social themes – Mom Read It

Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Touched by… a werewolf? Werewolf Hamlet by Kerry Madden-Lunsford

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Werewolf Hamlet, by Kerry Madden-Lunsford, (Feb. 2025, Charlesbridge Moves), $18.99, ISBN: 9781623544331

Ages 10-14

Okay, for anyone who sees the titles and thinks this is a fun send-up of Shakespeare set in middle school, I promise you that while you may be kind of right, you need to get ready for some tissues. Angus is our 10-year-old narrator, and he is going through some stuff. His parents are defaulting on their mortgage and behind on the bills; his little sister is worried that the Four Closers are coming to kick them out of their home. He’s struggling with school, and he’s worried about his 17-year-old brother, Liam, who’s acting like a werewolf: he’s staying out late, coming home stinky, and sometimes his eyes are bloodshot. Plus, he’s moody, snappish, and a little bit hairy. Angus also has a “legacy project” he has to do before he graduates, so he thinks up a new version of Hamlet: “Werewolf Hamlet” will be both a great legacy project and his chance to reach Liam. This is a touching story of addiction and family with relatable characters. Angus is immediately a likable character who loves classic Hollywood movies and imagines conversations between himself and luminaries like Charlie Chaplin and Lon Chaney Jr.; his late-night conversations with Liam show a kid struggling to stay connected to his brother, whom he clearly adores. Angus is a quirky character who sees things differently; he and his brother trade Shakespearean insults that will have readers chuckling. His classmates are entertaining and solidly support Angus’s narrative. Angus’s family is realistic, with flaws and strengths that readers will recognize. Cutaways from Angus’s narrative include snippets of Werewolf Hamlet, imaginary discussions with movie stars, and “Conversations with Liam in the Night” that shed light on the brothers’ relationship. A solid book that middle school and middle grade collections should keep front and center in fiction collections.

Werewolf Hamlet has a starred review from Booklist and was a featured Shelf Awareness pick. Find a Shakespearean insult generator, poster, reader’s group guide and more on Charlesbridge’s website.

picture books, Preschool Reads

The best kind of friends are Even Better than Sprinkles

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

Even Better than Sprinkles: A Story About Best Friends, by Linda Skeers & Heather Fox, (June 2024, Random House Studio), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593705513

Ages 4-7

What makes a best friend – and what happens when that friendship is in trouble – forms the foundation of this relatable and charming story. Being a best friend means a lot of things: dressing up as a unicorn together (even when one person has to be the decidedly non-magical back of the unicorn); playing knight and dragon; even naming your favorite goldfish after your friend. Two friends illustrate these magical moments until one “accidentally-on-purpose” blows out the candles on her friend’s birthday cake before the birthday girl can make her wish, leading to a terrible split that can only be repaired with an apology. Skeers describes friendship in wonderful ways that kids will immediately understand, with phrases like, “Friendship feels like being hugged by a blanket right out of the dryer”. Fox’s digital illustrations are bright; characters are a white-skinned girl with curly red hair and a brown-skinned girl with top-knot bun, and they play joyfully together until the crisis occurs. Then, as Skeers notes, friendship feels like “being hugged by a porcupine while sitting on a cactus”; Fox shows the girls living their lives separately, sadly, until an apology card with three kinds of glitter and a lot of glue reunite the two. Themes of sharing, apologizing, and forgiveness will appeal to kids and adults alike.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Everything Changes helps kids cope with divorce

Posted on November 27, 2023November 27, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Everything Changes, by Clare Helen Welsh/Illustrated by Åsa Gilland, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684644940

Ages 4-7

A family – mom, dad, child – are enjoying a summer vacation at the beach when the parents break the news: they will not be living together any longer. The child goes through a storm of emotions as his parents lovingly explain that they will both always love him. As the seasons change, the boy spends time with both parents, his thoughts and emotions churning; his parents lovingly reassure him each time: while sledding with his mother, sharing hot cocoa with his father, even meeting his mother’s new partner. At the boy’s birthday party, both sides of the family are there as he celebrates his day. Welsh’s validations will reassure readers experiencing similar challenges: “I know things won’t always be easy… but they won’t always be so hard”. The seasons changing show a passage of time that acts as a comfort, reinforcing change as a constant and that love endures. Dad appears brown-skinned, Mom is light-skinned, the child has light-rown skin and curly hair. A helpful book to have handy for collections.

