MADreads

Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

A cut above?

Cover of J. D. and the Great Barber
A review of J. D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard, illustrated by Akeem Roberts

J.D. is this librarian’s new hero. The night before his first day of 3rd grade, his wonderful, well meaning mom gives him a terrible haircut. Facing ridicule and embarrassment at school J.D.  takes the clippers into his own hands, practicing on his little brother and then giving himself his own perfect fade. An artist and comic book lover, he is soon transforming the trims of his entire peewee football team, and drawing some unwanted attention from the local barber who is losing business. But J.D. won’t give up his budding business without a fight. Let the great Barber Battle begin!

Posted by Rebecca M on Jan 14, 2022

Shaped by our world

Cover of Deep Creek: Finding Hope i
A review of Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country by Pam Houston

I am an urbanite to the bone, I like the bustle, noise and plethora of activities available. I do not hike, camp, fish, backpack, etc. because for one insects (one and all) appear to think I am the best buffet they have ever come across. I am allergic to wool (that natural fabric so often used in outdoor life); at best it gives me a rash—at its worst if there are loose fibers floating around, I have come close to not breathing.

Posted by Liz C on Jan 11, 2022

The language of music

Cover of Accordionly: Abuelo and Op
A review of Accordionly: Abuelo and Opa Make Music by Michael Genhart

A young boy loves to visit with his Abuelo, who plays accordion in a mariachi band. He also loves to listen to his Opa play accordion in his polka band, yodeling along with the music. But, when Opa and Abuelo meet, there is silence between them. They don’t share a language. Happily, the boy discovers they DO share a language, the universal language of music. Each grandfather shares music from their experience and pretty soon, everyone is singing, playing and dancing together as one big family. 

Posted by on Jan 7, 2022

Return to form

Cover of Kingscastle
A review of Kingscastle by Sophia Holloway

A couple of things drew me to this book immediately. One, the cover, yep, I'm shallow like that. And two, the description of the hero/heroine. He's a retired naval captain and she's the put-upon companion to a difficult woman. My favorite Jane Austen novel is Persuasion so this description hit me in my Austen sweet spot. Did it live up to my hopes based on those two enticements? Mostly, though, in ways unexpected.

Posted by Jane J on Jan 6, 2022

Doing what it takes

Cover of The Violin Conspiracy
A review of The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

This is a heist story. It's also an examination of institutional racism in the rarefied world of classical music and of hope and perseverance in a world that doesn't always reward such. Brendan Slocumb, a former principal violinist and concertmaster, manages all of this in a delicate balance of a story that held my attention from first to last pages.

Posted by Jane J on Jan 4, 2022

They mean EVERYTHING

Cover of A Pizza with Everything On
A review of A Pizza with Everything On It by Kyle Scheele

"When your dad owns a pizza shop, you can have whatever kind of pizza you want." This light hearted tale of a father and son's journey to make the PERFECT pizza is sure to please. After a father asks his son what kind of pizza he wants, the young lad informs him that he would like a pizza with EVERYTHING on it. During their quest to make the most out of this world pizza, the father son duo accidentally set off a chain of events that will change the universe forever. This turn of events is sure to melt your brain like warm mozzarella. With perfectly quirky illustrations by Andy J.

Posted by on Dec 30, 2021

When she fell, she bounced back

Cover of Madam: The Biography of Po
A review of Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age by Debby Applegate

If one were to check the wallets of some of 1930s New York more prominent male citizens, it’s likely one would find a business card bearing simply a sketch of a parrot and a phone number. This card might be inscrutable at first glance, but to those in the know, that card would lead to the home of one Polly Adler, New York’s most notorious and successful madam during the city’s hedonistic Jazz Era.

Posted by Katie H on Dec 29, 2021

Alert: cutest animal ever

Cover of Down the Hatch
A review of Down the Hatch by M.C. Beaton and R.W. Green

This latest installment in the Agatha Raisin series brings Agatha eye-to-eye with the most adorable animal ever: the quokka. Seriously, these creatures are the cutest. They are a small type of wallaby about the size of a cat with a brown face, rounded ears, and what looks like the sweetest smile in the animal kingdom.

Posted by Molly W on Dec 28, 2021

Holiday party gone wrong

Cover of The After Party
A review of The After Party by A. C. Arthur

Three women, colleagues and the kind of sort-of work-friend you make at your job, find their darkest wishes have come true after the company Christmas party. That shocking event forces them to team up in order to avoid at the minimum, unemployment, and at a maximum, prison.

Posted by Jane J on Dec 27, 2021

Pages

Subscribe to MADreads