The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 5

by Nagabe Translated by Adrienne Beck 4 stars Another haunting volume. Piece by piece we learn more about the curse and the strange inhabitants of the Outside. After a terrible loss, Teacher and Shiva face new challenges that seek to draw them apart and Teacher must contemplate what is best for Shiva. Adorable, eerie, and…

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The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 4

by Nagabe Translated by Adrienne Beck 4 stars This series always knows just how to pull me in. Reunited with Teacher after the devastating events in the village, Shiva easily returns to her life on the Outside. But her aunt hasn’t found the transition quite as simple and acts on her mistrust of Teacher. In…

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The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 3

by Nagabe Translated by Adrienne Beck 4 stars The mystery continues with more delightfully creepy adventures in the Outside. Shiva’s aunt has come back to claim her, but strange things start happening in their village. Teacher continues his search for Shiva and Shiva’s aunt reveals an unexpected secret. Picks up right where the last one…

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The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Volume 2

by Nagabe Translated by Adrienne Beck 4 stars Another eerie and intriguing volume in the series. When we last left Shiva and Teacher, a strange new Outsider had touched Shiva, cursing her; and those within the Inside had seen a girl in the forest and viewed her as a threat. Now the unexpected duo must…

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The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Volume 1

by Nagabe Translated by Adrienne Beck 4 stars In a world divined between the Outside and the Inside, a little girl finds herself in the care of one of the Outsiders, a humanoid beast who could curse her with a single touch. Follow their unexpected friendship as they navigate the Outside and the evils it…

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Unico: Awakening (Unico #1) by Samuel Sattin

Illustrated by Gurihiru 3 stars A modern-day Unico brings joy and kindness to all he meets while the jealous Venus is determined to destroy him. As I have not read the original manga, my only experience with Unico before this was watching The Fantastic Adventures of Unico. However, this appears to be a mostly faithful…

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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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Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja

Illustrated by Shiho Pate 4 stars A delicious story about patience, practice, perseverance, and family. Hiro sets out to make the perfect bowl of ramen just like his dad and his dad’s dad. He’s watched his dad thoroughly and taken detailed notes. But once he gets started, things don’t go to plan. Adorable artwork. I…

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Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey

Illustrated by Mika Song 3 stars A follow-up early chapter book to the picture book, A Friend for Henry. One day at school, Henry’s teacher tells the class that they will have a parade on Friday. But that means changing their weekly schedule. Henry soon becomes frustrated by the changing rules, the loudness of the parade…

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