Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot, Illustrated by Cara McGee

3 stars A nice updated version of Black Canary suitable for young readers. Dinah Lance has to navigate the world of junior high complete with arguments with friends, that one bully who’s mean for no reason, and a principal that seems to be out to get her… as well as the strange happenings of things…

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Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, Illustrated by Yuyi Morales

3 stars A sweet story about the link between names and identity, and the love between a father and a son. Love the colorful illustrations. They tell a story of their own, strengthening the story and sometimes adding some humorous details. The words and illustrations blend together at times, making for a fun and engaging…

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The Searcher (Audiobook) by Tana French, Read by Roger Clark

3 stars Listened to for my library’s book club. There were parts I liked and parts that weren’t for me. The pace of the book is quite leisurely. Things unfold in their own time and there is quite a bit of description and getting lost in the main character’s thoughts. None of this is necessarily…

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Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson

3 stars I love Gibson’s poetry. There’s a certain dark magic to the words and images they weave together that I can’t get enough of. My complaint with this book is not about Gibson’s words or style. It’s with the book in general. I was a little disappointed once I realized this is mostly a…

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Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban

3 stars This one took me a bit to get into. It deals with so many heavy topics: puberty, looking older than one’s age, sexual harassment, parental neglect, addiction, death of a parent, and being shuttled from one “home” to the next. But once I dove into the narration and story, I was swept up…

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Pizazz by Sophy Henn

3 stars Pizazz doesn’t like her name, her cape, her “embarrassing” superpower, or being a superhero in general. But as she navigates the world of elementary school, she learns new ways of viewing the world and how to save it. An engaging story about a reluctant superhero and her struggles fitting in at a new…

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