Days at the Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa

Translated by Eric Ozawa 4 stars A sweet book of interconnected stories focusing on reunions, human connections, and acceptance of the past. Follow a young woman who claims to have a unique relationship with one of the café’s workers, a man coming to terms with the end of a relationship through an unexpected new one…

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Himouto! Umaru-chan Vol. 1 by Sankakuhead

Translated by Amanda Haley 4 stars Adorable and hilarious. To the outside world, Umaru is the perfect high school student: talented, smart, and kind. But at home, she’s a completely different person. Around her brother, she’s lazy, slovenly, and addicted to manga and video games. Taihei does his best to keep up with her antics,…

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Strange Houses by Uketsu (Strange Houses #1)

Translated by Jim Rion 5 stars Who knew looking at floor plans could be so unsettling? What starts as an author asked a fairly innocent question soon unravels into a conspiracy of strange architecture, dark secrets, and murder. This was definitely a weird one but so enjoyable to read. The story was delightfully creepy and…

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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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Max, a Little Axolotl (Max, a Little Axolotl #1)

by Joey Spiotto 3 stars A cute early graphic novel about a little axolotl experiencing big changes. Max lived contently in Lake Xochimilco… until construction encroached on his home and he was taken to an aquarium for safety. There he starts a new school and works to overcome his nervousness to make new friends. A…

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Harper Becomes a Big Sister by Seamus Kirst

Illustrated by Karen Bunting 4 stars Such a sweet story. Harper is excited about being a big sister, but from the moment baby Wyatt arrives, everything is different. Wyatt can’t do the fun things Harper enjoys and Dad and Daddy are always too tired or busy with Wyatt. Maybe being a big sister isn’t all…

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Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family by Seamus Kirst

Illustrated by Karen Bunting 3 stars A sweet picture book following Harper’s first family reunion. There she connects with family members she already knows and meets those she hadn’t met before. She learns about different types of families and how people can look different and even have different last names but still be family. The…

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