Mindy Kim is a 7 1/2 year old who has just moved to Florida from California with her dad, months after her mother died. Mindy is worried about starting a new school. “My old school had kids of many different colors. But here, no one looked like me.” ( 5) Her new teacher does not know how to pronounce her Korean name Min-jung and asks, ” ‘ Do you have an English name?’ ” (10) At lunchtime, the other students have never seen a Korean lunch and laugh. After school is better, when she goes to Eunice’s (Unni) house because Unni has a dog. Mindy wants a dog of her own so much.

Mindy’s second day of school is better because she has made some goals for herself, just like dad does. First, Mindy asks Sally if she can eat lunch at her table. That worked. Sally is interested in Mindy’s seaweed snack and soon has everyone at the table wanting to try it, too. Sally gives Mindy the idea of trading food for the seaweed. Then Mindy gets so many snacks she can’t eat them all. Then, Sally suggests she sell the seaweed snacks to the other students. Mindy’s seaweed snack business is taking off. She wants to use the money she earns to get a puppy. A puppy would help dad feel better, too, because he is still sad over mom’s death, like Mindy. Another student tells on Mindy for selling the snacks which is against the school rules. When the principal gets involved, Mindy and Sally become upset with each other for their part in the rule breaking. Principal involved means parents get notified, and Mindy’s not having a mother comes up again. Dad takes it all in stride and helps Mindy apologize to Sally. Later, when everything has settled down, dad has a special celebration for Mindy for making it through her first good week at her new school.

This book of 77 pages has short four to six page chapters with one black and white illustration per chapter. There is just the right amount of Korean cultural differences included to make Korean students feel recognized and non-Korean students to say, “Wow”, I never new that, “That’s cool.”

Crackers is a dog who has a list of things to do: bark, nap, pee outside, sniff things and lives with a cat named Butters. One day their life is disrupted when their owner brings home a new puppy named Peanut. Peanut pees in the house, eats Crackers food, and keeps them up at night. Butter and Crackers try to get rid of Peanut, but they keep getting in trouble for the things Peanut does. One night Peanut walks out the front gate and gets lost. Crackers and Butter realize they miss Peanut and set out to find him. This graphic novel will have students laughing at the silly things the animals do and say. (Butter tells Peanut the toilet is a jacuzzi and the handle makes it spin.)

A little girl and a cat are playing when the cat gets sick. When the cat says it doesn’t feel well, the girl asks if the cat wants a hug. The cat does, so she hugs the cat. Then a series of animals follow saying they need a hug from the girl. The girl is liking the hugs less and less and the illustrations show her more and more bedraggled. She doesn’t feel well and the cat asks if she wants a hug which makes her feel better. The book seems like it could be great for tolerance and sticking up for oneself, but it gets a little muddled at the end.

In Kevin the Unicorn: Why Can’t We Be Bestie-Corns? a new unicorn moves in next door to Kevin and Kevin knows that they will be best friends. They try to be friends, but they just don’t like the same things. Eric likes clam juice and it is not Kevin’s favorite. Kevin wants to do something sporty, but Eric just couldn’t do it. They realize that they don’t have to be best friends, but they can still be friendly to each other. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The vocabulary and expressions are fun (flummoxed, great galloping glitter pants) and will make readers laugh.

This is a story of an acorn told in the style of The House That Jack Built. It starts out with the treehouse that Jill built and follows the acorn with different animals. The acorn is eventually planted by the squirrel and grows into a big tree that holds the treehouse that Jack built. The text is lyrical and rhyming and includes fun to say words like Hullabaloo and Pee-ew. The illustrations are bright with the landscape is in various shades of green and the animals are cartoonish. The human characters in the book are white.

What do you do if you work at a zoo? You might brush a hippos teeth, tickle a tapir, or pick up panda poop. Each page of this informational book looks at what zookeepers do for different animals at the zoo. Each page has an illustration in cut and torn paper collage, a simple statement in large, colorful font and 2-3 sentences describing what they do for that animal. The back matter includes a short bullet point list of what zookeepers do, zoo pros and cons, a zoo timeline, a list of the world’s top zoos and facts about the animals featured in the book.

