Merman in My Tub Vol. 1 by Itokichi

Translated by Angela Liu 3 stars Tatsumi is minding his own business when he comes across a stranger in need. He offers help only to end up with a merman in his bathtub with no intention of leaving. Overall a fun read. I enjoyed the premise and loved the different characters that show up. The…

Read More

A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey

Illustrated by Mika Song 2 stars A story about a boy looking for a friend at school who is quiet, shares, listens, and follows the rules. While it is started in the blurb that Henry is autistic, it does not make mention in the actual story as the author wanted the story to be more…

Read More

Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories by Anica Mrose Rissi

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…

Read More

Hellaween by Moss Lawton

2.5 stars An interesting start to a series. This has a good start to a story, but for some reason, it was hard for me to get into. I was definitely intrigued by the monster realm, Gwen’s experience as an amateur witch, and her supernatural friends from another world. Some fun humor. The story was…

Read More

Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb

Illustrated by Erin Kraan 3 stars A The Pout-Pout Fish-style story featuring a grumpy bison. Buffalo Fluffalo wants to be alone. The other animals offer him gifts and ask him to spend time with them, but all they get back is a gruff rebuke. A cute book with nice messages of being kind to others, accepting…

Read More

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vol. 2

Story by Fuse Adapted by Taiki Kawakami Characters by Mitz Vah Translated by Stephen Paul 4 stars A great continuation of the series. This volume coincides with episodes 6-8 of the anime. In this one, we see Rimuru continue to develop the town and come across some new companions who may make things more complicated…

Read More

How Do You Live? by Genzaburō Yoshino

Translated by Bruno Navasky Foreword by Neil Gaiman 4 stars Much like the notebook Copper’s uncle writes to him, this is a great book to read at various stages in life, picking up new meaning that didn’t click on the previous read. I found the translator’s note especially helpful in understanding the context of the…

Read More

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine Vol. 2

Story by Mei Hachimoku Illustrated by Koudon Translated by Alexa Frank 5 stars A fantastic second volume in the series. In this one, we learn more about the tunnel itself as Kaoru and Anzu run experiments to figure out how it works. Their unlikely friendship develops and an old rival turns out to be more…

Read More

My Little Pony: Friendship Tales

4 stars This collection includes “Meet the Ponies of Ponyville” by Olivia London, “Hearts and Hooves” by Jennifer Fox, “Ponies Love Pets!” by Emily C. Hughes, and “Meet the Princess of Friendship” by Lucy Rosen. A nice mix of pony adventures and introductions to various characters. Follow along with the Mane 6 and the Cutie Mark Crusaders through mishaps…

Read More

Ghostwriter: A Match of Wills by Eric Weiner

Illustrated by Eric Velasquez 3 stars There’s a mystery and the Ghostwriter team is on the case. Jamal receives a mysterious inheritance from a woman he befriended at the community center. But he has to solve the clues and retrieve it before the woman’s greedy son can snatch it away. Help Jamal and the team…

Read More