5 stars A heartfelt story that is surprisingly cozy. I absolutely love the blending of fantasy and reality as we follow the characters in their D&D campaign and their personal lives in the real world. Wonderfully written. I loved the characters. This is some of the characters’ first time playing D&D so there is a…
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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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Illustrated by Jem Milton 2 stars Layne Green wants nothing more than to secure a spot on the extreme cooking competition, Voyage de Gourmet. But when he’s finally invited on the show… his former best friend will be his partner, leaving him a little confused. Can they get past their falling out to make it…
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4 stars After a summer spent studying for Chinese school, playing soccer, and bonding with her grandmother visiting from Taiwan, Měi Yīng is excited to start fifth grade. But then she becomes the target of new kid Sid’s racist jokes. Should she ignore him like everyone suggests or stand up to his ignorance? Great themes…
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Adapted and illustrated by Victoria Ying Based on Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon by Paula Danziger 3 stars I really enjoyed this series as a kid and it was fun to revisit this story in graphic format. The illustrations are great. Ying’s character designs are wonderful and the art really captures their movements and…
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Illustrated by Tony Ross 3.5 stars I loved this series as a kid and wanted to give it a reread after finishing the graphic novel adaption. In this one, Amber is upset that her best friend, Justin, is moving away. Every time she tries to talk to him about it, he acts like nothing is…
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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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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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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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by Vivien Chien Narrated by Cheryl May 2 stars A fine cozy mystery. I enjoyed this well enough and appreciated the spin on the genre. I do think it kind of dragged by the end but it works fine as a relatively quick, low-stakes read. I listened to the audiobook though and the narrator did…
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