Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Stuart Turton once again blends genres in his latest novel with amazing results. The blend here is a near-future, post-apocalyptic setting with a murder mystery.
I did a lot of reading and rereading novels in verse in honor of National Poetry Month. Here are some of my favorites by Sharon Creech:
A Mi'kmaq family travels from Novia Scotia to Maine to pick blueberries every summer. They arrive seasonally and live near the fields in a warm and inviting cabin. One summer, their four-year-old daughter May goes missing in broad daylight sending the family into a decades-long cycle of heartbreak and trauma that changes the family dynamic forever.
The students at Urban Promise Prep School must follow the "Principal Moore Method" for conduct and behavior at all times. Principal Moore is strict, but his method saves lives, or so the boys are told time and time again. Infractions include not walking on a line painted on the school floor, talking in the hallway or having unauthorized food in a locker or backpack. The infractions result in demerits that never get recouped. After a certain number of demerits, the students find themselves in detention, or even worse, expelled.
I call them winners!
No joke, this book is sensational and worthy of all the accolades. Recipient of the 2024 Newbery Award given to the author of the most distinguished children's book of the previous year, The Eyes and the Impossible is funny, smart and unusual. I loved it.
Chiamaka and Devon, two Black students at a prestigious high school, couldn't be more different from each other. Devon's goal is to keep his head down until he can get into Juilliard; Chiamaka, to claw her way up the social ladder and graduate as homecoming queen. That makes it all the more mysterious when they're targeted by an anonymous saboteur named Aces. Aces's meddling starts with rumors spread throughout the halls, but escalates into a dangerous game that could ruin the students' futures forever.
There has to be something very satisfying about killing off a rich person. The mystery genre’s very foundations rests on the corpses of the well-to-do; that any hereditary titles survived the Golden Age is astonishing. Those plump inheritances, the isolated country houses and silently judgmental domestic staff, often coupled with a victim and cadre of suspects that usually don’t generate too much sympathy (they did have a pretty comfy existence before the fatally poisoned claret, after all)—the mystery basically writes itself.
Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee are four inseparable cousins growing up on the Windy Lake First Nation. Nicknamed the Mighty Muskrats for their habit of laughing, fighting, and exploring together, the cousins find that the best mysteries are the ones that are solved through teamwork by loving families.
This is my fourth and final list for National Poetry Month. I hope you have found one or a few titles to tempt you.
Celebrate National Poetry Month by reading some poetry. As you may have noticed, for MADreads this week I've been featuring new poetry titles in multiple posts. So check out part 3 of some of the new and upcoming poetry books listed below.
April is National Poetry Month and you can celebrate by reading some poetry. I know poetry isn't everyone's cup of tea, but you never know, there may be a poetry book out there for you. So check out part 2 of some of the new and upcoming poetry books listed below.
April is National Poetry Month and you can celebrate by reading some poetry. I know poetry isn't everyone's cup of tea, but as with a lot of genres, sometimes it's just a matter of finding the one that works for you. So check out some of the new and upcoming poetry books listed below and let us know if you find one or have some to recommend.
I have mentioned in the past how I enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope in romances (or really any genre), so how could I resist a book titled When Grumpy Met Sunshine? It's all right there in the title. Add to that the hero is an ornery ex-footballer (soccer player on our side of the pond) who bears more than a bit of a resemblance to Roy on Ted Lasso (looks and personality) and the heroine is a sunny, but competent, ghostwriter? I'm in. And I'm so glad I was. This is a heartwarming read with likable protagonists in a funny, sometimes bittersweet, story.
It's Seollal (Lunar New Year), and Sohee can't wait to prove how much of an eonni (big girl) she is! To celebrate Seollal, everyone eats tteokguk, a delicious soup. For every bowl one eats, they get a year older, and Sohee wants to eat as many bowls as she can! But as she helps prepare for the celebration, responsibilities keep getting in the way of eating her delicious tteokguk. This fun book includes a recipe at the end for how to make tteokguk.
Makiia Lucier wowed me a few years ago with a book I've re-read many times. Her Year of the Reaper was set in a fully realized fantasy world and featured a flawed, but honorable, protagonist facing impossible choices with much grace and compassion. Since reading it, I've been eagerly waiting for Lucier's next. And here it is.
Cha's story features twin brothers Doki and Kebi, Korean magical Goblins who couldn't be more different. Doki loves reading and secretly performing acts of kindness, while Kebi is happiest when exploring or playing tricks on people. This spooky tale explores their adventure to find a new haunted house in the United States. Although it’s not spooky season, this fun tale has a surprise ending that will delight adults and children alike!
A helpful author’s note explains the prominence of dokkaebi in Korean mythology, art, and history.
--reviewed by Melissa
True crime books, tv shows, and podcasts are everywhere, but every now and then a crime, or series of connected crimes, breaks out of one format to overtake them all. The tale of the Murdaugh family in a rural part of South Carolina is one of those. From the first stirrings about the boat crash that killed a pretty young teenager, to the deaths of a mother and her son, to the father claiming to have survived an assassination attempt and then the revelation that there were two deaths that preceded all of this? This was a crime story that had everything and then some.
When you set a book in place named Charon County, you’d better be prepared to go to some dark places. S. A. Cosby’s latest thriller, All the Sinners Bleed, does not disappoint in that respect. Mixing strong characterizations and engrossing action with stories rooted in America’s racial reckoning, Cosby again proves why he’s become a must-read among crime readers.
This middle grade graphic novel starts out with five Conrad Middle School students assigned to work in the cafeteria during the first period of the day to complete their yearly community service hours. George, Sara, Dayara, Nico and Miguel have nothing in common. All five are flying under the radar for different reasons and want to get their time cleaning up leftover school breakfasts and throwing out morning garbage over with as quickly and anonymously as possible.
Children born on February 29 are rare, but what if some "Leaplings" could also travel in time? Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè and her best friend Big Ben are about to find out what happens when the future touches the present, and they'll have to hope their first time-travel won't be their last!
Contemporary and futuristic settings, neurodiverse characters, and time travel add up to a really interesting read for upper elementary readers that may challenge you!
