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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

Complicated legacy

Cover of The Last Slave Ship: The T
A review of The Last Slave Ship: The True Story of How Clotilda Was Found, Her Descendants, and an Extraordinary Reckoning by Ben Raines

Though slavery ended in 1865, the importation of Africans as slaves was outlawed nearly fifty years earlier in 1808 with an act of Congress banning the practice. The truth, like most everything in history regarding race, is far from black and white. Environmental journalist and Alabama waterman Ben Raines sheds light on just how the ghosts of the slave trade, long thought well-buried, exist surprisingly close to the surface both literally and figuratively in The Last Slave Ship: The True Story of How Clotilda Was Found, Her Descendants, and an Extraordinary Reckoning.

Mar 16, 2022

An impossible crime?

Cover of Under Lock & Skeleton Key
A review of Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian

Tempest Raj has returned to her childhood home after a stunt in her Las Vegas magic show went dangerously (almost fatally) awry. Not only has she lost her successful show, but she's still facing legal issues related to the accident, an accident she knows is not her fault. Now home she has to figure out her next steps and while she's lying low licking her wounds, her dad asks her to take a job with his Secret Staircase Construction company. Her first act to help her dad is to examine a house that's being renovated.

Mar 14, 2022

Musa's turn to pick

Cover of Halal Hot Dogs
A review of Halal Hot Dogs by Susannah Aziz

In Halal Hot Dogs, we follow Musa, a young Muslim boy, through his life from the vantage point of the meals his family eats. This is a fun, rollicking story filled with laughter, dancing, and delicious food. The illustrations are done in bold, bright colors that create a visual feast for the eyes. It also introduces a good deal of Arabic vocabulary.

Mar 11, 2022

In through the nose, out through the mouth

Cover of Ain't Burned All the Brigh
A review of Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

This book is described as a smash-up of art and text that captures 2020 and what it was like to be black during the COVID-19 lockdown and racial unrest and protests. It is incredible:  painful, powerful, and beautiful. Told in three sections called Breath One, Breath Two and Breath Three, I viewed the book as illustrated poetry with the parts representing the past, present and future.

Mar 9, 2022

Novellas for escape

Cover of Great Short Reads
Great Short Reads

At some point, I had a sticker that said “I love big books and I cannot lie” - it was a point of pride. But these days, with a toddler, a full time job, and a pandemic level attention span, this librarian has a new found appreciation for the novella. Rich characters, well built worlds, and gripping plot lines all in less than 200 pages? Yes please! If that sounds appealing to you too - check out these fantastic and escapist new books in bite size lengths - completely readable in 2-3 nap times or a few nights before bed.

Mar 7, 2022

Changing it up

Cover of It Was Supposed to Be Sunn
A review of It Was Supposed to Be Sunny by Samantha Cotterill

Laila has her sunshine and unicorns-themed birthday party all planned out. Her and her mom have even created a party schedule so that Laila knows just what to expect. But–oh no! The party was supposed to be outside, and now it’s raining!

Mar 4, 2022

Este cuento entró por un caminito plateado, y salió por uno dorado / This story entered through a silver path and left on a golden one

Cover of The Last Cuentista
A review of The Last Cuentista by Donna Higuera

It’s not very often a science fiction book wins the Newbery Award and the Pura Belpré Award but The Last Cuentista did this year. The Last Cuentista is a dystopian story with tales of Mexican folklore woven within. ‘Cuentista’ in Spanish means storyteller and the main character, Petra Peña, is truly the only cuentista left in the world.

Mar 3, 2022

Wrestling with the past

Cover of Think of Me
A review of Think of Me by Frances Liardet

This historical fiction novel takes place between 1943 and 1974 beginning in Alexandria, Egypt, and ending in a small English village. It is a well written story told in alternating voices by James, a former RAF pilot and prisoner of WWII, and his wife, Yvette.

Mar 1, 2022

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