Personal rating of 4 out of 5 stars
Illustrated by Charlene Chua 4 stars A delightful and delicious story full of family, food, and love. Jin is disheartened when his sisters are asked to help prepare the family’s Lunar New Year’s feast and he never is. When he asks to help, his aunties only shoo him away, assuming he will just get in…
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Illustrated by Carolina Godina 4 stars Delightfully creepy and well written. Nice variety of story structures including poetry, short stories, an epistolary, a play, chat fiction told through text messages, metafiction, and even stream of consciousness from a family dog. In terms of kid’s horror, I think this one hits the mark well for middle…
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by Fiona Cook Illustrated by Roux 4 stars An nice introduction to the Wheel of the Year, its different spokes, and holidays and activities associated with each. While this is aimed at children, the book also works for adults looking for ways to connect to nature and discover their own inner magic. Each section includes…
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by Roxanne Chester Illustrated by Abraham Matias 4 stars A wonderful resource for beginning conversations with children about unhoused populations and the importance of treating individuals with kindness and empathy. There are few examples of unhoused individuals in children’s books. When they do show up, they are often presented in stereotypical ways. Chester’s book is…
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4 stars A hilarious picture book, perfect for Easter time. The narrator is sure they’ve found the Easter Bunny, but the bunny is adamant that they’re just a normal rabbit. Follow along, look for clues, and decide for yourself. Such a fun read. Cute illustrations. I’m always a sucker for fourth wall breaks. A silly…
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Translated by Alethea & Athena Nibley 4 stars I am loving how this series is building. This one works in a continuous story, featuring a mysterious art enthusiast, a new creepy cat friend, and a bit of relucent teamwork between Oscar and Creepy. Love how all the characters came together in this one. And we…
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Illustrated by Dave Henderson 4 stars While this one didn’t really have a mystery to it, I really enjoyed this Ghostwriter adventure. When a new principal takes over, the students at Hurston Middle School are surprised to learn a dress code is being implemented. Lenni does not agree with the vague guidelines and she and…
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Illustrated by Leanne Hatch 4 stars A young child is having a hard time getting her thoughts to quiet down at bedtime. On her mother’s suggestion, she fills up on happy thoughts to help her fears and worries fly away. A nice visual for talking about worries and anxiety. The book presents the idea of…
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Story by Fuse Adapted by Taiki Kawakami Characters by Mitz Vah Translated by Stephen Paul 4 stars A great continuation of the series. This volume coincides with episodes 6-8 of the anime. In this one, we see Rimuru continue to develop the town and come across some new companions who may make things more complicated…
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Translated by Bruno Navasky Foreword by Neil Gaiman 4 stars Much like the notebook Copper’s uncle writes to him, this is a great book to read at various stages in life, picking up new meaning that didn’t click on the previous read. I found the translator’s note especially helpful in understanding the context of the…
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