3 stars A little bit cottagecore. A little bit romance. Plenty of magic. When introverted librarian Kiela is forced to flee the Great Library of Alyssium due to violent political upheaval, she sets out with Caz, a sentient spider plant, and a few crates of spellbooks to travel to her childhood home on an outer…
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Illustrated by Kat Fajardo 5 stars A fun concept for a book series. Each one follows a different student in Mrs. Z’s third grade class. The first book follows Emma McKenna. She’s excited to start at Curiosity Academy, but making new friends is harder than she expected. Not to mention, her ex-best-friend-turned-enemy is in the…
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3 stars Wizkit is a wizard’s apprentice who prefers lounging inside and using magic to get out of doing work. But when the wizard instructs her to return an overdue library book, she’s forced to set out on a quest with the chatty book. Along the way, the pair make new friends, help other’s with…
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3 stars A fun story about sharing a good read and the power of books. While at the library, Sunny and Aarush reach for the same book, both declaring they need it. Each tries to persuade the other to check out something else. As they share why the book is so important to them, they…
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Illustrated by Erin K. Robinson 5 stars A gorgeous, soothing homage to libraries and reading. As a librarian, I may be a little bias, but this book is absolute perfection. The lyrical text celebrates the different versions of ourselves we live out when we read and the wonderful places our imagination can take us. The…
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by Valerie Tagoe and Julia E. Torres 3 stars Well written. I do feel this book would work well for those just starting out in a library career, specifically in school libraries. The content is very school focused. I didn’t really find it that helpful as a public librarian. Much of the focus is on…
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Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise 5 stars Another fantastic read from the Klise team! Appleton Elementary prides itself on staying they same. When the new librarian, Rita B. Danjerous, comes along and introduces a “green dot” collection, not everyone is on board. Following written interactions between various characters, readers will embark on a journey to…
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Illustrated by Kitt Thomas 5 stars Such a sweet story. It explores themes of a love of books and reading, making new friends, celebrating differences, and not being afraid to try new things, even if you aren’t good at them right away. When Stacey meets Julie, they dream of reading every story in the library…
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2.5 stars I am usually a huge fan of novels-in-verse so I was really excited to read this one. Maddie lives a relatively normal life. But when a state-wide evacuation takes place during a secret sleepover, Maddie finds herself alone. Can she figure out how to survive? Is anyone coming back for her? The premise…
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4 stars A sweet story of a girl’s first time fasting for Ramadan. At first, Lailah is excited about being able to fast, but after moving from Abu Dhabi to American, she’s worried about explaining fasting and Ramadan to her teachers and classmates who might not understand. One aspect I loved about the book is…
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