Sesame Workshop has a helpful webpage with resources for dealing with divorce.

picture books, Preschool Reads

You Rule!: The best things is life are measurable in words!

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

You Rule!, by Rilla Alexander, (Apr 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797211794

Ages 3-5

Sure, you can measure quantitatively – length, width, height – but measuring things with your heart is just as important and can be incredibly descriptive. You Rule! follows a child and their dog through the day as they help a caterpillar become a butterfly. They dash through spreads filled with common kids’ questions; imaginative, effusive responses help expand emotional vocabulary: How ready are you? Responses go from “not at all” to “fired up” and “rarin” to go”; How happy are you? calls forth responses like “exhilarated”, “pretty much ok”, “pleased as punch”, and “walking on air”. Bright, bold rubber stap and digital collage illustrations create eye-catching spreads and the positive affirmations for questions and responses make this a feel-good book to read again and again. Put this one in your collections and consider posting some of the words and phrases around your children’s area to keep these uplifting ideas in front of kids.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Love is the muse in Maurice

Posted on April 11, 2023April 9, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Maurice, by Jessixa Bagley, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797211732

Ages 5-8

Maurice is a canine concert musician-turned-busker, motivated by love in this moving tale about the ultimate inspiration. Introducing Maurice as a musician who once played to large music halls until “times and things changed. They always do”, Maurice now brings joy to everyone around him as a street musician. He lives a quiet, kind life and draws inspiration from the many birds who share his apartment: “Though his own joys were small, they were his whole world”. He has named them all; he speaks lovingly to all of them, and they inspire him. Sadly, as “the melody of life change[s] once more”, Maurice’s busking cup runs dry and he must let the birds go, leaving his heart empty. Bagley’s stunning gatefold spread shows the beauty the birds flying off into the sunset and the devastation on Maurice’s face as he watches them leave. Moving toward a resolution, we learn that “hearts remember” kindness. In concert, Maurice is surrounded in the darkness of the concert hall and alone under the spotlight; as a busker, he is bathed in warm colors, surrounded by other canines who delight in his music, really delivering the message that Maurice is motivated by love and sharing his gift. A good choice for collections.

Maurice received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Love Made Me More imbues objects with love and magic

Posted on January 20, 2023January 19, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Love Made Me More, by Colleen Rowan Kosinski/Illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, (Dec 2022, Two Lions), $17.99, ISBN: 9781542006200

Ages 4-7

A boy and with brown skin and dark hair, and his grandmother with tan skin and greying hair sit at a table, folding origami cranes. The boy’s paper – “just a piece of paper – orange with white and blue spots” – transforms into Origami Crane, and his love for his Boy runs deeply. The feeling is mutual, as we see Origami Crane provide friendship and comfort, imagination and adventure. As the boy grows older, he and Crane go on fewer adventures, and when a new person enters the Boy’s life, Crane is momentarily upset: and then the Crane discovers that love can multiply, not divide. A superb story of the magic we give objects, Love Made Me More spans generations and illustrates the passage of rituals. Uncomplicated storytelling, narrated by the Crane, is moving and creates an invested relationship between the Crane and the Boy; children and adults alike will understand the relationship and the meaning of the phrase, “Love has made me so much more”: it’s the love, the memories, the feelings, that create our investment with certain objects. Digital illustrations have a hand-colored feel. The Crane gives off a warm glow during time spent with the Boy. Bright oranges and deep greens bring the spreads to life, and movement swirls around each spread: pieces of paper, dream journeys, tendrils of light. An excellent readaloud choice, Love Made Me More allows for discussions on our favorite objects and the memories they hold for us.

