoy the reminder that even the littlest things that we do can have huge consequences on the future. It’s always a good reminder to live thoughtfully. Like the 3 teens from the modern day in the book – Henry, Frances, and Lukas- the world run by a prejudiced dictator did not feel like a world I would want to live in. The story moves along with lots of twists and turns in this not-really time travel story of characters who can communicate over time, but are unable to move through time. How they manage that communication is part of the challenge throughout the book. Hopefully we won’t have long to wait for the next part of the story! (Side note, be sure to read the author bios on the flaps of the book. Ann and Ben are siblings & each had funny blurbs about each other from their own childhoods.)

Gorgeously Me!

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By Jonathan Van Ness. Illustrated by Kamala Nair

From bestselling author and star of Queer Eye Jonathan Van Ness, Gorgeously ME! is a book about being true to yourself and accepting who you are even if it isn’t alway easy. It reinforces the concept that being different and unique is okay and it is okay to express it. This nicely illustrated book has characters of many different backgrounds who show confidence and acceptance of all even if they look different or have physical challenges. It encourages kids to admit mistakes and talk through things to make resolutions.

I would recommend this book to all elementary school libraries as it encourages acceptance, kindness and loving one’s self.

Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho

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By William Boniface. Illustrated by Julien Chung

Similar to the original, this book is an alphabet book about letters trying to climb a tree but this time it’s a Christmas tree. As the letters decorate the tree they string themselves along making the reader want to sing the original melody. As they slip and drop they see someone put a square beneath the tree. From there they see many different shaped presents appearing. This is a great book that reinforces the learning of the alphabet but also teaches about different shapes. I would recommend this book to libraries that have preschool classes or need more alphabet book titles.

The Truth About the Couch

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By Adam Rubin. Illustrated by Liniers

From the author of “Dragons Love Tacos” we have another funny addition to children’s literature. Did you know there are FURNITURE POLICE?!? Well YES! there are! They are the “secret elite enforcement squadron that ride dinosaurs and lasso runaway couches with barbed wire”. Apparently there are those that don’t believe this though and want to stop our main character from letting us, the readers, learn more. Our main character, Fox, proceeds to tell us the supposed history of the couch but the Possum does not believe him. Possum soon tries to put black tape on all of Fox’s pictures and argues that he is just making it up. Possum is concerned about the well being of readers and that Fox is filling their minds with nonsense. Is that true? This book is a humorous book about couches, dinosaurs, lion kings, aliens and so much more. But the question is…..what is the truth about the couch?

I highly recommend this silly and humorous book for all elementary libraries.

All I Need to Be

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By Rachel Ricketts. Illustrated by Tiffany Rose

“All I Need to Be” is a wonderfully illustrated picture book that encourages the reader to be okay with themselves as they are. The main character reminds us that it is okay to look within ourselves when the world gets to be too much. When students read this they will more than likely see themself in the many different characters on the pages. This would be a nice addition to a library that may be in need of SEL books for younger readers. I would recommend this picture book.

Charlie Hernandez & the Phantom of Time

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by Ryan Calejo

In this fourth installment of the adventures of Charlie Hernandez, he and his friends must save the land of the living from dark forces by traveling back in time to the 1950’s in Cuba.  Charlie is a morphling and able to transform in moments of crises into animals that help him save the day. While trying to save the past, present and future, the 3 friends encounter many of the monsters and figures from previous books as well as a few new ones – the Phantom of Time, Tragaldabas, La Carreta, La Llorona, La Mano Paluda, Queen Joanna, Madremonte, and Charlie’s dead grandmother are just a few of the many mythological and story characters Charlie encounters. The action is non-stop, as in previous books. The monsters from South American mythology are frequent and, for me, mostly unknown. That has been my only frustration as a reader. I don’t have the background myths and legends to fall back on, though Charlie certainly does. I’m occasionally at a loss for who is who, but by book 4, it is nice to see a few of the creatures from earlier books reappear. The books could use a glossary of legendary creatures for a quick reference. There are usually some context clues, but for me, I could use a few more. There are always a lot of characters – good & bad – to keep track of!  Anyone who has enjoyed the series previously will undoubtedly enjoy book four. Since it leans on the past three books for reference, I’m not sure I would recommend jumping right into book 4.

