The night magic disappeared from Orisha a ruthless king took the opportunity to kill all the maji in the kingdom leaving Zelie without her mother and her people without a way to defend themselves.
Fast forward twelve years later, the children of the magi, called diviners, are now second class citizens. They are taxed and abused by the royal guards. If they can’t pay, diviners are forced into slavery. Hoping to avoid this fate, Zelie and her brother travel to the capital to sell a rare fish their father caught. It is at the capital that Zelie gets caught up with a rogue princess and discovers an opportunity bring magic back to Orisha. They must keep one step ahead of the crowned prince who will stop at nothing to end magic for good.
Children of Blood and Bone is a compelling and exciting West-African inspired fantasy story. Adeyemi hooks you from the very beginning. She skillfully weaves action, romance, and mystery together that you will tear through its 500+ pages. The story is also told from three different perspectives. Each is unique and complex. You will care and sympathize with all them them even though they are sometimes conflicting. Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy.
Bloomington High School Lions‘ star goalie Sebastian Hughes should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing, and he’s got a coach who doesn’t ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood-best-friend Emir Shah shows up at summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team’s success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir’s trust. But to Sebastian’s surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town’s streets, and bonding on the weekends spark more than just friendship between them.
This sugar-sweet love story is the perfect book to enjoy if you enjoyed “Love, Simon” or are looking for a story about sports with a twist. Julian Winters was even able to get someone like me, a sports outsider, excited about soccer.
This is an epic collection of graphic stories of women from different time periods, races and experiences using their strengths and skills to impact the world in a multitude of ways. There’s the bearded lady, Clementine Delait, who used her intriguing beauty and entrepreneurial skills to build a business or Josephine Baker, whose dancing and personality allowed her to get close to anybody, which was key during the French Resistance during WWII. This graphic novel story collection has names you may have seen before, but many of the stories are a change of pace from the usual characters and bring these women’s empowering and exciting adventures alive.
You’ve heard a lot about the human microbiome — it is a hot topic! But, most of the articles assume a certain amount of knowledge. What is all this about microbes and their effect on us? Where’s the instruction manual? Weren’t we supposed to use hand sanitizer to get rid of microbes?
In 2014, Rob Knight, a professor of pediatrics and computer science & engineering, gave a TED talk about the human microbiota. He was uniquely suited to give this TED talk; he is the Director of the Microbiome Initiative at UC Davis and the co-founder of both the American Gut Project and the Earth Microbiome Project. The talk, lasting 17.5 minutes, was a hit. Just in case you can’t process such new information so fast, Dr. Knight and a brilliant science writer, Brendan Buhler, teamed up to summarize those 17 minutes in a nice, small book. It is the smallest adult book about this subject that I have found and does a nice job of summarizing where we were in 2015.
If you feel like you want to get a better fundamental understanding of this topic, this book is for you. The goal? You can be a bit friendlier to, a somewhat better steward of, the 3 lbs or so of microbes that determine how your body and mind functions and how long you live.
It is Spring; Leah and Simon and all their friends are High School seniors, awaiting word from colleges and trying to enjoy their last months together. After all they’ve been through, Leah still holds onto a secret: she’s Bi. The time for telling Simon has past and Leah figures she’ll end High School with her secret sadly secure. She’s been accepted to University of Georgia! But the last weeks of High School are a roller coaster and almost anything can happen.
Leah on the Offbeat is the terrific sequel to Simon VS The Homo Sapiens Agenda which became the movie, Love, Simon. Personally, I think this book is even better than the first! However, you do need to read the other one first because there is no background explanation as to who each of the characters are; you have to remember who they are from the first book.
A brilliant conclusion to a fabulously inclusive, deeply realistic series!
(Or is it the conclusion? This book is listed as Creekwood #2 online. Maybe we’ll meet them all in college?)
Wonderful summer read for 4th – 9th grade! Melly is a shy drummer heading off to Camp Rockaway, a rock music camp. For Melly, it was hard enough to head off to a new camp, but the day before she leaves, her mom and dad tell her they are divorcing. Then, at camp she meets Adeline, a guitarist who stirs things up in Melly’s heart even more. Don’t miss this book garnering starred reviews!
“A perfect summer read for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jennifer Holm.” says School Library Journal
“A perfect middle-grade love story.” says Ami Polonsky, author of Gracefully Grayson.
“I want to be beautiful”
In Orleans, Belles are revered above all else, because the people of Orleans are born gray and only the Belles have the power to make them beautiful. Belles can change anything about a person’s physical appearance – from the color of their eyes to the shape of their bodies.
Camellia Beauregard is a Belle who not only wants to share her gifts with the people of Orleans, but she also wants more than anything to be the Queen’s personal Belle and live at court with the royal family. Only Camellia doesn’t realize being the Queen’s favorite is nothing like what she imagined. It is far more dangerous than she was led to believe for nothing is as it seems in court including herself and her powers.
Once at court the queen will ask the impossible of Camellia. She needs Camellia to use her powers to revive the heir to the throne. A Belle’s powers have never been used for healing before and Camellia doesn’t know if it is even possible. But this decision has far reaching consequences not only for Camellia but for the entire kingdom.
First in a series, this fast-paced and exciting book introduces a complex world filled with strong, unique characters. The plot itself is fairly simple: a young noble boy is sent to the martial academy, where he makes friends with the despised younger brother of the King’s heir – and then things spiral out of control. There’s something for everyone – linguistics, tactics, personalities, cultures. It also prompted interesting thoughts about how obsessive love – for a country, or a person, or a philosophy – can lead to acts that harm the beloved, even with the best of intentions. Highly recommended!
Here is a fun series written for readers who’ve enjoyed Magic Tree House but are ready for a little more depth to their stories.
Two kids in NJ find a magical creature (The Jersey Devil of myth and legend) while on a field trip to the Pine Barrens which leads to their induction into a secret society for the preservation of magical creatures. Despite the breezy and humorous tone of most of the story, there is unexpected depth to the narrative: a guest teacher explains the Pine Barrens were a melting pot of runaway slaves, Quakers, and loyalists during the Revolutionary War. Uchenna’s father is from Lagos, Nigeria and it looks like the rest of the books will leave New Jersey for a world tour! Although the lead characters follow the trope of nervous boy and the spunky girl, Elliot and Uchenna’s chemistry is stronger than you’d expect in a chapter book. The Basque Dragon, Book #2 of the Unicorn Rescue Society, has just been published (7/10/18). Check out this series for your adventurous and curious chapter book reader.
If your child is a reluctant reader, the author, Adam Gidwitz, has teamed with a production company to create some great teaser videos — including an animated Uchenna and Elliot — and their Jersey Devil. It is a great way to get kids excited about reading the books. Mr. Gidwitz won a Newbery Honor last year for The Inquisitor’s Tale.
