Monthly Archives: January 2024

Elem. – Always Sisters: A Story of Loss and Love

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Mir, Saira.  Always Sisters: A Story of Loss and Love. Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 978-1-665-90156-7. Unpaged.  $18.99.  Grades 1-3.

Raya and Samir are young siblings who are eagerly awaiting the birth of their new sister. Her name will be Nura, which means “beautiful light” in Arabic. The brother and sister discuss all the wonderful plans they have for her. They will play dress-up, eat ice cream, take her on piggyback rides and watch cartoons together. One day their parents go for a checkup with the doctor and are very sad when they return. Mama and Baba gently break the news of the pregnancy loss to the children, telling them that Nura will not be coming home. Understandably, older sister Raya is sad and confused.  Her parents console their daughter and suggest that she share the love she feels for Nura with others. So Raya draws pictures and participates in a group counseling with other children who have experienced loss. Together the family plants a tree in the baby’s memory.  The tree reminds them that Nura will always have a place in their hearts. The softly colored chalk pastel and watercolor illustrations by Maydani create a comforting and reassuring tone. In the author’s note, Mir explains that her reason for writing this book was her own family’s experience with pregnancy loss. She hopes that this story will provide support for children who are also suffering with such a loss.

THOUGHTS: This poignant story is an important contribution to bibliotherapeutic literature for those who are grieving. The text handles the topic in a sensitive and approachable way for young children. Share this one with counselors, teachers, or parents. 

Picture Book

Elem. – Big

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Harrison, Vashti. Big. Little Brown and Company. 978-0-316-35322-9. 32 p. $19.99. Grades K-3. 

When you’re young, hearing that you’re “a big girl” is a compliment. People marvel when you grow and become independent. Being big is good, until it isn’t. This story chronicles an unnamed girl’s experience with body image and ultimately, self-acceptance. She is a dancer, and pink words, including “caring,” “graceful,” “smart,” “creative,” “kind,” and “imaginative” float around her. However, as she grows older, she also becomes conscious of others’ reactions to her and the words they use to describe her. “Whale,” “moose,” “cow,” and “too big” float around her in black, and these words make her feel small. The words sting, and they’re hard to forget. The young girl begins to feel out of place, and her self-esteem plummets. She finally lets all her emotions out and makes the brave choice to hold on to the affirming pink words and hand the hurtful black ones back. The final spread features her dancing peacefully and confidently, once again comfortable in her own body. The predominantly pink illustrations are created digitally and with chalk pastels, and the main character is the only one portrayed in color – all other adults and children appear in shades of brown and gray in the background. 

THOUGHTS: This is a book to share with guidance counselors as they discuss ideas like body image and self-esteem with students. It could also be used during Morning Meetings to tackle topics such as the lasting or harmful impact our words can have on others. 

Picture Book

Elem. – Cone Dog

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Howden, Sarah. Cone Dog. Illustrated by Carmen Mok. Owlkids Books, 2023. 978-1-771-47514-3. $18.95. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2.

When Emma comes home from the vet with a plastic cone on her head, she is very perturbed. The cone makes digging more difficult, and it makes the other dogs stare at her. All she wants to do is lay around and sulk. Before long, however, a game of catch leads to a surprising discovery: there are actually benefits that come from wearing the cone! For instance, Emma is able to catch more than one ball at a time. Best of all, she is able to use the cone in a creative, hilarious way to scare off Keith, the sneaky neighborhood squirrel who loves to tease her. Maybe the cone isn’t so bad after all! But will Emma be okay when it’s finally time to take the cone off?

THOUGHTS: This humorous story is a great selection for young animal lovers. Readers will appreciate its subtle message about finding the silver lining and making the best of any situation. For double the fun, pair it with Cone Cat (2020), another amusing story by the same author/illustrator team.

Picture Book

Elem. – Gift & Box

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Mayer, Ellen. Gift & Box. Illustrated by Brizida Magro. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 978-0-593-37761-1. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2.

