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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Children born on February 29 are rare, but what if some "Leaplings" could also travel in time? Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè and her best friend Big Ben are about to find out what happens when the future touches the present, and they'll have to hope their first time-travel won't be their last!
Contemporary and futuristic settings, neurodiverse characters, and time travel add up to a really interesting read for upper elementary readers that may challenge you!
Winner of the 2024 Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Awards, a 2024 Newbery Honor book, and a 2024 Odyssey Honor Audiobook. Also available in Spanish.
Sylvie Cathrall's debut is an epistolary novel - a novelistic style that sometimes works for me and sometimes does not. Here it mostly does. I was immediately drawn in by the dreamy, carefully anxious letter that E. is writing to Scholar Henerey Clel. E. (you'll learn her full name later) lives alone in an underwater abode called The Deep House. She writes to Henerey and her sister Sophy and an array of others to stay in contact with the world. This world is one that is about 99% covered in water and most abodes are on floating islands.
When a young girl moves to a new home, she befriends her elderly neighbor. Together they share a love of crafts and nature. As seasons pass, how will the girl deal with her friend’s failing health? Enjoy the beautiful pictures and backgrounds from award winning illustrator Julie Flett as you settle into this warm story that celebrates inter-generational friendships and finding connection.
A brief glossary and pronunciation guide to Cree-Métis words that appear in the text is provided.
--reviewed by Melissa
London was rife with spiritualists and otherworldly activity in 1873, so much so that entire societies were devoted to connecting the living with the dead. Exclusive men's clubs, like the fictional London Séance Society, were all the rage. Intended as a social club where gentleman met to play cards, drink, and hone their paranormal skills, the London Séance Society also provided outreach services by hosting lectures and demonstrations.
Maybe you've heard of the Caldecott medal for illustration, one of the highest honors in children's literature, awarded annually by the American Library Association? But did you know that it is named after 19th-century illustrator, Randolph Caldecott?
When Billie James inherits a little money, her grandmother's cabin and her dog in Greendale, Mississippi, she decides on a visit in hopes of re-connecting with her past. She has few memories of the rundown (even more so now) Mississippi Delta town and its inhabitants, but has always been curious about the events of her last visit when she was four years old. It was then that her father died in a drunken accident. Or so she was told.
Last weekend was the celebration of the Lunar New Year and it is now the Year of the Dragon. How cool is that? For those of you who celebrated and those who want to learn a bit more, here are a couple new favorites of mine.
It's fun to see trends in what books are being published, and recently I've noticed a bunch of new and forthcoming children's books about and inspired by bookish people! Authors, illustrators, editors, and especially librarians.
Bookish people:
Good Books for Bad Children by Beth Kephart, illustrated by Chloe Bristol - A picture book biography of legendary children's book editor, Ursula Nordstrom.
Jane Austen (like Arthur Conan Doyle) has had her books and characters re-imagined more times then I could possibly count. And for me I think, the retellings and re-imaginings of Jane Austen's books and characters have more often been a miss then hit. The Other Bennet Sister is that rare thing for me, not only a hit, but one that has knocked it out of the park. The titular sister is the one most often overlooked, middle-sister Mary. Granted I've always had a soft spot for the socially awkward, stern Mary, so to say I was sympathetic from the start is fair.
