Wow! A young boy named Amir is afraid to go to bed. Not an auspicious start to a picture book — it is an overdone trope. But then this book takes off! Amir’s dad goes with Amir’s fears and begins to assure him that Amir is more frightening than the monster. Then as Amir escalates […]
This is truly a counting book thriller in that as we count we are telling an age old story about “one famished fox” with “two sly eyes” through “9 flying feathers” to a terrific ending I didn’t see coming! The art is gorgeous, the UK author an artist who trained as a theater designer. Is […]
Sam and Wyatt have been left behind. An alien race has invaded and they took millions of Earthlings away to another planet, including Sam and Wyatt’s parents. Sam, Wyatt and others were left behind because the aliens deemed them “useless”. The aliens felt they were too young, too weak, too sick, differently abled or too […]
Going to middle school is a time of transition for many kids. For Imogene it’s going to be a huge change. She’s going from being homeschooled to attending a public middle school. She doesn’t know anyone. On top of that she’s not sure how the other students will treat her if they know her family […]
Looking for your new favorite author? Want to tell all your friends you were reading them before it was cool? Check out these great books from debut authors. The Opposite of Always by Justin Reynolds When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their […]
A gorgeous retelling of a true event in the author’s life from the point of view of her eldest child, this picture book is a beautiful window into Hmong life in Minnesota. A young girl moves into a new house with her parents, and grandmother. In the course of that year, her twin brothers are […]
This is a story of 1890’s Atlanta, with a Chinese-American heroine. The book opens with Jo being fired for being too opinionated so you know you have a pungent hero. Jo later works as a ladies maid by day and, by night, she’s an advice columnist who grows to engage all of Atlanta with her […]
Dejah and Josiah have been working together at the pumpkin patch for 4 years. They’re ‘seasonal best friends,’ but as their final season working at the patch comes to a close and they both head off to college next year, what looms ahead for their friendship? Will they simply part ways like they have every […]
Though he’s been writing and publishing for decades, Colson Whitehead drew major national attention after the success of his 2016 book The Underground Railroad. The book is an excellent must-read, but I definitely feel The Nickel Boys is an absolute masterpiece. This book chronicles the experience of Elwood and the other ‘nickel boys’ during their time in […]
The Ramayana retold with vibrant pictures and short but action-packed chapters! Perfect for sharing with elementary school kids the origin story of Diwali, this book is also a great resource for teens, parents,and teachers. It is after all one of the greatest adventure stories ever told, alongside the Odyssey, Arabian Nights, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and Gawain […]
