Burly Tales: Fairy Tale for the Hirsute and Hefty Gay Man

Edited by Steve Berman Featuring stories from James H. Moran, John Linwood Grant, Jonathan Harper, M. Yuan-Innes, John T. Fuller, Charles Payseur, B. J. Fry, Alysha MacDonald, Mark Ward, Evey Brett, Rob Rosen, and Ann Zeddies 3 stars Definitely a population that has been underrepresented in fairy tales, Burly Tales gives hefty gay men their…

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A Sweet New Year for Ren

by Michelle Sterling Illustrated by Dung Ho 3 stars A deliciously sweet story for a sweet new year. Every year, Ren hopes she can finally help make pineapple cakes for Lunar New Year. Will this be her year? A delightful story with wonderfully warm illustrations. Nice scenes of togetherness and moments of sharing and teaching….

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The Ultimate Guide to Sea Glass

Finding, Collecting, Identifying, and Using the Ocean’s Most Beautiful Stones by Mary Beth Beuke 3 stars A nice resource for those already interested in sea glass and beachcombing who understand the basics. Would recommend to those who have already started a sea glass collection and are looking to learn more about what to look for…

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Birthday Blues (Nikki & Deja #2) by Karen English

Illustrated by Laura Freeman 3 stars A cute series for young readers. Deja is excited for her upcoming birthday party. But when her class rival decides to have a party the same day, she worries whether her party will be so great after all. This is the first book in the series that I’ve read….

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Shark Princess (Shark Princess #1) by Nidhi Chanani

3 stars A sweet story about two friendly sharks and their underwater adventures. A cute start to the series. Great for fans of the Narwal and Jelly series. The illustrations are absolutely adorable. Loved the color and details. The dialogue and story felt a bit disjointed and rushed in areas, but overall it was a…

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Haven: A Small Cat’s Big Adventure

by Megan Wagner Lloyd 3 stars A sweet story of one cat’s determination to help the human she loves. Told through three different perspectives, Haven tells the tale of a housecat traversing the wild, making new friends, encountering new enemies, and facing the odds in an unknown world. Perfect for readers who enjoy animals, nature,…

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Death & Sparkles by Rob Justus

3 stars A chaotic adventure featuring Death, a unicorn celebrity, and a trio of alien lizards looking to better humanity. Fun humor, adorable artwork, and an unexpected (yet sweet) new friendship. Having Death as a main character, it does dive into some dark humor at times, but has a unique balance with Sparkles rounding it…

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Lily and the Night Creatures by Nick Lake

Illustrated by Emily Gravett 3 stars Dealing with her own chronic illness and feelings of inadequacy, Lily is not looking forward to the addition of a new baby in the house. But when she returns home to find a mom who is not quite her mother and a dad who is not quite her father,…

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The Golden Dreidel by Ellen Kushner

3 stars A fun adventure featuring demons, riddles, magic, new friends, and a few lessons. Sara has a hard time finding her place at the family Chanukah party. She’s too old for the little kids, ignored by the teens, and doesn’t get along with her brother and the cousins her age. After an unfortunate mishap,…

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Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom Throughout Your Library

by Kristin Pekoll 3 stars A nice overview of intellectual freedom considerations as they pertain to non-book items and happenings in libraries. The book provides examples and considerations regarding bans and critiques of displays and exhibits, artwork, programs and events, bookmarks and reading lists, social media, and databases. It also touches on the importance of…

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