In this fantasy novel by Mari Lowe, a Jewish boy named Ezra learns he is the Nivchar, or chosen one, who is destined to battle a dangerous fiery creature called the gurya during his bar mitzvah. If he wins, the world remains in a peaceful “Beinoni time,” free from war and suffering. But as strange events begin happening and the balance of the world starts falling apart, Ezra realizes something is wrong. Along with new friends, he uncovers secrets and conspiracies that challenge everything he has been taught about destiny, courage, and justice. The book is a little slow when it starts but is truly inspiring. The book is told with a first person narrator. This seems to either irritate readers or helps pull them in, depending on the reader. I did not mind it! For students willing to stick with the opening world building, it will be an enjoyable read. The book includes a glossary at the end of Jewish terminology that the reader might not be familiar with. It helps to add meaning to a book with a Jewish cultural background.
Reviewed by parent volunteer, Esperanza B.D. for Komachin Middle School
Mariann Edgar Budde is an incredible person with an inspirational story to share with the world. Her journey to becoming an Episcopal Bishop is beautifully intertwined with God´s love to help her. She found God in her life as an independent junior in high school living on her own with major changes and decisions in her life. She writes about how God helped her overcome and find stability in life, and a community in New Jersey when she had none. She shares stories, scriptures, books, and metaphors at each turn in her life, she shows that in everything there are signs of God. After moving to New Jersey, she moved to Minnesota and then Washington DC. All of the moves for church, she became bishop eventually, and gave many sermons. Some of the sermons she gave were criticized and when she made mistakes, she always made it right. Mariann shows that, like all people, she makes many mistakes too, and that without God she might have crashed her own ship. She writes about how stepping up to the plate and swinging is better than never stepping up at all. After all, you do miss 100% of the swings you never make. Mariann teaches children how to push past fear and make courageous choices. By combining personal stories, scripture, and tales from pop culture, the book encourages young readers to recognize that bravery is a lifelong journey practiced in everyday moments.
This book is strong and inspiring with many relatable stories about Mariann´s life, and her journey to the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. It´s a book everyone will need in their life at some point with its punchy prose. Mariann Edgar Budde wrote this book with a strong female lead, based off of her famous sermon called a House Built on Rock. She made this book after her sermon got famous. Her sermon was standing up to President Donald Trump after he claimed to be Christian. It is a highly spiritual book about the Episcopal church. She mentions her family life and journey on the path of becoming the Washington DC Episcopal church bishop. It is political, spiritual, and inspiring. It mentions a bit about her view and the church´s view on LGBTQ+ rights and political views. It follows her path and how others have affected it such as family, co-workers, members of her church, political people, other bishops, and God’s role in her life.
I liked how inspiring We Can Be Brave is and how much it shows that God can help you in your life when times are tough or when life is challenging. I feel that God gave me this book to read at this time in my life for a reason. With change in life, it can be good to have the reminder to think in a divine perspective.
I did not like how there was not super clear points or break of section, while the book was good and was divided into chapters, it was hard to get into the book and then find a good stopping part. It was harder to get through or into than other non-fiction books that I have read. It was inspiring and punchy along with precise language.
Overall, I’d give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. Book includes bibliographic notes at the end.
Reviewed by 7th grader, Eliza B. from Komachin Middle School
The Glass Pyramid is a true story about architect I. M. Pei and how he designed the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The book shows how Pei faced problems and people who did not agree with his ideas. He used creativity and kept working until his design became a success.
The writing is clear and easy to understand, and the illustrations help readers see both the old museum and the modern glass pyramid. This book teaches that big ideas take time and hard work. It would be a good addition to an elementary school library, but it should be considered an additional purchase rather than a core title.
A story of two musical greats, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, told through rhythmic text and vibrant pictures. As a young girl growing up in Harlem, Ella loved to dance. She dreamed of dancing onstage at the Apollo Theater. Louis Armstrong grew up in the south singing along with jazz music. A teacher asked if he could make a brass instrument sing too. Ella and Louis knew of each other but they had not met until one night they took the stage together.