Two Birds…and a MOOSE

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By Jame Preller. Illustrated by Abigail Burch

This humorous book written by James Preller is a funny tale about a moose that wants to be in a tree with his friends the two birds. There are few words on each page that are simple for early readers. The illustrations are engaging and allow for readers to understand the story without necessarily understanding the printed words. It is a book that even as an adult, made me smile. I recommend it for early level readers. It was enjoyable.

Our Universe: The Solar System

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By Marion Dane Bauer. Illustrated by John Wallace

Marion Dane Bauer has created a well written book about our Solar System. There are interesting facts given about all of the planets in order of closest to furthest from the Sun as well as other objects that are in the system. It has a Glossary at the beginning with clear definitions of more challenging words as well as their pronunciations. The final page also has interesting facts to encourage more reading. The illustrations are vibrant and engaging and will make readers more interested to learn more. This beginning reader is a good addition for any library in need of non-fiction books at a lower level.

Sync by: Ellen Hopkins

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True to form, Ellen Hopkins latest book pulls readers right in! Sync follows twin siblings, Storm and Lake, as they try to navigate their circumstances of being pulled apart and sent to different foster homes, repeatedly throughout their adolescent years. Although the siblings are physically forced apart their connection cannot be broken, not through time spent in juvenile detention or on the streets. Fortunately for each, they have people to love and care for no matter the circumstances.

Lake is placed with a foster family who is very conservative and expects her to follow suit; however, she has a girlfriend and wants to challenge the ideals consistently pressed upon her within the foster home. Storm is placed with a loving, caring foster father, but ends up in juvenile detention after trying to seek revenge on someone who sexually assaulted his long-time girlfriend.

In the worst of circumstances, the siblings are unable to connect – trying to keep tabs on each other through their caseworkers. Although things seem pretty hopeless for both twins, they continue to persevere.

Students who like to read about difficult topics and trauma will be pulled in by these characters and their circumstances. Ellen Hopkins knows how to tug on a reader’s heartstrings. If you have other books by this author in your collection, you will want to add this as well.

Careers in STEM: Marine Biologist by Lisa Owings

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Marine biologists study the plants and animals in the ocean. They learn about how humans impact the oceans.

This book is a Blastoff Reader from the Careers in STEM series. There are 2-3 sentences per page and uses many text features such as bold words, table of contents, glossary, photographs and captions. They also include brief information about a famous marine biologist.This book explains what a marine biologist is, does, and how to become a marine biologist. The careers in this series introduce readers to careers they may not know about.

Careers in STEM: Microbiologist by Lisa Owings

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Microbiologists study microbes and use what they learn in a variety of ways. Some microbiologists use what they learn to make new medicine or help Earth.

This book is a Blastoff Reader from the Careers in STEM series. There are 2-3 sentences per page and uses many text features such as bold words, table of contents, photographs and captions. The glossary is needed as there are many words that will be new to students, such as microbes. This book explains what a microbiologist is, does, and how to become a microbiologist. The careers in this series introduce readers to careers they may not know about.

The Queens’ English by: Chloe O. Davis

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Reviewed by OHS Student, Cordelia W.

The Queens’ English is super colorful and will be a hit with those researching or wanting to know more about all things LGBTQIA+. The point of The Queens’ English is to inform readers of some of the slang terms used within and about LGBTQIA+ community, as well as definitions for different sexualities and genders.

The colorful pages of this book gives this nonfiction dictionary a fun look, making readers (such as me) interested because each page is different and doesn’t have consistent look to it. It’s a nice complement to the LGBTQIA+ theme of the book. It’s very colorful and uses inclusive and interesting patterns and the same is true for the wording, with it being blunt and referring to other parts of the book and using terms that were earlier in the book. Something I didn’t like is when a term had the same definition as another it would just refer you to a different page such as, 3 different words had the same definition and the book kept referring you to the one at the very end of the book; I would have preferred it to just be defined again.

Those who should read this book are be people doing projects on the topic of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as those wanting to learn more about the community as a whole and its origins.

