Christina Li's Ruby Lost and Found is a thought-provoking middle grade novel that focuses on family, friends, and healing. Ruby has felt lost since her Ye-Ye passed away. She and her grandfather were incredibly close, and she doesn't understand how everyone else has moved on so quickly. With one of her best friends moving away [...]
If Ellie Engle had a superpower, it would be invisibility. Ellie likes things simple, normal. Especially after her dad left. Even more after her Poppy died. Normal means spending time at her best friend Abby's busy, happy house. It means feeding Burt the Betta fish. It means reading comics and waiting for Abby's gymnastics practice [...]
Auriane Desombre's middle grade debut is a reverse parent trap: what if two potential step-sisters worked together to break their parents up? Autumn has lived with her mom and brother in New York City her whole life. She and her BFF Saskia finally get to explore the city just the two of them-- well, a [...]
Gillian McDunn's newest release When Sea Becomes Sky is a masterpiece. If I may be so bold, it feels like her soulmate book. That might sound like a weird thing to say. It probably is-- I don't know this author! How can I make such a claim? And...What's a soul mate book, anyway? Let's say [...]
Jasmine Warga's A Rover's Story is a gorgeous combination of science and imagination that takes readers on a unique and engaging journey. Resilience is a Mars rover built to do a certain job a certain way, at least according to the other Mars rover, Journey. But Resilience, or Res, sees the world differently than Journey, [...]
Evan Griffith's Manatee Summer is sure to cement itself as a beloved childhood favorite in the hearts of young readers. It'll be a book they look back on fondly, the one that kindled their love of manatees, that captured the essence of the first taste of real responsibility while shining a light on that tender [...]
How do you put into words a book that touched your heart? I adored David Levithan's Answers in the Pages, but I knew this review would be incredibly difficult to write. Levithan captures the heart and humanity of an often-discussed issue in an accessible and easily digestible way. It put into words that feeling, deep [...]
It's almost June, somehow, and I just finished my first semester as a graduate student. I'm working towards earning my Master of Fine Arts in writing for children and young adults, and so I have been doing a LOT of reading. Here are my top reads of 2022, so far: Picture Book: Fry Bread, Kevin [...]
Novels in verse are books with a full and complete plot told in poetic verse. These novels lend themselves to topics that have emotional depth and resonance. Novels in verse can also be laugh out loud funny, and have all the great qualities prose novels have as well, including well-developed characters and an interesting plot. [...]
The past few years have demonstrated our need for a better understanding and taking care of mental health. Thankfully, there are many children's books that focus on this topic in a compassionate and approachable way, making this big concept topic accessible for people of all ages. Here are some of my favorites! You can view [...]
Paw Prints in the Sink 