Mom Read It

Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Invisible Isabel wants to be seen

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Invisible Isabel, by Sally J. Pla/Illustrated by Tania de Regil, (July 2024, Quill Tree Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063268852

Ages 8-12

Isabel Beane is an introverted girl lost in the chaos of her home: her two younger siblings are “toddler tornadoes”; her teenaged older sisters chase her away, and her middle schooler older brother just wants to play video games and have his stinky friends over. It isn’t much better at school: her militaristic teacher doesn’t understand the “worry-moths” that cause Isabel to freeze up during class, and new girl Monica has managed to get all Isabel’s former friends to ignore her. Isabel’s parents don’t really hear or see her, either; waving away her fears as normal kid blues. Abandoned by her friends, ignored by her family, Isabel yearns to find her voice, but her fears threaten to overpower her. A sensitive story in verse with soft black and white illustrations, Isabel’s story unfolds as a journey of discovery. The reader gets clues to Isabel’s neurodiversity with mentions comforting routines like rocking, or her sensitivity to sound and scent. Mean girl Monica, Isabel’s antagonist, has reasons for her behavior and has a father who tries to steer his daughter in a better direction. Readers will spend a good part of this book frustrated with everyone around Isabel as they continue ignoring or disregarding her; Pla creates a feeling of responsibility in the reader – we want to protect her! Pla and de Regil create a story of kindness and discovery for all. An excellent choice for realistic fiction and books in verse collections.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Big Bear and Little Fish return!

Posted on September 5, 2024September 3, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Bear’s Big Idea, by Sandra Nickel/Illustrated by Il Sung Na, (Sept. 2024, Carolrhoda Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9798765610176

Ages 4-7

Big Bear and Little Fish have become such great friends in the two years since their first book. In their new adventure, it’s Bear’s turn to come up with a fun new idea, which gives her a bit of anxiety. Usually, it’s Fish that has the great ideas, but now it’s Bear’s turn, and everywhere she turns, she sees remnants of activities left over from the week with Fish. With a little creativity and an open mind, a great new idea is just waiting for Bear – she just has to let herself open up to the possibilities. Nickel’s storytelling sweetly pairs with Na’s digital illustrations, bringing a touch of humor to a story about the pressure of choosing the “just right” activity for a friend. Nickel captures the stress of coming up with a blockbuster activity with phrases like, “What if she couldn’t find an idea? What if that meant she wasn’t a good friend?” Readers familiar with Big Bear and Little Fish will appreciate Bear’s caution with Fish as they climb trees and splosh in puddles. Endpapers show Bear and Fish in a variety of poses. A sweet companion to the original story and a good addition to storytime collections. Download a curriculum guide for Bear’s Big Idea from Sandra Nickel’s author page.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Clouds in Space: Meet Nebula!

Posted on September 4, 2024September 3, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us, by Teresa Robeson/Illustrated by Diāna Renžina, (Aug. 2024, MIT Kids Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536225372

Ages 7-9

The secret is out: there are things we can’t see beyond the clouds. But Nebula, our narrator, is here to tell us everything! Nebula means “cloud” in Latin, and she guides us – and a young astronomer featured in the story – through an outer space trip to marvel at the beautiful nebulae scattered across the universe. Stunning digital illustrations incorporate actual photos of nebulae to paint vibrant pictures across the black sky. Renžina adds shapes to Butterfly and Elephant nebulae and allows a kaleidoscope of color to shimmer forth from our guide Nebula’s entire being; Robeson creates non-fiction poetry to describe the incredible beauty of the universe with phrases like “You are grown from scattered stardust, / sprouted in a stellar nursery. / I AM THE STARDUST / AND THE NURSERY”. Back matter includes details about nebulae, with photos of the nebulae featured in the book, and resources for further exploration. A stunning book that works as a storytime selection as easily as it does a non-fiction resource.

Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

Hannah Edwards and the Secrets of Riverway!

Posted on September 3, 2024September 3, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hannah Edwards: Secrets of Riverway, by Ashley Hards (Sept. 2024, Fabled Films Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781944020910

Ages 9-12

Hannah Edwards has a LOT on her mind: first and foremost, her dad, the Canola King, who has been missing for months. She’s also got her creepy Uncle Fergus hanging around more and more, with his awful food and his constant “lessons”. Thank goodness she has her best friend, Sam, and her Journal to turn to with her thoughts. When Sam tells her he thinks he saw Hannah’s dad’s ghost at the Old Mill, she decides it’s up to her to find her dad and prove that he is NOT a ghost – because being a ghost would mean that he’s no longer alive. And she can’t think that way.

