McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino. Breakthrough: Katalin Kariko and the mRNA Vaccine. Lerner / Twenty-First Century, 11/2023. 136pp. Nonfiction. PLB $38.65. 979-8765607947. GRADES 7–12. HIGH ADDITIONAL.      

Many years of research and scientific dedication led up to COVID vaccines being developed in record time. This title explains what this meant for one researcher and her lifetime of effort to culminate in such a result. Katalin Kariko’s life is explored, especially her dedication to learning and researching a new treatment concept using mRNA, which she spent decades on before being able to use it to combat COVID. While there are a lot of details provided, it all helps to explain her work, the research, and her unexpected fame. Includes b&w and color photographs of Katalin, colleagues, worksites, and equipment, plus some charts and explanatory matter detailing scientific processes, as well as an in-depth glossary, index and sources.  For anyone who wants to know more about the scientific side of helping to address the pandemic, this is well worth reading.

Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library

Taylor, Sean. Fall Feast: Nature’s Harvest. Cinyee Chiu, Illus. Addl. Creator Alex Morss. Seasons in the Wild; bk. 4. Happy Yak, 08/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.99. 978-0-7112-7866-0. GRADES Kindergarten–3. ADDITIONAL.  

In this series’ final story on the seasons, factual information on autumn is smoothly woven into the fictional text. Mama takes her two children to the park where they observe the wind, falling leaves, fungi, various animals finding food, and apples that have fallen. Unfortunately, they discuss holly berries and the animals who eat them, but never say they are not edible for humans. On the plus side, this depicts a household headed by two mothers, and one of the children presents as gender neutral. All appear to be white. The brightly colored digital artwork resembles collage and charmingly depicts the autumnal surroundings and its creatures. The book ends with more facts about fall and lists of plants and animals to view at that time of year. The previous books in the series are Winter Sleep (2019), Busy Spring (2021), and Wild Summer (2022). Review based on an ARC.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Konczak, Joanna. Let’s Get Festive: Celebrations Around the World. Ewa Poklewska-
Koziello, Illus. Translated from the Polish by Kate Webster. North South, 09/2024. 180pp.
Nonfiction. Trade $27.95. 978-0-7358-4570-1. GRADES 4–8. HIGH ADDITIONAL.

Holidays and celebrations from around the world are described in this detailed and diverse informational book. For example, new year celebrations from various countries are described, including sections on Nowruz (the Persian New Year holiday), Chinese New Year, Songkran in Thailand, and Rosh Hashanah. Readers will often see similarities in celebrations across a wide array of cultures. The full-color cartoon artwork, which appears to be done using gouache, features ethnically diverse people, often wearing traditional clothing specific to certain countries. Readers will find this very useful for school reports due to the detail on each holiday, although there is nothing on some American holidays such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or Labor Day. Originally published in Poland in 2023. Review based on an ARC.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Albee, Sarah. Painter and the President, The: Gilbert Stuart’s Brush with George Washington. Stacy Innerst, Illus. Calkins Creek, 08/2024. [40]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-6626-8000-7. GRADES 2–5. ADDITIONAL.

Gilbert Stuart painted several portraits of George Washington, and this describes their meeting and unusual relationship. Stuart liked to talk and tell jokes while painting, but Washington often didn’t have the patience for those conversations. The text focuses on the portrait Stuart did that is used on the dollar bill, so this is about a particular vignette in their lives and not much more. The acrylic illustrations have an impressionistic style that is quite different from Stuart’s realistic portrait style, but add humor. Back matter includes replicas of other Presidential portraits Stuart painted, a timeline, bibliography, source notes, and author’s note. Review based on an ARC.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Matthews, Tilly. Paul the Peacock. Tilly Matthews, Illus. Happy Yak, 08/2024. [32]pp.
Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-7112-9225-3. GRADES Preschool–2. ADDITIONAL.

Because Paul the peacock is catered to by the other animals, he assumes he is entitled to his demands. After a storm, he awakes and finds he has lost his feathers! Will those same animals, especially Norris the loris, help Paul retrieve his feathers? This humorous take on privilege sends a clear but not overly purposeful message about kindness, cooperation, and humility that even preschoolers will understand. The text is a little long with two or three paragraphs on some pages, but it has repetition and onomatopoeia that is engaging. The cartoonish illustrations exhibit bright colors and help tell the story. Review based on an ARC.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Yuly, Toni. Pelican Can!, The. Toni Yuly, Illus. Little, Brown, 05/2024. [36]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-316-49781-7. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.     

In this rhyming celebration of pelicans, the text asks a question that is answered by repeating the title: “Who can soar down close to the shore? The pelican can! The pelican can!” By offering simple facts in this engaging style, the text makes a great readaloud, as well as a fun book for emergent readers. The illustrations are equally well done, using dramatic torn paper collage and ink to show pelicans along the ocean shore. This is particularly relevant for Bay Area libraries since San Francisco Bay is home to two types of pelicans.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Stone, Tanya Lee. Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA. Gretchen Ellen Powers, Illus. Christy Ottaviano, 02/2024. [40]pp. Biography. Trade $21.99. 978-0-316-35124-9. GRADES 3–6. HIGH ADDITIONAL.         

