Reviews of books for children and teens.
Alice Choy has never had trouble expressing herself through song. But even she isn’t prepared when a casual night out singing karaoke with her little sister in Seoul ends with an offer to audition for one of the top K-pop entertainment companies in the world. … More Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young
Review by RJ McDaniel. Provides young readers with concrete examples of how numbers shape our lives while giving them the framework to pursue their curiosity about these numbers beyond the pages of the book. … More We Are One: How the World Adds Up by Susan Hood, illus. Linda Yan
Review by Charis Young
In Patricia Miller’s action-packed novel Sisters of the Wolf, two prehistoric young girls on the cusp of adulthood are facing struggles in their clans. … More Sisters of the Wolf by Patricia Miller-Schroeder
In A Storytelling of Ravens, author Kyle Lukoff and illustrator Natalie Nelson welcome readers into the world of unexpected, well-chosen words through fanciful narration and charming mixed-media collages. … More A Storytelling of Ravens by Kyle Lukoff, ill. Natalie Nelson
Review by MacKenzie Sewell
O’Donoghue gives readers a slow but thorough introduction to tarot and occult magic along with Maeve. The flashback to witches of the nineties, complete with the mystery of the cassette and the shopkeeper’s sister, adds a generational element that puts the magic of the world into a larger, environmental perspective. As each piece of the puzzle comes together, we start to realize just how powerful and disastrous the magic that Maeve has uncovered can be. … More All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue
Review by Kaila Johnson
Learning to write your own story can be a fun activity or a valuable lesson. In the case of Max the dog, it saves his life. … More See the Cat by David LaRochelle, illus. Mike Wohnoutka
Review by Claudine Yip
The anthology Once Upon an Eid celebrates the Muslim holiday of Eid. … More Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, ed. S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed
Review by Shyamala Parthasarathy
When sixteen-year-old Nishat comes out to her Bengali and Bangladeshi immigrant parents as a lesbian, she is met with stony silence. Things get worse when her childhood friend-turned-business rival, Flávia, sets up a henna stall for their school project. Nishat must untangle her complicated feelings about Flávia while grappling with what it means to be Muslim and gay—two identity markers that everyone tells her do not go together. … More The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Review by Jocelyne Gregory
A child yelling “Poo!” can spark terror in the hearts of parents and caregivers on long car rides, in grocery stores, and even at libraries. But if their young reader has read Whose Poo? parents might not need to be afraid. … More Whose Poo? by Daisy Bird, illustrated by Marianna Coppo
Review by Hira Peracha
In this second installment of the Last of the Gifted series, Hyw and Cat continue to manage their magical powers and find companionship in new characters. … More Water Sight by Marie Powell
YOUNG ADULTING 