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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Every month there are new titles purchased for the Too Good to Miss collections at our libraries. If you're not familiar with TGTM (as we call it here in library-world), it's a special collection of popular books that are truly too good to miss. Some are new and popular titles, others are older titles that might not have had as much media attention as a bestseller or celebrity book club selection but are still great reads that deserve another look.
Laxmi’s Mooch introduces us to Laxmi, a delightful and confident child, who has never paid much attention to the little hairs that grow on her upper lip – until a classmate points them out during a playground game of farm animals. After that, Laxmi becomes very aware of the hair that grows on her upper lip, arms, legs, and between her eyebrows.
Only Child opens with a tense and heartbreaking scene as Zach Taylor and the rest of his first grade class huddle in a closet waiting for the gunfire of an active shooter in their school to stop. Zach is six and though his class has practiced hiding like this, he and his classmates don't really know what's happening. They just know that they're scared and confused. Once Zach leaves that closet, he'll find the world as he knew it has irrevocably changed - because while Zach has survived, his older brother Andy has not.
Do you love Dragons? Do you love silly picture books? Do you love excellent read-alouds that get more and more ridiculous until you're a giggles on the floor? Do you love books that sneakily teach concepts like MATH to little kiddos so you can give yourself a "I am a great parent!" pat on the back? This book is for you!!
The day has begun and the world is full of noises, lights, sounds, and feelings. The alarm clock is loud, the sun is bright, and the shirt is too itchy. Our main character is struggling and experiencing sensory overload. How will she navigate her day when the world is so loud, bright, and overwhelming?
The grownups in her life allow her to self-regulate and tell them what she needs. Slowly, our main character is able to have a gentle hug, quiet time, and personal space in a dark place surrounded by comfy things.
An esteemed author who writes under the pen name "Scheherazade" decides to retire to the Dominican Republic and build a cemetery and sculpture garden to mark stories that she and others started to write or tell and didn't finish. To provide closure, the stories are "buried" and marked with fantastical sculptures. Those with open hearts and minds are allowed entry into the garden. Skeptics with closed minds must stay outside the gates. Once inside, guests to the cemetery are allowed to wander and listen and learn.
Let me just start by saying this is my current favorite book - I think everyone can learn something about emotions, apologies, and sincerity by reading this epistolary tale filled with classroom drama.
First, the facts. Jack knocked over Zoe's castle, and now he is trying to write an apology letter. The story opens with a crumpled note stating "sorry," and we see Jack working through various iterations. A couple attempts later:
Some books I read and think, "I cannot wait to rave about this book to anyone and everyone." And the next thought is, "how will I do it justice?" The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley had me thinking both of those as I finished. It's a deceptively straightforward military science fiction novel, that packs a much deeper and thought-provoking punch.
October brings with it a particularly special time of year here in Madison: the return of the Wisconsin Book Festival, this October 17-20. This year’s events include authors of national standing to student writers embarking on new careers; topics of politics, poetry, science and culture to things that go bump in the night and just plain good stories that will keep you reading late into the night. And best of all, it’s all free. Check out the events page and plan your schedule—some events require advance registrations.
Valentina Tran's favorite day of the year is Valentine's Day. She is named after the holiday and it's no wonder that her imaginary friend is Cupid. Val and Cupid are cuddly and sweet buddies when Val is younger, planning out hand decorated cards and heartfelt messages for friends and family. As Val grows older and learns more about her family history she starts to hate Valentine's Day. Her pal Cupid takes a dark turn and manifests as a terrifying spirit version of the martyred Saint Valentine. No matter what she does, Val cannot shake the haunting.
