Not Perfect by Maya Myers

Illustrated by Hyewon Yum 4 stars While Dot recognizes she is good at many different things, she strives for perfection. When the class is assigned to make a poster of someone they admire, she wants hers to be perfect. Things don’t go as planned, but sometimes imperfections can spark creativity and a new way of…

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Go to Sleep, Anxiety! by Luna Chi

Illustrated by Gurihiru 4 stars Such a sweet story. Riley’s Emotions are settling into their nighttime routines… all but one. Anxiety is too worked up to sleep. With the help of the other Emotions, she comes up with strategies to help her when her worries get out of control. Includes some nice strategies for calming…

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Roll Call (Dungeon Club #1) by Molly Knox Ostertag

Illustrated by Xanthe Bouma 3 stars Handling middle school is a whole lot easier when Jess can hang out with best friend, Olivia, and play D&D. But now Olivia wants to bring in more players to their campaign and Jess has no interest in making new friends. A nice story overall. Can easily be read…

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Before We Say Goodbye (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #4) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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, CafĂ© 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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Exactly as Planned by Tao Nyeu

3.5 stars A heartwarming two-sided picture book celebrating adapting to the circumstances and spending time with good friends. Read the book one way to follow Fox’s preparations for tea with Moose. Flip it the other way to follow Moose’s journey to Fox’s tree for tea. The stories meet in the middle in a sweet resolution….

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Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson

4 stars Beautiful and gruesome. The horror romance I didn’t know I was looking for. It somehow manages to perfectly balance cozy and unsettling. One of those reads you just can’t look away from. Perfectly paced, it draws you in no matter how much you want to look away. I loved the way Dawson planted…

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Our Dining Table by Mita Ori

Translated by Amber Tamosaitis 5 stars Absolutely adorable. A nice, slow-paced story exploring human connections and overcoming past trauma. Yutaka has a hard time eating with other people. He isn’t close with his family and he finds it difficult to connect with others. But after a chance meeting with two brothers, their cooking sessions soon…

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Awe-samosas! by Marzieh Abbas

Illustrated by Bhagya Madanasinghe 5 stars Adorable, heartfelt, and delicious! Noor wants to have a samosa party with her friends, but keeps running into problems along the way. With reminders of her Dadijaan’s advice, she pushes through and puts her own unique spin on a family recipe. Such a sweet story. Great themes of perseverance,…

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Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry (Audiobook)

Narrated by Hope Newhouse 5 stars A tree, a table, and a book. Three little tales have the unexpected power of connecting the past to the present in a whole new way. Absolutely beautiful. Sophie W. is 11 years old. Sophie G. is 88. Despite their age gap, they are best friends. When the elder…

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