Tidesong by Wendy Xu

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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Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

4 stars A heartwarming and magical tale that explores family structures, fantasy versus reality, and self-discovery. Mystery, secrets, and magic combine to explore some of the complexities of growing up and coming into one’s self. The majority of the book is in black and white, which makes the full-color fantasy scenes even more magical. The…

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Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel

4 stars An engaging and fast-paced adventure through the afterlife. This story has a little bit of everything. A shadowy villain, a trusty sidekick, a side romance, an unsure hero, and a fascinating look at the world of the dead. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but was pulled in from nearly…

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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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