Illustrated by Lenny Wen 3 stars A delicious story of community, family, and generosity. Every Saturday, Carina visits Tia Mimi’s to make empanadas. But this week, Tia Mimi is volunteering at the food center, which leaves Carina to collect all the ingredients herself. Along the way, she finds that her diverse neighbors all have their…
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Illustrated by Mika Song 3 stars A follow-up early chapter book to the picture book, A Friend for Henry. One day at school, Henry’s teacher tells the class that they will have a parade on Friday. But that means changing their weekly schedule. Henry soon becomes frustrated by the changing rules, the loudness of the parade…
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Illustrated by Mika Song 2 stars A story about a boy looking for a friend at school who is quiet, shares, listens, and follows the rules. While it is started in the blurb that Henry is autistic, it does not make mention in the actual story as the author wanted the story to be more…
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Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan 3 stars A sweet, gentle story. Lou loves visiting Grandad and Pops on Saturdays. But one Saturday, something terrible happens and Pops gets hurt. Lou makes a plan to cheer him up with the help of Grandad and their neighbors. The illustrations are lovely. Loved the soft colors and sweet details….
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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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Illustrated by Dung Ho 4 stars A beautiful picture book about language, heritage, and the bond between a grandmother and grandchild. I love the way Felix and his grandmother connect across generations, languages, and cultures, sharing things they enjoy with each other. Felix is so excited for his grandmother to come to America and meet…
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5 stars I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s not a genre I would typically gravitate toward, but I was instantly pulled in by Braithwaite’s dark humor and dry wit. Korede would do anything to protect her younger sister, Ayoola. But after the third boyfriend who’s wound of dead in…
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4 stars A beautiful story of love, family, and the connection between food and culture. Lintang is excited to meet her grandmother for the first time and try the sambal that everyone loves. But when Lintang gets a taste, she finds it’s too spicy. She wants to connect with her family and her Indonesian heritage,…
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Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise 5 stars Another fantastic read from the Klise team! Appleton Elementary prides itself on staying they same. When the new librarian, Rita B. Danjerous, comes along and introduces a “green dot” collection, not everyone is on board. Following written interactions between various characters, readers will embark on a journey to…
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Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita 4 stars This is all around a touching and wholesome story. While Mommy leaves on a work trip, the main character stays home with Mama. They go about their daily routines, but things are a little different without Mommy. Works well for discussing missing someone and waiting for them to come…
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