by Casey Gilly and Amy Chase Illustrated by Natalie Haines and Kate Sherron 4 stars A fun standalone adventure featuring ponified roller derby and the Make Your Mark cast. Sunny dreams of joining a roller derby team, but after being rejected by the Sandy Shore Slammers, a team that is mean, unhelpful, and overly competitive,…
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Illustrated by Jensine Eckwall 5 stars Lyrical, magical, and a powerful homage to sisterhood. A captivating read inspired by Christina Rossetti’s poem, “Goblin Market”. Rather than adapting or retelling Rossetti’s lengthy original, VanSickle’s version introduces a new set of sisters, Millie and Mina, and a fantastical market filled with tempting treats, eerie songs, and enticing…
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Illustrated by Steve McCarthy 5 stars The sweetest book about banshees that I have ever read. Bansheenies (baby banshees) typically bond with the first person they see, allowing them to learn when that person will die. Through happenstance, Beanie’s story is not quite so straightforward. Instead of simply telling her human, Rose, when her death…
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5 stars Strike a deal with Bill and dive in to learn secrets never yet revealed. A sinister book that brings you face-to-face with the elusive Bill after the events of Weirdmageddon. This book really delivers. It’s everything you’d expect from Bill. Creepiness, humor, mystery. Hilarious and nightmare-inducing. The Gravity Falls finale left us all…
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Illustrated by Linh Pham 3 stars A cute mystery story with plenty of spookiness and lovely illustrations. The Invisible Man’s invisible dog is missing and Nancy Spector is on the case. Follow her and her dog, Jinx, as they travel the monster world, interviewing witnesses, following the clues, and uncovering a bigger mystery than they…
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Illustrated by Minnie Phan 5 stars A remarkable story of bravery, hope, and working toward a better future. Set during the 2020 California wildfires, the story follows Simone as she and her mother evacuate. Though Simone is scared, her mother helps calm her by recounting her own evacuation during a flood in Viet Nam. Using…
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Illustrated by Marta Altés 4 stars Another delightful story featuring Oona Bramblegoop and her sideways magic. Just when Oona the Underwear Fairy thinks she’s got it all figured out, she finds herself in a trap set by a human boy named Marco. Things get out of hand and Marco ends up following Oona to Fairy…
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Illustrated by Lena Podesta 4 stars Join the loveable worry monster as he works through his worries about the upcoming class field trip. With the help of his teacher, the worry monster learns seven Mindful Monster Moves. These include simple strategies such as stretching, taking deep breaths, and focusing on your senses. A cute story…
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3 stars A cute comic-style picture book about a unicorn that longs to be a special agent. The artwork was really cute. I loved the color palette. The story itself was fine. Unicorn is a real jerk for most of the book, but kind of learns a lesson at the end. There is some nice…
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5 stars An utterly stunning story of art, beauty, and permanence. The narrator is not happy about facing the cold weather, uncomfortable winter clothes, crowds, and an unfamiliar setting to attend the winter festival. She doesn’t see the point of making ice sculptures that are just going to melt. To make matters worse, on her…
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