Popo the Xolo by Paloma Angelina Lopez

Illustrated by Abraham Matias 4 stars A stunning story of a woman’s journey through the nine levels of Mictlān with the guidance of her Xoloitzcuintle, Popo. Wonderfully written. Nana’s journey includes her own version of the nine levels of Mictlān, including a river, a path of obsidian, snow, and strong winds. Her trials are gentler…

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Disney Manga: Pixar’s Toy Story by Tetsuhiro Koshita

4 stars Includes Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in one epic manga format. A fun adaptation of the first two films. I love that for the most part it sticks to the dialogue of the films. I was a little disappointed that some of my favorite lines didn’t make the cut, but there are…

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Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

5 stars A love story to San Francisco and a new take on the sci-fi genre. I never knew I needed a cozy sci-fi story in my life. This is such a sweet book. Staybehind wakes up to find that he and his robot coworkers, Cayenne, Sweetie, and Hands, have been shutdown and the restaurant…

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Disney’s Kilala Princess, Volume 5 by Rika Tanaka

Illustrated by Nao Kodaka Translated by Christine Dashiell 3 stars The conclusion of Kilala’s adventure. While there were definitely ups and downs in this series, the ending was pretty satisfying. Kilala and her friends make it to Agrabah and meet Aladdin and Jasmine. They must defeat Jafar to earn the sixth gem to get Kilala…

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Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 5 by Kiiro Yumi

Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa Translated by Kinami Watabe 4 stars The dangers at the library take a turn in this volume. Instructor Komaki gets caught up in some serious allegations and the Task Force must figure out how to help him all while concealing Iku’s true role at the library from her visiting parents….

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Dracula’s Brunch Club by Brian Gonsar

Illustrated by Keenan Gaybba 2 stars Okay story with silly humor and fun 90s-style artwork. Back from his world tour, Dracula is ready to host his brunch club, only to learn his nemesis, Constantine, has taken over and banned all humans. With help from his friends, he’ll have to save the brunch club and human-vampire…

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Two-List Thanksgiving by Christine Whan

Illustrated by Sienna Youngsun Kim 5 stars An adorable story about a family coming together for a Thanksgiving meal. A young girl helps her mother shop for Thanksgiving. They have one list for the Korean market and one for the local market. It isn’t until they are all together enjoying the meal that the girl…

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Cat + Crazy Volume 1 by Wataru Nadatani

Translated by Zack Davisson 4 stars Same fun cat humor as Cat + Gamer with a whole new story and a completely different feel. Yamada Koharu is a normal high school girl, but after witnessing her classmate, Kensuke Fuji’s, cat obsession, she can’t help but get swept up in his pursuits to protect cats, learn…

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Eating to Save the Planet: How Veganism Helps Fight Climate Change

by Anne Broyles Illustrated by Hannah Li 3 stars A good overview of reasons to adapt a vegan diet that includes a nice visual presentation and beautiful illustrations. Easy-to-read and persuasive, Broyles presents various arguments for adapting a vegan diet and how the use of animal products impacts the environment. Despite the subtitle, the book…

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Twilight Sparkle: Best Aunt Ever! by Tallulah May

Illustrated by Zoe Persico 5 stars Another wonderful My Little Pony picture book adventure. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor want to celebrate Twilight Sparkle for being such an amazing aunt to Flurry Heart. So they create Auntie’s Day and enlist her friends to help plan a party for her. But can the friends agree on…

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