This story tells of the life of Mohammad Alaa Aljareel. Alaa stayed in Aleppo as the destruction of war in Syria forced many to flee. A caring man who worked as an ambulance driver, Alaa was struck with condition of the many cats left behind by fleeing families. By providing them food and water, Alaa soon was caring for more cats than he could manage. Through local and international support, Alaa established a home for abandoned cats where they are safe and loved. In the last few years, Alaa has also extended his shelter to include other animals and created playgrounds and an orphanage for the children of Aleppo.

An touching story of the power of love and the impact one good person can have on the world even amidst devastating circumstances. Alaa’s life is an inspiration.

The book begins with a letter from Mohmmad Alaa Aljareel in both English and Arabic.

David is starting his first day at a new school and he’s worried about making friends. When recess arrives, David heads out with a pocket full of rubber bands. He searches the children engaged in a variety of recess activities; tag, hide-and-seek, reading, video games, and hopscotch for someone who would play elastic skip with him. Finally he approaches a girl who responds to his question and asks how to play. So begins David’s first friendship at his new school. The next day, David runs to recess with his friends to chant and jump elastic skip.

A first day of school book that tells the story of fitting in, overcoming shyness, taking chances, and finding friends. By sharing something special to himself, David forges new friendships.

“Is art worth a life?” This is a central premise not only of Robert Edsel’s The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History but the question for the existence of Monuments Men. The United States’ Monuments Men were a special group of eleven men and one woman whose mission was to hunt down the thousands of pieces of art being stolen during World War II across Europe, collecting them for restoration and redistribution after the war. These weren’t your average privates in the ranks, though one was a private. These were volunteer civilians with connections to the art world — art museum curators, art historians, architects, a sculptor, a dancer. In fact, 13 other nations lent their aid with their own monuments men and women groups creating a force of 350 trying to salvage culture in an expansive war zone.

In this beautiful book, Edsel weaves a story with photography to restore damage caused by the Nazis. The Nazis changed laws stripping citizens of owning private property, allowing for the “legal” taking of anything. In fact, “safeguarding” was nothing more than a Nazi synonym for “theft”. The readers see the protected art through the eyes of Deane Keller, who 20 years earlier had come to Italy as an art student, and Fred Hartt, and art historian. Taking clues from past bombings and the location of important works of art, these civilian soldiers tried to figure out locations of hidden art as well as if the art left was salvageable. They had very little help from the real U.S. Army — no transportation.

For war history enthusiasts and art buffs, descriptive writing will pique their interest throughout. Those not so into this might be overwhelmed by all of the names and little side stories around the saving of the art. Yet Edsel gives a glimpse into what it was really like for many during the war from an angle not many people would stop to consider.

So is art worth a life? One of the Monuments Men, and an artist himself, said it’s more than dying to save an object –it’s dying to defend a cause. To this end, learning about this aspect of war, these people who saved art, is worth one’s time reading.

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz is a classic, cookie-cutter, young-adult novel that many teenagers will enjoy. Caledon Holt, the Queen’s Assassin, and Shadow, a prospective Guild member, are brought together and forced to team up as assassin and apprentice. Undercover, they make their way to an enemy kingdom in search of a conspirator, and in the process fall deeply in love. The fast-paced writing style along with the action-packed plot make it a fun and fast read. The conflict of the plot was also engaging and keeps readers on the edge of their seats throughout the entire story. Despite these positives, the book has several flaws. The character development was sub-par, especially with Caledon Holt, as there was little to no depth given about his life as an assassin. There was also a lot more focus on the romantics between the two main characters as opposed to the plot, which made the storyline a tad elementary. The common tropes found in the young-adult genre are prevalent in this book, for example, the “I’m not like other girls” trope that’s seen with Shadow. Younger teenage readers will absolutely adore the unequivocal romance between Shadow and Caledon, and older readers who like the young-adult genre will appreciate this book as a simple, quick, and entertaining read. The book may be a bit unoriginal but is enjoyable nonetheless. I would not recommend this book to readers who are looking for a complex and advanced novel, but rather to young readers who simply want to read a pleasant love story. 

