5 stars A fantastic read both in helping children understand and practice consent, and in reminding adults of ways to respect children’s boundaries and their right to consent when appropriate. The book is broken down into short chapters, each of which covers an aspect of consent. This includes both giving consent and establishing boundaries, as…
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4 stars More mysterious happenings in need of investigating, this time at Claire’s school. Another great entry in The Haunted Library series. While these are best read in order, there’s enough backtracking and explanation of past events, that one could still enjoy this without having read the first two. While Claire and Kaz investigate the…
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4 stars Another adorable, fun adventure. This one is a bit spooky with a nice mystery to solve. Great follow up to the first book. It continues the story, providing new mysteries and development of the overall plot, while still leaving some open ends to be discovered throughout the rest of the series. The mystery…
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5 stars A beautiful, powerful, inspiring, empowering story of courage, strength, love, tradition, and making change. I’m disappointed such a book had to be written and how events have transpired to inspire it, but it’s a wonderful step to help guide the world toward a better path. Goade’s artwork is phenomenal. Each page tells its…
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5 stars A powerful tale of a life lived and how quickly the world can change. Inside Out & Back Again tells the story of a year in the life of Hà, based on Thanhha Lai’s own childhood. In that year (1975), Hà experiences the Fall of Saigon, the treacherous journey by ship to America,…
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4 stars A delicious book recounting the tale of a girl trying different foods (even though pizza is the best!) for the sake of science. Perfect for pizza lovers of all ages and a good reminder about how fun (and delectable!) it can be to try new foods. Gianna Ruggiero‘s illustrations are just the right…
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5 stars What a wonderful way to teach an important lesson. When Amera has a bad day and uses unkind words, her mother suggests tasting her words before she says them, which opens Amera to the power of words. Inspired by Proverbs 16:24, “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for…
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5 stars A frightened ghost swept away from his family, a “solid” (aka non-ghost person) who can see ghosts, and a library that has a few mysteries. This was a delightful read. It started off a bit dark with Kaz being blown away from his family. But it ends on a hopeful note and sets…
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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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4 stars A well-written book that takes some big topics and simplifies them for a young audience. Systemic racism can be a big idea that’s hard to wrap your head around, especially when you aren’t used to trying to see it or when it’s easier to ignore. This book helps kids and adults alike understand…
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