3 stars A Gothic fantasy with cozy Polish charm. This is an interesting read in its duality with the blending of Slavic folklore and Polish culture. On one side is baking, found family, and homemaking, and the other is magic, bargains, spirits, and demons. I didn’t particularly care for either of the main characters or…
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Illustrated by Jem Milton 2 stars Layne Green wants nothing more than to secure a spot on the extreme cooking competition, Voyage de Gourmet. But when he’s finally invited on the show… his former best friend will be his partner, leaving him a little confused. Can they get past their falling out to make it…
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5 stars Another great graphic novel adaptation of a Mary Downing Hahn story. I haven’t read any of Hahn’s original novels, but these adaptations definitely make me want to go back and read them. Diana and Georgie are free to roam the land around Oak Hill Manor as long as they don’t go into the…
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5 stars Follow Meg and Carson through a year of humor, hijinks, pet ownership, and the occasional seriousness. A relatable collection of comics that covers seasons, holidays, family, mental health, relationships, body positivity, and everyday silliness. Wonderful artwork that is equally adorable and hilarious. The facial expressions get me every time. Throughout the humor and…
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Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot 3 stars A heartwarming exploration of grief, regret, family, and love. From those who didn’t express themselves before it was too late to those who feel they’ve wronged their loved ones, Café Funiculi Funicula gives customers a chance to resolve unfinished business with those they’ve lost. Though they can’t change the…
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Illustrated by Mariyah Rahman 3 stars A sweet, lyrical book about remembering those you’ve lost and their continuing love. Nice rhymes. The text works well for talking about belief in an afterlife and different ways to connect to loved ones after they’re gone such as writing letters to them or singing their favorite songs. The…
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Illustrated by Carolina Godina 4 stars Delightfully creepy and well written. Nice variety of story structures including poetry, short stories, an epistolary, a play, chat fiction told through text messages, metafiction, and even stream of consciousness from a family dog. In terms of kid’s horror, I think this one hits the mark well for middle…
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Illustrated by Crystal Kung 5 stars A unique and entertaining retelling of Rapunzel. Ra Pu Zel is a princess who loves food, but isn’t so interested in meeting princes and acting like her parents think she should. So one day, she locks herself in a tower with her dog to enjoy cooking and trying different…
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Illustrated by Robert Starling 3 stars A short and sweet book about being happy. Follow an enthusiastic puppy through their day, doing things that making them happy. Cute representation of how contagious happiness can be as more friends join in along the way. This is the first I’ve read of Michael Rosen’s I Am series….
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Illustrated by Jeremy Holmes 3 stars A fun, high-energy story about the power of engineering, creative thinking, and problem solving. Mazie loves using engineering to help solve her family’s problems. But when she encounters a problem that seems too big to handle on her own, her family puts their heads together to engineer a solution….
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