Category: Book Reviews

Hazel the Handful

Hazel the HandfulHazel the Handful by Jamie Michalak, Matt Myers
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536231193
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Family, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Hazel the pooch is a beloved family dog. Is he a handful? Yes, just like his special girl, Bea who he spends all his time with. Together they go about their daily routine, which Hazel calls, “sensational!” Everything changes when the baby is born. Hazel must compete for attention from his special Bea, and he doesn’t understand the smells coming from the baby’s bottom. Everything has changed: the daily walks, the comments from strangers walking by, and the games they used to play. When Hazel makes a big accident, she hides under her special blanket. Bea and Hazel snuggle and find a game they can all play together. Maybe the baby isn’t so bad after all.

A sweet and humorous book about changes in the family after a baby from the dog’s point of view. Cute illustrations. Kids will love Hazel’s sassy speech bubble comments. Lovely Black family representation. For ages 4-6.

Review by Gia Charles, Patten Free LIbrary, Bath

three-stars

A Song for Two Homes

A Song for Two HomesA Song for Two Homes by Charly Palmer, Michael Datcher
ISBN: 0593429362
Genres: Cultural / African American, Emotions & Feelings, Family
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

A Song for Two Homes by Dr. Michael Datcher is a picture book featuring Auset, a Black child devastated by her parents’ divorce. As the adults in her life remind her that this is not her fault, Auset struggles to believe them and instead turns to her heroes like Bob Marley for reassurance. Auset’s problems are real and relatable, like a therapist who “wasn’t good at sewing kids back together,” getting perfect grades to hide her distress from her parents, being bullied, and the consequences of fighting back with words and fists. The book does not shy away from the pain and outcomes of a broken heart.

While this reviewer appreciates the raw honesty expressed, especially with lines such as, “Pretending to be okay is tiring, but it’s easier than showing Mom my real self,” this would likely be a painful story for a parent to read with a child. It’s difficult to say where this book might find an audience, but a school or public library wanting to expand its resources on divorce could benefit from adding it.

Reviewed by Beth Almquist, Lewiston Public Library

three-stars

I Like Your Face

I Like Your FaceI Like Your Face by Brad Davidson, Rachel Más Davidson
ISBN: 1525312979
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

I Like Your Face by Brad Davidson is a celebration of what it means to be a best friend. Two children are depicted in colorful cartoon-like illustrations as they show each other their bond through facial expressions, for example: “Hangry” and “Pretending-to-Be-Brave” faces, alongside sure-to-induce-giggles “Holding-in-a-Fart” face. They imagine what it will be like to grow up and grow old together, assuring each other with their “I’m-There-for-You” face that they will always have each other’s backs. A fun added touch are the equally expressive pets that pop up from time to time.

Children ages 4-8 (and their grownups) will find both hilarious and touching moments in this sweet ode to friendship. We may never know exactly what draws us to certain people, but these young friends express it well when they simply say, “I like your face. It’s super special.”

Recommended for school and public libraries looking to expand their picture book collections featuring diverse children, socio-emotional learning, and how to read facial cues. Would work well as a read-aloud, and this reviewer would definitely ask listeners to name the kinds of faces the pets and other background characters are expressing.

Reviewed by Beth Almquist, Lewiston Public Library.

four-stars

Unicornia: The Cupcake Contest (Book 3)

Unicornia: The Cupcake Contest (Book 3)Unicornia: The Cupcake Contest: (A Magical Chapter Book for Kids Ages 5-7 about Friendship, Fairness, and Solving Sweet Challenges) by Ana Punset, Diana Vicedo
ISBN: 1536241024
Genres: Adventure, Children's Beginning Readers, Fantasy, Humor
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Early Reader
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

In the third book of the Unicornia series, Claudia is determined to master the tricky art of baking with magical ingredients. Her passion for cooking is quickly derailed when her experiments with the recipe ingredients get completely out of hand. The butter bounces away and the frosting foams all throughout the kitchen. She enlists the help of an experienced friend named Sasha, and together they sign up for the Cupcake Contest. At first they can’t agree on anything, but Claudia realizes that they both have something to learn from the other. When things don’t go to plan during the Cupcake Contest, it might have been the best mistake yet! Again, Diana Vicedo’s illustrations are on almost every page and work harmoniously with Ana Punset’s engaging writing style.

