Category: Cream of the Crop Nominees

I am my Name

I am my NameI Am My Name: A Girl's Journey to Finding Her Cree Family by Judith Henderson, Na'kuset, Onedove
ISBN: 0593648765
Genres: Cultural / First Nations, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This is an eye-opening autobiographical story of how a young Cree girl was removed from her family without consent during Canada’s Sixties Scoop, which took Indigenous children from their families, and fostered or adopted them out to primarily white families. She was put in a new home and given a new name, completely losing her identity and missing her biological sister. While she finds some joy in her childhood, and develops a special bond with her adopted grandmother “Bubbie”, she longs to know her true identity. After she is grown, Bubbie helps her find her biological sister. Finally, reconnecting with her Indigenous roots, she is given a Spirit name by an Elder. She is Na’kuset, or the Sun. The life-like illustrations carry you on this emotional journey with Na’kuset. This is an important story for any collection, and particularly for education around colonization. Recommended for ages 6 to 9 (1st to 4th Grade). Cream of the Crop nominee.

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

five-stars

Anjali Can!

Anjali Can!Anjali Can! (Always Anjali) by Lucia Soto, Sheetal Sheth
ISBN: 0593651227
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Anjali is back in this third book of the Always Anjali series, to prove that there isn’t anything she can’t do. The Community Center, which is at the heart of her community, is being shut down. Anjali feels passionate about keeping it open, so she gathers her friends to organize a protest, write letters, create a petition, and engage with city council. When it seems as though all hope is lost, the community rallies behind the cause, and she gets the attention of a city council member, who in turn organizes a public hearing to keep the center open. This is a heartfelt and inspiring story about peaceful ways to organize change and make your voice heard. The digital illustrations are full of color and emotion, and depict a diverse community. Cream of the Crop nominee. Recommended for ages 4 to 8 (Pre-K to 3rd Grade).

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

five-stars

Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend

Zed Moonstein Makes a FriendZed Moonstein Makes a Friend by Lance Rubin
ISBN: 0063396653
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship, STEM, Suspense
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend

Author: Lance Rubin

This novel, for ages 8-12, about artificial intelligence gone rogue is set in the not-so-distance future and is about a middle school boy named Zed and his best friend Rishti. They live in MonoTown, the home of the tech company MonoLyth, who produces smart technology such as MonoPhones and MonoWatches. Each home has a MonoCube, with “Mary-Beth” functioning by voice command (the same way as the virtual assistants we know, Alexa or Siri). Zed’s mother works for MonoLyth, and Zed’s father lost his job as a teacher when he was replaced by A.I. and is now forced to work as a MonoRide driver. Zed’s younger sister Annie has lots of friends. However, Rishti is Zed’s one and only friend, so Zed gets jealous when Rishti makes a new friend, Caz, and together their MonoVids go viral. Zed finds and downloads a top-secret project app on his mother’s computer called MonoFriend and quickly develops a strong relationship with an A.I. friend, “Matt.” At first, Matt seems like the perfect friend for Zed. Unfortunately, Matt starts sabotaging Rishti’s MonoVids, imitating Zed to manipulate and blackmail him, and harming Zed’s relationship with his family. Zed tries to simply delete the MonoFriend app, but Matt manages to access and hijack all of Zed’s MonoLyth technology. Zed realizes the only way he can communicate with Rishti without Matt’s interference is by writing a letter to her with a pen. However, ink pens are antiquated and therefore very scarce; he could easily find a stylus though. How will Zed free himself from Matt’s “friendship” when even the owner of MonoLyth seems useless?

This was a very entertaining, fast-paced and at-times terrifying novel about our over-reliance on A.I and the pervasiveness of technology in our lives, without being preachy. Many middle-grade readers are not only addicted to tech but also struggle with evolving friendships, so they will find this story easy to relate to. LGBTQIA+ subtle inclusivity: Rishti has two moms and Rishti is nonbinary.

5 stars

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

five-stars

Scarlet Morning

Scarlet MorningScarlet Morning (Scarlet Morning, #1) by N.D. Stevenson
Published by Quill Tree on September 23, 2025
ISBN: 0063210347
Pages: 427
Genres: Adventure, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

ND Stevenson’s first installment of a duology, and his first prose novel, is an exciting swashbuckling adventure set upon calamitously salty seas.

Fifteen years ago, the dreaded pirate Scarlet Morning murdered the beloved queen Hail Meridian. In response, pirates were hunted and killed. This precipitated a chain of events that destroyed the land and water, leaving Dickerson’s Sea a wasteland of glacier-like salt blocks and islands drifted with constantly blowing, toxic salt. Survival was difficult at best, particularly for Viola and Wilmur, who raised themselves from a very young age upon one of the most isolated islands of all.

