MADreads

From the Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López, creators of The Day You Begin, comes a new story about using your imagination to soar. Stuck inside on a rainy day, two siblings are told by their grandmother to use their minds, to "close your eyes and take a deep breath, and believe in a thing." No longer stuck in their apartment, they soar over the city, each season escaping from their boredom, their arguments, and their loneliness, just as their ancestors who also flew with their beautiful and brilliant minds. 

I get some of the best book suggestions from the people who come into the library. I was helping a lady the other day who had a charge on her account for a lost book. Don't worry - she had just put it in the book return. She knew it was overdue, but her little one loved the book so much that they just couldn't stop reading it. With a recommendation like that - I just had to read it myself.

After reading Sometime Cake I understand why they had trouble returning it!

Are you a reader of biographies? Then check out the longlist for the 2023 Plutarch Award. This is the 10th annual award given by the Biographers International Organization (BIO).  "Named after the famous ancient Greek biographer, the Plutarch is awarded to the best biography of the year by a committee of five distinguished biographers from nominations received by BIO members and publishers."

Marlene spends every Sunday in a salon having her hair straightened in order to look presentable according to her Dominican mother's standards. Keeping her hair smooth requires her to avoid running around, sweating, and playing outside with the other kids. This makes Marlene miserable. The situation reaches a fever pitch at an older cousin's quinceañera where Marlene is taunted and berated for her wild behavior and unruly hair.