Biology’s Beginnings

February 1, 2024February 2, 2024

Discovering Life’s Story: Biology’s Beginnings by Joy Hakim
Series: Discovering Life's Story
Published by Penguin Random House on September 12, 2023
ISBN: 1536222933
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Volume one of author Joy Hakim’s Discovering Life’s Story series, designed to explore human discovery as it applies to our own existence, as it was understood though the ages. For readers familiar with the format of her previous series’, they will find it similar and comfortable; chock full of colorful, relevant illustrations, sidebars that range from detailed and informative to irreverent (but still informative!) Hakim’s narrative style is conversational and always engaging. Chapters, and the sub-sections with them, are short enough to hold the interest of the reader, but long enough to give a satisfying amount of information. Source notes, bibliography, and a list of resources for further reading are all included.

Written for older middle grade readers and teens, this is an excellent and highly recommended addition to a library collection.

5 stars/cream

Reviewed by: Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta

A Study in Drowning

February 1, 2024February 1, 2024

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Published by HarperTeen on September 19, 2023
ISBN: 0063211505
Pages: 378
Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Folklore, Magical Realism
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Ava Reid’s YA debut is an atmospheric, dreamy fantasy that dances the line between what is real and what is believed to be real.

Effy Sayre is one of the highest scoring students ever to enter the Llyrian University, but, as a woman, she is not allowed to study literature, so she ends up in the Architecture college instead. Lonely and unhappy, she seeks solace in her well-worn pages of Angharad, Emrys Myrddin’s epic masterpiece about the love between a mortal girl and the bewitching – but malicious – fairy king. When Myrddin dies, a contest is announced to redesign his estate. A contest which Effy, a first-year architecture student, inexplicably wins. She travels far south, to the most distant reaches of the land, where she finds herself isolated by geography, superstition, and land-swallowing storms. Her host is the son of Myrddin, and it is clear he is harboring a dark secret. Effy’s only ally is a fellow student from the university, there with his own secret mission, of proving Myrddin a fraud. Together they peel back layer upon layer of the mystery behind Angharad, and, in turn, Effy herself, who it turns out had her own brush with the Fairy King as a child, and has been stalked by him ever since.

Drowning is in turns creepy, desolate, disturbing, deeply magical, and fascinating. Two threads to be aware of: there is an oft-referred to incident of abuse at the hands of a professor that happened just before the beginning of the story. Also, Effy’s mother believes she is mentally unstable and forces her to take meds to control her visions and anxieties – both of which she ultimately discovers to be real, and the result of her lifelong entanglement with the Fairy King.

Perfect for fans of fantasy that draws on dark magical themes while having one foot in a recognizable world, such as Melissa Albert’s Hazel Wood. A great addition to library shelves.

5 stars

Reviewed by: Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta

Three Tasks for a Dragon

February 1, 2024February 2, 2024

Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer, P.J. Lynch
Published by Candlewick ISBN: 1536229997
Genres: Fairy Tale
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Upon his father’s death, Prince Lir’s evil-villain of a step-brother Delbayne neatly tricks him into undertaking a dangerous quest, sure that Prince Lir will perish in the process, and the kingdom will be his. The studious and caring young prince has been tasked with – he believes – saving a hapless maiden from a fearsome dragon. In truth, Delbayne has sent the maiden to the dragon’s island as bait, and magicked the dragon into compliance.

But things do not go as planned – the maiden is no helpless girl, nor is she discontented with her lot on the dragon’s island. And the dragon, while truly fearsome, has resisted full enchantment by Delbayne. Prince Lir invokes his right, as a Questor, to perform three tasks for the dragon to win the maiden, rather than fighting to the death, and the dragon, intrigued, agrees.

The three tasks are done; the dragon is pleased; Lir and the girl, Cethlenn, have become friends. Delbayne hears that his plan has failed and launches a second attack, which is foiled by the three allies, at considerable cost. But all does not end there; dark years pass before the poignant and beautiful ending of this tale.

A gorgeously illustrated, wholly original fairy tale with a subtle but pleasing feminist slant. Language and storyline are middle grade; this book might need some hand selling due to it presenting like a (very thick) picture book at first, but the author’s fame will help to promote it.

Highly recommend. 5 stars, cream.

Reviewed by: Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta

The Labors of Hercules Beal

January 17, 2024

The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
Published by Clarion Books on May 23, 2023
ISBN: 0358659639
Pages: 352
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A heartwarming, genuine, miraculous middle grade novel that will nestle its way into your heart. When the Beal brothers lose their parents in a car accident, life is shaken up. Older brother Achilles abandons his job traveling the world to write for magazines, returning home to run Beal Brothers Farm and Nursery, and 12-year-old Hercules must leave public middle school to attend the Cape Cod Academy for Environmental Sciences, which is much closer to home. Both characters are struggling with grief and loss, but the book is told exclusively in Hercules’s voice as he navigates the new normal. When Hercules’s teacher Mr. Hupfer, a retired marine lieutenant colonel, creates a full-year assignment specifically designed for each student in his class, Hercules is, naturally, assigned the 12 labors of the mythical demigod.

Perplexed about how he can possibly complete the labors in a mortal world, Hercules proceeds slowly. This is where Schmidt’s masterful plotting steps in. As Hercules lives his life and faces challenges that are presented to him, he finds connection with one labor after another, but not in a completely obvious way. Mr. Hupfer requires that each student write a reflection on their project as they complete steps and tasks. These short reflections followed by the feedback from Hupfer are the heart of the book. The reader travels with Hercules, watching as he recognizes his inner strength, accepts help from his community, and gains insight into his brother’s life and heart. He also learns to let go of the intense survivor’s guilt and find peace. A beautiful book with moments of heart-stopping action, humor, sadness, sweetness, and light.

