Posted in Science Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Dungeon Crawler Carl: Trust me, it’s a YA Crossover

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman, (Aug. 2024, Ace), $30, ISBN: 9780593820247

Ages 14+

Folks, trust me on this one: it’s not listed under Teen/YA, but your gamers, your tabletop fans, your D&D crowd, your SFF readers, all will love this straight up hilarious, wild ride. Originally self-published, Penguin Random House finally got hold of this series and now we can all rejoice that it’s available on more shelves.

It’s the apocalypse, kinda: Carl is a guy going through a break-up when the world ends. No, literally: he’s in a tree, trying to catch his ex’s prize-winning show cat, when he sees his building just… crumbles. Every building is gone, and whoever’s left learns, via a message in the sky, that they’re the newest contestants on an intergalactic game show. Think Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Running Man, and you’re on the right track. Carl enters a tunnel with Princess Donut – of course, he’s taking the cat with him – and learns that the two have to survive a fantasy-type dungeon, complete with power-ups, monsters, and other humans. And Princess Donut can talk now. Dungeon Crawler Carl is nonstop adventure with moments both gross and laugh-out-loud hysterical. Carl isn’t some meathead, blundering his way through a dungeon, nor is he super nerd guy; he’s an ordinary guy trying to keep himself, his cat, and maybe another couple of humans alive until the next level, at least. The book is part of a the LitRPG subgenre, with gamelike elements and full character awareness powering the narrative. I loved this book and can’t wait for the next two – luckily, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario just pubbed last week, and The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook is coming in October.

Posted in picture books, Uncategorized

A new generation meets Edward Gorey!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts, by Matthew Burgess/Illustrated by Marc Majewski, (Sept. 2024, Knopf Books for Young Readers), $19.99, ISBN: 9781984893802

Ages 4-8

Edward Gorey was everywhere when I was a kid. If you watched PBS at all, you saw his artwork during commercials for Mystery!; his illustration seemed to be everywhere, and I still have my copy of The Gashlycrumb Tinies, a macabre abcedary that absolutely contributed to my love of the cozy ghastly. A picture book biography brings the sweeter side of Gorey to life for a new generation of readers who, like me, enjoy looking at life a little differently. Dividing Gorey’s life into “three acts”, Act I introduces readers to Gorey; a quirky child who taught himself to read at age three, stalking his father’s library shelves “like an inquisitive cat, pawing this and reading that”, and who painted his toenails green and “strutted down a fancy street” barefoot. Act II follows Gorey to New York City, where he attended nearly every New York Ballet performance for over 20 years and discovered professional success while still reveling in his joyful individuality. In Act III, we see Gorey living in Cape Cod, making art and surrounded by his beloved cats and collections. A genuinely kind story about a talent who enjoyed and lived life on his own terms. Touching on his love of Dracula and his eventual set design for the 1970s Broadway run of the play brings things full circle, and playful descriptions of him as a “tall, bearded man in a long fur coat and tennis shoes and plenty of clinking rings” makes him all the more endearing. Bright illustrative artwork brings joy and color to Gorey’s life; those familiar with his stark blacks and greys with splashes of color will recognize the departure. Display this one with your Lemony Snickets, your Dracula stories, and your goth and goth-adjacent novels for Halloween.

As Edward Imagined has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Elephant Touch is about healing and resilience

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Elephant Touch, by Susan R. Greenway, (Sept. 2024, SparkPress), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684632688

Ages 9-13

Animal lovers and fiction readers will immediately know there’s something special about this meditation on grief, loss, and healing. Quinn is a girl grieving her mother’s loss; she and her aunt visit a Thai elephant sanctuary in hopes that helping care for elephants will bring them some healing. Quinn initially resists the experience, but bonds with an abused elephant, Sumana, who lovingly rests her trunk on the girl. The sanctuary welcomes a baby elephant, Lee Lawa Dee, who witnessed her mother’s death at the hands of poachers and has stopped eating. Quinn, desperate to help save the elephant, insists that Sumana can help Lee Lawa Dee, but is rebuffed by the staff. Using her connection to the elephants and powered by her grief and desire to save a life, Quinn takes matters into her own hands – which may bring consequences for Quinn and her aunt. Greenway writes with empathy and feeling that will leave readers rooting her Quinn, Sumana, and Lee Lawa Dee. It’s an emotional read: Quinn’s reactions to the abuse endured by the elephants before arriving at the sanctuary are a stand-in for the reader. Readers invested in the characters will rejoice at the story’s end. A sweet crush on another volunteer, a boy named Hunter, adds interest. Animal fiction readers who loved books like Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish (2015), and Alina Chau’s Marshmallow & Jordan (also about elephants, 2021). Get this one on your shelves!