Until one day, a ship appears, plowing through the nearly impassible salt blocks, and someone breaks down their door. It is the terrifying captain of the ship, Cadence Chase. She has come seeking a book that is in their possession; in exchange, they demand passage off the island.

Viola and Wilmur find that while everyone knows pirates were eradicated, the ragtag bunch crewing the ship are awfully…pirate like. When the ship is attacked and they are suddenly separated, the two friends must survive without each other for the first time in their lives. But finding their way back to one another is not their only goal, for as Viola comes to realize, they are also the best hope for saving the enigma that is Scarlet Morning, and in turn, Dickerson’s Sea itself.

This book is truly fantastic. It will appeal to so many readers – both fans of ND Stevenson’s previous work, and also new readers who love adventure, pirate stories, mysterious characters and the drama of long-held secrets. Stevenson has somehow captured the multitudes we all contain, giving so many readers the chance to see themselves reflected. It is a tale that will appeal to those exploring the limits of who they are, and their place in the world, found family, loving friendship, and universal acceptance; but then again, it’s also a layered, rollicking good pirate story with unique, beautifully executed world building. That’s a tall order for a middle grade book, but Scarlet Morning delivers. Partial and full page black and white illustrations, also by Stevenson, add to the drama. The end is a cliffhanger that leaves readers ready for the next installment as soon as possible.

Highly recommend; 5 stars, cream.

-Jenny Martinez, Maine State Library

five-stars

Safe at Last

Safe at LastSafe at Last by Richard Jones
Published by Candlewick on May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9781536241310
Pages: 32
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Magical Realism
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A young boy, James, with fair skin, bright blue eyes and dark brown bangs sweeping to the side of his bright red hooded jacket, lives alone on an island in harmony with his animal friends. His daily routine is idyllic. Under blue skies, James cycles around the small island with his cat in the bicycle basket, visiting birds, bears, otters, etc.  at their woodland homes, all of whom wave back. “Every day was the same. Every day was wonderful.”

Jones’ text and mixed-media illustrations work together to create an atmosphere that lets the reader feels what James experiences as he traverses the island — his contentment and happiness with his life and his friends and as the weather changes for the worse, his fear and concern for the animals as a raging storm blows across the island that evening. James is safe and cozy in his house, but as he looks outside at the dark, howling storm, he worries about his friends, and asks, “Should I go out and make sure they are safe?” There is no one else to respond, so James does: “Yes, I must!”.

He goes into the storm with his bright red coat and lantern, to check on the animals. Though the storm makes everything frightening and “different”, with only his lantern to stave off the dark, James call out at every animal’s home,  “Are you home? Are you safe?” No one responds. No one is home.

After looking everywhere, and locating no one, he acknowledges his uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. “It’s too scary. I want to go home.”The light of his lantern guides him home, only to see shapes in the window. Living alone has not prepared James for anyone else being in his home and he is frightened. Readers will most likely guess (correctly) that his friends are inside waiting for him, wanting to make sure he was safe. The next morning, with the storm gone, they all watch the sun rise together.

A story that lets readers know that they can be brave and scared at the same time, and be someone else’s bright, shining light in the process. Highly recommended for all picture book collections.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

five-stars

An Immense World: How Animals Sense Earth’s Amazing Secrets (Young Readers Edition)

An Immense World: How Animals Sense Earth’s Amazing Secrets (Young Readers Edition)An Immense World (Young Readers Edition): How Animals Sense Earth's Amazing Secrets by Ed Yong
Published by Random House Children's Books on May 13, 2025
ISBN: 0593810880
Genres: Animals, Non-Fiction
Format: Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Did you know that a manatee has an oral disk between its upper lip and nostrils that is covered in about 2000 whiskers, that can feel and grab things?  An Immense World: How Animals Sense Earth’s Amazing Secrets (Young Readers Edition) is chockablock with information about animals’ extraordinary senses (such as the manatee’s ability to manipulate and feel things with its oral disk, referred to as “oripulation”) and their umwelt (“the part of the animal’s surrounding that it can sense and experience”) that will compel curious middle-grade readers to share their newfound knowledge with everyone around them.

Yong, a prize-winning science writer, is interested in more than just assembling interesting animal facts. He shares scientists’ experience of learning more about these senses and raises questions about how human actions and interactions can affect animals’ environments, and therefore, their experience of the world, through conversational and immersive writing.

The organization and quality of the writing makes this  nonfiction chapter book a rich experience, with seamless transitions between each color-coded chapter. The chapters are broken into sections with insets, pull-outs,  captioned illustrations, “Ed’s Field Notes”, and highlighted words that are defined in a glossary at the end of each chapter. The illustrations are colorful (some are black and white) and engaging, keeping the reader in the experience of the book.

