A Plan for Pops by Heather Smith

Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan 3 stars A sweet, gentle story. Lou loves visiting Grandad and Pops on Saturdays. But one Saturday, something terrible happens and Pops gets hurt. Lou makes a plan to cheer him up with the help of Grandad and their neighbors. The illustrations are lovely. Loved the soft colors and sweet details….

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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…

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Words Between Us by Angela Pham Krans

Illustrated by Dung Ho 4 stars A beautiful picture book about language, heritage, and the bond between a grandmother and grandchild. I love the way Felix and his grandmother connect across generations, languages, and cultures, sharing things they enjoy with each other. Felix is so excited for his grandmother to come to America and meet…

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My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

5 stars I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s not a genre I would typically gravitate toward, but I was instantly pulled in by Braithwaite’s dark humor and dry wit. Korede would do anything to protect her younger sister, Ayoola. But after the third boyfriend who’s wound of dead in…

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Spicy Spicy Hot! by Lenny Wen

4 stars A beautiful story of love, family, and the connection between food and culture. Lintang is excited to meet her grandmother for the first time and try the sambal that everyone loves. But when Lintang gets a taste, she finds it’s too spicy. She wants to connect with her family and her Indonesian heritage,…

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Don’t Check Out This Book! by Kate Klise

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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Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle by Nina LaCour

Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita 4 stars This is all around a touching and wholesome story. While Mommy leaves on a work trip, the main character stays home with Mama. They go about their daily routines, but things are a little different without Mommy. Works well for discussing missing someone and waiting for them to come…

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Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell

5 stars An absolutely fantastic read! I finished this a few weeks ago now and have been trying to figure out how to put into words how I feel about this book. It’s fantastic. Everything about it is fantastic. When I first saw that Sorell and Waters were teaming up for this, I was expecting…

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The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels

4 stars I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I’m not much of fan of fake dating stories, but this one managed to do it without being creepy and added a nice twist. After a rough breakup with her toxic ex-girlfriend, Margot just wants a nice holiday. She gets her chance when Ben invites her…

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What Happened to You? by James Catchpole

Illustrated by Karen George 4 stars A sweet story with important messages. Joe is playing pirates on the playground. When other kids see him, all they want to talk about is that he has one leg. Joe does his best to answer their questions, but really just wants to get back to his game. A…

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