With BIPOC authors hopefully getting their coming of age moment in publishing, teachers seem to want texts that are “not about the struggle”. But “the struggle” our life, and like all of life, there are so many experiences and layers to it. This is a theme of coming of age novels — realizing the complexity of one’s and others’ lives. This is the theme of Patron Saints of Nothing. Randy Ribay offers a look into a life in the Philippines from the perspective of an emigrant looking for an explanation. Jay is in the 2nd half of his senior year. He is struggling with his choice to go to the University of Michigan. He is struggling to regain friendships that were damaged, especially one that meant a lot to him — his similarly-aged cousin in the Philippines. But that one might be too late to fix, as Jay gets the news that his cousin has been killed. His father doesn’t want to talk about how his cousin died, which makes Jay’s suspicions even greater. When he receives a mysterious text, he knows he has to go to the Philippines to investigate under the guise of visiting relatives during his spring break.

Jay’s journey into the lives of his family in the Philippines helps him understand his family’s story, even amid his belief that his own uncle killed in son. Unraveling the mystery is tough on Jay. For this reader, the reminder is that there are many peoples of color, many stories, many struggles going on. Life is complex. Randy Ribay’s voice through Jay allows readers to follow him and see this complexity, see the struggle and appreciate that life’s choices are complicated, layered and sometimes not what we want, but we persevere. Ribay’s voice through Jay into President Duterte’s war on drugs is a bonus that one hopes readers will do a little wiki searching for their own greater knowledge of the world.

A thought provoking story with wonderful family and friend dynamics continues in Book Two of the Donut Dreams series by Coco Simon. In Book 2, we have Lindsay’s (from book 1) cousin’s story. Kelsey and Lindsay are both entering middle school and both work in the Donut Dreams Shop of the ‘Park’, their grandparents restaurant in the small town of Bellgrove.

Kelsey is not a fan of change. Middle school has change written all over it. One of the first changes Kelsey faces is having two of her friends try out for a different sports. Kelsey likes field hockey, as does her friend Sophia. Her friends Bella and Riley have decided to go out for soccer. Kelsey’s circle of close friends is expanding from elementary school and she’s not sure how she feels about that. Then, Casey nominates Kelsey for the sixth grade class representative. What will that even entail?

Meanwhile, on the home front, Kelsey’s mother invites her motherless cousin, Lindsay, over for their family’s special Friday night event because Lindsay’s little brother is sick. Ugh, change.

Kelsey does not make the A Team in field hockey, but is on the support team. Kelsey’s happy with it. She is not competitive. She will have “all of the fun without all the pressure.”(79)

Now, Mom wants Lindsay go with them on their special mom and me weekend, too. ” ‘ I don’t want to share Mom with anyone more than Jenna and Molly, because sharing her with them is already too much… ‘ ” (99)

Kelsey will realize how much her family is there for her, carrying the theme family always has your back from book one.

In the end Kelsey comes to find people :

1. who want to help you,

2) here to listen,

3) let them in,

4) not knowing everything is okay,

5) not having solutions is okay,

6) kindness will always win out and you’ll stay true to yourself.

Here is a new series full of what it means to be family! It is thought provoking and reassuring all at the same time!

Book #1 – Hole in the Middle – is told by Lindsay as she works out entering middle school. Lindsay’s mother was the art teacher at Belgrove Middle School until she died two years ago. Now, Nans and Grandpa live with Lindsay, her younger brother, and her father. Lindsay’s grandparents own the restaurant ” Park View Table” or the Park for short. Lindsay’s extended family works at this restaurant, too.

Now that Lindsay is starting Belgrove Middle School she will be starting to work in the family restaurant, too. The special part of the restaurant that sells donuts.

The theme “family always has your back…” (44) runs continuously throughout this book with a warm sense of comfort. Middle school is definitely a time in life when a person is trying new things and “start to figure out who you are and what you like.” ( 94) This is a time when comfort is needed. Lindsay’s grandma Mimi comes to town to help her find a special dress for the upcoming Fall Fling. Mimi brings a wide array of dresses with her from Chicago for Lindsay to try on at a ‘dress party’, but Lindsay wonders if it is a ‘pity party’ because everyone else’s mother in this small town is helping their daughter pick out their Fall Fling dress.

