Personal rating of 4 out of 5 stars
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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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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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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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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4 stars A heartfelt tale of friendship, community, and a bit of wonder. Red the wishtree has a lot to offer: shade, homes for animals, and a place for wishes. But perhaps their most important contribution is one not directly evident. Through their story, they promote acceptance, understanding, and sympathy. A sweet tale about different…
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4 stars This book is absolutely hilarious. A perfect in-between read to My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish and The Last Kids on Earth. Fantastic humor, quick pace, engaging story that’s easy to dive into. Set in a fairy-tale world and featuring a cast of magical creatures, the story has plenty of action and humor, with some nice morals…
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4 stars A gorgeous book to immerse yourself in. Beautiful artwork, a captivating story, and wonderful lessons and messages. Reminiscent of Kay O’Neill‘s The Tea Dragon Society. Gentle fantasy with fantastic artwork. This book is so much more than pretty pictures and Xu accomplishes a lot with a relatively simple story. Sophie’s insecurity is easy to relate…
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3 stars Overall, a good collection of short poetry. Various topics are covered and themes quickly emerge including recognizing one’s worth and letting go of what hurts you. One issue I generally have with poetry of this nature is that the short format often fizzles out. Too often short poetry feels like the beginning of…
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4 stars A fascinating non-fiction picture book about the life and work of Margaret Lowman, aka “Canopy Meg”. The book gives an overview of her childhood, education, scientific discoveries, and conservation work all while providing interesting facts about the rainforest and animals/plants that live there and quotes from Canopy Meg herself. The illustrations are beautiful,…
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4 stars An allegorical tale of Greta Thunberg’s activism and how she’s inspired others to stand up to demand change. The use of talking animals and literal giants helps make this engaging for young children while sticking to its message of environmentalism. Though the characters are small compared to the giants, when they come together…
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