Month: September 2024

Olu’s Teacher: A Story About Starting Preschool

Olu’s Teacher: A Story About Starting PreschoolOlu's Teacher: A Story About Starting Preschool by Jamel C. Campbell, Lydia Mba
Published by Candlewick Press on May 7, 2024
ISBN: 1536231460
Genres: Cultural / African American, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Olu’s Teacher” is a story about anxiety, new beginnings, belonging, and representation. As Olu gets ready for his first day of preschool his imagination runs wild – could his teacher have teeth like a T-Rex? Or breathe fire like a dragon? He is stomach is churning, his legs are wobbly. But, with some encouragement from his parents, he embarks on his first day. Once at school, Olu sees his friends in class, and enjoys music, building, soccer, and story time. Before he even realizes it – it’s already time to go home. The best part of his first day? Olu feels represented – his teacher looks just like him! This book is very relatable for any child getting ready for their first day, and showcases diversity in a classroom setting. Illustrations are colorful and playful. The book includes recommended tips for parents to help their child get excited for preschool. Recommended for ages 4-6 (Pre-K to 1st Grade).

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library

four-stars

Sleep Little Dozer (A Bedtime Book of Construction Trucks)

Sleep Little Dozer (A Bedtime Book of Construction Trucks)Sleep, Little Dozer: A Bedtime Book of Construction Trucks by Diana Murray, Michael Fleming
ISBN: 0593119045
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Sleep, Little Dozer is about a dozer who’s had a long day and is ready for bed. His dad calls him in from playing to get ready for bed but he doesn’t feel ready because his mom isn’t there. Still, he takes a bath and brushes his teeth and settles in for sleep. He’s worried he’ll never fall asleep without the bedtime song his mom sings until his dad starts singing it and finally he’s able to drift off. The book ends with his mom kissing him goodnight after he’s asleep. Little ones (pre-k, possibly stretch to K) who love construction trucks will be enthralled following a family of construction trucks. However, there’s not much to this one, which is why I think its age range is narrow. Readers, teachers, and parents will love that Dozer’s dad is painted as a loving, capable father who doesn’t need his wife’s help to take care of their son. Add it to your collection if you have a lot of kids who love vehicles or construction or need more positive stories of masculinity. Three stars. 

Reviewed by Katy Jones, Gardiner Area High School, Gardiner 

three-stars

Duck Duck Taco Truck

Duck Duck Taco TruckDuck Duck Taco Truck by Laura Lavoie, Teresa Martínez
ISBN: 0593644638
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Students will fall in love with the ducks and goose and the food they serve in these competing food trucks. The ducks think they have the market cornered on food truck sales until a goose shows up with a new truck that suddenly takes all of their sales. The ducks wonder if their dreams of buying a speedboat are sunk in the water until the goose reaches out to suggest a merger because, though he has many customers, his service is slow. Through collaboration the ducks and goose make all of their dreams come true. The illustrations are fun and engaging and students will love the lighthearted and fun story while teachers will love the lessons of collaboration and problem-solving. Four stars! 

Reviewed by Katy Jones, Gardiner Area High School, Gardiner

four-stars

Looking For Smoke

Looking For SmokeLooking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
on June 4, 2024
ISBN: 0063318679
Genres: Mystery, Realistic Fiction, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
five-stars

If you’re a fan of teens solving crime like One of Us Is Lying, Promise Boys, or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this debut is for you. While it has many similarities with these popular titles, what makes Looking For Smoke stand out is how it’s rooted in Indigenous culture and traditions. For example, the novel opens with the main characters at a Powwow where they are recipients of a giveaway. Unlike what many of us think of when we hear giveaway, this one is a Native American tradition where family members honor a dead relative by giving things away to others in need. Shortly after the giveaway the teens realize that they haven’t seen Samantha, one of the recipients. A few of them go looking and find her murdered. As the other recipients of the giveaway, they all become suspects. Told in alternating points of view this story will have you guessing who you can trust, what’s real, and who’s really behind the string of disappearances of Native women in the town. These disappearances also exemplify and bring up the important issue of MMIW (missing and murdered Indigenous women) which is thoughtfully highlighted in this story. Content warnings include domestic violence, parental neglect and abandonment, abuse, addiction, drugs and alcohol, violence, and murder. This book has five stars from me!

