At Blackwater Pond: Mary Oliver Reads Mary Oliver

5 stars A wonderful collection of poems read by Mary Oliver herself pulled from throughout her writing career. A fantastic listen. Featuring birds, plants, and the natural world, Oliver reflects on beauty, virtue, death, and more. I loved listening to these poems and especially hearing Oliver tell them. She reads each poem with her own…

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Get the Party Started (DnDoggos #1) by Scott Underhill

3 stars An action-packed adventure featuring a band of adorable canines on their first D&D campaign. Join Pickles, Tonka, and Zoey along with DM Magnus as they set out on a rescue mission. An entertaining and fun-filled adventure story with plenty of humor. The illustrations are great and the characters are so much fun. I…

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The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught

5 stars An adorably cozy fantasy story. After an important pastry order is placed, bakery apprentice Juniper sets out with Hadley the bard to collect special mushrooms for the recipe. On their journey, they stumble upon a mystery. Something is eating all the farmers’ crops… something big. Looking for inspiration for their songs, Hadley convinces…

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Lauren McGill’s Pickle Museum by Jerdine Nolen

Illustrated by Debbie Tilley 3 stars An odd little adventure dedicated to pickles. Lauren McGill is obsessed with pickles. She loves everything about them. After an eventful field trip to a pickle factory, her classmates realize how great pickles are too. Now Lauren doesn’t feel special and isn’t sure she likes pickles anymore… until inspiration…

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The Twits Next Door by Greg James and Chris Smith

Inspired by the characters of Roald Dahl Illustrated by Emily Jones 4 stars A brand-new adventure featuring the Twits. The infamously grouchy couple is about to face their biggest challenge yet: new neighbors. To add insult to injury, these neighbors are nice and pleasant and disgustingly lovely. Follow along as they try to get rid…

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Adventure Time: The Fionna and Cake Compendium Vol. 1

5 stars Fast-paced adventures featuring battles with the Ice Queen, an epic Card Wars tournament, and mini-quests. This volume compiles Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake #1-6 (Natasha Allegri, Betty Liang), Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake: Card Wars #1-6 (Jen Wang, Britt Wilson), and a variety of short comics (ND Stevenson, Lucy Knisley, Kate…

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Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence by Maisha Oso

Illustrated by Candice Bradley 5 stars A lyrical tribute to Black history, culture, and resilience. Fighting against Black history being boiled down to only slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, Oso highlights the complexity and diversity of Black history in the time before the transatlantic slave trade. She explores rulers, warriors, creators, builders, and stargazers…

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Please Be OK: A Story about Addiction by Diane O’Neill

Illustrated by Anastasiya Kanavaliuk 4 stars Fiona loves spending time with her older brother, Dylan, but lately Dylan has been acting differently. He rarely leaves his room and Fiona notices him acting strangely. They’ve always been a team, but now Fiona must decide whether to tell her parents about Dylan’s odd behavior. A heartfelt story…

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