Where There Is Love: A Story in African Proverbs

by Shauntay Grant Illustrated by Letícia Moreno 5 stars A delightfully cozy story of a young girl’s visit to Nana’s house filled with good food, good music, and good conversation. Nicely written with straight-forward text. I love how the proverbs are worked into the story as the girl shares what she has learned at Nana’s…

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Always Raining Here by Hazel and Bell

2 stars Newly-out Carter is looking for a hook up. He sets his sights on classmate, Adrian, who’s hung up on someone else. Will the two see eye-to-eye or are they destined to forever get on each other’s nerves? Before reading this, I had not read the web comic so this was my first encounter…

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Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily Austin

2.5 stars After taking a leave of absence for her mental health, Darcy returns to her job as a public librarian. The last thing she needs is more difficulties, but she’ll have to deal with aggressive journalists, creepy emails, book bans, and protesters. Okay read. I expected to enjoy this more than I did. I…

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Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights [Audiobook]

Edited by Ashley Hope Pérez Illustrated by Debbie Fong Contributors: Ashley Hope Pérez, Maia Kobabe, Robin Stevenson, Nikki Grimes, Elana K. Aronld, Bill Konigsberg, Brendan Kiely, MariNaomi, Traci Sorell, Isabel Quintero, Trung Le Nguyen, Kyle Lukoff, Debbie Fong, Padma Venkatraman, Kelly Jensen, and Ellen Hopkins 3 stars A nice collection of pieces from a variety…

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The Salt Princess (Everlasting Tales #2) by Anoosha Syed

5 stars A fantastic story featuring a clever and mischievous princess, a kind and understanding prince, and beautiful artwork. Four princesses tell their father how they love him. But when Princess Amal compares her love to humble and common salt, the king banishes her from the kingdom. She finds a new home and comes up…

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When the Lake Burns by Geneviève Bigué

Translated by Luke Langille 2 stars I was initially drawn in by the mysterious title and the gorgeous color palette, but this story was not for me. It somehow feels like it dragged out while also being underdeveloped. It’s like the start of a story. There were aspects of greed/pride, poverty, grief, and friendship that…

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Pink, Blue, and You!: Questions for Kids about Gender Stereotypes by Elise Gravel

with Mykaell Blais 4 stars A sweet introduction to gender and stereotypes that encourages children to reflect on what they’ve been taught about self expression and interests. The book discusses the difference between sex and gender, explains gender identity, introduces common stereotypes regarding gender, and highlights famous people who have gone against those stereotypes and…

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The Secret of the Jade Bangle (The Nguyen Kids #1) by Linda Trinh

Illustrated by Clayton Nguyen 4 stars A heartwarming story of family, tradition, loss, and connection. In the first book in The Nguyen Kids series, we follow Anne, the eldest Nguyen sibling. After the passing of her beloved grandmother, Anne inherits her iconic jade bracelet. But this bracelet has a secret. Follow Anne as she uncovers…

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