Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Illustrated by Val Wise

4 stars A graphic novel featuring cheerleading and LGBTQIA+ leads? Yes, please! A charming story about reconnecting, speaking out, and trying new things. Loved the emphasis on second chances and growing as individuals. Despite the short length, a lot of issues are packed into this wonderful graphic novel. School pressure, unrequited crushes, fitting in, and…

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We Will Be Shelter: Poems for Survival, Edited by Andrea Gibson

4 stars A fantastic collection of hard-hitting poems from a variety of poets. I really enjoyed the premise of this anthology. The poems address various social justice issues and each pairs their work with a specific organization related to that issue. The book not only brings up important issues but also provides concrete ways to…

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The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

4 stars A fantastic read with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. This was especially fun to read having grown up in Wisconsin and currently living in Milwaukee. Always nice to see a Wisconsin author. I’ll admit, it took me a little bit to get into the style of this book….

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Once Upon a Drabble… Review

A delightful collection of fairytale-inspired drabbles. Every story is told in exactly 100 words and puts a fresh spin on an old tale. Each author brings their own style to the collection. There is humor, there is fear, there is romance, there is adventure. A wonderful anthology for fairytale lovers looking for new riffs on…

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Instructions by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Charles Vess

4 stars A lovely illustrated edition of Neil Gaiman’s poem, “Instructions”. First published in A Wolf at the Door: And Other Retold Fairy Tales, “Instructions” provides the reader with tips, tricks, and reminders pulled straight from fairy tales, myths, and other stories. The illustrated edition adds even deeper meaning to the poem, incorporating further references into…

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The Ghoul Next Door (The Ghoul Next Door #1)

By Cullen Bunn Illustrated by Cat Farris 4 stars I read an ARC copy in which only the first few pages are in color. Even with that I was blown away by the story and artwork. I read this fairly quickly because I did not want to put it down. The perfect balance of adorable…

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The Quest for Snacks (Cat & Cat Adventures #1) by Susie Yi

3 stars An adorable magical adventure complete with new friends, unexpected danger, and the quest for unlimited snacks. In the first book starring two characters from Yi’s webcomic, Squash and Ginny set out to collect the ingredients for an unlimited snack potion. Along the way, they encounter difficult dilemmas, problems requiring some creative thinking, and…

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