Soof by Sarah Weeks is an amazing story about a troubled girl who might have found a new path than what was meant for her future with the help of her dog Duck. Aurora has to face many obstacles in life even meeting Hedi. Without her closest friend Duck, she would have found her new story. This heart wrenching book is a realistic fiction giving the reader something to look forward to throughout the book. There are even a few tear justling moments waiting to get the best of you anytime. If you love books with family, dogs and adventure, this book is right up your alley. I would give this book 5 stars.

Review by Sophie

Review written by OHS student Michelle P.

This novel follows our main character Odessa who is in the process of escaping a friendship. She travels to new places with her partner Meredy, who soon becomes more than a travel partner. The two travel to while navigating both their relationship as well as grief. This novel is a fantasy with magic, dragons, and zombies. This is book two in the Reign of the Fallen series.

This is an incredibly diverse novel, having characters of color, different sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

Shaun David Hutchinson is witty and this quick, directness of jokes comes through in every character in The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried, his 8th young adult novel. Told in alternating voices between two best friends, readers 1st meet Dino. Dino seems confident. He’s discovering how much he really likes his new boyfriend. He knows he’s good at his job — preparing bodies for funerals — but doesn’t want to make it his future living and keep the family DeLuca and Son’s business. And he’s wanting to let go of his former best friend, July. July also appeared to be confident. A theater star in their high school, July’s world was about July and occasionally Dino, her best friend a year ago. But then they fought. And then July died. And now Dino needs to prepare her body and finally let her go…until she undies. Dino and July spend the next few days trying to figure out less about how and more about why she came kinda back though still stinking and rotting away. Dino and July must figure out a few more aspects of their friendship before each can let go of the other and let life return to normal. Discussions the two have around sexuality are honest and real and more importantly, don’t overshadow the real themes of the novel. Still overwhelmingly far-fetched, Hutchinson’s one-liners are laugh-out-loud funny as readers witness Dino and July maturing as individuals and once again as friends. Recommended for high school audiences.

I am getting used to the graphic novel’s visual technique of going forwards and backwards in time. In this graphic novel, Gillbert (yes, that is gill with two “l”s because he lives under the sea) finds a message in a bottle, but can not read it without his mother’s (Queen of Atlanticus) help. Just before Gill’s mother arrives to translate the message, Anne Phibian, the mermaid, gets Gill’s attention and whisks him off to an unknown party. Meanwhile in deep space, a fiery asteroid is on a collision course with Earth. Gill’s father, King Nauticus, goes to investigate the asteroid.

Teeq- a space alien and long time friend of the Queen has been sending a message into space calling his sister to planet Earth. Teeq’s sister arrives in the form of an egg and hatches in the Queen’s and King’s presence. They name her Matilda. Shortly thereafter, the Pyrockians come crashing into the ocean from space. They want Atlanticus back for their own, which does not make King Nauticus happy.

Teeq and Anne Phibian leave the party after having Gillbert taken home. Teeq and Anne meet Matilda for the first time. Matilda solves the King’s Pyrockian problem by causing a new volcano to form in the ocean giving the Pyrockians a hot place to live in peace. The Queen now has time to translate the Gillbert’s bottle message, it says,” YOU ARE DESTINED FOR GREATNESS.”

A young girl and her papa watch the night sky together. She’s proud that he works in the mill that is making the fabric for spacesuits of the astronauts who will someday land on the moon. Papa is only proud to make a living. Time passes slowly as they wait until the day of the launch and then the landing. As she sees the astronauts in their spacesuits, she knows those threads that are keeping the astronauts alive, the thread that are touching the moon are the same threads woven together by her father. The girl is so proud that her papa helped put a man on the moon.

A lovely story celebrating fathers. For primary level story time about space, pair with The Darkest Dark to highlight that space travel like other major accomplishments is the work of many people over the course of many years.

An attractive and informative young reader version of the authors’ award winning book, The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest. The authors share their knowledge of the Salish Sea from an interdisciplinary approach that includes an history, geology, oceanography, marine biology, ecology, as well as the human impact on the region. Colorful captioned photographs highlight the text.

A great title to promote curiosity in the unseen magnificence of the Pacific Northwest. Highly recommended for all libraries.

Pig seems to be always making trouble; messing up the living room mat, shattering a beautiful vase, and ripping up a dress. With an innocent bug-eyed look, Pig blames his friend Trevor. Poor Trevor doesn’t understand how his friend can do this to him. Pig’s next scheme, however, catches up with him. As he climbs up to grab a bag of treats from the to shelf, a bowling ball behind the treats falls and smashes him in the head. He’s learned his lesson!

Expressive illustrations, rhyming text and engaging characters make this a fun picture book for storytime.

This leveled reader from Dash! (imprint of Abdo) describes for young readers what a cat needs and some of the behaviors to expect from a pet cat. Colorful cat photographs directly support the text. Unlike some leveled readers, this title contains enough text to effectively communicate meaning, yet the volume of text brief enough to not overwhelm young readers. Readers will walk away understanding the basics of cat care.

Contains table of contents, glossary, index, and online resources.

Sayre again celebrates the diversity and beauty of nature this time with a book showing the explosion of color and shape of flowers in bloom. Oversized book format makes the close-up color photos a good companion for a story time focusing on spring or flowers.

Leaves emerge./Stalks surge./Bloom boom!
Bulbs send./Tips extend./Bloom boom!

The sparse, but rich language encourages readers to delve into the nuances of scientific descriptions.

Flip the Bird by Kym Brunner introduces many readers to the practice of falconry. Mercer Buddie is fourteen and gets to capture his first hawk for his apprentice year of falconry. There is tension in the air – between Mercer and his older brother (an expert falconer and accomplished ladies man). More tension with Mercer wanting his father to treat him like an adult but he continues to shirk responsibilities, pout, and lie. The story takes a turn with the introduction of Lucy. Mercer crushes hard and sets on a course to win her heart. Unfortunately, this course involves Mercer acting like someone he is not and lying to his parents, Lucy, and himself.  With an animal rights activism twist, the conflict escalates to a fever pitch and Mercer’s worlds collide. Mercer must decide where he stands and what he believes. Packed with emotion, this page-turner will captivate readers and tug at their heartstrings. Brunner masterfully creates a world where Mercer and the reader discover the nuances of animal welfare, scientific research, animal husbandry, and animal rights activism. The reader also realizes, through Mercer’s mistakes, that lying – big or small – can have profound consequences. Flip the Bird is a great addition to a YA collection.