Back to top

MADreads

Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

Journeys of discovery

Cover of The Truth About Dragons
A review of The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung
Hanna Cha

This book gave me goosebumps. Setting off on a quest through two different forests, to discover two different, but equally enchanting truths about dragons, a little boy’s adventures come lavishly to life with edge to edge full color ink illustrations. This book is an exploration of Eastern and Western Dragon mythologies, both true and meaningful celebrations of the child’s mixed cultural identities. It is hard to pick a favorite line, a favorite description or depiction in these pages.

Jan 24, 2024

A BIG winner

Cover of Big
A review of Big by Vashti Harrison

Big, illustrated and written by Vashti Harrison, is the winner of the 2024 Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children, a 2024 Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book and a 2024 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor Book.

Jan 23, 2024

Music and memory

Cover of Holding On
A review of Holding On by Sophia Lee
Isabel Roxas

In Sophia N. Lee’s remarkable picture book, Holding On, we meet a delightful granddaughter and her beloved Lola (the Tagalog word for grandmother). Lola loves to tell her granddaughter “If you want to hold on, you gotta sing your songs”, and Lola’s house is full of music and memories. Along with photos, special objects, favorite foods, and stories, Lola’s songs are how she remembers and shares her life and loved ones.

Jan 12, 2024

Picking up the pieces

Cover of Ashes of the Sun
A review of Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler

Generations ago an empire was destroyed by war. The technological/magical remnants of that society are now either in the hands of the Twilight Order or hard sought by the criminal and/or rebellious elements of the society. A sister and brother find themselves on opposite sides of that power dynamic in this complex and fascinating fantasy novel.

Jan 10, 2024

A wish on a washing machine

Cover of The Wishing Machine
A review of The Wishing Machine by Jonathan Hillman
Nadia Alam

Change and goodbyes are hard! As Sam and his mom prepare to move from their apartment to Grandpa's trailer away from the city, they say goodbye to friends and their cherished Sunday laundromat time together with one last visit. But with a little imagination and some one-of-a-kind luck, Sam discovers that his most heartfelt wish doesn't need a magic machine to come true.

Jan 5, 2024

A generation lost

Cover of After Francesco
A review of After Francesco by Brian Malloy

Before there was Covid-19, the world experienced another epidemic that seemed to come out of nowhere. The first cases of what would become known as AIDS were diagnosed in June of 1981. Forty years ago. Think about that. The beginning of the AIDS crisis is now a historical time period. Mind boggling. But also so important to remember.

Jan 2, 2024

Pages

Subscribe to MADreads