Soundtrack by Jason Reynolds (Audiobook)

Narrated by Nile Bullock, Mekhi Hewling, Jade Williams, Brandon Miles, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Amir Royale, Jasmin Richardson, Christopher Grant, Khaya Fraites, Nadine Simmons, Robb Moreira, Wé Ani, Rocky Anicette, and Brandiss Seward 5 stars Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC of this book. I absolutely loved this book. Well-balanced with humor, tough topics, and heartwarming…

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The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeon

Translated by Shanna Tan 3 stars Step into the Memory Bookshop, a mysterious place that stores all your conscious and unconscious memories and offers a unique opportunity. You have three chances to go back in time to try to change your life. But of course, this offer comes with a price. When Jiwon stumbles across…

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Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

4 stars Mia doesn’t feel fully connected to her Jewish identity. She looks different than most of the kids at her Jewish day school (some of whom are quick to point it out) and she feels disconnected from her Muscogee identity. So she decides to visit her father in Oklahoma to learn more about Muscogee…

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Ritu in the Sun by Moniza Hossain

Illustrated by Mercè López 4 stars Ritu loves the sun, but her grandmother keeps telling her to come into the shade before her skin gets too dark. This confuses Ritu. Isn’t her skin beautiful? Ritu finally finds a way to tell her grandmother how she feels and show that brown skin is beautiful. Lyrical and…

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Our Guncle by Steven Rowley

Illustrated by Eda Kaban 4 stars A fun picture book adaptation of The Guncle. The original novel is still on my TBR but this sweet picture book made me want to get around to reading it soon. After the death of their mother, Maisie and Grant spend the summer with their Uncle Patrick. He does…

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Will’s Race for Home by Jewel Parker Rhodes (Audiobook)

Illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov Narrated by Christopher Hampton 5 stars I’ll admit I put off reading this one because I didn’t think I’d ever like a Western. But oh my gosh, this book was so good. Will and his father set out from Texas to Oklahoma to stake their claim during the Land…

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The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu

4 stars Delightfully strange. This book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the people who keep the universe working properly as they go up against sabotage, covert operations, and family struggles. Fascinating characters. Unique dynamics. Such an interesting story. Honestly, there were parts of the science and interworking that went right over my head, but it…

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First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth

by Angélique Roché Illustrated by Alvin Epps, Bex Glendining, and Millicent Monroe 3 stars I was really excited to see a graphic novel about Opal Lee geared toward adults, but the execution of this just did not work for me. The story jumps around to different time periods without much context given. I had a…

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