A true story, without a happy ending, reveals the life and personality of an unsung scientist whose stunning contribution in 1952 prompted one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. Nostalgic, watercolor illustrations charm and engage the reader’s sympathy as a young, wide-eyed Rosalind grows from a child at family beach holidays into a biophysicist in Paris where she developed the golden hands that later captured the structure of DNA. Loads of personal details allow readers to get to know a multi-talented and energetic woman. The author directly addresses the hostile and sexist treatment Franklin faced at Cambridge that caused her to move on, leaving behind work and reports that helped her male colleagues earn a Nobel prize. An author’s note provides additional information. Attributed quotes, sources, and two photographs are included. No mention is made of Franklin’s important work on viruses. Franklin was white and Jewish.

Melissa McAvoy—Retired

Coelho, Joseph. Spooky Poems Aloud: 25 Poems to Frighten and Delight. Daniel Gray-Barnett, Illus. Wide Eyed, 08/2024. 40pp. Poetry. Trade $19.99. 978-0-7112-8740-2. GRADES 3–6. HIGH ADDITIONAL.        

Coelho (UK Children’s Laureate 2022-2024) has written twenty-five original poems celebrating all things scary and spooky, covering topics such as ghosts, monsters, and graveyards. There is a sentence at the beginning of most poems describing its type, which includes limericks, tankas, poems with a repeating line, whispered poems, and more. Teachers could use this to inspire students to write some of these types of poems. Overall, the spooky theme and monster characters will attract readers, even if a few of the poems have imperfect rhymes (such as “creak” and “creep”). The fun, full-color cartoon illustrations feature children of various races and keep the collection from being too scary. Review based on an ARC.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Choldenko, Gennifer. Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman, The. Knopf, 06/2024. 309pp. Fiction. Trade $17.99. 978-1-5247-1892-3. GRADES 5–8. OUTSTANDING.    

Eleven-year-old Hank and his preschool-aged sister Boo are left alone by their mother for a week, so they seek refuge with their late grandmother’s friend after they are threatened with eviction. Although many of the story’s circumstances are tragic, with accurate depictions of Child Protective Services and the foster care system, Hank’s first-person narration adds some humor and keeps this realistic novel from being grim. Many tween readers may know of a friend who has to take responsibility for a young sibling to an extent that adds too much pressure to their lives, which makes this very relatable. The main characters present as white, but several other supporting characters are Latinx. This compelling and unique novel reflects strong writing that does not exploit the “ripped from the headlines” plot.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Conrad, Lauren Paige. This Is a Window. Lauren Paige Conrad, Illus. Minerva/Astra, 04/2024. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-6626-5159-5. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.      

Children are shown in imaginative play in this simple, warm depiction of everyday activity. For example, “And here is a zoo” shows a child playing with stuffed animals, and “This is our boat” shows children pretending a picnic table is a boat, with an umbrella for the sail. The text is very brief and easy to read. The digital artwork resembles cut paper collage, depicting children of various skin tones to indicate ethnic diversity of the group of friends at play. This fun, interactive story will make a great readaloud.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Simpson, Tonya. This Land Is a Lullaby: cistomawasowin oma askiy. Delree` Dumont, Illus. Translated into Cree by Dorothy Thunder. Orca, 09/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $21.95. 978-1459836099. GRADES Baby/Toddler–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.

Using a text in English and Plains Cree, this original lullaby celebrates the relationship between children, ancestors, and the land in Plains Cree culture. The rhyming text has a soothing tone: “Grasses swirl and whirl. Rising winds rejoice. Geese take flight with jubilant voice.” Each spread features the English on the left, and Plains Cree text on the right, set onto a colored border at the bottom of each page. The full-color illustrations, done in acrylics in pointillism style, show mother and baby outside on a stormy summer night, observing the animals and the sights and sounds of nature. This is a lovely bedtime book for all families from the author of Forever Our Home (Orca, 2023). Review based on an ARC.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Treuer, Anton. Where Wolves Don’t Die. Levine Querido, 06/2024. 320pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-64614-381-8. GRADES 7–12. HIGH ADDITIONAL.      

Ezra Cloud lives in Northeast Minneapolis with his dad, but would rather be at the Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation rez (in Canada) with his grandparents. After a problematic encounter with a white classmate, his dad pulls him out of high school and Ezra spends the next few months with his grandfather. They spend the winter trapping in the Canadian wilderness, and Ezra learns all about his Ojibwe heritage including customs, language, and respect for the animals they hunt and trap. Treuer’s debut novel pulls readers in, keeping possible endings hidden until the end. As a professor of Ojibwe and a storyteller, the author authentically portrays Ojibwe life (both current and historical treatment by whites) along with all the issues Ezra is dealing with (his interest in a girl, the death of his mother, and his strained relationship with his dad.) Includes a brief author’s note that explains some cultural references,  including ceremonies. Review based on an ARC.

Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library

O’Shaughnessy, Kate. Wrong Way Home, The. Knopf, 04/24. 336pp. Fiction. Trade $24.50. 978-0-593-65073-8. GRADES 5–8. OUTSTANDING.     

Fern is happy living on an isolated, environmentally sustainable ranch run by Dr. Ben, a cult leader who demands strict adherence to his worldview: “As long as you live up to his ideals, life is beautiful. It all makes sense.” When Fern’s frightened mom tricks her into escaping, the angry twelve-year-old is determined to return to the ranch, even as evidence mounts that all was not as idyllic as she supposed. While the topic is weighty, the tone is appropriate for middle grade students, who will relate to the likable protagonist as she navigates her new life in a small California coastal community—making friends, struggling to catch up at school, and trying to stay true to her beliefs. With a strong first person voice, this well-paced, nuanced story builds to a suspenseful and satisfying conclusion. Both Fern and her mother present as white. Includes California-specific content.

Jenny Andrus—Independent