Month: September 2025

Sugar Shack

Sugar ShackSugar Shack by Lucy Knisley
Series: Peapod Farm #3
Published by RH Graphic on August 5, 2025
ISBN: 0593125509
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Format: Graphic Novel
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

In this third installment of the Peapod Farm graphic novel series, Jen and Andy continue to navigate what it means to be a blended family.  Jen is having a hard time adjusting to living in the wilderness, especially in the winter when one of her chores is hauling wood.  She joins 4-H to have something to do while Andy is at Torah class, but she doesn’t get along with one of the boys in her class.  Jen cares for and tries to protect her younger stepsister, Reese, but Andy sometimes gets offended at her efforts.  They do have some fun together playing in the snow and sharing their traditions for Hanukkah and Christmas.  The story reaches a nice conclusion as their family hosts a Maple Fest party for the community.

Readers who enjoyed the other two graphic novels in this series will enjoy this graphic novel as well.  The family dynamics are interesting and reach a satisfying conclusion.  There’s variety in the number of panels and text throughout the book, which helps maintain interest.  At the end, there are frequently asked questions where the author shares how this series reflects her own life.  This book is perfect for libraries who have the first two books in the Peapod Farm series.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

three-stars

Lady’s Knight

Lady’s KnightLady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Published by Harper Collins / STORYTIDE on June 3, 2025
ISBN: 0062893394
Pages: 416
Genres: LGBTQ+, Romance, Historical Fiction
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Gwen has always wanted to be a knight but, aside from the fact that she’s a woman and only men can be knights, she was forced to become a blacksmith when grief over her mother’s death left her father unable to work (technically she wasn’t supposed to do that either, but townspeople turned their heads, because a smithy is, after all, a village necessity). That said, she just might have fashioned herself some armor and be planning to compete in the first round of eliminations at the Dragonslayer Tournament, simply to experience jousting once in her life. She’ll wear her helmet, and nobody will know.

Castle-dwelling Lady Isobelle, on the other hand, is used to having the freedoms bestowed upon the wealthy. Until her dowry and hand in marriage are offered up as the grand prize in the Tournament. For the first time, she can’t power her way through a problem by sheer force of will.

When Isobelle discovers Gwen’s secret, she enlists her – disguised as Sir Gawain – to be her champion. Winning could mean Isobelle’s freedom, and Gwen’s triumph – but being found out would spell disaster for them both.

A fabulous, irreverent, feminist sapphic romance in mostly-medieval-but-sometimes-not setting where there might just be dragons left to fight after all – and not just metaphorical ones. A fun and engaging read with two terrific main characters and distinct, three-dimensional secondary characters. Fans of Tamora Pierce and Lex Croucher will love this epic tale of daring, bravery, betrayal, heartbreak and – maybe, because no spoilers here! – a happy ending.

5 stars/cream

–   Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library

five-stars

Murder at the Museum

Murder at the MuseumMurder at the Museum (Montgomery Bonbon #1) by Alasdair Beckett-King, Claire Powell
Series: Montgomery Bonbon #1
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536241660
Genres: Humor, Mystery
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Bonnie Montgomery is a perfectly ordinary 10-year-old girl.

Montgomery Bonbon is a world-famous French-accented detective notable for his surprisingly short stature, enormous moustache, and face-shading beret.

Keen readers will immediately deduce that they are never seen at the same place at the same time.

This debut middle grade mystery featuring the mysterious Montgomery Bonbon takes place in Bonnie’s hometown of Widdlington, England, where a locked-room murder and theft has just occurred at the Hornville Museum of Natural History and Suchlike. Alasdair Beckett-King uses his comedic background to create a mad caper of a mystery full of zany characters, outrageous plot twists, and silly side quests. Eventually Bonbon nabs the villain (moustaches still, if barely, remaining affixed).

A Nate-the-Great quirkiness for young readers meets Hercule Poirot’s dignified continental bearing for discerning mystery lovers mashup, this is a fun, fast paced mystery that young middle grade readers will surely enjoy. An easy addition to any library collection.

5 stars

Note: this book was first released in England in 2023, with the first US edition in 2025. Two sequels were released in the US nearly simultaneously, and are also available.

– Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta ME

five-stars

Cats in Construction Hats

Cats in Construction HatsCats in Construction Hats (Cats in Hats) by Leeza Hernandez, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Published by Random House on April 8, 2025
ISBN: 0593706846
Genres: Animals, Vehicles
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Reminiscent of both  Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Richard Scarry books.  Cats in Construction Hats features colorful cats in colorful hard hats building a cat house. “Yellow cat. Green hat. Dig this. Clear that. Green cat. Orange hat. Mix this. Pour that.” Every four lines is a rhythmic, rhyming quatrain ending with “at”. Except when their carelessness results in a spectacular accident, “BOOM! CRASH! SPLAT!” and an exclamation,“RATS!”. Personally, I am not a big fan of rats but observant readers will be able to spot them on every page. (Cats and rats getting along and working together.) They will also delight in seeing bulldozer, dump truck, cement mixer, forklift, and hydraulic crane. This book could be used for story time but probably a better lap book. Overall, it is a bouncy, fun book that preschoolers will have fun scrutinizing and discussing the illustrations. I imagine an extension sorting activity where children match the cats to their colorful construction hats, perhaps placing them in a cubicle in the cat house. By the way, I love the plentiful scratching posts incorporated in the house design. (A feature I missed until about the fourth reading. This is why this book needs to be read again and again! I started out giving it 3 stars and then went back and changed my rating to 4 stars as I recognized its genius!)

Book 2 – Cats in Conductor Hats: A Train Adventure is schedule to be published in June, 2026.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

The Lonely Goose

The Lonely GooseThe Lonely Goose by Anne Hunter, Lela Nargi
Published by Random House Studio on March 11, 2025
ISBN: 0593647556
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Emotions & Feelings, Nature, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A male Canada goose courts a female. The two become inseparable, making a nest, raising goslings, migrating with their flock, and returning to the same spot to raise their young over the years. But one day, the male goose dies. His mate remains behind, alone, when the rest of the flock flies south for the winter. As the seasons pass, she slowly starts to engage with the world again and finds a new, different mate.

Gorgeous realistic illustrations and simple text ground the information about the habits and behavior of Canada geese. Never anthropomorphizing or becoming overly sentimental. While the death of the male is understated, this book is probably best shared one-on-one with a child, perhaps one who is also experiencing grief. You can also take your time to discuss the geese’s behavior and savor the illustrations. The back matter contains further information on Canada geese. Ages 6-9.

Pair with other books about Canada geese, such as Honk, Honk, Goose! : Canada Geese Start a Family by Sayre, April Pulley (2009) and Goose’s Story by Best, Cari (2002).

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

Little Blue Truck and Racer Red

Little Blue Truck and Racer RedLittle Blue Truck and Racer Red by Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry
Series: Little Blue Truck #11
Published by Clarion on March 25, 2025
ISBN: 0063387840
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Farm Life, Humor, Vehicles
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

This spin-off from the Little Blue Truck series is probably my favorite yet. The usual characters are back with the addition of a sporty red race car. Little Blue and Toad are out for a drive when Racer Red challenges Blue to a race. It’s a neck-and-neck race, with Blue giving it his best, but Racer Red crosses the finish line first. Blue is a gracious loser, happy to know that win or lose, it’s fun to try.

Fans of Little Blue will love this book. Who doesn’t love a good race?! The rhyming is succinct and not forced. The illustrations are adorable. There is solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share that will make this a popular choice for story time.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

Our Mothers’ Names: Love in Many Languages

Our Mothers’ Names: Love in Many LanguagesOur Mothers' Names: Love in Many Languages by Rahele Jomepour Bell, Uma Menon
Published by Candlewick on April 22, 2025
ISBN: 153622250X
Genres: Cultural / African American, Family, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

There are many ways to say mother. The narrator is an unnamed dark-skinned girl whose family speaks two languages at home – English and Malayalam. (The most common language in Kerala, India, where her parents and grandparents were born.) She calls her mother Amma, but her friend Angelina, who also lives in the United States and speaks two languages, calls her mother Mamá. She goes on to visit other friends who speak Greek, Arabic, Russian, French, Japanese, and other languages and the name they call their mothers.

