A Pinecone!

May 29, 2025

A Pinecone! by Helen Yoon
Published by Candlewick Press on 2024
ISBN: 1536226262
Genres: Adventure, Family, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

In this picture book, Yoon brings back the parent-child relationship from her book Off-Limits. In this story, the father and daughter go out for a walk. The father is very distracted as his daughter becomes gripped with the exciting task of collecting pinecones. Her great enthusiasm is portrayed mostly through the comedic artwork and few words. The text is bold and easy to read as well as cleverly placed on the page to create whimsey. The father’s response is to encourage his daughter’s imagination and not lose his temper. This book is a perfect read aloud to young children, yet entertaining for readers of all ages.

Reviewed by Heidi Kopishke, Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, ME.

Yippee! Rabbit

May 21, 2025

Yippee! Rabbit (Jo Ham's Rabbit) by Jo Ham
Published by Candlewick Studio on 01/25
ISBN: 1536241334
Genres: Animals, board book
Format: Board Book
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A board book adapted from Ham’s picture book of the same title. High contrast black and turquoise designs on a white background. Simple text, one or two words per page, follow the antics of an adventurous rabbit. Delightful, simple and engaging. Toddlers will love this, and their readers will be likewise charmed.

Highly recommend.

5 stars, cream

Reviewed by Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta

True Life in Uncanny Valley

May 21, 2025

True Life in Uncanny Valley by Deb Caletti
Published by Labyrinth Road on March 18, 2025
ISBN: 059370861X
Pages: 401
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Sixteen-year-old Eleanor and her older sister Ros were raised by a single mom. Their father, billionaire tech genius Hugo Harrison, lives in the same city but a world apart, and they have no contact with him. Despite this, or maybe because of it, Eleanor finds herself drawn to his glittery, famous, wealthy world. Accidentally (sort of) she bumps into Aurora, the young, gorgeous social media influencer stepmother she’s never met – and finds herself being offered the position of live-in nanny for her two-year-old half-brother. Eleanor provides a false last name and finds herself catapulted into a summer of secrets: not telling her mother or sister who she’s really working for, and not telling her father’s family who she really is.

As the weeks progress, one thing becomes clear: nothing in this family is as it seems from outside. The idyllic life portrayed on social media and followed by millions isn’t real. As Eleanor digs deeper into the secret of what Hugo Harrison is developing – his next huge, world changing tech reveal – she is horrified to discover both what it is, and how her young half-brother has been being used in the development of it. The titular “Uncanny Valley” is a reference to the instinctual revulsion that humans feel when faced with lifelike AI beings that are undefinably “off” – and ultimately it’s that confrontation that that will define Eleanor’s summer, by challenging the very idea of how humans connect to one another, and what the role of family – most especially parents – really is.

This is a great novel on many levels; Eleanor is a realistic and sympathetic character trying to find her place in a confusing world as a teenager, navigating family drama, a budding romance, and a (one sided) experience of trying to connect with father’s family. It is also a searing look at tech, social media, and AI – both the good, and the bad. Caletti looks hard at tech: both the way new advances are touted publicly, but also the impact on a personal level, and she does this in a highly readable, hard-to-put-down way. Secondary characters are thought out and three dimensional, adding substance and grounded reality to the story.

Highly recommend! Widespread appeal given multiple themes of tech, family dynamics, teenage coming-of-age themes and light romance.

5 stars/cream

Reviewed by Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta

The Boy Who Lost His Spark

May 19, 2025

The Boy Who Lost His Spark by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, Maggie O'Farrell
Published by Walker Books on 4/1/25
ISBN: 1536233935
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars
Jem is not happy that he and his family have moved from the city to a small village. His younger sister, on the other hand, loves it, and believes that noukas, little fluffy creatures, live in the hill in their village. These ancient creatures cause mischief throughout the village, but Jem is too unhappy to believe in them. He instead believes his teacher who says the village hill used to be a volcano and contains nothing but rock, and is adamant that nothing lives there. However, Jem starts to believe in them when he turns in his volcano assignment at school and his teacher discovers drawings of little creatures that Jem definitely did not draw. Slowly Jem notices things and starts to believe, even meeting one of the cute kitten-like creatures. Around the nouka Jem feels settled, able to be calm and in control. Sensing it is lonely, and believing that noukas love fire, Jem and his family build a fire in what used to be the crater of the volcano.

Jem wants to repay the noukas for all the favors it has given the people of the village. It is at this first fire that Jem feels like he belongs and doesn’t want to move anywhere else. This fire soon becomes a tradition in the village, a way for the community to come together and celebrate the little creature living in the hill, who creates mischief to bring happiness.

