by Kirby Larson ★★★★★ Great story about WWII and how it affected the people of Hawaii If you haven’t read Nanea: The Spirit of Aloha, you should read that first, as it covers the first of the war with the … Continue reading →
by Jacqueline Greene ★★★★★ Sweet story about newly immigrants and their family Rebecca’s family has been in America long enough to be established and have a store that makes them a living. What happens when their family still in Russia … Continue reading →
by Kirby Larson ★★★★★ Great view of WWII, Pearl Harbor, and how it affected the people of Hawaii Nanea: The Spirit of Aloha is fun and yet so educational. I’m embarrassed to say that before I read this book, I … Continue reading →
by Maggy Woodley ★★★★★ Cute, easy projects with pictures and directions This is a book of paper craft projects that has a lot of pictures to illustrate the steps for the projects. Projects range paper pen pots to origami tulips. … Continue reading →
by Fernando Vilela (Author, Illustrator), Daniel Hahn (Translator) ★★☆☆☆ An all-too-brief snapshot of life along the river This is a really hard book to review. It’s a snapshot of life along the Tapajós with beautiful stylized illustrations. The problem is … Continue reading →
by E.D. Baker ★★★★★ What can one girl do against an invasion? In More than a Princess by E. D. Baker, Aislin is a half-fairy, half-pedrasi princess who finds herself confronted with a human king and his soldiers on what … Continue reading →
by Zetta Elliott ★★★★★ Dragons, dinosaurs, parallel dimensions, and Ma Jaxon is trying to be brave and helpful for his mother, who’s having a really bad day. Their landlord is trying to evict them, she has to be in court, … Continue reading →
by Kathie Lee Gifford ★★★★★ All of us want something important to give the world The colorful and touching art is the crowning jewel of The Gift That I Can Give, illustrating the many ways that children can serve others … Continue reading →
by Gail Carson Levine ★★★★★ How to be an ogre without eating anyone Lucinda is up to her usual fairy tricks, but Evie is a bit more strongly willed than Wormy was expecting. Rather than accept his marriage proposal, Evie … Continue reading →
by Lauren St. John ★★★★★ Can Kat and Harper catch a spy? Fast, fun, engaging read with a great mystery and strong characters. Kat’s mom is an overworked, underappreciated vet who barely has time for her daughter. When circumstances lead … Continue reading →
by Anna Starobinets ★★★★★ If Tim Burton wrote mysteries for children… They would probably read a lot like In the Wolf’s Lair. There are a lot of visual and verbal plays, a very weird and twisted sense of humor, a … Continue reading →
by J. Meade Falkner ★★★★★ Classic coming of age story Moonfleet is a classic coming of age story that spans John Trenchard’s life from childhood through adulthood. John is being raised by a cold and critical aunt, while he loves … Continue reading →
by Roxane Marie Galliez, illustrations by Seng Soun Ratanavanh ★★★★★ Beautifully illustrated tale of a little girl, bedtime, and a very patient grandfather Time for Bed, Miyuki is a gorgeous picture book with vibrant and whimsical creations wandering across the … Continue reading →
by Traer Scott ★★★★★ Do cows have personality? I found myself drawn to this Radiant by Traer Scott, having grown up on an organic subsistence farm long before most even knew there was such a thing. (I blame my mother!) … Continue reading →
by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert, illustrated by Lil Crump ★★★★★ It’s a boring museum, what’s a girl to do? Anna and her stuffed giraffe are on an outing with her mom to the art museum. Anna is a typical … Continue reading →
by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd ★★★★★ What happens when a little bunny runs away from home? Timeless The Runaway Bunny is a timeless classic, proven by the fact that the hardback I just bought for my niece … Continue reading →
by Janell Cannon ★★★★★ Verdi doesn’t want to grow up; can he stop? Verdi came out when my daughter was four and already in love with Janell Cannon’s Stellaluna. Add in that her favorite color is green and it was … Continue reading →
by Janell Cannon ★★★★★ Still amazing after all these years, tickles your funny bone and snares your heart I bought my first copy of Stellaluna before my daughter was born and it became one of our all-time favorite books to … Continue reading →
by Anne Dublin ★★★★★ Dark tale of a boy’s journey into slavery Joseph is a young Jewish boy in Spain when, one day before Christopher Columbus set sail for the New World, all Jews who would not convert to Christianity … Continue reading →