A moving story about self-discovery, Hannah brings us on her grief journey while discovering that she is neurodivergent. Hards gives Hannah a strong, upbeat voice that refuses to give up or give in. A smart reimagining of Hamlet – with a much lower body count – this is a great mystery for middle graders and middle schoolers.

picture books, Uncategorized

Tales from the TBR: The Bone Wars by Jane Kurtz & Alexander Vidal

Posted on August 23, 2024August 22, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Bone Wars, by Jane Kurtz/Illustrated by Alexander Vidal, (Nov. 2023, Beach Lane Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9781534493643

Ages 5-8

The Bone Wars! It’s a tale of friendship gone wrong! With dinosaurs! And exploding fossils! Kurtz writes history with a sense of humor that will catch a reader’s attention, describing the 19th-century race between two paleontologists – O.C. Marsh and Edward Cope – who go from friends to rivals. Marsh and Cope were besties – like Taylor Swift-level besties, writing letters to one another and naming dinosaurs after each other until the fateful day when Marsh deightedly poined out big mistake in a paper Cope had published. After that, they were DONE. Never, ever, ever getting back together. And thus began the Bone Wars: a race between the two paleontologists to make the next big discovery; and there were no punches pulled. Marsh and Cope pulled every dirty trick they could to get ahead. Spy on each other’s workers? Check. Leave fossils from different animals in the hopes of messing up a discovery? Yup. Blowing up smaller bones so the other team couldn’t have them? Yessireee. Did a final winner emerge from the Bone Wars? Yes: the public, because generations of people have benefitted from all of these discoveries, but the besties never made up. Kurtz gives readers the facts behind one of the more interesting rivalries in natural history, with wry commentary and reactions – “Hoo boy!” – is a favorite – when discussing some of the duo’s darker moments. Vidal’s digital illustrations are cartoon realistic and easily move between history and modernity. Back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator and selected sources and reading. This is a fun addition to biography and natural history collections.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Happy Book Birthday to The Three Little Guinea Pigs and the Andean Fox!

Posted on August 13, 2024August 12, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Three Little Guinea Pigs and the Andean Fox, by Ana Velez, (Aug. 2024, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645678694

Ages 4-8

This spin on the classic tale is set in Andean South America, featuring 3 guinea pigs who have to rebuild after floods destroyed their homes. Like the classic, they each build their home from straw, sticks, and stone, and are suspicious when a fox shows up, exhorting them to come with him. They run from house to house as condors and bears wreak havoc on the sticks and straw, but is Fox really up to no good? The sweet story reaches a delightful conclusion that praises teamwork, friendship, and community. The rhyme scheme makes for a run readaloud, with sound effects in larger, bolder fonts to invite reader participation. Digital illustrations have cultural details, including the endpapers, which feature animals from the story woven into an Andean textile pattern. The story includes words in Spanish and Kichwa (also knows as Quechua), with a glossary in the back matter. Back matter also includes a note on animals of the Andes and a shaved ice recipe. The fox wears a woven scarf and the guines pigs sport hats and sweaters. A very cute addition to storytime collections, and psst… If you need a younger selection to feature and read for Civic Awareness Month, this would be a good choice!

There are some great Andean worksheets and activity sheets on TeachersPayTeachers. I really like this Andean fabric coloring sheet from Tierney Phillips.

Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Tales from the TBR: Sunny Parker is Here to Stay by Margaret Finnegan

Posted on August 12, 2024August 12, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sunny Parker is Here to Stay, by Margaret Finnegan, (Apr. 2024, Atheneum Books for Young Readers), $17.99, ISBN: 9781665930086

Ages 8-12

Sunny Parker is a kid with a sunny disposition: she goes on “Neighbor Favor” walks with her neighbor, Mrs. Garcia; she helps out her other neighbors at the Del Mar Garden Apartments, and she helps her widowed dad – the manager of the apartments – by doing smaller tasks like emptying out the lint traps in the laundry room, taking out the trash, and sweeping in front of the building. She never likes to let on when she’s feeling down, but when the wealthier neighbors protest the city’s proposal to build affordable housing in the area, Sunny realizes that prejudice and bigotry exist behind smiles. Further exacerbated by her father’s insistence that she not makes waves, Sunny begins noticing more and more unfair things that too many people are quiet about: that her friend Izzy has to work a food service job while her friends go abroad for the summer; that someone in their apartment complex is being abused; that her best friend feels the pressure to excel because of her skin color. As the city’s public hearing draws closer, Sunny finds it harder to keep silent and has to decide whether or not making waves adds to the injustice she sees. Finnegan excels at creating characters with a strong sense of right and wrong: in We Can Be Heroes, characters Hank and Maisie take it upon themselves to rescue a dog they’re worried about; in Susie B. Won’t Back Down, the titular character runs for a seat on the student council and learns that history’s heroes have some very human failings. Here, Finnegan deftly brings societal issues to middle graders in a way they will recognize and understand: domestic violence; institutional racism, income disparity; NIMBYism, and income disparity are all presented in ways that seek to educate and inform, while empowering readers to take action. Speaking through Sunny, Finnegan asks her readers, “HOw can YOU help?” She uses humor and sensitivity to address each topic, and provides Sunny as a reader insert; a guide through which kids can develop their own social action muscles. With Civic Awareness Month coming in September, Sunny Parker is Here to Stay is a solid display choice and an excellent book club choice. There is a free curriculum guide for download from the author’s webpage.

