The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed

Illustrated by Hatem Aly 5 stars Hilarious and heartwarming. A sweet adventure told with creativity and humor that celebrates the ups and downs of sibling relationships. The narrator wants to share his perfectly rhyming story, but his sister comes along and changes his words. The new story takes them to unexpected places with unforeseen obstacles,…

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On Her Own: The Life of Betty Brinn

by Priscilla Pardini Illustrated by Joanne Scholler Bowring 4 stars I’ve lived in Milwaukee for over 10 years and while I’ve heard the name Betty Brinn plenty of times, I didn’t really know anything about her. This was such a great biography to correct that. The book is quite text-heavy but I found the story…

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The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine Vol. 4

Story by Mei Hachimoku Illustrated by Koudon Translated by Alexa Frank 5 stars A beautiful conclusion to a fantastic series. In the final volume, we get all the emotions and I loved every moment of it. The artwork is wonderful. A heartfelt story. I really enjoyed this series. Satisfying to the very end. Goodreads

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Love Like Chocolate by Tracy Banghart

Illustrated by Alina Chau 5 stars A wonderfully sweet story of family, love, and chocolate. The narrator’s family is welcoming a new member. To make his adopted sister feel safe and comfortable, he helps introduce her to the family’s baking traditions and shares their love of chocolate. Such a sweet book. I love that it…

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The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine Vol. 3

Story by Mei Hachimoku Illustrated by Koudon Translated by Alexa Frank 5 stars In this volume, Anzu and Kaoru continue their exploration of the Urashima Tunnel, attempting to unlock its secrets. Along the way, Kaoru learns why Anzu is interested in the tunnel in the first place, has an unexpected reunion, and must make a…

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The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes by Mei Hachimoku

Illustrated by Kukka Translated by Evan Ward 3 stars A mysterious tunnel rumored to grant wishes, a pair of teens with troubled pasts, and an unexpected friendship born from the desire to know more. I’ve been really loving the manga of this and enjoyed the anime so I figured I’d check out the original light…

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The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling

5 stars A little bit creepy, very mysterious, and so intriguing. I loved this one! Kess is doing her best to keep her family’s Unnatural History Museum going while her parents are away on a job and her older brother is holed up in the library doing “research”. That leaves her spending most of her…

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My Sister, The Cat Vol. 1 by Senko

Translated by Liya Sultanova 5 stars Absolutely adorable. Heartwarming and hilarious. After the death of his mother, Nekota is taken in by a family of anthropomorphic cats. He gets along especially well with his new cat-sister, Neneko, and the manga centers around slice-of-life adventures showing their bond. Cute art style. I loved reading about the…

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Merman in My Tub Vol. 1 by Itokichi

Translated by Angela Liu 3 stars Tatsumi is minding his own business when he comes across a stranger in need. He offers help only to end up with a merman in his bathtub with no intention of leaving. Overall a fun read. I enjoyed the premise and loved the different characters that show up. The…

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Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories by Anica Mrose Rissi

Illustrated by Carolina Godina 4 stars Delightfully creepy and well written. Nice variety of story structures including poetry, short stories, an epistolary, a play, chat fiction told through text messages, metafiction, and even stream of consciousness from a family dog. In terms of kid’s horror, I think this one hits the mark well for middle…

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