Category: Book Reviews

I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy

I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library JoyI'm So Happy You're Here: A Celebration of Library Joy by Lorraine Nam, Mychal Threets
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

In this love letter to libraries, Mychal the Librarian (a librarian, viral social media personality, and literacy advocate) conveys the most important message shared by all librarians: “I’m so happy you’re here.” The very simple text is a gentle reminder that everyone belongs in the library, just as they are. And while libraries have lots of books, you can also do so much more at the library by attending activities and programs. The paint and collage illustrations are pure joy and full of color and emotion. The text and illustrations are incredibly inclusive, showcasing different races, ages, families, abilities, and housing situations. A sweet addition to any library collection. Recommended for ages 3 to 7 (Preschool to 2nd Grade). Cream of the crop nominee.

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

five-stars

Emily Saw a Door

Emily Saw a DoorEmily Saw a Door by Mel Rosenberg, Orit Magia
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Inspiration
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

In this motivational picture book, Emily is searching for a door that will open for her. She knocks on all kinds of doors during her search for one. She encounters a blue door that only opens for people feeling blue, a dishonest door that only opens for liars, and a very tall door that only opens for people who are tall enough. Finally, she realizes that she must create her own door – and so she does! When a new friend comes knocking, it is already open for them.

The text is humorous at times, and even includes a carnivorous door that wants Emily to stay for lunch. The illustrations (created with paint and paper textures combined with digital media) are delightful and use ample white space to focus on each door. While this book contains an important message about belonging and creating your own path, the metaphor does not seem readily apparent to the intended younger audience. Recommended for ages 5 to 8 (Kindergarten to 3rd Grade).

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

four-stars

All the Water on Earth

All the Water on EarthAll the Water on Earth (CitizenKid, 29) by Madelyn Goodnight, Rochelle Strauss
ISBN: 1525310887
Goodreads
four-stars

All the Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss is part of the Citizen Kid series, encouraging children to be “global citizens.” The book is an informative and accessible resource on water, its uses, and its limits. I found it struck a good balance between hard facts (“Water is always on the move. It circles from Earth to the sky and back down again…over and over and over”) and inspiring wonder (“Imagine…the water you sipped today may be the same water a triceratops slurped!). Throughout the book we are reminded that “all the water on Earth is…all the water on Earth”).  Lively illustrations and engaging text will keep young learners interested in the many ways water sustains our lives.

Appropriate for ages 4-8, All the Water on Earth would make a welcome addition to school and public library nonfiction collections. End matter includes more facts about water and conservation, questions for discussion, as well as book and website suggestions for digging deeper. Useful for units on water, conservation, pollution, and the environment.

Beth Almquist, Lewiston Public Library

four-stars

Charmed and Dangerous

by Shelly Page
Published by Joy Revolution Pages: 266
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Format: Young Adult
three-stars

There is a LOT going on in Shelly Page’s Charmed and Dangerous, a lighthearted rom-com set in small town Fair Glen, where magic is a part of everyday life. The Bureau of Mystical Affairs, where high school senior Monroe Bennett is a Junior Recruit, oversees everything from enchanted objects (legal) to charms (illegal), like the love charm running amok at Fair Glen High. When the rogue charm causes flirtatious, popular girl (and Bureau Chief’s daughter) Iris to suffer a dangerous magical mishap, Monroe’s daring and romantically-charged rescue of Iris goes viral, launching the pair into a fake-dating scheme for varying motives. What follows is a pat romance plot that hits all the beats just when you’d expect them while also trying to manage the mystery behind the charm and some rather messy magical worldbuilding. 

At times, the chaos of these competing ambitions gets in the way of the romance, which, despite increasingly didactic explanations about being real with the person one loves, still relies very heavily on physical attraction between two otherwise engaging Black, lesbian teens. The writing, peppered with today’s pop ephemera, leans toward the young end of YA, and its strongest elements – the mystery, diverse representation throughout, and Monroe’s struggles with her parents’ divorce – give readers plenty to love, even if the romance ultimately lacks a little magic.

Reviewed by Emily Ender, Oxford Hills Middle School Library, South Paris

three-stars

Mungo on His Own

Mungo on His OwnMungo on His Own by Julie Benbassat, Matthew Burgess
ISBN: 006321671X
Genres: Picture book/animals, Animals, Emotions & Feelings, Nature
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Mungo on His Own by Matthew Burgess takes the reader on a young fox’s first journey into the forest alone. Still hungry after dinner, Mungo and his mother decide it’s time for him to venture out to find his own food at the red berry bush. The dangers of the forest are darkly illustrated as Mungo endures predators, or perhaps they are just trees that appear to be bears and owls? The reader is encouraged to decide for themselves. Mungo triumphs in his quest, and returns home enjoying his success and the beauty of his first snowfall.

The book is appropriate for ages 4-8 and encourages children to do challenging things, even if things may appear scary at first. The language is descriptive and poetic, without being too obtuse: “…wonders sometimes happen when we stand inside our fear on four feet, eyes sharp, breathing deep.” A young reader could appreciate a simple message of accepting challenges, while older readers could spend some time unpacking what it means to be brave when fear is strong, how imagination can cloud reality, and how to be “sharp” while “breathing deep.”

Recommended for school and public libraries. The book could be well used as a read-aloud while teaching about forests, winter, courage, imagination (with its occasional perils), and meeting challenges.

