Category: Uncategorized

Q3…is over. My hopes and goals for the year…almost over as well. September 2023 was one of my WORST reading months of the year, because I felt like I didn’t have time to finish any of the books I started and didn’t absolutely enjoy, but I also went whole days without opening a novel because…

I really, really love being blown away by a graphic novel that isn’t necessarily the best thing in the world, but that I genuinely enjoyed reading, immediately want to recommend to young readers, and that I can’t stop thinking about. Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen is my new “that book” and I can’t wait…

Another picture book round-up! This week, an assortment of things I read from Capitol Choices, some duds, a real winner from Corey Tabor, and more Amy Wu! Tadpoles by Matt James This is an interesting book–I picked it up because it was nominated for Capitol Choices, and I kind of assumed it would be about…

In January 2023, I watched the Youth Media Award with baited breath, and with my library hold list open. As per usual, I was ready to place holds on any of the winners that looked interesting or that I had somehow missed in 2022. As many of you know, my DREAM is to be on…

August really slipped away, didn’t it? Sure, I was in England for almost half of it, and then was sick, but wow….it WENT away really quickly! Luckily, I got a fair amount of reading done this month, so even though I’m already feeling overwhelmed by September, I can look back at August with some pride.…

September is always a killer publishing month! Literally and figuratively, haha. I could probably make a list of 100 books coming out this month that sound cool, but we all know I don’t have time to read them all, so I’ll focus on these six. What September 2023 books are you looking forward to? In…

I love a good easy reader series (mostly) and I love when really acclaimed authors get into writing for developing and early readers, so when I saw a new Kyle Lukoff easy reader series, I was ready to read! Unfortunately….I was let down. At least at my library, these are not the typical easy reader…

In early August, I took the vacation I was dying to take all year: my Common Grounds Pilgrimage themed around Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. Do I like the book? Yes. Do I love it as much as I love these experiences? No. In April 2022, I did the Frankenstein/Mary Shelley Pilgrimage, hosted by the same…

In this past month, I’ve read 3 books that specifically referenced STARFISH by Lisa Fipps as a comp title, and I am here to tell you, not all that glitters is gold, and while I thought this was a fine middle grade novel, especially since it featured a sport/hobby you don’t see talked about a…

Another round up, with some VARYING levels of kid-friendliness, haha. Another Barnett/Klassen combo—which might be one of their darkest yet–some wholesome library support, a lovely display of representation in Kid Lit fun, and a museum cat. The Wolf, The Duck, & The Mouse by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen Uh….wow. That’s really all I…

It’s time for another Easy Reader Series Series, this time the Brownie and Pearl books by Cynthia Rylant, with pictures by Brian Biggs. They are pre-Level 1 easy readers and six by my count, and I believe the first one, and the characters, are adapted from a picture book. Let’s dive in–in order of listing…