The Spruce Crafts has step-by-step instructions on folding a paper crane, complete with photos and a video.

Love Made Me More has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Colleen Rowan Kosinski is the author of A Home Again and the author-illustrator of Lilla’s Sunflowers and A Promise Stitched in Time. She received her BA from Rutgers University in visual art, is an alumna of Philadelphia’s Moore College of Art and Design, and spent many years as a successful freelance fine artist. Colleen calls New Jersey her home and resides there with her family. Learn more at http://www.colleenrowankosinski.com.

Sonia Sánchez is the illustrator of a number of picture books, including Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg Medina, A Crazy-Much Love by Joy Jordan-Lake, and The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier. Her books have been nominated for the Eisner Award and named a CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. She lives with her husband, her kids, and a sleepyhead cat in Barcelona, Spain.

Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Tales from the TBR: The Kids Under the Stairs

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Rosemary Kiladitis

More reporting as I continue scaling Mount TBR. Two years ago, I read BenBee and the Teacher Griefer; the first in a new series from KA Holt. The Minecraft-looking cover art and storyline drew me in – I’m a kids’ librarian and a mom, Minecraft and Roblox is allllll around me – and seriously, a KA Holt book is an exciting time. I loved BenBee, and finally made time to read the next two books in the series. Folx, I am a fan.

Ben Y and The Ghost in the Machine: The Kids Under the Stairs, by KA Holt, (Sept. 2021, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781452183213

Ages 10-14

The second Kids Under the Stairs book puts Ben Y on center stage: Ben Y, Benita, whose older brother, Benito, helped create Sandbox and communicated with her via Sandbox chat. and whose recent sudden death has her reeling. She still logs into chat to talk to him, but one night, someone responds. Who knows about Benito’s and Ben Y’s secret chat? Grief and recovery are major plot drivers in Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine, and equally strong subplots about gender identity, dress coding, and journalism drive this brilliant story. Ben Y narrates most of the story, with appearances from the other Kids Under the Stairs: BenBee, Jordan, Javier, and Ms. J, the lovable teacher-turned-librarian who runs the “Newspaper Typing Club”, the new name for the Sandbox club. The introduction of a new character, Ace, keeps the narrative even more interesting and adds a drop of conflict. The story narrative pairs with Sandbox interactions to keep readers engaged. Ben Y’s writing is in verse, with other character interactions emphasized with italics and written in straight prose. Chat room interactions are presented as block text interactions and set off with black-framed pages. The Kids Under the Stairs is an excellent series that examines issues facing tweens and young teens and features brilliant portrayals of neurodiverse people. Download a free teacher guide to the book at Chronicle’s book detail page.

Ben Y and The Ghost in the Machine has a starred review from Kirkus.

Jordan J and the Truth About Jordan J: The Kids Under the Stairs, by KA Holt, (Sept. 2021, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781452183213

Ages 10-14

It’s Jordan’s turn, and I am psyched! Jordan’s energy and honest enthusiasm made this my favorite book in the Kids Under the Stairs series so far. Jordan loves a competitive dance show, Fierce Across America; as such, he obsessively talks about it and even writes a column about it in the school newspaper – it doesn’t go well, because Jordan is a little too honest in his opinions about the school’s dance team and where they stand in reference to Fierce Across America hosts and dancers. Things change when Fierce Across America tryouts come to the Kids’ town in Florida, and Casey Price – one of Jordan’s schoolmates – asks him to choreograph a winning routine to advance her through the competition. Subplots on Jordan and Javier connecting through an art class and family financial stress meet many readers where they’re at, addressing issues that they can understand and work through. Jordan’s voice is exuberant and sweet, hesitant and apologetic, as he navigates situations; storytelling takes place in Sandbox chat rooms, through notes drawn on artwork from the “old lady art class” Jordan and Javier take together, school newspapers, Jordan’s notes to his therapist, and Jordan’s own storytelling. Boo-yah!

Download a free teacher guide at Chronicle’s book detail page.