Realm of the Blue Mist (The Rema Chronicles #1)

by Amy Kim Kibuishi 5 stars A fantastic journey packed with action and adventure. Join Tabby as she follows a blue-haired stranger into a magical world, searches for a mysterious ghost, and learns there may be more to her father’s death than she initially thought. This was an awesome adventure. Loved the world-building. Kibuishi explores…

Read More

Fantastic Tales of Nothing (Nothing #1)

by Alejandra Green and Franny Rodriguez 3 stars Enter a fantastic world featuring humans, shape-shifting volkens, and mysterious fae. Nothing is quite as it seems in the magical world of Nothing. Strange things are happening to Nathan. After a chance meeting with a mysterious new friend, Haven, the duo must avoid a pair of volken…

Read More

Delicates (Sheets #2) by Brenna Thummler

5 stars A stunning follow-up to Sheets. This one wonderfully captures some of the hardships of growing up female with crush confusion, toxic friendships, and the pressure to fit in. Despite such difficulties, it is filled with hope, kindness, empathy, supportive friendship, and the little moments that bring joy. It shows the power of doing the…

Read More

Up to No Ghoul (The Ghoul Next Door #2)

By Cullen Bunn Illustrations by Cat Farris 4 stars A fantastic follow-up to the wonderfully creepy The Ghoul Next Door. This one picks up right where the last one left off, with Grey and Lavinia forced apart. But when a new threat rolls in to Ander’s Landing, they must break the rules to save the town….

Read More

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…

Read More

The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat

Illustrated by Joanna Cacao 5 stars What a fantastic read! Though I typically am not drawn to realistic fiction, cheerleading is a topic I can’t resist. As I was reading this, I was pleasantly surprised that the book was about much more than cheerleading. Christina Soontornvat recounts her experiences in seventh grade, centered around the…

Read More

Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic (Aster, #2) by Thom Pico

Illustrated by Karensac 5 stars A wonderful follow-up to Aster’s adventures in book one. This volume includes new perils, some familiar characters, and tons of adventure. As with the first book, this one is broken into two interconnected tales, each with magic, danger, and Aster’s quick-thinking. Karensac’s artwork is spectacular. Loved seeing new character designs…

Read More

Primates

The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani, Illustrated by Maris Wicks 2 stars I really wanted to love this book. The illustrations are great, often working in details that aren’t touched on in the text. I love the focus on women in science and their extraordinary passion. However,…

Read More

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…

Read More

Aster and the Accidental Magic (Aster #1) by Thom Pico

Illustrated by Karensac 5 stars A fantastic adventure with some serious Hildafolk vibes and a charm all its own. As a sort of inverse to Hilda, the sassy and sarcastic Aster moves from the city to what she sees as the boring wilderness with nothing to do. However, this wilderness is not all it seems. As Aster…

Read More