Speaking of America : United States Presidents and the words that changed history

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by Jared Cohen, illustrations by Vivian Shih

From George Washington to Joe Biden and every president in between, this book presents a famous saying from each president, but more importantly, explains about the world during the time of their presidency. For each famous phrase, the authors also put the words in perspective with their intended purpose and the power they had on their times. Finally, each two page spread includes a “Did You Know?” box with a fun factoid about the president featured on those pages. The book also features a timeline of U.S. history and the time each president was in office, tips for aspiring speech writers and future presidents, and a really interesting section of speeches presidents never gave. What if three things had happened in history? How would the presidents have responded? Speeches were actually written but never given because history took a different turn. History buffs will find this fascinating reading as the reader gets a quick paragraph look at what was happening in the world over the last 200+ years. Illustrations are bright drawings that enhance the information. This book would be a nice addition to non-fiction history sections (though the dewey puts it in books about famous speeches.)

Worst Broommate Ever!

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written by Wanda Coven; illustrated by Anna Abramskaya

Heidi Heckelbeck is off to boarding school for witches as she enters middle school and things are a bit tougher than she thought they would be. She has to leave her best friends from elementary school and her family. But, her witch mom tells her that this school is going to be so good for her as she learns how to use her skills and connect with other kids like her. Unfortunately, her roommate is not so fun – it’s mean Melanie Maplethorpe from elementary school! Heidi can’t believe she’s a witch, too! And, they are supposed to hide their magical skills from the non-witch students and only use their talents at their secret classes with the other witches.

Fans of the early chapter books about the same character will enjoy growing with Heidi as she moves on to middle school. Reluctant readers will enjoy the book with its well-spaced text and accompanying black and white illustrations. Recommended.

16 & Pregnant

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Student Review: The Young Adult Literature 16 & Pregnant by Lala Thomas represents the hardships and the relationship issues that may arise with loved ones and partners when going through such a situation as teen pregnancy. Erykah just had their birthday but instead of being happy and celebrating with their friends as every other teen does on their sweet sixteen, Erykah spends her birthday vomiting in the toilet after discovering that she had become pregnant with her irresponsible and low-effort boyfriend Miguel. Considering this factor, Erykah still decides not to get an abortion and to have the child. This shows challenges for Erykah to accomplish her dream- to become a black braiding hairstylist shop. Along the way, on top of other relationships, the book exposes the strong but complicated relationship between her and her best friend Kelly as they work threw intense emotions, misunderstandings, and disagreements. This book highlights the struggles and aspects of having a child not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally for women of any age. This may be a good book for those in the same general age group who need guidance or those who want to understand the topic a little more than they did before. Overall this book is very helpful and informational, however, I feel that there was an abundance of unnecessary foul language used in the book, which made the story unpleasant at times.

Queer History A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism

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by Robin Stevenson

This illustrated nonfiction alphabet book is meant for middle to upper grades. Perfectly appropriate for 6th graders and up. The author follows alphabet-book style by having 1-2 pages per letter covering famous LGBTQ+ people, events and famous locations. Each letter includes lovely stylized images and text giving a blurb about each topic. It’s highly readable, fast paced, and could be read by bouncing around or cover to cover. It also includes additional information in a more condensed form at the back of the book, a 100 year timeline, a glossary, and an index. So much of this book is positive and joyful with lots of smiling people of all diversities, while still dealing with some of the challenging times (R – raids and riots). I like that it defines topics in clear language. The F – Flag page was helpful in showing all of the iterations of flags in the LGBTQ+ community. While it shows kissing & hugging, there is nothing more salacious in the images, again, making it perfectly appropriate for middle school audiences interested in this topic.

Conditions of A Heart by: Bethany Mangle

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Reviewed by OHS Substitute, Sandy H.

This coming of age story will connect readers with the difficulties of being a teenager as well as showing how family struggles impact life. Brynn Kwan balances friends, family, and boys on top of struggles to let an unattainable persona go. Meanwhile pain rears its head. In this book, the protagonist (and her father) has chronic pain resulting from a health disorder which is a young adult topic not frequently encountered, for this primary reason I appreciated reading the book.