Recommend for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Falmouth Middle School

If I Have To Be Haunted

January 17, 2024

If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun
Published by Harper Teen on September 14, 2023
ISBN: 0063252767
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Sixteen year old Chinese American Cara Tang is a ghost speaker – which means she can see and talk to ghosts, and even help them to pass on – just like her grandmother, Laolao and her mother. Only her grandmother is in fact a ghost, and her mother doesn’t want anything to do with her powers. And she would prefer Cara keep her head down, focus on school and forget about her powers as well. Which becomes impossible when she finds the body of her nemesis, Zach Coleson, under a tree in the woods behind her house. They’ve been sworn enemies since they were little, but Zach has been bitten by the Signet Snake, a monster of chaos determined to end the world, and Cara is the only one who can save him. After a brutal fight with her mother, and with a little help from Laolao, Cara and Zach’s ghost set off on a quest to find the antidote in seven days before it’s too late for Zach to be resurrected. This is a great fantasy YA read with its snappy dialogue, lush world building, romantic tension, magic and monsters. Cara’s struggles with self acceptance and growth, especially as it relates to growing up with a Chinese tiger mom is another highlight of the story. A solid pick.

Recommended for grades 7 – 12

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Lee Remick, York Middle School, York

Ketanji: Justice Jackson’s Journey to the U. S. Supreme Court

January 16, 2024January 16, 2024

Ketanji: Justice Jackson's Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court by Kekla Magoon, Laura Freeman
on June 20, 2023
ISBN: 0063296160
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

An aspirational picture book biography about Ketanji Jackson, the first Black female Supreme Court justice. Her parents named her Ketanji, which means “lovely one,” dressed her in dashikis, and kept her hair natural. More importantly they helped her to develop pride and belief in herself and her future. As a young person, she was elected class president, competed on the debate team, and performed with an improv group. She excelled at Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She married, had two daughters, and held 10 different law-related positions before being nominated to the Supreme Court. Magoon’s straightforward prose allows Ketanji’s life story to speak for itself. The theme of Ketanji’s “shining star” connects the phases of her life and shows how she found her purpose. Freeman’s digital illustrations depict spreads showing loving relationships in her family – both with her parents and her husband and two children – as well as being a positive role model in all aspects of her life. Including her daughter Leila’s letter to then President Obama asking that he consider her mother for fill a seat on the Supreme Court was heartwarming, although the nomination did not come until many years later. I am normally not a fan of picture book biographies, but this one was inspirational and causes me to want to read more about her. Recommended for all libraries.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

The Magicians

January 9, 2024January 17, 2024

The Magicians by Blexbolex, Karin Snelson
Published by Enchanted Lion Books on November 7, 2023
ISBN: 1592704042
Pages: 210
Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Magical Realism
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars

This stunner of a graphic novel is the story of three magicians who appear in a house after a mysterious absence and are immediately chased by a hunter and a mechanical lion, aka The Clinker. The magicians escape and scatter but are eventually rounded up after three separate adventures.

Blexbolex has created a visually arresting, captivating fairy tale that can easily be recommended to anyone. While it’s a terrific children’s book, the vintage story book style prints are beautiful enough to consider it an art book. It would be easy to get swept up in the images and ignore the text but that would be a mistake; the story is well written, witty, and magical, and uses phrases like “exasperating, long-reigning silence”, impudent companion”, and “thriving, exuberant mess”. The text is advanced, but the illustrations help explain the meanings of tougher words and will broaden vocabularies. A must have!

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

Stone Age Beasts

January 8, 2024January 17, 2024

Stone Age Beasts by Ben Lerwill, Grahame Baker-Smith
Published by Candlewick Press on November 7, 2023
ISBN: 1536231347
Genres: Animals, Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

This is a much needed informational book about the Stone Age – after the dinosaurs and before modern day. After introducing the Stone Age, this colorful book presents some of the large, now-extinct animals that roamed the world back then. Likely the only one you will be familiar with is the wooly mammoth, which also graces the enticing cover. On each double-paged spread is an entry on a creature along with a range map and fact box featuring a stylized human silhouette for scale. Each beast radiates a ferocious, feral presence that will rivet young viewers. A Conclusion and Glossary are included at the end but I would have liked to see a Bibliography that list where the author and illustrator gleaned their information.

Ways to Play

January 3, 2024January 17, 2024

Ways to Play by Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Gabriel Alborozo
Published by Levine Querido on August 8, 2023
ISBN: 1646142594
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Riley likes to play in ways that his bossy older cousin Emma says are all wrong. Emma and her little sister, Violet, make a lot of noise when they play. Riley, however, can sit for hours doing one particular thing, like tearing paper or sharpening crayons or lining his stuffies up by size. Riley finally takes the girls out into the yard to play ball with Charlie the dog. Charlie doesn’t play ball right so they have a grand time chasing after him around the yard illustrating Riley’s point that there are lots of ways to play. Although it’s never explicitly mentioned that Riley has a diagnosis, it seems likely the child is autistic, like both the author and illustrator; many neurodivergent children will feel affirmed. There are cartoon-like illustrations of fair-skinned children with big heads and no adults present. Reminiscent of the Peanuts comic strips.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

I Am a Dragon!: A Squabble & a Quibble

January 3, 2024January 17, 2024

I Am a Dragon!: A Squabble & a Quibble by Sabina Hahn
Published by HarperCollins on July 18, 2023
ISBN: 0063253992
Pages: 32
Genres: Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A squad of frogs spot a Very Big Frog in their pond, but then the creature says that he is a dragon. The frogs insist that he’s the one who is wrong and this results in a fiery loss of temper from the dragon. This is a hilarious readaloud and the simple, cartoon illustrations are perfection. However, the heart of the story is about being believed and the courage to stand up and say it.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library