Review: Sleeping With the Light On

Unger’s straightforward prose and Velez Aguilera’s black and white illustrations present an incomprehensible subject – war – in a simple way. And although the topic is serious and scary, Davico finds solace in the embrace of his family, and we the readers do too.

Review: The Dream Weaver

The Dream Weaver is beautifully written and emotionally believable. As it should be, Alegre pulls no punches on any of the hard topics.

Review: The Wind Called My Name

Margarita and her family move from New Mexico to Fort Steele Wyoming, where her father has been able to secure a job working on the railroad. Leaving the life she has known for all of her ten years behind, she embarks on a new adventure where she tries to make new friends, navigates growing up and faces discrimination, while at the same time remains true to her Hispanic Heritage.

Review: War at the Snow White Motel and Other Stories

Each story is bite-sized, perfect for dipping in and out of over the course of a day or two, and would be fantastic for parents and children to read together, or for a teacher to read to his or her class. (Zoom story time is going to be a thing this year, youse guys.) Featuring a mix of elements from the natural world as well as tales of good old-fashioned human nature, Wynne-Jones’ style is witty, smart, and most importantly of all, relatable.

Review: A Boy Named Queen

We follow Evelyn, a young Canadian girl, as she begins Grade 5. Evelyn lives with her father, who crumbles his crackers into his tomato soup “as if he’s lazy and in a hurry at the same time” and her Scottish mother, who “never breaks her crackers” or is in a hurry. “She is on top of things.”

Review: How to Bee

How to Bee, is a captivating book with a young female protagonist set in a dystopian future where honey bees have all but disappeared. It is a story of family–both related and chosen, friendship, perseverance, courage, and ultimately the human instinct to survive against all odds.

Review: The Day the War Came

It’s not often a picture book leaves me in tears, but SPOILER ALERT, this one did. Davies’ haunting text and Cobb’s evocative images are vivid and brutal; the two beautifully pair to convey the horror of war without being graphic or violent.

Review: Thanks to Frances Perkins – Fighter for Workers’ Rights

Thanks to Frances Perkins – Fighter for Workers’ Rights, provides a brief overview of a life of activism and service that was influenced by perhaps the greatest tragedy in labor’s history: The Triangle Waist Company Fire, where 146 people, mostly teenage girls lost their lives to a fire because they were locked-in while working.

Review: Second Dad Summer

The story revolves around Jeremiah, who visits his Dad for the Summer. Dad, as it turns out, has a live-in boyfriend who is constantly trying to ingratiate himself into Jeremiah’s life. Jeremiah, as most kids who are going through new circumstances, is none-to-pleased. Add a cranky neighbor, a mom who lives miles away but calls routinely to check-in, and a new friend to the mix, for the makings of a summer with interesting and surprising plot twists. No, the biggest twist is not that Dad has a boyfriend. That’s established in the first couple of pages. More interesting things are in store. But this review, is spoiler free!

1 4 5 6 7 8