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MADreads

Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

Delightfully mundane

Cover of Quartet in Autumn
A review of Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
"This is the story of four people in late middle-age - Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia - whose chief point of contact is that they work in the same office and they suffer the same problem - loneliness. Lovingly, poignantly, satirically and with much humor, Pym conducts us through their small lives and the facade they erect to defend themselves against the outside world."
 
Aug 7, 2023

Infographics galore

Cover of Friends Beyond Measure
A review of Friends Beyond Measure by Lalena Fisher

Ana and Harwin are best friends. They thought the fun would last forever, brewing fairy tea, playing horse doctor, crafting, and jumping on a trampoline. Then Harwin tells Ana her family is moving away and the two friends aren't sure how their friendship will measure up going forward. Their ability to chart their friendship through timelines, bar graphs, and everything in between tells the story of how they maneuver through memories, feelings, the passing of time until the day Harwin leaves, and ultimately how they plan to stay in touch. 

Aug 4, 2023

Time for Bed!

Cover of Tickle My Ears
A review of Tickle My Ears by Jorg Muhle

It is bedtime and little rabbit has much to do to get ready for bed, so he needs the reader’s help.  Toddlers tap, clap, fluff (a pillow), and even give rabbit a kiss to help him through his bedtime ritual.  This is just one of the Little Rabbit series that is sure to be popular with young readers. Other titles in this interactive board book series are Bathtime for Little Rabbit, and Poor Little Rabbit

Aug 2, 2023

Who dares to become a god?

Cover of Divinity 36
A review of Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger

Here on planet Earth we may joke that our rock stars are gods, but in the universe of Gail Carriger's Tinkered Stars they really are. But to gain that status they first have to be recruited and then survive a competition (think American Idol competition, as opposed to the Hunger Games - no killing off the competition here) and prove they have the skill, artistry, and that certain something - call it stage presence or star power or charisma - that will make the audience worship them. Enter Phex.

Aug 1, 2023

More than camp songs and s'mores

Cover of Sunshine: How One Camp Tau
A review of Sunshine: How One Camp Taught Me about Life, Death, and Hope by Jarrett K. Krosoczka

There is something so pure and honest and sweet about Jarrett Krosoczka's young adult graphic memoirs. I expected a lot from this follow up to Hey, Kiddo about Jarrett's complicated home life growing up with a drug-addicted mother, an absentee father, and two loud and opinionated grandparents who thought they were done raising children. Sunshine does not disappoint. It's the perfect complement.

Jul 31, 2023

How do you feel about scary puppets?

Cover of How to Sell a Haunted Hous
A review of How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Louise left Charleston behind when she moved away for college at sixteen and returning to her childhood home after the unexpected death of her parents sends her into the same negative space and patterns she escaped from decades before. Louise's estranged brother Mark notifies her of their parents' fatal accident nearly two days after it takes place. The decisions he's made in the time between their death and Louise's arrival sends her into a spiral of anger and confusion. And then there's the house.

Jul 24, 2023

A library mystery

Mrs. Biddlebox book cover
Cover of Mrs. Biddlebox
A review of Mrs. Biddlebox by Linda Smith
Marla Frazee

I recently got a question from someone with a library mystery - a picture book they were looking for about a woman who bakes away her sadness. It was kind of dark, with a house on a hill... but they couldn't remember the title!

This didn't ring any bells for me, but we have a great team with lots of combined experience with children's books, so I put out a call to crowd source the title and one of my colleagues came up with the answer: Mrs. Biddlebox, which does indeed have a dark swirly cover and the title page features a house on a hill. 

Jul 21, 2023

Starting Over

Cover of The Ethan I was Before
A review of The Ethan I was Before by Ali Standish

Ethan and his family are getting a fresh start in the hot, coastal town of Palm Knot, Georgia, or at least they are trying to. While there's a promise of finding new friends and rebuilding family relationships, Ethan's guilt of who he was and what he did continues to haunt him. Whispered phone calls at night, family secrets and the secrets of his possible new best friend, Coralee, ultimately contribute to Ethan's understanding of the importance of remembering and forgiveness. This is a capably written story that discusses death, forgiveness, and the effects of guilt on a young mind.

Jul 20, 2023

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