Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen

Illustrated by Lucia Soto 5 stars A delightfully sweet story of a young girl and her favorite uncle. When Uncle Bobby’s announces he’s getting married, Chloe isn’t so sure. She wants him to keep having fun with her. But as she spends more time with him and his fiancé, Jamie, she sees that having two…

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Sparkle Boy by Lesléa Newman

Illustrated by Maria Mola 5 stars Absolutely adorable. A wonderful story with sweet illustrations. Jessie loves all things sparkly, but when her brother Casey shows an interest in them as well, she doesn’t think he’s allowed. He’s a boy after all. Her family supports Casey’s interest and helps him put together shimmery attire. When confronted…

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Over the Garden Wall: Hollow Town by Celia Lowenthal

Illustrated by Jorge Monlongo 4 stars Delightfully spooky. After a series of unfortunate raft troubles, Wirt, Greg, Beatrice, and everyone’s favorite frog seek refuge in a quiet town filled with polite inhabitants. However, the longer they stay, the more sinister the town seems. Can they unlock its dark secrets, and if they do, will they…

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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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