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Book reviews for children by library staff and guest contributors
Marlene spends every Sunday in a salon having her hair straightened in order to look presentable according to her Dominican mother's standards. Keeping her hair smooth requires her to avoid running around, sweating, and playing outside with the other kids. This makes Marlene miserable. The situation reaches a fever pitch at an older cousin's quinceañera where Marlene is taunted and berated for her wild behavior and unruly hair.
This book opens on August 31, 1955, when Emmett Till's body was found and his mother, Mamie, chose to have him sent home - the braver thing. We then jump back in time to Mamie's childhood, learning about her family, her schooling, her marriage, and Emmett's birth, with each of Mamie's brave choices highlighted. Emmett's childhood comes next, noting his stutter of speech that came from polio, and his trick of whistling to calm him down.
The American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, video and audio books for children and young adults, including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards at LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience in New Orleans today.
A list of 2023 award winners follows:
Lola's house is always filled with music--as she says, "If you want to hold on, you gotta sing your songs"! When Lola starts to seem quieter, more uncertain, it's up to her granddaughter to help fill in the silences. This beautiful picture book features a young girl matter-of-factly supporting her grandmother through memory loss while reflecting on and continuing all the meaningful (and multi-sensory) experiences they have shared over the years.
Unicorns, human bats, and two-legged beavers have been discovered on the moon!! Really? Well no… but I made you look? Sorry, librarians are supposed to be dispellers of fake news, not shouting ridiculous headlines for the sake of humor in their book reviews. But fake news is everywhere, and if you don’t have a handy, humorous librarian around to help identify truth from fiction - don’t despair! Elise Gravel’s hilarious new graphic novel for kids breaks it down into bite size, understandable concepts: What is fake news? Why do people spread it? How can it be dangerous?
I was looking for some graphic novels to read over the holidays and placed a hold on this book, but even as I did I wondered if it would be too horse-y for me. I never really went through a horse phase as a kid beyond a couple trail rides at summer camp, but I shouldn't have worried. Yes, this book is about horses, but it's really about evolving friendships, growing up, changing interests - and fandoms!
Have you ever wondered what you would do if you saw something suspicious? Best friends, Abbi and Skylar, think they’re having an adventure à la Nancy Drew spying on two strangers meeting under their tree fort. So when a woman is later found dead in the woods, they realize they may hold the key! As much about relationships as it is about solving a crime, this fast-paced thriller is sure to grab the attention of school age through middle school readers. Do they decide to keep a secret? Or expose a life-altering truth?
The only thing Kitty Sweet Tooth loves more than going to the movies is eating delicious desserts. When her Pop-Pop's movie theater falls on hard times, Kitty introduces the concept of a gourmet movie house. Special film screenings paired with custom-made treats created by an enthusiastic scientist and an inspired witch are poised to excite a new generation of movie goers. The ambitious team sets to work cleaning up the theater and dreaming of new ideas for the "Taste-O-Rama." Pop-Pop gives Kitty thirty days to prove that Taste-O-Rama will succeed.
Gorgeous lyrics by Academy Award-winning Cree singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie are accompanied by absolutely stunning illustrations by Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist Julie Flett. The book is based on a song of the same name and celebrates nature, changing seasons, and Indigenous traditions. The author and illustrator notes, addressed to "readers and listeners," are also beautiful and full of love, and the sheet music is included at the end of the book so you can sing along.
As with many of the books that land on my hold shelf or in the digital queue on my phone, I'm not sure where I heard about this charming, heartwarming, a little heartbreaking, gem of a book. Wherever it was or whoever it was who suggested it? Thank you.