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction

Explore America’s Wildlife with Bailey and Jazynka

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Explore! America’s Wildlife, by Kitson Jazynka/Illustrated by Hannah Bailey, (May 2023, Kane Miller), $18.99, ISBN: 9781684644711

Ages 7-11

Armchair travel was never so much fun. Travel all over the States and discover the diversity of American wildlife, from Arctic wolves and snowshoe hares of the Alaskan Peninsula’s Katmai National Park to the bald eagles and great blue herons of the Western Maine mountains. Full-color illustrations and photos pair with informative text and fun facts; labeled drawings help readers identify flora and fauna in each region, and close-up areas of the U.S. map help place readers geographic areas of the U.S. Travelers and nature lovers will love the facts boxes that tell them what to find, hear, discover, and spot. Organized into five areas – The West and Alaska; The South; Midwest; Northeast, and Wild Animals in Your Backyard – Explore! provides an overview of the area and and illustrations on the region of the U.S. map. Fully indexed, this is an excellent companion to Explore! America’s National Parks (2011) and will be a welcome addition to natural resource collections.

Explore! America’s Wildlife has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Posted in Middle Grade, Middle School, Non-Fiction, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story: The new Race to the Truth book

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story (Race to the Truth), by David Dorado Como, (Aug. 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $8.99, ISBN: 9780593567753

Ages 10-14

The newest book in the nonfiction Race to the Truth series couldn’t have been released at a more necessary time. The middle grade/middle school series takes an unvarnished look at marginalized communities in American history; Borderlands and the Mexican American Story examines the history of relations between Mexico and America. As with Exclusion and the Chinese American Story, the reality is different from what many readers may know to be true. Borderlands examines how Mexican culture has enriched and shaped American culture; how white colonizers sought to suppress Mexican settlers, and how systemic racism still plays a part in how Mexican immigrants and Mexican-American people are seen today. Como provides an intelligent overview of Mexican history and uses primary source information to interest readers. The Race to the Truth series has been a vital addition to nonfiction shelves and is an essential purchase for middle grade and middle school nonfiction collections.

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Hello Trees asks thoughtful questions

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hello, Trees, by Bailey Bezuidenhout/Illustrated by Maria Lebedeva, (June 2023, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684647330

Ages 3-7

A young brown-skinned girl shares thoughtful questions about trees as she interacts with them in this beautifully illustrated book. Poetic meanderings like “…I run my hand over the rough bark, / wrinkled like my fingertips / when I’ve stayed in the bathtub too long” share space with contemplative musings like “Do trees have souls?”, “Do trees smile when I swing in their branches?”, and “Do they feel loved being a home…?” The girl is dwarfed by the silent guardians, with the occasional bird peeking out to observe. She revels in nature and is a wonderful self-insert for readers who imagine themselves running their fingers across bark, digging their fingers into soil, and swinging from branches. A warm white background provides a nice backdrop for the brown and green trees to pop against; larger, decorative font emphasizes key ideas and words throughout. Endpapers show our main character climbing a tree to peek into a hole –  maybe to see a squirrel family – while a white bird peeks out of another hole, watching. A friendly, easy introduction to trees that appeals to our feelings; great for a STEM introduction to preschool and kindergarten classes.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Choose Your Own Adventure, Picture Book Style!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You Choose Fairy Tales, by Pippa Goodhart/Illustrated by Nick Sharratt, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684646067