by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Félix Girard ★★★★★ He changed a sport forever! That’s Not Hockey is a wonderfully illustrated story about Jacques Plante, who became a famous goalie for the Montreal Canadians, helping them win six Stanley cups and … Continue reading →
by Maja Kastelic ★★★★★ Wonderfully, whimsically illustrated, opening wide a window of stories A Boy and a House is a deceptively simple book, for how complicated can a wordless story be? And yet, the beautifully drawn illustrations pull you in … Continue reading →
by Mark Andrew Poe ★★★★★ Strange times at Sleepy Hollow Middle School There’s a new science teacher at Harry Moon’s school, Professor Einstone. And with Professor Einstone come a slew of changes: new teachers, new books, and lots of advertising … Continue reading →
by Kristen Ball ★★★★★ What happens when you drop a spoiled suburban American teen into a poverty-stricken area of Africa? Hannah enters A Calf Named Brian Higgins: An Adventure in Rural Kenya as a rather typical spoiled whiny teen used … Continue reading →
by Nao Sakamoto and Kamo ★★★★★ Cute and quirky drawings with instructions With How to Draw Almost Everything for Kids: An Illustrated Sourcebook, Nao Sakamoto and Kamo provide help for beginning artists. Whether you’re a kid or adult and want … Continue reading →
by Garfield Kwan and Dana Song ★★★★★ Cute, humorous, and memorable science lessons Squidtoons: Exploring Ocean Science with Comics has it all: cute colorful illustrations, quirky kid-friendly humor, and fun science lessons. The NetGalley proof only included the seadragons section … Continue reading →
by Vin Vogel ★★★★★ Can Leo belong to two families? Two completely different worlds? Wow! Loved, loved, loved this children’s picture book! It’s original and fresh while clearly illustrating how Leo can be loved by two entirely different families. As … Continue reading →
Disney Manga by Haruhi Kato ★★★★★ What happens when you’re a fairy who’s different? Rani is a fairy with a disability; unlike all the others, she has no wings. She sacrificed them to save Mother Dove. But when Rani tries … Continue reading →
by Jessica Day George ★★★★★ What if everything you knew was a lie? Anthea has been passed from home to home since her parents’ death. She wants only to be a proper young lady that a family would want, to … Continue reading →
by Joyce Magnin ★★★★★ What a tangled web! Honey Moon borrowed a family heirloom – a locket – from her mother, and during a sleepover with friends, it’s gone missing. Honey must solve the mystery of who took her locket, … Continue reading →
Disney Manga by Shiori Kanaki ★★★★★ When Tinker Bell and Vidia find Lizzy’s fairy house Tinker Bell accidentally gets locked in and captured. Hijinks and fairy trouble ensue. Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue a sweet Tinker Bell story converted from … Continue reading →
Disney Manga by Shiro Shirai ★★★★★ What’s a robot to do? Is there more to life than shoveling garbage? Disney Manga: Pixar – Wall-E tells the story of WALL-E, the last robot on Earth. He’s been cleaning up the Earth … Continue reading →
by Karen Kane ★★★★★ Can Charlie and Frog find Aggie before it’s too late? Where – and what – is the missing treasure? Charlie and Frog: A-Castle-on-the-Hudson Mystery is a whimsical middle-school book reminiscent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory … Continue reading →
by Ausma Zehanat Khan ★★★★★ Comprehensive eye-opening insider’s view of Ramadan The month of Ramadan is a time of fasting and celebration for Muslims around the world. Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting gives comprehensive coverage to many aspects of this important … Continue reading →
Disney Manga by Nao Kodaka ★★★★★ What’s hopping in New Orleans? What’s cooking with Tiana and Naveen? The Shadow Man’s curse has Tiana and Naveen a little green and totally amphibian. The prince and the waitress must break the curse … Continue reading →
by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson ★★★★★ Cute story, talked us into a dog When our daughter, who is an only child, brought this book home from school, we had no idea it would change our lives. It’s a … Continue reading →
by Russell Hoban ★★★★★ When a brother and sister fight, can they overcome their differences? Harvey Muskrat and his sister Mildred don’t always get along. In fact, Harvey thinks Mildred is a bossy loudmouth, and she thinks he’s selfish and … Continue reading →
by Russell Hoban ★★★★★ Charlie HATES chores!!! He refuses to be his dad and grandpa and build dams, but does Charlie have what it takes to be a tramp? Charlie is tired of chores and doesn’t want to grow up … Continue reading →