Reviewed by Katy Jones, Gardiner Area High School librarian, Gardiner

five-stars

The First State of Being

The First State of BeingThe First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
on March 5, 2024
ISBN: 0063337312
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

An engrossing middle grade science fiction novel that masterfully weaves in realistic issues like first crushes, bullies, the anxiety of making new friends, food insecurity, and grief over the death of a mentor. Michael is a good, quiet kid, but he is dealing with a lot of anxiety over his living situation and the fear that his mother will lose her job. He transfers that anxiety to the looming crisis of Y2K, the fear that the world’s infrastructure will collapse with the change to the year 2000 due to computer glitches. Michael also has to dodge a local bully, navigate a crush on that bully’s sister, who is also his babysitter, and tangle with the idea of making friends with some kindly neighborhood boys.

The science fiction element is introduced with Ridge, a boy who shows up in Michael’s apartment complex looking very out of place. As Michael gets to know Ridge, he learns that he is from the future and wasn’t supposed to use the burgeoning technology of his own time to travel back to 1999. Pages from future texts cleverly fill in plot gaps between Michael’s world and Ridge’s and add to the suspense as his family races to fix the technology that will allow Ridge to return home to his own time.

The Y2K angle felt a bit forced though Kelly does well setting her books during times of emotional resonance and, since many people lived in fear that the world’s infrastructure would be drastically affected, it works to add tension here. Starting the book in the fall prior to the new year heightens and explains some of Michael’s behaviors and informs his questionable choices as Ridge fights to get home.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Falmouth Elementary School

five-stars

The Area 51 Files: Friend or UFO

The Area 51 Files: Friend or UFOFriend or UFO (The Area 51 Files) by Julie Buxbaum, Lavanya Naidu
Series: Area 51 Files, #3, #3
Published by Delacorte Press on April 16, 2024
ISBN: 0593429540
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Sky’s exciting and unusual life in Area 51 continues in the third book in this series.  In this novel, Sky and her friends (alien and human) must work together to find and rescue Sky’s grandmother, an FBAI agent, who has been kidnapped.  Together they put together clues and codes and determine she is stuck in Area 52, an alien portal almost impossible to reach. Meanwhile, Sky is excitedly preparing for her first Drop Day (when items from earth fall from the sky), but can’t shake the feeling she is being watched.  Upper elementary readers who have read the other two books in this series will enjoy this one as well, though readers do not need to have read those to appreciate this one.  Buxbaum’s fast pace and humorous style will continue to engage readers. Black and white cartoonish drawings are found throughout the novel, adding to its humor and suspense.  This is a fun book in a fun series for a school or public library.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

four-stars

Blue Stars: the Vice Principal Problem

Blue Stars: the Vice Principal ProblemMission One: The Vice Principal Problem by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Kekla Magoon, Molly Murakami
Series: Blue Starts #1
Published by Candlewick Press on March 5, 2024
ISBN: 1536204994
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

6th grade cousins Maya and Riley move in with their grandmother right before starting 6th grade.  They haven’t seen each other for years and have a hard time sharing a room.  They struggle to connect, but when they realize their detention-loving vice principal wants to take away their after-school clubs, they tap into their inner superhero and work together to expose him.  Kids in grades 4-6 will enjoy reading this fast-paced graphic novel where good overcomes evil in creative and unexpected ways.  Although race and culture don’t play a major role in the plot, there is a lot of representation found in this graphic novel.  The main characters are biracial, with Maya looking more like her Black father and Riley looking more like her Native American mother. Background characters are also diverse with illustrations depicting people of different races, religions, and physical abilities.  This looks to be the first book in a series and readers will no doubt want to see what this dynamic duo is up to next!