Another fantastic addition to the Unicornia series. Kids who are new to reading chapter books will want to (literally) eat this up. Ages 5-8.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

One Day a Mayfly

One Day a MayflyOne Day a Mayfly by Michael Speechley, Shirley Marr
ISBN: 1536243612
Genres: Adventure, Nature, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Today is the day! A mayfly emerges and dries off her wings. She has come out of the city pond and a girl in a yellow raincoat notices her. Mayflies only live for one day, and a frog in the pond tells her so. So with her birthday hat on, she goes to explore the city. She meets another mayfly and enjoys every moment. There are signs throughout the city showing aspects of the daily grind, and the symbolism of “seizing the day” is subtly told through the mayfly’s experience. This has a very basic plot, but relies on the visual storytelling. The story is told through a vertical narrative, where you need to flip the book sideways to read it. A good reminder for parents reading the story, and an interesting story for kids to learn more about the life cycle of mayflies. Ages 4-8.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

three-stars

The Story Factory

The Story FactoryThe Story Factory by Jam Dong
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536230006
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

“Once upon a time, all the books in the world were manufactured at one place–The Story Factory!” In this speculative world, stories are simply taken from the story factory, reused and recycled, and then made in a factory to be given out again. Everything was going normally, when all of a sudden the machine breaks. All the characters are wrong! The stories are out of order! The pieces of the stories explode into a million pieces. It’s up to the workers to collect the pieces and put them all into a big mixer. Another big BOOM and books with all new original material start falling from the sky. The villagers open the books and love the new stories. And now the Story Factory is used to create books with completely new and unique ideas.

This is a creative story written and illustrated by Jam Dong; her ode to using your imagination, especially in the age of AI. Her colorful illustrations and collage techniques are eye-catching. The font feels like the wrong choice. Ages 3-7.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

 

three-stars

Do You See the Tiger?

Do You See the Tiger?Do You See the Tiger? by David Melling, Philip Ardagh
ISBN: 153624290X
Genres: Adventure, Animals, Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

A fabulous rhyming book. The book starts, “One rainy night in London town, Penny and Daddy went down, down, down…” Daddy and Penny take the crowded subway only for her to realize that there’s a stripy tail in amongst the passengers. She exclaims that there’s a tiger on the train to her father, who thinks she is making up stories.

There’s a magical difference between the children on the train who see the tiger in disguise, and the distracted and oblivious adults who don’t notice him. It’s almost as if the tiger and the children are bewitched. The tiger jumps out of his disguise and scoops up a toddler’s bunny toy, acting as a hero! But even still, the father was reading the newspaper and thinks she’s using her imagination. This one is charming and amusing. The illustrations of little Penny cuddling up to the tiger feel very reminiscent of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, a British classic by Judith Kerr. Ages 3-7

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

four-stars

Rez Kid

Rez KidRez Kid by Andrea Landry, Isabella Fassler
ISBN: 1525311255
Genres: Cultural / Native American, Family, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

This is a book that starts with a bullying moment on the bus. “Rez Kid!” a kid shouts as a Native girl gets on the bus and sits at the back, feeling sad and ashamed. When she gets home we see her spend time with different members of her family. She talks about what happened on the bus and asks for their advice.

The sensory writing is what really works here: the smell of herbal tea, the sound of her mothers hands moving through her bowl of beads, the feeling of shade beneath a tree while her horse drinks from a creek. The next time the kid on the bus yells, “Rez kid!” she stands up with pride and tells the kids on the bus how being on the reservation is something she loves. “I know the trails and the paths better than anyone. I grow my own food. My mama makes the best bannock.” she passes around pieces of the delicious dough. “My ancestors lived on my traditional lands. We speak our language, pray, dance powwow, smudge, snare rabbits and more.” She invites the kids to come on Friday after school to see the “rez” for what it is. One by one, the kids come off the bus as she shows them the beauty of the rez. How free it feels to be on the land, and how special her culture is.