Diary of A Confused Feminist by Kate Weston

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Reviewed by OHS Substitute, Sandy H.

This novel will be a hit with young adult readers who enjoy coming-of-age struggles.

Kat Evans tries to get a date, deal with friends, and manifest self-acceptance, while trying to think of everything through the lens of feminism. Meanwhile she’s also rabidly documenting everything in her diary. This young adult fiction dives deep into the anxieties, dreams, and ideals of a teenager trying to make her way through high school – so believable, the anxiety just oozed off of the pages!

Reading it as an adult, I liked being reminded of how tough it really is to be a teenager.

Diary of A Confused Feminist - book cover. Pink text - outline of lips.

Miles Morales: Suspended

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Book Reviewed by Kingston 10th grade – I gave this book a rating of 5/5 because it’s a compelling and engaging book, it provides a new look on Miles and who he is. The book follows Miles Morales a teenage superhero who navigates the challenges of keeping his secret identity as Spider-Man while facing formidable villains in New York City. The plot of this fictional superhero story makes you want to keep turning the page to see what gonna happen next. I  like how they make Miles relatable and explore the identity and finding yourself.  The pacing of the book could have been better and some characters aren’t as developed as others.

Reviewed by Cailyn 12th grade – This novel has a unique style for Spiderman! Miles Morales has become obsessed with poetry and babbles endlessly about his crush. With his spidey powers, he saves the world from an evil mastermind The Warden, and Miles gets put in suspension. What begins as a long boring day of in-school suspension is interrupted by his spidey-senses telling him that something is wrong. Since the novel is about a Marvel superhero, it is considered a fictitious novel. Also, it is poetry because it includes a mixed format of verses. In this novel, I liked how it blended superhero things and introduced the concept of racism. The book I rated a 3 because it kind of felt rushed and underdeveloped. To add to this, I think that this style of novel is just not my type either.

If I See You Again Tomorrow

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Reviewed by Raymond 9th grade – I love the story that the book is telling about love between two boys. Clark goes on these errands with Beau and Clark ends up falling in love with Beau. Such a beautiful story challenging existential aspects of human life; isolation meaninglessness, and freedom; as well as alienation and depression. All that is done in a heartwarming sweet romance. I like how it tells a love story between two boys. Also like that it’s a romance book because I love romance anything. It’s hard for me to like a book but I really enjoyed this book.

If You’ll Have Me

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Reviewed by Cierra 12th grade – This was one of the cutest graphic novels I’ve ever read. From the art style to the plot, to the characters, I’m obsessed. Momo is a selfless, naive, and caring friend. She has little to no experience in the dating world. PG on the other hand is the opposite. Labeled as someone who likes to “get around,” and is a player, she’s quite the lone wolf. Despite her reputation, under that hard exterior, she falls in love just as easily as anyone else. Their two worlds collide unexpectedly and a romance begins to brew. With PG’s reputation, things get a little tricky.The romance in this novel is sweet like a peach. Two people who know little about love, but crave it so much make this graphic novel such a nice read. The LGBTQIA+ aspect of it makes it feel relatable as well. The character design is just beautiful. I love Momo’s character, she’s so cute and gorgeous.It didn’t feel rushed. Typically, when you read a graphic novel you get through them fast because there are little words on each page. Sometimes that can cause the book to feel rushed. However, the pacing was perfect. It felt like I was watching a movie in my mind. I also found myself relating to Momo, as a black girl with little dating experience myself. I found myself getting jealous and wanting a romance like this. I also enjoyed the intended funny bits as well. I rarely LOL at a book, but I caught myself gasping and giggling a couple of times. There’s little that I dislike about it. I don’t like PG’s character design for one. It just looks off on some pages, I can’t exactly put my finger on why. The flashbacks were kind of hard to decipher at times. There were moments where it took me a couple of seconds to realize “Oh wait, this isn’t present.” There was one flashback where I got confused if it was PG or PG’s brother, but that may just be me being slow. This romance is a cliche, and it’s really hard to make a cliche entertaining. Despite all that, I think they did a relatively good job and I’d read it again or recommend it to a friend.