A Language of Stitches, a new picture book biography of local artist Rosie Lee Tompkins, contains an unfortunate error. The author transposed the name of quilt collector Eli Leon, whose name appears twice in the [continue reading]
August 2026
Where You’ll Find Us Review
St. Jude, Jen. Where You’ll Find Us. Bloomsbury, 06/2026. 384pp. Fiction. Trade $20.99. 978-1-5476-1140-9. GRADES 9–12. OUTSTANDING. Cal is graduating from their all-girls school with their beautiful and talented lesbian girlfriend Ramona by their side; [continue reading]
Riding the Trail Review
Sorrell, Traci. Riding the Trail: Cherokees Remember the Removal. Addl. Creator Will Chavez. Charlesbridge, 08/2026. 100pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-62354-314-3. GRADES 7–12. ADDITIONAL. Follow the experiences of the nine Cherokee riders of the 2021 Remember [continue reading]
River Review
Ponti, Claude. River, The. Claude Ponti, Illus. Translated from the French by Margot Kerlidou and Alyson Waters. Elsewhere, 03/2026. [52]pp. Picture Book. Trade $20. 978-1-962770-47-7. GRADES 1–3. LOW ADDITIONAL. On the river Longo lies two [continue reading]
Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game Review
Nelson, Kadir. Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game. Kadir Nelson, Illus. Little, Brown, 01/2026. 112pp. Nonfiction. Trade $21.99. 978-0-3162-0940-3. GRADES 3–7. OUTSTANDING. From its origins as a game created by a Canadian PE [continue reading]
Traitors’ Nest Review
Hardinge, Frances. Traitors’ Nest. Amulet, 09/2026. 400pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-4197-9414-8. GRADES 6–11. OUTSTANDING. Otherworldly lords, vying for power, move pieces on a board; in the real-world castles jump, upending lives. Fifteen-year-old Burr, his family and friends, made desperate by seasons of cruelty and lies, [continue reading]
Still Water Review
Michno, Maciej. Still Water: The Wonders of Ponds, Pools, Wetlands, and More. Valentina Gottardi, Illus. Addl. Creators Danio Miserocchi. Translated from the Italian by Sylvia Notini. Eerdman’s, 08/2026. 64pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-8028-5659-3. GRADES 4–6. OUTSTANDING. Still waters have a bad rap as places where diseases, pests and smells [continue reading]
Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic Review
Stead, Philip Christian. Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic: Or, Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm, A: A Story Out of Order. Philip Christian Stead, Illus. Holiday House/Neal Porter, 04/2026. 319pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-08-2345809-7. GRADES 3–7. OUTSTANDING. Like the unusual title itself, this [continue reading]