I enjoyed the flow of the story and the depiction of the different families, which conveyed much information without being blatant. This is an obvious pick for Mother’s Day story time. But I could also see this being used as a springboard for primary-aged children to research other words, such as for father or grandparent, etc. in different languages. A fact in the “Did You Know …?” section at the back intrigued me: “There are more people in the world who are bilingual or multilingual, which means they can use and understand two or more languages, than there are people who can use only one.”

This is an important book for American children to recognize multilingualism and see the connections between all children in this world, and to reassure others about their place in this country.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

Bianca and the Butterfly

Bianca and the ButterflyBianca and the Butterfly by Sergio Ruzzier
Published by Harper ISBN: 0063295881
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Bianca the polar bear loves her home – the snow and the cold. One day a beautiful butterfly arrives and she leaps onto a nearby ice floe to take a closer look. The ice floe drifts, eventually stopping at a fascinating world, depicted in vibrant hues of red, yellow, purple, and orange. Initially intrigued, Bianca soon becomes homesick. Using a broken branch, she floats home into the arms of her waiting mother.

Spare text and lovely illustrations that contrast the Arctic and the fantastic world makes this a fun book for preschool children. (I especially enjoyed the contrast of the front and back end pages.) Bianca is a rather comical, prominently hooked-nosed polar bear. I felt this was a familiar story for anyone who has read Hans de Beer Little Polar Bear book. Nevertheless, youngsters will relate to Bianca’s feelings of comfort in the familiar and her curiosity about the rest of the world.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

three-stars

The Salt Princess

The Salt PrincessThe Salt Princess by Anoosha Syed
Series: Everlasting Tales #2
Published by Harper on April 1, 2025
ISBN: 0063324717
Genres: Folklore
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

In this retelling of a Pakistani folktale, a spirited princess teaches her father a lesson about love. Four princesses live with their father in the Kingdom of Zammarud. Amal, the youngest marches to her own drummer, but one day her prank caused the king embarrassment so he banished her from the kingdom. In order to get back into her father’s good graces, she disguises herself and invites him to dinner. She plays another prank in order to prove her love for him. 

This is a true princess tale, making it a bit cringe worthy, but I suppose it is true to the original tale. Fans of Disney princesses will enjoy it. The art work is gorgeous, especially the end pages, and the book interestingly reflects the Pakistani culture.

This is the second book in the Everlasting Tales series, a collection of multicultural fairy tales and folktale honoring the stories passed down through oral tradition by refreshing and preserving them for new generations. Back matter includes an author’s note and a condensed tale in Urdu for bilingual readers. A fun addition to library’s fairytale collections and can be used in a compare-and-contrast with more familiar Euro-centric ones.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

The Dog Who Made it Better

The Dog Who Made it BetterThe Dog Who Made It Better by Katherin Nolte
Published by Random House on 7/8/25
ISBN: 0593814703
Genres: Animals, Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Horses
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Doctor Blob, a Bernese Mountain dog, wants to help his human family heal after their mother dies in a car accident.  He wants to make everything right for them by doing things like protecting them at night and finding their shoes in the morning.  One morning he puts a photo of mom in the living room for everyone to see, and this seems to help them.  Doctor Blob is surprised when he sometimes hears a Whoosh and then mom starts speaking to him, giving him advice and admonishing him when he does something wrong.  Doctor Blob feels threatened when a new dog shows up at the house and he tries to get rid of him, but then realizes he was wrong and helps the kids rescue Louie.  

Although this book deals with death and grief, elementary readers will enjoy this book.  It is narrated by Doctor Blob who is funny and honest and at times talks directly to the readers.  Children will relate to Doctor Blob who experiences common emotions such as sadness and jealousy and who also makes mistakes and works to learn from them.

There are a few subtle religious elements to be aware of.  Doctor Blob finds a necklace that belonged to mom and he wears it with his collar.  He doesn’t know the name for it, but many readers will recognize this as an angel.  Heaven is mentioned at the end of the book after the youngest child asks again where his mom is.  Also, when Doctor Blob is explaining what he knows to Louie, he talks about there being a time for everything. “A time to run and a time to walk. A time to plant and a time to harvest.”  These lines are a nod to the well-known passage in Ecclesiastes, from the Old Testament.  These are the only religious references in this book and they aren’t a major part of the story, but something to be aware of when considering it for collections.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

three-stars