When Grandma places her granddaughter’s gift into a box, the gift and box become a package. Together, they take a voyage through the postal system. Throughout this journey, they encounter many obstacles, including bumps, seasickness, and smelly exhaust fumes. However, they eventually reach their destination and bring great pleasure and excitement to a young girl named Sofia. They say their goodbyes to each other, but are ultimately in for a delightful surprise.

THOUGHTS: Not only is this a lovely story of friendship, but it also provides readers with insight into how packages get from one place to another. It would be the perfect story to read before taking a field trip to the post office. Another idea would be to pair it with Antoinette Portis’s Not a Box (2006) or Kim Smith’s Boxitects (2019) and encourage students to come up with their own cardboard box creations, as Sofia does with the box at the end of the story.

Picture Book

YA – Kin: Rooted in Hope

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Weatherford, Carole Boston. Kin: Rooted in Hope. Illustrated by Jeffrey Boston Weatherford. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-1-665-91362-1. 220 p. $18.99. Grades 8-12.

Weatherford has shared her collections of lyrical poems accompanied by the powerful illustrations of Jeffrey Boston Weatherford.  The poems follow her ancestors’ stories from the time that they were forced aboard the slave ships in Africa and up to the present day in America. The reader is immersed in these stories that Weatherford has woven beautifully into a powerful tribute to their family. Her poems are told through the voices of her family as well as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.

THOUGHTS: Powerful, lyrical, such an important collection of the voices of the ancestors of the author. This is not an easy read, but a necessary one. This is a mother-son duo who put together this collection.

Historical Fiction

MG – Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life

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Steinkellner, Emma. Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life. Labyrinth Road, 2023. 978-0-593-57066-1. 220 p. $21.99. Grades 4-8.

12 year-old Nell Starkeeper lives in the magical town of Gumbling where her friends are fairies and centaurs. Her dad runs a magic star farm, and she has dreams of becoming an artist. It is her 7th grade year, and all students are assigned an apprenticeship. Nell is hoping to be assigned to Wiz Bravo – an artist. Unfortunately, she gets the “worst” assignment possible. Though that is not the only problem she is facing…the town of Gumbling is about to be sold to become an upscale resort. Will this graphic novel have a happy ending for the town and for Nell?

THOUGHTS: Such a great graphic novel. The illustrations are so vivid and fun! The students will get lost in the images looking at all the clever details.

Graphic Novel

Elem./MG – Green

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Gino, Alex. Green. Scholastic, 2023. 978-1-33877-614-0. $17.99. 224 p. Grades 3-6.

Green Gibson, a non binary student at Jung Middle School, is excited about the upcoming musical The Wizard of Oz.  The students in Spectrum, the LGBTQIA+ club, have even convinced the director to cast the roles without regard to gender to give more students a chance. Green is thrilled to be part of the stage crew, especially when they find out their crush Ronnie is also on the crew. Green and Ronnie have a blast when they hang out together in Spectrum and at play rehearsals, but Green thinks Ronnie identifies as straight, and Green is not exactly sure how to broach that subject. While Green is trying to figure out Ronnie, their body is going through its own changes, and Green isn’t sure how they feel about them. These are changes that typically happen to females, but Green doesn’t identify as either gender, so it sometimes feels like their body is betraying them. Green has to figure out where they stand with Ronnie while also embracing the complexity of puberty and the challenges that brings to a nonbinary tween.

THOUGHTS: Fans of Gino’s Melissa and Rick will enjoy revisiting the same characters found in those two books. Green’s internal dialogue can sometimes feel a little forced, but it is still a feel-good story. Gino handles the topic of gender identity with gentle care and without any graphic details.

Realistic Fiction

Elem./MG – Project F.

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DuPrau, Jeanne. Project F. Random House, 2023. 978-0-593-64380-8. $17.99. 213 p. Grades 3-7.