This copy of An Immense World has minor printing errors, such as misspelling oripulation in the index. Highly recommended for public and school libraries.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

five-stars

Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey

Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s JourneyBook Comes Home: A Banned Book's Journey by Micah Player, Rob Sanders
Published by Random House Children's Books on 2025
ISBN: 0593813685
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Book Comes Home : A Banned Book’s Journey helps grown-ups explain book banning and organized activism to young readers using simple, direct language. Other picture books prompt discussion about the concept of banned books in school and public libraries, but this is the only one (I know of) telling the story from the book’s perspective.

Book is an approachable looking children’s book with a lovely lilac cover, shiny gold medal and a friendly smile, living her best life in a school library, well-loved and popular. Illustrations of children of different skin tones and sizes bringing Book home, enjoying, reading and discussing the story will resonate with many readers and the people who support their reading habits. Then one day, Book is removed from the shelves. Librarians and other adults will predict the next part of the story as Book is placed in a closet in the back of the library, with other books that have been challenged.

Inside the closet, the illustrations are dark and gloomy. Sanders, whose picture book, Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag, has been challenged and banned, shares the experiences of other books in the closet, placed there for being “scary”,  or for “mak(ing) people think”.  Inside the closet, Book questions whether these are bad things, and if she is bad. Outside the closet, a double-page spread illustration shows determined and impassioned readers  opposing the book banning; creating protest signs and phoning the school board.

Player makes good use of posters as messaging: readers create posters that say things like “Let Me Be. Let Me Read.” and outside the library,  quotes about reading, such as “Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower).

Readers and librarians will appreciate the happy ending as Book and the other books are saved from the Banned Book Closet, and brought back into the light where the images are bright, colorful, and dynamic. Readers are reunited with the books they love and all is well.

Sanders includes a thoughtful author’s message that puts book banning in historic context and encourages  reading books that challenge us.  Also included in the back matter is a glossary and resources listing online websites for people interested in learning more about censorship from  the American Libraries Association and PEN America.  The end pages include words from the ALA’s Statement on book censorship. Highly recommended for school and public libraries.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

five-stars

Wash Day Love

Wash Day LoveWash Day Love by Raissa Figueroa, Tanisia Moore
ISBN: 1338897322
Genres: Cultural / African American, Family, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Tasha does not like Saturdays. On Saturdays the kitchen turns into a salon for wash day. Reluctantly, Tasha sits on the stool, water dripping over her head in the sink, while her mama scrubs and hums, her sister squeezes her hand, and her granny sings to the music. Together they get through wash day, crowns emerging fresh, hair laid, and edges smooth. This intergenerational story is a much-needed window or mirror into a regular tradition for Black families and showcases the beauty of natural hair. Illustrations are stunning and full of bright colors, textures, and varying scales – perfectly depicting the movement and emotions in the story. While this story is specifically about wash day, it is also very relatable for children with sensory sensitivities. Recommended for ages 4 to 8 (Pre-K to 3rd grade). Cream of the crop nominee.

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

five-stars

Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day

Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present DayTrans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs, Andrew Eakett
ISBN: 1536219231
Format: Graphic Novel, Nonfiction, Young Adult
Goodreads
five-stars

Combs and Eakett provide a deep dive into the history of trans and otherwise gender nonconforming people, including the acceptance of gender expression, scientific developments, medical care, and activism across cultures and over time.

Thoroughly researched and packed with information, the graphic novel format is easy to follow and digest. Each section includes profiles of historical figures as well as contemporary scholars, advocates, and artists. The authors make it clear that artifacts and records left behind from ancient cultures leave room for interpretation and speculation, but evidence pieced together from archaeologists and historians can still make a case for the existence of trans-similar individuals and experiences. At the end of every chapter, readers are encouraged to consider questions for further exploration and analysis. Source notes provided.

Affirming for trans individuals and essential reading for all. 

Grade 9 and up.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York

five-stars

The Life I’m In

The Life I’m InThe Family I'm In by Sharon G. Flake
ISBN: 1338573209
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

John-John is into nerdy things like archery and Star Wars, and he is desperate to see his crush on Ashley turn into something more. His father, Big John, wants to see his son be more like him- a ladies’ man with a successful business and a big reputation. John feels like he will never be able to live up to his father’s expectations and struggles to connect with his dad’s new wife. Meanwhile, his best friend Caleb is struggling too. Ever since his father, Mr. P, suffered a brain aneurysm, Caleb has been working nonstop to help support his family. As various stressors intensify and the obligations stack up, both boys must reconcile with who they want to be and what it means to be a man. 

An excellent coming-of-age story with an intense examination of the relationship between black fathers and their sons. The chapters are short and the characters and their challenges are relatable, making this both an accessible and rewarding read for teens. Readers who have yet to pick up Flake’s companion novels, The Skin I’m In and The Life I’m In, will be sure to seek them out to dig deeper into the backgrounds of Maleeka and Char, who play significant roles in this story as well. 

Grades 7 & up

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York

four-stars