MADreads

Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

Off to never never land

Cover of The Wendy Project
A review of The Wendy Project by Melissa Jane Osborne

Wendy Davies is driving along a lake road with her two younger brothers Michael and John when their car skids off a bridge and into the water. One of Wendy's brothers is missing after the accident - he's just plain vanished.  \Did Michael survive the crash and wander away? Has he drowned in the lake? Wendy blames herself for the accident. Her family is in crisis. It's all confusing and impossible to come to terms with. What follows is the torturous response to the accident:  the journal that Wendy keeps for her therapist.

Posted by Molly W on Oct 26, 2017

Deep dive into grief

Cover of You Don't Have to Say You
A review of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir by Sherman Alexie

If you’ve read the wonderful children’s novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian you know the PG version of Alexie’s life story growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me is the adult version, and it’s beautiful, haunting, devastating, and raw. When his mother Lillian died in 2015 he began writing this book. She was a complex woman: brilliant, an amazing quilter, cruel at times, and damaged by growing up Native in these United States. Unlike her son, she did not attain her dreams. I k

Posted by Amy S on Oct 24, 2017

1, 2, 3...Build!

Cover of Billions of Bricks
A review of Billions of Bricks by Kurt Cyrus

Billed as a counting book, Cyrus brings much more to this artful picture book.  We count bricks by ones, fives, tens and twenties.  Readers also learn how bricks and mortar are made, and are treated to the math, science, design and artistry involved in bricklaying.  The rhyming text invites repeated read-alouds. And the photo-realistic illustrations are worth multiple visits as well, with a racially diverse cast of characters that range in age from children to grandparents, all sporting hardhats and coveralls and fully involved in the building.

Posted by Karen L on Oct 20, 2017

I miss Chi's Sweet Home

Cover of FukuFuku
A review of FukuFuku by Kanata Konami

Going back over time, I calculate that I've read and written about at least six different cat comics or children's graphic novel series on MADreads.  This does not include a childhood spent reading Garfield.  This does not include my recent (personal) purchasing and reading of the new "Grumpy Cat/Garfield" comic series.  Who knew that Grumpy Cat and Garfield knew each other?!?!?  It's an amazing world!!  I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's a wealth of this kind of material out there and I celebrate it.  All of it.

Posted by Molly W on Oct 19, 2017

Retreat and regroup

Cover of Now that You Mention It
A review of Now that You Mention It by Kristan Higgins

“The first thought I had after I died was: How will my dog cope with this?
The second thought: I hope we can still go with open casket.
Third thought: I have nothing to wear to my funeral.
Fourth: I’ll never meet Daniel Radcliffe now.
Fifth: Did Bobby just break up with me?”

Posted by Jane J on Oct 5, 2017

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything --Mark Twain

Cover of The Lying Game
A review of The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware does it again! If you've read In a Dark, Dark Wood and/or The Woman in Cabin 10 and felt pulled in by the masterful skills of the author in constructing a psychological thriller that is tortuous and creepy as all get out, you will undoubtedly find The Lying Game to be of equal or higher chill factor.  

Posted by Molly W on Oct 3, 2017

Fearsome! Ferocious! Fake?

Cover of Alan's Big, Scary Teeth
A review of Alan's Big, Scary Teeth by Peter Jarvis

Alan the Alligator LOVES being scary. He and his big, scary teeth make all the animals in the jungle run for cover. Snap, Snap, SNAP! But Alan has a secret... his big scary snappers... are FAKE! What will Alan do when his secret is revealed? How will he ever overcome his embarrassment and dismay that he is no longer scary? A hilarious read aloud for preschool and school agers alike, this book gets better and better on every read.

Posted by Rebecca M on Oct 3, 2017

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