Moreira, Henrique Coser. First Day of May, The. Henrique Coser Moreira, Illus. Levine Querido, 03/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $15.99. 978-1-64614-382-5. GRADES Preschool–Kindergarten. ADDITIONAL. Moreira’s wordless Portuguese import follows a young child (pink skin, black [continue reading]
Dakota Crumb & the Secret Bookshop Review
Michalak, Jamie. Dakota Crumb & the Secret Bookshop: A Tiny Treasure Hunt. Kelly Murphy, Illus. Candlewick, 05/2023. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-5362-2330-9. GRADES Kindergarten–2. ADDITIONAL. Upon the request of her cousin Julien, little mouse [continue reading]
Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice Review
Lapera, Anna. Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice. Levine Querido, 03/2024. 326pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-64614-371-9. GRADES 6–9. ADDITIONAL. Mani Semilla, a twelve-year-old “Chinese-Filipino-American-Guatemalan,” learns about her family’s heritage and how to speak up for [continue reading]
All That Grows Review
Wong, Jack. All That Grows. Jack Wong, Illus. Groundwood, 03/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.99. 978-1-77306-812-1. GRADES Preschool–2. LOW ADDITIONAL. A pair of tan-skinned, dark-haired siblings journey through a neighborhood landscape in early summer. The older sister, a gardener, shares plant knowledge while the younger wonders. The [continue reading]
Brownstone Review
Teer, Samuel. Brownstone. Julia Mar, Illus. Versify, 06/2024. 320pp. Graphic. Trade $26.99. 978-0-3583-9475-4.Paper $18.99. 978-0-3583-9474-7. GRADES 6–10. OUTSTANDING. In the summer of 1995, fourteen-year-old Almudena is used to mothering her dancer mom; what she’s not used to is being dumped for the summer as free labor with a [continue reading]
If You Can’t Take the Heat Review
Ruhlman, Michael. If You Can’t Take the Heat. Penguin, 06/2024. 320pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-0-5935-2344-5.GRADES 9–11. HIGH ADDITIONAL. A gifted athlete, but not a gifted student, sixteen-year-old Theo’s privileged life is upended the summer before junior year, when a freak accident permanently sidelines him. [continue reading]
Great Lakes Review
Rosenstock, Barb. Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure, The. Jamey Christoph, Illus. Knopf, 03/2024. 40pp. Nonfiction. Trade $19.99. 978-0-593-37435-1. GRADES 2–5. OUTSTANDING. An opening-page map of North America makes clear the visual prominence of the Great Lakes. Vivid, active text, full of striking details, reveals the lakes’ national [continue reading]
Plain Jane and the Mermaid Review
Brosgol, Vera. Plain Jane and the Mermaid. Vera Brosgol, Illus. First Second, 05/2024. 368pp. Graphic. Trade $22.99. 978-1-250-31486-4. Paper $14.99. 978-1250314857. GRADES 4–8. HIGH ADDITIONAL. What women need, in plain Jane’s male-dominated world, is beauty; it can get you anything you want. With no attractive options for her future, [continue reading]