3 stars A Gothic fantasy with cozy Polish charm. This is an interesting read in its duality with the blending of Slavic folklore and Polish culture. On one side is baking, found family, and homemaking, and the other is magic, bargains, spirits, and demons. I didn’t particularly care for either of the main characters or…
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4 stars Join the Humane Seven as they attend the Starswirl Music Festival. There’s plenty to do, but only so much time. Or so they think. When Sunset Shimmer wakes up in a time loop, she relives day one of the festival over and over again. You get to decide what path she takes to…
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by Belen Medina Illustrated by Natalia Rojas Castro 4 stars A beautifully illustrated biography of Lorena Ramírez, a Rarámuri ultramarathon runner. Through lyrical text, the story follows her on a sixty-mile run, providing information about her attire, her childhood, and her way of life in Chihuahua, Mexico. The illustrations are lovely. Beautiful use of color. All…
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Text by Terrance Crawford Illustrated by Ronaldo Barata 2 stars Nice to get a longer adventure about the Afro Unicorns. This one focuses on Unique and Divine as they make their way to the Festival of Crowns. Along the way, they learn one of the crowns has gone missing. The story itself was okay. A…
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4 stars A delightful story about being yourself, embracing differences, and sharing a love of plants. Upon moving to Garden Glen, Millie Fleur makes her new house her own by planting all sorts of wonderful plants. But her garden doesn’t fit the tidy aesthetic the community is used to. Can she show her neighbors just…
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Illustrated by Anthony Conley 3 stars A sweet introduction to the Afro Unicorns and their magical world. Fun characters, high energy, and nice reminders of how unique, divine, and magical the reader is. The illustrations are adorable. A nice little read. I really enjoy the Afro Unicorn characters. Goodreads
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by Marilyn Easton 4 stars A fun guidebook to the Unlock the Magic world. The book goes through the new versions of the Care Bears, how they found themselves in the Silver Lining, some of the creatures and characters they’ve met there, and various locations in the Silver Lining and Care-a-lot. Beautiful full-color artwork of…
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Illustrated by Juana Medina 4 stars An adorable rhyming story providing a kid-friendly introduction to the history of Pride and its continued relevance today. Loved the themes of family, acceptance, standing up to injustice, and being yourself. Adorable pictures. The rhymes are a little clunky in areas, but overall this was such a sweet read….
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by Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge 5 stars A biography in verse using found poetry from Olaudah Equiano’s own autobiography. I absolutely adored this format. Fantastically constructed. The found verse format was done in a way that made the text and narrative more accessible to a modern reader without losing the original intent. Throughout the…
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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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