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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
I flew for the first time since the pandemic last week and I'd forgotten how much reading I can get done when I'm trapped in my seat on a crowded plane. Almost one book on the way out and another on the way home. In the first of them, a blurb describes The Housekeepers as a cross between Downton Abbey and Ocean's 8 - a description that appealed to me on all fronts.
“In the back corner of the little synagogue in the shtetl that was so small and out of the way it was only called Shtetl, there was a table where an angel and a demon had been studying Talmud together for some two hundred years.”
Gigi's Ojiji, her grandpa, is coming from Japan to live with them and she could not be more excited. She has so many plans to do fun things together including playing tag, reading books and spending time with the family dog, Roscoe. Unfortunately, things don't work out quite the way she imagined.
Epic is a skate boarding star with tricks and moves so big they earned him his nickname. But when he moves to a new neighborhood, suddenly his tricks aren't so fun without a crowd of friends. He tries new sports to meet friends - football, soccer, basketball - but they all leave him feeling let down. When his father encourages him to try one more ride, Epic kicks, pushes, and flips his way down to the bodega picking up admiring bystanders on the way. Pretty soon he has a whole new crew, ready to kick and push with him.
“You are an adventure I’ve always wanted to take—and I’m so glad I have. But adventures have consequences…. You know, I’m not sure they would be adventures if they didn’t.”
I read the first book in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy, A Deadly Education, last year and loved it. Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games with a scrappy, angry underdog protagonist and an odd-couple romance sprinkled throughout? Yes, please!
Since spring doesn't seem to want to get here, I went looking for a warm and snug read and was reminded of The Last Marshmallow by Grace Lin. This cozy book is one in a series of four wonderful board books that introduce math concepts - such as number sense and division, spatial sense, measurement and geometry - in fun and engaging ways to young children, ages 2-4. In The Last Marshmallow, two friends, Mei and Olivia, have been playing outside in the snow.
Orquídea Divina invites the multigenerational Montoya family to her home to celebrate her funeral. The catch is that Orquídea is still alive. The arrival of the magical invitations confuses many of her family members and dredges up painful memories for others. Everyone must attend the funeral in order to receive their inheritance and this strings-attached event is complicated on many levels. The land that Orquídea's home is situated on is infused with magic and the funeral proceedings are hampered by supernatural happenings.
Lee knows big sisters. His big sister Zora is the boss. “I go wherever she goes, and we are home before dark. Those are the rules.” And today, Lee and Zora are going to the library… but not to get on the computer or to check out books, they are going to learn to sew from Ms. C, the librarian. There is a LOT to love in this book.