Now is the time for the title’s hidden meaning to be revealed. “Nans says that we’re like donuts…we have holes is us, and I guess for me that hole is where I miss Mom…But that like a donut’s shape, we’re surrounded by people, in a tight circle, so that the hole doesn’t get any bigger.” (128)

Each chapter title is topped with candy sprinkles just like on top of a donut.

The first two chapters of book #2 SO JELLY, finish off this book.

There are 15 pages of text with two paragraphs per page opposite color team action photos.

The Atlanta Flacons out of Atlanta, Georgia, “have played in the National Football League (NFL) for more than 50 years. The Falcons have had good seasons and bad. But time and time again, they’ve proven themselves.” (4)

The book includes information on the Falcons’ coaches, team star players, their playoff and Super Bowl games, and statistics on all of the above.

I am not a football fan by any means, yet I was impressed by the way the author showed the Falcons’ effort to overcome obstacles from their beginning years to 2017.

The book includes: a table of contents, a time line (which snakes around the page), a postgame quiz, a glossary, a website (booklinks.abdopublishing.com), and an index.

Young readers just starting chapter books will enjoy this ‘getting ready for Halloween’ short chapter book with only 48 pages. The illustrations have just the right amount of chubby green boogeymen with horns on their heads and a friendly helpful ghost to make this a seasonal winner and a winner in family dynamics.

Damien Q. Boogey has a secret, but before he tells us, his father yells, for him to come down stairs. Damien’s father is furious to read Damien “applied to be an apprentice candymaker.” (18) How can the son of the boogeyman have a son who is a candymaker? This is horrible. Dad wants Damien to follow in his family’s footsteps. Though Damien is terrified of his father, he stands up to him and declares, ” It’s my dream.” (19) The argument is on until Georgia, the ghost (and a former resident of the house), steps in and suggests Damien “shows you his SKILLS in the kitchen? He is quite talented, you know.” (28) Damien puts his Granny’s skills to the test and makes a cupcake his father states is better than Granny’s. Success!

The idea expressed in the title is over simplified in this book by the text if it is meant for 2nd and 3rd graders, as the ages 3-9 states on the back cover.

The idea- technology is used to solve problems- goes back and forth between electronics and non-electronic objects. For young children, it might be better to reference the technology by time eras. The technology mentioned in the book are: video games, chairs, microwave ovens, calculators, eye glasses, a backpack, and an airplane. The text/song does mention how each bit of technology helped solve a problem, but I find a problem with the book’s content and the way the children’s parents and siblings will be using the word ‘technology’. I worry about the child’s comprehension of the word ‘technology’ if a knowledgeable adult is not helping with this concept.

The musical CD accompanying the book has beeps and boops included to represent the sounds of technology, but none of the chairs, eye glasses, and backpacks mentioned in the text make any of those sounds.

“Persian cats are one of the most popular cat breeds in the United States.” (4) So begins the 14 pages of text on Persian cats in this basic informational book for primary grade readers.

There are 13 different adorable full color photos of Persian cats. The word ‘adorable’ may not be factual, but even this non-cat lover found them cute. The factual text usually appears in one or two sentences per page.

Book comes with: Table of Contents, Glossary, Index, QR code, and website – abdozoom.com.

This text, this art, this combination is worthy of an award. Bob Marley in comics! is a biographical sketch of Marley’s life told by various graphic novelists as well as the text writers. Broken into time periods, each section is first represented graphically and then summarized textually. Some graphic novel fans might not appreciate the text equivalent, but the writing is concise, allowing readers to pick right back up where the art left off. And seeing the differences in the graphic novelist’s art is a lesson unto itself. Will students be drawn to it because it is Bob Marley –yes. Will they enjoy the graphic novel aspect–yes. Will they walk away with an even greater appreciation for the art as well as the life Marley had — a hundred times yes. And this teacher-librarians is now looking at other NBM graphic novels to purchase. Highly recommended for middle, high school, and public libraries.