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

four-stars

The Diablo’s Curse

The Diablo’s CurseThe Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa
on February 20, 2024
ISBN: 0593378059
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
three-stars

Introduced in Gabe Cole Novoa’s The Wicked Bargain, Dami – a shapeshifting nonbinary demon, stars in the standalone novel, The Diablo’s Curse. Novoa sets up a fascinating and tense dynamic between the novel’s main characters, Dami and Silas. Silas’s family has been cursed with deadly bad luck and Silas made a deal with Dami to save his life. In a quest to become human, Dami must forfeit all of the deals they made as a demon, but Silas refuses because without the protection of the deal he will die. Dami agrees to help Silas reunite Captain Kidd with his long missing treasure (thus ending Silas’s family curse) in exchange for ending the deal.

Despite mysterious enemies, hidden treasure, multiple riddles, time running out before Dami reverts to a demon, and a reluctant romance igniting between Dami & Silas – this is a shockingly slow paced read. Stuck on a magically hidden island for most of the book, Dami and Silas aimlessly wander for clues while sniping comments at each other. Side characters are introduced to nudge the plot along, but the relationship between Dami & Silas is why readers will finish the story.

Smoke smartly borders flashback chapters, Spanish phrases are seamlessly integrated into the dialog, and Dami’s ability to shapeshift adds to their gender presentation in a very authentic way (even though it mainly serves as an infinite clothing glitch to make rope from). This novel lacks broad appeal but it has plenty of style that will definitely attract teens who like light historical fantasy, snarky romance, and queer representation. This isn’t a must-buy, but should be added to collections where The Wicked Bargain was well received.

Reviewed by Ivy Burns, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth, ME

three-stars

The Fastest Drummer: Clap your hands for Viola Smith

The Fastest Drummer: Clap your hands for Viola SmithThe Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith! by Dean Robbins, Susanna Chapman
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536224863
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

In the 1930s most people didn’t believe that women could play instruments as well as men. Viola Smith proved them all wrong, playing the drums in bands all over the world. Starting as a teen, Smith did not stop playing professionally until well after her 100th birthday. Although many people alive today may not be familiar with Viola Smith, this book covers her start in her family band composed of herself and her sisters through her break onto the national stage during World War II and beyond. Viola Smith designed drum kit staging in such a way that it allowed her to be one of the fastest drummers of the Jazz and Big Swing Band eras. This warm toned and fondly written biography of an American musical icon comes to life with vivid illustrations filled with sound and movement. The author and illustrators’ love of the subject matter is clear. The illustrations use a mid century color scheme and aesthetic that is extremely visually pleasing and brings the time period to life.  The inclusion of a glossary and other resources for students to learn more about female musicians and Jazz music make this book a fantastic resource for school libraries or for classroom teachers looking to grow a picture book biography section.

Reviewed by Rebecca Duquette – Pittston Randolph Consolidated School

five-stars

Down the Sleepy River

Down the Sleepy RiverDown the Sleepy River: A Mindful Bedtime Book by Carmen Saldaña, Emma Drage
ISBN: 1536234974
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

This beautifully illustrated bedtime book follows a journey down a jungle river, using gentle language to encourage very young children to fall asleep. The book includes an introduction for adults discussing the importance of mindfulness for children and giving suggestions for how to read the book with your child. While the repetitive text is very similar to many other books in the “time for bed” genre, Carmen Salaña’s illustrations set this book apart. The colors are rich and vibrant and the jungle theme is clear throughout. As the reader travels down the river each African animal they visit is beautifully illustrated and paired with a breathing activity. The breathing activities are repetitive, however some families and children may find this soothing. This book would be a good choice for children ages pre-k and under or for children who are particularly interested in African animals.

Reviewed by Rebecca Duquette – Pittston Randolph Consolidated School

three-stars