Outstanding Books of the Month – May 2022
Each month we post an annotated bibliography of books that were rated ‘Outstanding’ at our previous meeting and nominated for our year-end Distinguished List. Members can see full reviews of these books and many more in the February edition of BayViews. Not a member? Join, come to our (currently virtual) monthly meetings, and hear about these Outstanding books “in person”!
Fiction
Frankie & Bug, by Gayle Forman, Aladdin, 2021.
Ten-year-old Bug is upset her summer vacation will not go as planned when neighbor Philip’s nephew Frankie is coming. Set in 1987 in Venice, California, this sensitive, smoothly written novel deals with gay-bashing (Philip), racism (Danny and Bug are half Salvadoran), and transphobia. (Grades 5-8)
Picture Book
We Shall Overcome, by Bryan Collier, illustrated by Bryan Collier, Orchard/Scholastic, 2021.
The lyrics of this traditional Civil Rights song make up the text of this inspiring book, which can be used for classroom read-alouds and special library programs. On a few of the spreads, a part of the illustration features historical figures rendered in black and white. (Grades Kindergarten-5)
Gibberish, by Young Vo, illustrated by Young Vo, Levine Querido, 2022.
In a new country, Dat sees his classmates as cartoon-characters and their words as indecipherable symbols, until he makes a friend. Filled with empathy and humor, this book belongs in all collections. (Grades Kindergarten-3)
Leave a Reply