MADreads

This latest installment in the Agatha Raisin series brings Agatha eye-to-eye with the most adorable animal ever: the quokka. Seriously, these creatures are the cutest. They are a small type of wallaby about the size of a cat with a brown face, rounded ears, and what looks like the sweetest smile in the animal kingdom.

This magical book by Japanese author/illustrator Kaya Doi and translated by Yuki Kaneko is a must-read. In the third book of the series, twin sisters Chirri & Chirra are back exploring beautiful winter scenery with their animal friends. The story has foxes, bears, birds, goats, and cats. It also has hot springs, delicious food, and creative landscapes. Doi brings us a delightful, unique art style. Her winter wonderland story connects the reader to a magical miniature world with a touch that evokes the same emotions as reading a traditional Japanese children's book.

Taste: My Life Through Food is actor and cookbook author Stanley Tucci's culinary autobiography. It makes an excellent gift book for food lovers and is perfect for this time of year. The recipes that frame Stanley Tucci's life are shared lovingly and with an expertise that is inspiring and comforting.  This guy knows his way around the kitchen, the fire pit, the wine cellar, all of it.

Although Miles and Rhys attend the same school, they don't know each other in real life, but in the online game Mecha Melee they are triumphant besties known as Gryphon and Backslash. The action in the book switches back and forth between in-game action and real-life family and middle school drama. The students at their school make up a diverse cast of background characters. Miles and his family are Black, and Rhys and his family have light brown skin and straight, dark hair.