Agent Unicorn by Jenny Alvarado

3 stars A cute comic-style picture book about a unicorn that longs to be a special agent. The artwork was really cute. I loved the color palette. The story itself was fine. Unicorn is a real jerk for most of the book, but kind of learns a lesson at the end. There is some nice…

Read More

A Little Like Magic by Sarah Kurpiel

5 stars An utterly stunning story of art, beauty, and permanence. The narrator is not happy about facing the cold weather, uncomfortable winter clothes, crowds, and an unfamiliar setting to attend the winter festival. She doesn’t see the point of making ice sculptures that are just going to melt. To make matters worse, on her…

Read More

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 1 by Honda

Translated by Amanda Haley 3 stars A humorous behind-the-scenes look at working in the manga department of a Japanese bookstore. Filled with relatable customer-service woes, Honda pulls from real-life experiences and shares a variety of interactions and issues such as out-of-stock items, staff recommendations, customer service training, and seriously awkward customer requests. The artwork is…

Read More

Detective Beans: The Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen

3 stars Detective Beans is the best in the business. Or he likes to think so at least. One day, Beans sets out to solve the mystery of who’s leaving him encouraging notes only to discover… his detective hat is missing. Before he can solve the note-giver mystery, he must track down his hat and…

Read More

My Little Pony: 40th Anniversary Celebration The Deluxe Edition

Featuring stories by Sam Maggs, Jeremy Whitley, and Tony Fleecs Illustrated by Keisha Okafor, Amy Mebberson, and Brianna Garcia 3 stars A fun blending of various generations to celebrate 40 years of My Little Pony. Explore adventures from Generation 1 through Mark Your Mark with references to Friendship is Magic. In “Friendship is Forever” (Sam…

Read More

The Great Wiz and the Ruckus by Joey McCormick

2 stars A fast-paced adventure tale of saving the world and the balance of light and dark The looming threat of the Ruckus has returned. In order to restore balance, five Wiz’s (I don’t know why this is the plural form but it is apparently) must band together to summon the Great Wiz. But is…

Read More

Over the Garden Wall: Hollow Town by Celia Lowenthal

Illustrated by Jorge Monlongo 4 stars Delightfully spooky. After a series of unfortunate raft troubles, Wirt, Greg, Beatrice, and everyone’s favorite frog seek refuge in a quiet town filled with polite inhabitants. However, the longer they stay, the more sinister the town seems. Can they unlock its dark secrets, and if they do, will they…

Read More