picture books, Preschool Reads

More Construction Fun with Pigs Dig a Road

Posted on August 6, 2024August 5, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pigs Dig a Road, by Carrie Finison/Illustrated by Brian Biggs, (Sept. 2024, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers), $19.99, ISBN: 9781984816542

Ages 3-7

A construction crew is getting ready to build a new road to the Hamshire County Fair. Headed up by Rosie, the crew chief, this crew of pigs is ready to work, but they can’t seem to get things quite right and rely on Rosie to fix things. But Rosie’s exhausted, and needs some help to pull it all off before the fair begins. It’s time for the rest of the team to pull together and get the road done on time! Finison’s lively rhyming text is fun with cheerful, while Brian Biggs created loads of sight gags to keep listeners giggling and invested. Teamwork is the heart of the story here and Finison shows readers that teams work best when everyone has a say. Vehicle fans will love the parade of excavators, dump trucks, pavers, and other machines trundling through each spread. Boldly outlined and brightly colored, the pigs and their surroundings will lift spirits and the expressive characters will keep readers smiling as listen to Rosie attempt to rally her crew: “Curly, Pinky—helmets, please!
Stinky, stick your feet in these.” Endpapers show a variety of pigs at the wheels of different machines. A win for storytime and for picture book collections, and a great first purchase.

Visit Carrie Finison’s webpage to sign up for her newsletter and learn more about her books. Visit Brian Biggs’s website to see more of his illustration work and learn more about his books.

Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Tales from the TBR: More Winx Club!

Posted on August 5, 2024August 2, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Winx Club Vol. 2: Friends, Monsters, and Witches!, by Iginio Straffi & Rainbow S.p.A., (June 2024, Papercutz), $14.99, ISBN: 9781545800805

Ages 7-12

The second collected volume of Winx Club reprints three classic stories from Winx Club’s 2004 run: In “A Friend for Bloom”, Bloom tells Musa, Tecna, and Flora how she came to Alfea, and how Stella helped her realize that she is a fairy. “Prisoner of the Dark” sees Bloom caught by the Trix, who trap her inside a tree. “The Swamp Monster” sees the Trix return to make more mischief when the Specialists notice animal carcasses in the swamp – just as the Winx are near the swamp on assignment. Middle graders and middle schoolers who enjoy Disney’s W.I.T.C.H. series will enjoy this collected volume, as will your anime and manga Magical Girl fans.

I’ve discovered that having the Winx Club Wiki on hand has been helpful for some of my graphic novel readers: it’s a good resource for anyone interested in learning more about the series, with in-depth profiles on the characters and resources on the various series, episode breakdowns, movies, and more.

Fate: The Winx Saga Vol.1 : Dark Destiny, by Olivia Cuartero-Briggs/Illustrated by Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau, (August 2024, Mad Cave Studios), $14.99, ISBN: 9781960578938

Ages 12+

Folks, this is a Winx Club for middle school and beginning high schoolers! Fate is an original graphic novel and a continuation of the Netflix series (2021-2022). Set in the magical school of Alfea, this group of fairies is coping with the loss of their friend, Bloom, after she left to find her mother in the Realm of Darkness. The group is attacked with new powers and find themselves up against an enemy they’ve never experienced before. Is Bloom going to come back and save the day? The illustration has a more YA graphic novel feel – less bright, characters are more realistic with a soft cartoon feel; think Molly Knox Ostertag, Faith Erin Hicks, or M. Duffy. Fate brings Winx Club to a slightly older audience, whether it’s tweens and teens that have moved on from the earlier Winx series, are fans of the Netflix series, or are just ready for a magical series geared toward them. It’s a good investment for you graphic novel series, if you have fantasy readers.

Fiction, Horror, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Remy Lai goes horror with Read at Your Own Risk

Posted on August 5, 2024August 2, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Read at Your Own Risk, by Remy Lai, (Aug. 2024, Henry Holt & Co.), $13.99, ISBN: 9781250323354

Ages 8-12

Lai goes full-on horror with her latest book, and I am delighted. I have been a fan of Lai’s since I read Pie in the Sky and love her talent for tender family stories. With Read at Your Own Risk, the author uses an illustrated diary format, similar to Pie in the Sky but with more illustration. The book reads as the diary of a girl named Hannah, who played a game with her friends but is now cursed, and is filled with the creepiest, crawliest storytelling that will delight middle graders. Lai’s characters remind me of Junji Ito’s human characters, sporting wide black eyes and creepy smiles; during Hannah’s interactions with the spirit – played out in the diary itself – we get loose teeth, drops of blood, and sinister wordplay. Illustrations are black and white, with splashes of red for gore – I mean, good – measure. Your Goosebumps readers are going to squeal with terrified joy at this one. A must-purchase.

Read at Your Own Risk has a starred review from Kirkus.