Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Chengdu is back! Barney Saltzberg’s adorable panda from Chengdu could not, would not, fall asleep can do so many things all by himself. He can jump! Push, pull, climb, stretch, swing… but he just can’t quite reach the tasty bamboo at the top of the tree. Just like all little pandas, there are some times when Chengdu can also use a little help.
Prince Sebastian has a secret. He likes to wear dresses. Frances is his talented dressmaker and best friend and one of only two people who know his truth.
Portia Hobbs was introduced in Alyssa Cole's A Princess in Theory (the first in her Reluctant Royals series) as a friend of that heroine. Portia was a bit of a mess; partying too much, drinking too much, and definitely too many men. As Duke opens she's just arriving in Scotland to take on an apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker. If that sounds odd, Portia would agree.
Given the candy-colored cover and the peek-a-boo picture of the heroine, one might be forgiven for thinking that Addition by Toni Jordan is another in a long line of similar chick lit novels. Certainly Addition has wit and humor but it's the appealingly quirky (some might say crazy) heroine that rules the pages. And that crazy adds depth in this Australian debut which I recently pulled off a shelf of older "to be read" books (yes I have shelves of books that are tbr, don't judge).
Nadia and Saeed first meet at a class; slowly we are drawn into their world in an unnamed country teetering between a secular government and a fundamentalist takeover. They fall in love and hope to have a normal life in their country, but as things get more and more dangerous they begin to search for a way out.
I will gladly read the telephone book if Rainbow Rowell writes it, so of course I am going to read her new continuation of the comic book series Runaways.
A beautiful picture book celebrating girls! Simple text, "Like the sun, I'm here to shine. Like the voice, I am here to sing," make the book accessible to preschool aged children. The use of similes make it something that early elementary school students will enjoy and can think of wonderful things to compare themselves to. The main character and a diverse mix of friends are shown singing, playing, studying, and even falling and getting back up again. Some of the rhymes don't quite work, but the book still has a lovely message of love, helping, and celebrating who you are.
It’s nearly June and the new books are bustin’ out all over. Summer kicks off with the requisite beach reads, but the month also seems some gems coming from classic fantasy and mystery authors, as well as some solid releases from buzz worthy literary names. On to the selections:
The Handmaid's Tale is terrifying and fascinating all at the same time. And it got me looking for readalikes. One such is Archetype, a great debut that read like a cross between Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson and Hilary Jordan's When She Woke (another great option if you're looking for more like Handmaid's). In Watson's book the female protagonist wakes with no memories and must learn who she can trust.
Newberry Medalist, Avi, writes a gripping story of the American Revolutionary War through the eyes of Sophia Calderwood. Sophia, a well-educated young lady, lives with her parents in British occupied New York. Her beloved older brother is a captured soldier in the Continental Army and her parents are secretly committed to the cause of the American Patriots. Sophia, herself an ardent Patriot, wants nothing more than to help the cause and free her brother from a horrific British prison. She is enlisted as a spy; however, the plot she uncovers is almost too outrageous to believe!
Though this book presents no great surprises or new insights, it's a smoothly written and easy to read book about the political climate and personalities in the 1930's leading into World War II and ending with the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk prior to the French surrender to the Germans.
Anne Capestan knew she’d be punished for her itchy trigger finger, but the sentence is like no other she’d ever heard of. After firing one too many bullets, the Parisian police commissaire was lucky to still have her job, but is stunned when she learns that she is to lead a new police squad in charge of cold cases. But Capestan’s squad consists entirely of the police officers that have run afoul of the police judiciare, and since they cannot be fired, they can at least be relegated to some brigade, starved of funds and support until they quit in frustration.
This is a beautiful, quiet book about grief and friendship and recognizing when the people you love are broken. It's also about the power of sticking with those close to you until they are on the road to healing.
Ethan and his family are getting a fresh start in the hot, coastal town of Palm Knot, Georgia, or at least they are trying to. While there's a promise of finding new friends and rebuilding family relationships, Ethan's guilt of who he was and what he did continues to haunt him. Whispered phone calls at night, family secrets and the secrets of his possible new best friend, Coralee, ultimately contribute to Ethan's understanding of the importance of remembering and forgiveness. This is a capably written story that discusses death, forgiveness, and the effects of guilt on a young mind.
Bim! Bam! Boom!, Frederic Stehr
With fresh language, Stehr revisits an activity as old as kitchens and toddlers – the pots and pans band.
The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits, Douglas Florian
Join a family of playful bunnies as they cavort through their day, and then settle in for snuggles at bedtime.
Skip to the Loo: a Potty Book, Sally Lloyd-Jones & Anita Jeram
All of the animals are using their potties. This celebration of successful transitioning to using the potty can be sung as well as read. And the illustrations are adorable!
"For the record, I wasn't around the day they decided to become Dumb. If I'd been their manager back then I'd have pointed out that the name, while accurate, was not exactly smart. It just encouraged people to question the band's intelligence, maybe even their sanity. And the way I saw it, Dumb didn't have much of either."
The Mystery Writers of America bestowed their annual Edgar Awards April 26, recognizing the best in crime writing in several genres and formats. The evening's top prize for fiction went to Attica Locke's Bluebird, Bluebird, an East Texas set whodunit featuring a black Texas Ranger investigating the deaths of a black man and a white woman that soon promises to unearth long-buried romantic and racially motivated crimes.
The Airport Book is perfect for anyone planning an adventure particularly if that adventure includes flying in an airplane!) or anyone who is curious about what happens at the airport. Follow a family of four as they pack for their trip, take a taxi, go through airport security, board the plane, and fly all the way to Grandma and Grandpa’s! This is one of those fascinating picture books that takes the reader behind the scenes, and each repeat read will offer new details and interesting tidbits to explore.
For ages 3 – 7
Even if you haven’t heard of trap music, you’ve heard it. A hip hop subgenre born out of the American south, with fast and hard drums and lyrics about the drug underworld, trap music has taken the world by storm — dominating all of hip hop, America’s most consumed music, and infiltrating pop music in general.
This graphic novel series is set in Cannon Cove, where a popular adventure movie called The Gloomies was filmed in the 1980s. Decades later, fans of the movie continue to visit and annoy the residents who cater to the tourism with mild resentment. Then a cool group of teen "misfits" who begrudgingly live in the sleepy coastal town discover something unexpected, mysterious and adventurous: a pirate map belonging to the legendary Black Mary!
