Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

4 stars Delightfully creepy. Perfectly macabre. As with many macabre stories, while reading this I often found myself wanting more information, to know what happened after the end. But the unknown has a special place is each of these tales, which adds to their unsettling charm. Great artwork that wonderfully captures the tone of the…

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Cat Massage Therapy Volume 1 by Haru Hisakawa

4 stars Absolutely adorable. Purrr-fect low-stakes story for cat-lovers. Featuring toe beans, chin scritches, tummy rubs, and lap sitting. This book is packed with cuteness. Follow Nekoyama as he makes friends with the Manager of a cat massage parlor and spreads the joy of cat massages with his coworkers. A nice little stress reliever in…

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That’s Not My Name! by Anoosha Syed

5 stars A wonderful book with lush illustrations and a powerful message. Whether you have a name that’s deemed hard-to-pronounce by others or not, this is a great read and learning opportunity. At first, Mirha is excited for her first day of school. But when no one pronounces her name right, she feels unimportant. With…

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

3 stars A powerful coming-of-age story. This novel-in-verse takes a young poet, a forbidden love interest, a strict, religious mother, an apathetic father, a secretive brother, a supportive best friend, and an encouraging teacher, mixes them together, and presents a story of hardship, hope, and healing. This book tackles so many issues such as mother/daughter…

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The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden (The Vanderbeekers #2) by Karina Yan Glaser, Narrated by Robin Miles

5 stars A fantastic follow-up to the first book. Wonderfully written with unforgettable characters. Same charm as the first book with additional characters (along with old favorites), new adventures, and new problems to solve. In this one, the Vanderbeekers forge new friendships, reunite with established friends, make some unexpected discoveries, and band together to beautify…

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