This book excels at showing how an insult can be turned around to be used as a title of pride. The illustrations are created with pencil crayons and then finished digitally that beautifully capture the essence of nature on a reservation. A foreward explains what a reservation is and how they exist historically. Ages 4+

Review by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

four-stars

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake

Lost Girls of Hollow LakeLost Girls of Hollow Lake by Rebekah Faubion
Published by Delacorte Press on January 27, 2026
ISBN: 059390043X
Genres: Psychological thriller
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars

When five of the eight high schoolers who went missing on a camping field trip make it home shaken but safe, their return is surrounded by rumors and a suspicion that they all had something to do with the three who remain unfound. When one of the missing girls shows up dead in a lake, the suspicion heightens, and soon the teens are not only trying to maintain their innocence, they’re also avoiding a killer who seems determined to finish them off. Throw in a malevolent spirit connected to the island they disappeared on and a couple of vloggers who are constantly following them, and the healing process gets even more complicated.

Main character Evie is tough and guarded, though she completely melts around her dog, Tiger. Through the trauma of being stalked and accused, Evie rekindles a relationship with Sunny, another survivor she has pushed away since returning,  and the romance helps to offset an otherwise very dark story.

Give this YA thriller to fans of the Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer franchises, anyone waiting for the final season of Yellowjackets, or anybody who would simply like to enjoy some heavy 90s-slasher style gore.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

four-stars

Danilo Was Here

Danilo Was HereDanilo Was Here by Tamika Burgess
on January 21, 2025
ISBN: 006315966X
Genres: Cultural / Latin America, Family, Sports
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Danilo Was Here by Tamika Burgess is an, at times, uncomfortably relevant middle grade historical fiction novel set in the aftermath of the United States invasion of Panamá in 1989. Danilo had a lot on his shoulders even before the invasion. His father, who was an exceptional baseball player before getting injured, moved to the US promising, but failing, to send money. This leaves Danilo to care for his sister when his mom is working multiple jobs. After the terrifying night of bombs, helicopters, smoke, and crumbling buildings, known as Operation Just Cause to the US military, Danilo’s home is condemned and his family is forced to live in a refugee camp. This trauma is palpable throughout the story and affects all of Danilo’s decisions. Though Danilo resents his baseball talent because of his father, he agrees to temporarily go to California to play baseball so he can attempt to get his father to send money back to Panamá.

Life in California is hard on Danilo in different ways. Despite the comfy bed and room bigger than the apartment he shared with his mother and sister, Danilo is constantly peppered with microagressions. Readers will feel Danilo’s inner frustration as he reminds himself to be polite despite the near constant ignorance and assumptions. Danilo isn’t able to take this baseball opportunity as seriously as everyone expects him to and he finds it hard to empathize with his new friends’ relatively small struggles, causing lots of conflict with his new team. And just when he starts to settle in, Danilo begins to experience PTSD induced panic attacks.

Though Burgess paints a very clear picture of childhood trauma, there are moments of joy and understanding that truly shine and provide necessary catharsis. Danilo’s host father and coach are excellent role models who support Danilo at his lowest and admit that bringing him to the US so soon after the invasion was insensitive. Danilo even bonds with his host family’s son, an autistic boy who shares Danilo’s love of accordion, and together they experience the power of music therapy. Burgess gives Danilo’s story a happy, but realistic ending that will leave readers with a feeling of hope. Danilo Was Here will resonate deeply with children who have experienced the trauma of war, family separation, immigration, or microagressions and will be a welcoming, passively educational window for those who just like historical fiction or sports stories. A highly recommended purchase for all libraries.

Reviewed by Ivy Burns, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth 

 

five-stars