Keith is thirteen and living in a world where fossil fuels are no longer used for power and electricity. After all, fossil fuels destroyed the Earth, and now, hundreds of years later, Keith and his friends and family enjoy the simple pleasures of life without the destructive conveniences fossil fuels afforded their ancestors long ago. Keith learns that his aunt and uncle have passed away and his cousin, Lulu, is coming to live with his family. His parents cannot get away from work, so Keith takes the train to meet her and plans on accompanying her back to his home. On the train, he meets a man named Malcolm who gets off at a station before the stop where Lulu is waiting for him. Later, Keith realizes he has accidentally switched bags with Malcolm. Inside Malcolm’s bag, he finds written pages about something called Project F. Once he picks up Lulu, he decides to take a quick detour at Malcolm’s stop to return his bag… and possibly find out what Project F is all about. Once there, he and Lulu find out that Project F might allow people to fly! Keith is certain this will change the world. Imagine if people could fly from place to place! Seeing Keith’s enthusiasm for the invention, Malcolm decides to do a special demonstration of Project F in Keith’s hometown. Once Keith and Lulu get home, they keep Project F a secret so as not to ruin the special demonstration. But then, Keith learns what Project F uses as fuel for flying, and suddenly he is not sure if the progress of this invention is worth the destruction it may bring.

THOUGHTS: This cautionary tale about climate change and the cost of modern conveniences is timely. Students who are fans of DuPrau’s City of Ember will enjoy this book. It is a must-buy for librarians serving upper elementary and middle grade patrons.

Science Fiction

MG – Ultraviolet

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Salazar, Aida. Ultraviolet. Scholastic Press, 2024. 978-1-338-77565-5. 304 p. $18.99. Grades 6-8.

Eighth grader Elio Solis falls in love with fellow classmate Camelia, but Elio doesn’t know quite what to do with his burgeoning feelings…and his hormones. Coming from several generations of ‘machismo’ Latino men, Elio struggles to reconcile his new unregulated emotions with the need to be traditionally ‘masculine’: stoic and strong. Elio is kind and caring toward Camelia. He is the best new boyfriend he can possibly be. When Elio discovers Camelia has also started to text with a rival classmate, Chava, he seethes with anger and sorrow. Then, to make matters worse, Chava sends Elio bikini pictures of Camelia to further taunt him. Elio has a decision to make: will he fight Chava, make Camelia also feel the hurt he feels, or will Elio learn to forgive and move forward?

THOUGHTS: Ultraviolet is a fresh novel-in-verse examining the dangers of toxic masculinity, navigating romantic relationships, consent, and friendship. I truly empathize with Elio—first, with his feelings of bursting love, and later, with his angst. Salazar includes a number of timely and relevant teen topics without ever feeling didactic: lots of Elio’s thoughts are about physical changes associated with puberty, consent, social media, and gender. Yes: the words ‘cap’ and ‘rizz’ are also in there. The story is written from Elio’s sole perspective, which means we miss out on knowing exactly what Camelia is feeling except through her direct dialogue. However, standing (in discomfort) in Elio’s shoes with his conflicting feelings is quite effective. I can’t recall having read many other stories that cover these topics from a middle school cisgender boy’s perspective, and certainly not in this accessible verse format. Recommended for addition to middle school collections.

Realistic Fiction

Elem./MG – Wires Crossed

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Fantaskey, Beth. Wires Crossed. Illustrated by Oneill Jones. Clarion Books, 2024. 978-0-358-39621-5. Unpaged. $24.99. Grades 3-6.

Mia and Tariq are best friends at a STEM summer sleepaway camp. Tariq surprises Mia in the fall by moving to her hometown after his mom gets a new job. What Mia thinks will be an awesome transition takes a turn when Tariq arrives and seems…different. He’s confident and super athletic, but Tariq is still the same science-loving Tariq on the inside. Mia doesn’t know how to cope with this unexpected twist. Mia’s friendships with other classmates are also changing. Mia feels like she is in danger of being left behind. Will anything ever be the same for Mia and Tariq again?

THOUGHTS: Wires Crossed is a new graphic novel perfect for fans of stories like Awkward and Raina Telgemeier’s Smile. This new realistic graphic novel is about those little growing pains of middle school: shifting friendships, crushes, braces, and living with quirky (and let’s face it, embarrassing) family members. Nothing outlandish happens in this book aside from those middle school growing pains, and this coming-of-age simplicity will make the novel relatable to many current middle grade readers. Recommended for addition to upper elementary and middle school collections where realistic graphic format titles are popular.

Graphic Novel