This book would be ideal for public libraries. It is a perfect read aloud for children who are no longer as interested in picture books, but might not be ready for a longer chapter book. This book has classic looking illustrations of various sizes on most pages, adding a little whimsy to the story. Occasionally the illustrations are full spreads or a striking color to emphasize the content of the story. Readers will also notice faded Gaelic text at the bottom of most pages, tying into the Gaelic poem and song found at the end of the story. The heavy book and shiny pages also makes this a good book to give a child as a gift.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

You’re a POET: Ways to Start Writing Poems

May 16, 2025

You're a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems by Sam Usher, Sean Taylor
Published by Candlewick Press on March 4, 2025
ISBN: 153623933X
Pages: 72
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Horses, Poetry
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars
You’re a POET: Ways to Start Writing Poems

By: Sean Taylor and Sam Usher

This picture book is comprised of five stories about the adventures of Piglet and his best friend, Squirrel. Each story demonstrates how to create a different kind of poem: a puddle poem, a comparing poem, a making-a-person-out-of-something poem, an if-I-was poem, and an I-would-give-you poem. Following each story are tips and suggestions to inspire young children to write their own poetry. This book for ages 3-7 would be best utilized as an educational resource.

3 stars

Reviewed by Lindsey Hopkins, Jay-Niles Memorial Library, Jay

The Cookie Vote

May 15, 2025

The Cookie Vote (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) by Daniel Bernstrom, G. Brian Karas, Margaret McNamara
ISBN: 0593173309
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars
The Cookie Vote

Authors: Margaret McNamara & Daniel Bernstrom

This picture book for ages 4-8 is the latest in the Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom series. Mr. Tiffin, whose students are learning how bills become laws, announces that the student who comes up with the best idea will have the opportunity to present his or her bill to Representative Noor during their upcoming class trip to the state capitol. Jeremy believes his state needs an official cookie, but his classmates begin to argue over which cookie flavor is the best. As is appropriate for a civics lesson, the class settles the debate with a vote. When the students visit the State House to present their bill, Jeremy learns that every vote counts and that compromise is often a necessary, albeit a frustrating part of government. The end of the book highlights three real student-sponsored bills which led to the appointment of three official state cookies. Additionally, a recipe for Jeremy’s official state cookie is also included. This book would be a nice supplement to a school lesson on government, and may even inspire students to draft their own bills.

3 stars

Reviewed by Lindsey Hopkins, Jay-Niles Memorial Library, Jay

Awesome Earth

May 14, 2025

Awesome Earth: Concrete Poems Celebrate Caves, Canyons, and Other Fascinating Landforms by Joan Bransfield Graham, Tania García
Published by Clarion Books ISBN: 0358396042
Genres: Nature, Poetry
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Both young poets and scientists will enjoy this book of concrete poems about the wide variety of earth’s landforms. Each page explores a landform that is described by a poem whose text structure corresponds to the geological feature itself. The poems are easy to process and the illustrations are effective and simple enough to let the text catch the reader’s eye. There are a few pages of back matter that provide additional information about the land masses in traditional paragraph form. A good resource for either a poetry or earth science unit for younger grades.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

Taylor Swift: Superstar!

May 14, 2025

Taylor Swift: Superstar! (Step into Reading) by Shana Corey
Published by Random House on 2/25/25
ISBN: 9788217031535
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Early Reader
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars
Taylor Swift: Superstar! is a Step Into Reading biography about Taylor Swift. Early readers will enjoy learning about Swift’s upbringing in Pennsylvania, her move to Nashville, and her rise to superstardom. Taylor Swift had big dreams and readers are encouraged to follow their big dreams, too. The font is large and there are no more than three sentences on a page. This book is ideal for readers who still need some support as they learn how to read. The colorful illustrations will appeal to young Swifties and this is a fun way to introduce readers to the biography genre.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

Cranky Makes a Friend

May 13, 2025

Cranky Makes a Friend (Cranky and Friends) by Pete Oswald, Phúc Trần
ISBN: 0063256304
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Humor, Vehicles
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Cranky the crane is back and today there is a new crane on the construction site. Lefty is geared up to meet everyone – happy to help, he is cheerful and full of compliments and jokes for his new crew. Cranky feels threatened and jealous – what if his friends like Lefty better than him? Cranky puts on a fake smile to try to fit in and then blows a gasket. Cranky’s friends can sense that something is wrong, and reassure him that they like Cranky for who he is. After all, it’s OK to have different kinds of friends, and not everyone has to be the same. The text has plentiful construction puns and the illustrations are colorful, fun, and detailed. This book would be a useful tool to start discussions about more complex emotions like jealousy. Recommended for ages 5-7 (Kindergarten to 2^nd Grade).

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell