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I haven’t met a Nina LaCour book I didn’t enjoy, and so when I saw she had an Elouse-comp kids chapter book set in one place, I was intrigued. I love Eloise, I love place-based stories, and I love precocious protagonists. 9-year-old Ella has lived in the Apartment House on Poppy Hill for almost her…

So…I went a little crazy this month. 195 books later….I am now trying to see if I can read 1000 books before the end of the year, and I need you to understand that I know this is wild. I know it’s unsustainable, but 2024 is going to be a REALLY exciting reading year, and…

Looking for a light-hearted sort of “one shot” queer graphic novel for fandom loving teens? Pick up Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Asaka. This was recommended to me by one of my tweens who loves queer graphic novels and I trust her taste. This was a really quick, light read that’s more…

Can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve done one of these! I’m loving how quick and easy easy readers are to reconnect me with kid lit right now, and great for thinking about how I can serve my developing readers. Let’s dive into some easy readers releasing between December 2023 and June 2024! Gigi…

Riley is a non-binary 4th grader, and each book is approximately 60 pages long. Each book begins with a comic panel-style introduction of Riley and some “lingo” from Mx. Aude related to LGBTQ verbiage, pronouns, etc. What works well for this series is that it’s not about Riley coming out, discovering themself, overcoming bullying, etc.…

I can’t believe we are in the last month of the year! Publishing slows down the last month of the year, and thank God, honestly. We have a few titles coming out this month I’m looking forward to. Let’s break those down. The Gentleman’s Gambit by Evie Dunmore I haven’t read the last one in…

November is coming to a close, and while I am usually intentional about engaging in diverse activities, especially related to books, I realized upon discussing it with someone, that I had a really robust Native American Heritage Month, and I wanted to share some of the cool book-related, and non-book related, things I did this…

Looking for a fun, quick chapter book series that helps teach kids about money things–budgets, credit cards, etc–and yet still engages their creative side? The Dollars to Doughnuts series is the perfect bang for your buck here, balancing pedantic elements with kids series fun including school drama, friendships, etc. Lucy and her best friend Julian…

It’s hard for me to ignore a book when it’s getting such Newbery buzz, even though I know that books that get all that buzz rarely go home with the gold. As a devoted reader of Heavy Medal, SLJ’s Mock Newbery blog, this book has been on my radar all year. Since the beginning, it’s…

We love a good biography, right–especially of an underexplored figure. When I found out that Rebecca Boggs Roberts was writing a biography of Edith Wilson, first lady to Woodrow Wilson, I was intrigued. She was all over NPR and the usual outlets talking about it, but I wasn’t able to make it to any of…

It’s TIMEEEEEEE! As many of you know, I have spent the past year reading and reading and reading and reading some more as the chair of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. Our LONGLIST of 45 amazing title was announced in October, and you can read about it here. Yesterday, on…

A new picture book round-up, mostly focused on a few interesting stories by some well-known names, and my attempt to catch up on some 2023 picture books! Moving the Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Julia Sardia A humorous, “so ridiculous it couldn’t be anything but true story” from Dave Eggers,…