Reviewed by Beth Almquist, Lewiston Public Library

four-stars

Lovely Recipe

Lovely RecipeLovely Recipe: (A Graphic Novel) by Myra Rose Nino
Published by Random House Graphic ISBN: 0593180593
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Lovely Recipe” is a young adult graphic novel by Myra Rose Nino. Sofia needs help with figuring out how to cook her late grandmother’s recipe. She seeks help from her classmate Anna Marie, whose parents own a restaurant. They butt heads at first since they have very different personalities, but eventually a friendship and romantic relationship blossom. Themes about grief, family traditions, avoiding assumptions by putting yourself in another’s shoes are important and addressed well in this book. Characters and plot felt realistic. Illustration style was colorful and warm and added to the feel of the story. A recommended purchase for YA graphic novel collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

four-stars

Some of Us Are Brave

Some of Us Are BraveSome of Us Are Brave by Saadia Faruqi
Published by Quill Tree Books on 2/10/26
ISBN: 0063389533
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Summer is winding down in Houston and kids are enjoying the last part of summer before school starts, including playing soccer at the local rec club. Soccer is on the minds of Cody and Yasir, two boys competing for team captain.  Mona is also at the field, but only because she is babysitting her little brother Omar while their parents are away. The kids try to focus on soccer, but the weather reports of tropical storm Harvey are becoming more concerning to those living in the low-lying areas of Houston.  When Harvey makes landfall, Yasir, Cody, and Mona are driven from their homes and find themselves forced to survive the storm together.  Cody, Yasir, and Mona were not friends before the storm, but they know their survival depends on them becoming a team.  The situation is life or death, and the three older kids are able to help each other work through their fears, one step at a time.

Readers who enjoy realistic fiction with strong characters will enjoy this book.  There is depth and growth to these protagonists.  Mona and Yasir build their confidence and leadership skills and Cody decides to turn over a new leaf, leaving behind his bullying behaviors and disdain for foreigners that he inherited from his father. The chapters are relatively short and are told from the perspective of one of the older kids.  Mixed in throughout the book are weather reports that are based on real weather reports Houstonians would have heard at the time.  Readers might also enjoy learning about flood myths from different religions and cultures that are woven into the text throughout the novel.  This book would be a great addition to libraries serving students in 4th-7th grade.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

five-stars

Love in Ruins

Love in RuinsLove in Ruins by Auriane Desombre
Published by Delacourte Romance ISBN: 0593807588
Genres: LGBTQ+, Mental Health, Romance
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Natalie Campbell is a rising high school sophomore excited about the summer ahead: a class trip to Greece with fellow history nerds, including her best friend, Liam. She’s hoping that her recent diagnosis of OCD, and the support of her therapist, will help her feel a sense of control over her symptoms, instead of them ruining the trip.

What she doesn’t plan for is to fall for someone. Melanie is the daughter of one of the trip guides, and the two girls share an instant attraction. But Natalie’s OCD, which primarily takes the form of negative intrusive thoughts, has gotten in the way of relationships in the past, and isn’t sure she deserves another chance. Still, she can’t quite stop flirting with Melanie, either. Between academic competitions, touring historical sights she’s dreamed of all her life, tensions in the friend group, and the increasing spiral of negative thoughts, Natalie has to figure out how to face her demons and be the best friend, and maybe even girlfriend, she can.

While packed in a fun, fairly breezy sapphic summer romance, Desombre handles the nuances of dealing with OCD, and particularly OCD characterized by negative self-talk, in a way that many teens will be able to relate to. The sense of place is palpable – the group travels to several different tourist spots and historical landmarks, and the reader feels as immersed in the Greece experience as Natalie is, lending to the summer vibe of the book.

While not a must-have purchase, this novel is a nice addition for libraries looking to bump up fun summer YA offerings, especially with a sapphic plot, or diversify beachy travel reads.

Four stars.

  • Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library
four-stars

Unfathomable: 20 Wild (But True) Stories About The OCean

Unfathomable: 20 Wild (But True) Stories About The OCeanUnfathomable: 20 Wild (But True) Stories About the Ocean by Mary Boone, Max Temescu
Published by Bright Matter Books on 2/17/26
ISBN: 0593904753
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
two-stars

This middle grade nonfiction book has twenty short chapters containing weird but true ocean-related stories.   From exploding whales to underwater cities, readers will be introduced to events and information they likely have never heard of before.  Some of the stories are included because they are fantastical and hard to believe, others are more informative and connect the interesting story to on-going research or important concepts like climate change.   The chapters are short and can be read in manageable chunks and there is a table of contents to direct readers who don’t want to read the book cover to cover or in order by chapter.  There are sidebars which break up the text, but they are usually sentences taken directly from the text and don’t offer any new or interesting information.  There is also a thorough list of sources at the end as well as a glossary.  The glossary contains many new terms, but the terms aren’t bold or italicized in the text, so readers wouldn’t necessarily know to refer to the glossary. Readers who love learning about the ocean will enjoy this book, but it’s not an essential addition for a nonfiction collection.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

two-stars

Stuck Up and Stupid

Stuck Up and StupidStuck Up and Stupid by Angourie Rice, Kate Rice
ISBN: 1536239038
Genres: Romance
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
two-stars

“Stuck Up and Stupid” is young adult romance novel by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice. Loosely based on “Pride and Prejudice,” Lily is looking forward to spending the summer at the beach in Australia. Unfortunately, when Dorian, a hollywood star, rents space on the beach and takes over, their personalities clash. But is there romance brewing? The setting was interesting, but the chemistry felt flat. An additional purchase for YA romance collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

two-stars