The illustrations are vibrant and fill the two page spread. There is an author’s note and illustrator note at the end as well as other recommended reading for kids. Jazz music and jazz musicians may not be familiar to most young readers, but this would give them an great introduction.
Who needs a scrub in the tub? Rabbit and Weasel are trying to convince pig that he needs a scrub in the tub. Pig thinks a splash of water, a mud bath or a scrub with a shrub will do. Will a bubble bath convince Pig to get into the tub? Or will Rabbit and Weasel end up in the tub? With rhymes and expressive characters, this is a fun read.
You Are Not Alone by Ingrid Law is a quiet picture book that focuses on the idea of connection and belonging. It shares the message that people are part of a larger world and are never truly alone.
The writing is simple and easy to follow, which makes it accessible for young children. The story is repetitive, and the message is direct. Some readers may find that it doesn’t have a strong plot or memorable characters to keep them fully engaged.
The illustrations are soft and pleasant, but they may not stand out as much as in other picture books. While they match the tone of the story, they don’t add a lot of excitement.
Overall, You Are Not Alone may work as a gentle read-aloud for younger students, but it may not be a favorite for all readers. I recommend this book more for preschool and kindergarten, where its simple message and calm style are a better fit.
Camping in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland is a fun and thoughtful story about three animal friends—a bear, a moose, and a beaver—who go on a camping trip together. At first, everything seems peaceful, but soon the friends start to get annoyed with each other. They each want things their own way, and it leads to problems.
The story teaches an important lesson about friendship, patience, and working together. Even when friends disagree, they can still solve problems if they listen and care about each other. The ending shows how the animals learn from their mistakes and make things right again.
The illustrations are simple but colorful, and they help show the animals’ feelings clearly. This makes it easy for readers to understand what is happening in the story.
Overall, Camping in the Wild is an enjoyable book with a strong message. It would be a great choice to add as an additional purchase for a school library, especially for younger elementary students who are learning about friendship and teamwork.
Who meows? A cat meows. Who gobbles? A turkey gobbles. Each spread features a full page illustration of the animal making that makes the noise while the next page includes a simple sentence stating the animal that makes the noise and a question for the next sound and animal. The pictures feature animals with open mouth as if they are making the noise. The animals featured would be familiar to young readers (cat, turkey, owl, bear). The back matter features a fact about each animal’s sound. This could be an interactive read aloud when read as call and response.
Shehzil Malik is a Pakistani artist and activist for women’s rights. This title introduces readers to the facts that not all areas of the world allow for women/girls to do everything that their counterparts do. Our main character, Zoey, has never ridden a bike and finds solidarity in the group of girls she sees who ride bikes throughout their area of the city. It talks about how when she comes home from biking her father questions her as to why she is on a bike. One of her friend’s mother explains how much she enjoyed cycling as a child and the parents both discuss how they can bike safely throughout the busy city as a larger group and create a club of “Biker Girls” to enjoy cycling together.
I would recommend this book as an extra purchase. The crisp and bright illustrations are in comic bubbles at times but this is a solid picture book and not graphic novel. This book would benefit either a library that needs more books about how rights are limited in different areas of the world, a community with many from other areas of the world that can relate to the topic or a place this either promotes bike riding or plans to.
Laura W. Carter – Author, Anna Doherty – Illustrator
With fun and clear illustrations, this book will be interesting for our primary readers. Each page starts with the words, “I want to be” and gives very short, general information on each career discussing where or what each job focuses on. Many professions in the book are not the average ones that you would see such as: neurologist or screenwriter which makes it more interesting for younger readers to learn more about fields they may not be aware of yet.
Teachers at kindergarten/first grade levels would enjoy this book as many could use it as an introduction to career research projects. There are some great career research questions on the final page as well that could be helpful. I would recommend this book for libraries who may need more A to Z books or books about professions as an extra purchase.
