Review

Atkins, Laura and Stan Yogi. Fred Korematsu Speaks Up.  Yutaka Houlette, Illus. Biography. Fighting for Justice Series; Bk. 1. Heyday, 01/2017. 103pp. $18.00. 978-1-59714-368-4. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 3-8. Korematsu is considered the “Rosa Parks” of the [continue reading]

Grimes, Nikki. One Last Word: Wisdom of the Harlem Renaissance. Poetry. Cozbi A. Cabrera, R. Gregory Christie, Pat Cummings, et al., Illus. Bloomsbury, 01/2017. 120pp. $18.99. 978-1-61963-554-8. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 6-9. Grimes finds “fuel for the [continue reading]

Simon, Seymour. Destination: Mars. Non-fiction. HarperCollins, 09/2016. 32pp. $17.99. 978-0-06-234497-7. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 1-5. Destination: Mars, about “water, icecaps, and the possibility of life on the Red Planet!” includes computer renderings, diagrams, and photographs taken by [continue reading]

Medina, Juana. Juana and Lucas. Juana Medina, Illus. Fiction. Candlewick, 09/2016. 90pp. $14.99. 978-0-7636-7208-9. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 1-4. Juana describes her life in Bogotà with her mother, grandparents, and dog Lucas, where she has school challenges [continue reading]

Sweet, Melissa. Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White. Melissa Sweet, Illus. Biography. Houghton, 10/2016. 162pp. $18.99. 978-0-544-31959-2. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 3-7. Two-time Caldecott Honoree Sweet seamlessly blends photography, correspondence, quotations from various articles, and [continue reading]

Lucke, Deb. Lunch Witch Knee-deep in Niceness. Deb Lucke, Illus. Graphic Novel. Papercutz, 10/2016. 165pp. PB $14.99. 978-1-62991-503-6. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 4-8. Grunhilda Blackheart—full-time witch and part-time school cafeteria cook—has a problem: her mostly black and [continue reading]

Elliott, Zetta. Melena’s Jubilee: The Story of a Fresh Start. Aaron Boyd, Illus. Picture Book. Tilbury, 10/2016. 26[+2]pp. PB $16.95. 978-0-884488-443-1. OUTSTANDING. GRADES PRE-4. Yesterday was rough for Melena; so much went wrong and everyone [continue reading]

McCormick, Patricia. Plot to Kill Hitler, The. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely Hero. Non-fiction. Balzer & Bray, 09/2016. 174pp. $18.99. 978-0-06-241108-2. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 5-12. The youngest boy in a large, vivacious and talented family, Dietrich [continue reading]