Illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr. 4 stars A sweet, rhyming board book that celebrates a few winter holidays. The book shows families celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa, as well as Christmukkah. A nice read especially for talking about how each holiday is celebrated. The pictures feature different elements such as a unity cup, mazoa, and…
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by Alejandra Green and Franny Rodriguez 3 stars Enter a fantastic world featuring humans, shape-shifting volkens, and mysterious fae. Nothing is quite as it seems in the magical world of Nothing. Strange things are happening to Nathan. After a chance meeting with a mysterious new friend, Haven, the duo must avoid a pair of volken…
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5 stars From the poetic team that brought us, Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship comes a powerful novel-in-verse that tells the story of the last American slave ship. Waters and Latham give voice to the survivors of the journey on the Clotilda, the enslavers who put them on that journey, and even…
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5 stars A stunning follow-up to Sheets. This one wonderfully captures some of the hardships of growing up female with crush confusion, toxic friendships, and the pressure to fit in. Despite such difficulties, it is filled with hope, kindness, empathy, supportive friendship, and the little moments that bring joy. It shows the power of doing the…
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By Jennifer Torres Illustrated by Sara Palacios 5 stars A fun and powerful read inspired by Dolores Huerta. Lola loves to dance and sing, but sometimes her mother just wants her to keep it down. Taking what she’s learned from her family, when Lola sees an injustice, she does something about it. A sweet story…
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by Michelle Sterling Illustrated by Dung Ho 3 stars A deliciously sweet story for a sweet new year. Every year, Ren hopes she can finally help make pineapple cakes for Lunar New Year. Will this be her year? A delightful story with wonderfully warm illustrations. Nice scenes of togetherness and moments of sharing and teaching….
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Illustrated by Laura Freeman 3 stars A cute series for young readers. Deja is excited for her upcoming birthday party. But when her class rival decides to have a party the same day, she worries whether her party will be so great after all. This is the first book in the series that I’ve read….
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Natasha Wing with Lingfeng Ho Illustrated by Amy Wummer 4 stars A fun real-aloud story focusing on Lunar New Year. Follow Mei Mei and her family as they prepare for and celebrate the spring festival. This includes cleaning, decorating, cooking, and setting off firecrackers. But the loud noises meant to chase away Nian are too…
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Illustrated by Sebastià Serra 4 stars A humorous retelling of The Talking Pot with a Robin-Hood-style twist that emphasizes sharing without others. Ming’s mother sends him to market to trade eggs for rice to make a Spring Festival meal to share with their neighbors. But when Ming meets a man offering a rusty wok, he strikes an…
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Illustrated by Joanna Cacao 5 stars What a fantastic read! Though I typically am not drawn to realistic fiction, cheerleading is a topic I can’t resist. As I was reading this, I was pleasantly surprised that the book was about much more than cheerleading. Christina Soontornvat recounts her experiences in seventh grade, centered around the…
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