Ages 3-7

The You Choose series is just like a Choose Your Own Adventure book for the preschool set. My Kiddo used to love his copy of You Choose in Space; I have great memories of him telling me a different story every time we sat down to read. (He’s in middle school now – can you believe? – and obsessed with manga). You Choose Fairy Tales is another title from Kane Miller’s You Choose series, taking readers on a fairy tale adventure of their own making. Pick a type of hero: a mermaid or a prince, a daring feline adventurer or a wooden puppet, or make up someone of your own. Where would you live and who are your friends? Colorful spreads with fairy tale mainstays prompt readers with different questions, helping them assemble their stories. Rhyming text asks readers what “items might be handy as you go about your quest? Be prepared – your fairy tale may put you to the test!” and suggest different antagonists to choose or avoid. Great fun for one-on-one storytimes and independent reading time. Other titles in the You Choose series include You Choose, You Choose in Space, and You Choose Christmas.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Shine a Light on Backyard Bugs!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Backyard Bugs (A Shine-a-Light Book), by Carron Brown & Wesley Robins, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684645695

Ages 4-8

I have so much fun with these Shine-a-Light books. If you have a bright storytime area, you have to try one. It may feel a little awkward at first, getting the book in the best position to show off the hidden picture using light shining through the page, but it’s worth it and you’ll find a rhythm between storytelling and giving time to show off the picture, honest. Backyard Bugs is all about meeting the bugs in our backyards and green spaces. Pages alternate between bright, colorful pages with a featured insect, a fact, and an interactive question, answered on the next page – a black and white answer and insect; if you hold the colorful page up to the light, the bright white insect’s outline shows through, delighting readers. It’s a great STEM storytime book and adds a fun, interactive element to read-alouds. Letting readers explore the books for solo or paired reading gives them a chance to discover the hidden pictures for themselves. A good suggestion for elementary nonfiction collections.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Lost – a wordless romp about pets gone astray

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Lost, by Bob Staake, (Oct. 2024, Anne Schwartz Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593707029

Ages 3-7

A girl goes searching for her missing cat and helps her neighbors, also missing pets in this adorable story that will give readers a chuckle. When a girl notices that her cat is missing, she gets to work distributing “Lost” flyers; as she does, she meets neighbors who hand her their own flyers: for a dog, a bird, and a giraffe! Flashbacks show each person’s tale (or tail?) of woe as readers discover how each pet got away. As the girl searches her town, she ends up finding the lost pets – thanks to a tasty hot dog – and brings them together, while managing to find her sweet kitten! The retro art is playful, with exaggerated characters and skillful use of charcoal grey, white, and color. The pets are vibrantly colorful; muted blues pop up to denote skies, water, and a wall in the girl’s home. The girl has a rosy face, and the people missing their own pets show up with colorful faces to help them stand out; it’s a lovely way of showing readers how pets color our lives and how interacting with one another makes us seen. Lighthearted and humorous with a playful sense of adventure, Lost is a fun add for wordless collections and great for a story study.

Lost has a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

The Light of Home: Home isn’t always a place

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Light of Home: A story of family, creativity, and belonging, by Diana Farid/Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi, (Sept. 2024, Orchard Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781338890617

Ages 4-8

Nur is a child who loves her home by the sea where she plays, enjoys time with her family, and fills her room with her artwork. Life drastically changes overnight when the family must leave right away; Hadadi illustrates the urgency of a family fleeing with the clothes on their backs, Nur grabbing a single painting off of her wall as her mother grabs her hand. On the next page, men bearing shovels and stick ransack the rooms and destroy what they can reach. Told in verse, Farid’s story of a family fleeing one home and moving to another is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. Her exquisite verse finds the beauty in pain; as Nur and her family find places to live, she remembers the sigts, smells, and textures of home: “Sometimes, / [the horizon] breathes tangerine orange and sour cherry clouds, / like the sunsets she used to watch from a picnic blanket”. As the family gets used to living in a new city, in a building unfamiliar and loud, Nur uses her painting, desperately torn from the wall on the night of their departure, as the inspiration to create once again, this time of the “glittery path she loves / even if it’s far away”. Hadadi’s paper collage brings texture that make the memories tangible to readers, using vibrant colors and evocative images. The growing body of work on the refugee/immigrant/migrant experience is incredible and such an important part of collections. Don’t miss this one. Display and read with other stories, including Nicola Davies’s The Day War Came, Yuyi Morales’s Dreamers, Hollis Kurman’s Counting Kindness, and Hannah Moushabeck’s Homeland.