Category Archives: Highly Recommend

PAWS: Hazel Has Her Hands Full

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By Michelle Assarasakorn and Nathan Fairbairn

The PAWS crew is back again in this fourth book in the series. Hazel has a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and uses a wheelchair. This does not stop her from being an active member of the dog walking club. When summer comes along and her friends are leaving for camp, going to visit family and going on vacation, Hazel decides to take on two cats that need to be taken care of in the neighborhood on her own. Will all go smoothly or will things go badly when she chooses to not tell her mom that she is not being supported by others in the group.

While this is book four in the series, this graphic novel could also be considered a stand alone. There is a great deal of back story given on Hazel including how she was treated at her past school, what her condition is and how it has progressed and her connection with the PAWS group. This title also has some fun content as the end including: how to draw a dog and the names of parts of a wheelchair. The graphic novel series as a whole is a great addition to any library. It shows wonderful examples of teamwork, determination, creativity and friendship. I would strongly recommend this series for any elementary or middle school library.

Away

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Written by Megan E. Freeman

Four Colorado teens are brought together when they are evacuated from their homes due to an emergency. Many any months after moving to the relocation camp, they stumble upon some evidence that makes them doubt the legitimacy of the evacuation and they begin to dig deeper and start to see the true story and who is behind the land grab.

Megan Freeman has done it again with this companion book to her book “Alone”. While “Alone” is a book about a girl who is left in her town when it is evacuated, “Away” is what happens to everyone else when they are forced to leave. This near future science fiction is fantastic stand alone and yet feels like a part two in a series. Written in a variety poetry and prose forms this story will please many adventure and mystery fans. I highly recommend purchasing this book and believe it is appropriate for 4th to 9th grades.

Precious

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By Carols Aponte

Pedrito lives in Puerto Rico with his family. HIs father is working in the U.S. preparing for his family to follow and settle there. Their family feels empty and incomplete with him. As they adjust to dad being gone, a hurricane is coming their way. They prepare and check on their neighbors and then go through the storm. Afterwards Pedrito finds a puppy alone on the street. The family takes him in and cleans him up. Will they find the dog’s family? If they do, will Pedrito be able to give the puppy up?

This is a lovely story of family, community, and resilience. Many will enjoy this compelling tale. I strongly recommend this book for any library to purchase.

Jollof Day by Bernard Mensah

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A young boy wakes his dad up early one day because it Jollof Day! He joins his dad in the kitchen to chop onions and tomatoes, clang pots and pans, and dance in the kitchen while they make jollof. The cheerful illustrations, the way the text dances on the page, and the onomatopoeia makes you feel the joy in the kitchen. A recipe for Jollof Rice is included at the end of the book.

Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan

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Every Monday Mabel does the same thing. Mabel thinks Mondays are the best day. She drags her chair down the hall and outside to make sure she does not miss her favorite thing. Her family doesn’t seem to understand, but Mabel doesn’t want to miss it and neither does Mikey and many more people. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The changes in font, the onomatopoeia, and the illustrations make you feel the excitement of Mabel about her Monday routine. I can’t wait to read this book aloud and maybe because I was one of those kids excited about the garbage truck!

Maybe Just Ask Me! by Katie Mazeika

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On Mazie’s first day at her new school, she put on her favorite scarf and prettiest eye patch. She was nervous but ready. The other students whispered stories about her. Maybe she was in the circus. Maybe she joined pirates. Maybe she lost her hair being scared by a shark or a tiger. Finally she has had enough. She tells them that they just needed to ask and she tells the story of what really happened. The illustrations of the book are bright and colorful. Mazie’s emotions show on her face.

The book is based on the author’s real life experience of having cancer and 3 and having her eye removed. She talks about why people may be afraid to ask and just look away, but to her this feels ruder and makes her feel invisible.

Shell Song: Based on a True Family Story

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By Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson

Shell Song is a wonderful reflection upon a family’s story that occured at the beginning of WWII when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Told from the viewpoint of a granddaughter this is a tale that discusses a love of two countries as well as internment. Shigeki Fujimoto survived the Sand Island and Honouliuli Internment Camps where prisoners were subjected to extreme weather and living in tents. He collected shells and saved them. This collection is now a family heirloom.

This book is insightful as well as nicely illustrated. Many ages could read it and enjoy it at many levels. I would highly recommend this book and feel deep discussions could be created.

I am NOT Your Hat!

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By Lisa Bentley

This is a story about friendship and how it is not always as it seems. An outgoing bird has a shy friend, Dot, who sits on their head. No one seems to notice this pink character that is hiding something for Bert. They think Dot is a hat. At first, Dot doesn’t mind as they don’t necessarily want to be noticed but eventually, they get frustrated exclaim that they are not a hat and fly away only to leave Bert’s secret out in the open for all to see.

This is a fun story about friendship and how being shy or outgoing is okay. It also a tale of forgiveness and saying sorry. I would strongly recommend this quirky yet insightful tale for young readers.

Kersplash! A Cloud Bursts

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Written by Jessica Kulekjian, Illustrated by Zoe Si

This is a wonderful non-fiction title about the water cycle that is well written and with clear illustrations for young readers. Any teacher would be excited to see this book in the library for check out as it is easy to read and gives opportunities for smooth transitions to discussion on the topic. I would highly recommend this book for any elementary library.

The Keeper of Stories

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A library is
a keeper of stories.
     A keeper of memories.
          A keeper of hope.

Founded in 1893, the library at New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary collected the stories of Jewish people from around the world. These stories and the information preserved in this building were particularly precious because historically so many Jewish stories have been erased through war and suppression. The top level of the library’s tower caught fire in 1966, endangering the whole collection. Despite efforts to protect as many of the books as possible, water damage was catastrophic. Neighbors and strangers alike gathered “Operation Booklift” to hand over hand pass the books out of the ruined building. Many methods were tried to safely dry the books until volunteers finally found that repeatedly placing paper towels between every other page dried the books. Ultimately, 70,000 books were turned to ash, but 170,000 books were saved.

A Keeper of Stories is a reminder that even in times of devastation, when individuals work as a community, much can be saved. A library is a keeper of stories, but we are the keepers of stories too.