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All the latest reviews from the official YABC Team.

Kid Review: My First Finger Puppet: Moo! Moo! By Laura Silveira

June 3rd, 2026 by Jan Farnworth, Digital Manager/Blog Assistant and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

This mini board book for children ages 2-5, which features an adorable, soft cow finger puppet, invites little ones to play and interact on the farm!

Young readers ages 2-5 will love to explore this mini board book, which features an adorable, soft cow finger puppet. Children will meet the animals that live on a farm and learn the sounds they make. Join Cow as she visits Hen, sees the tractor pulling straw, and says hello to Pig in the mud puddle! Full-color photographs, simple text, and a repetitive refrain are ideal for babies and toddlers.

Review Contributed By Olivia Farr, Staff Reviewer

entertaining, interactive board book

MY FIRST FINGER PUPPET: MOO! MOO! is a delightful, interactive board book that takes toddlers on a journey around the farm. The book features other animals and things from the farm (such as a tractor) that make sounds, with the repeating phrase of the cow saying moo. A finger puppet cow travels through the book for some interactive fun.

What I loved: This is a cute, interactive board book, perfect for children who enjoy animal sounds. The repetitive phrasing and simple sentences are ideal for toddlers/young readers. The illustrations add to the fun of the story with the cow appearing on every page along with another animal (or tractor) making basic sounds. With a toddler who loves sound words, this one has been a particular hit!

The book is easy to read and use. The cow is made to fit a finger into and can be wiggled around while reading. The book itself is very small, so it is easy to hold/balance while reading. Very thick board book pages are easy to turn around the cow and made to withstand play.

Final verdict: MY FIRST FINGER PUPPET: MOO! MOO! is a fun and entertaining board book, perfect for toddlers who love the farm and animal sounds!

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Kids Review: Guess How Much I Love You: Counting (Sam McBratney)

June 3rd, 2026 by Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

Count from one to five with curious Little Nutbrown Hare as he explores the world around him with wise Big Nutbrown Hare. See and feel dandelions, frogs, butterflies, leaves, and bedtime stars in this interactive board book, which encourages the very young to count things in each illustration.

*Review Contributed by Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*

The pages of this book seem extra thick, so will hold up to the most agressive infant chewing, and since there are few pages to turn, and few words on each page, this will be in frequent rotation by parents who have set a limit on number of books, not number of pages! Since the hares are always cuddly and adorable, the short length won’t deter youngsters from gravitating to this book.

There’s no shortage of counting books, and there are even many that go along with popular picture book franchises like Willem’s The Pigeon Won’t Count to Ten, Martin, Sampson, and Ehlert’s Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3, and Yolen and Teague’s How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten. Learning numbers with the Little Nutbrown Hare will have a strong nostalgic appeal to parents who grew up with the original 1988 book.

Good Points

The Big Nutbrown Hare and the Little Nutbrown Hare from Guess How Much I Love You and other stories are back! In a sturdy board book for the youngest readers, the two count a number of things. A dandelion for blowing, two frogs, three butterflies, and four leaves all allow the two to frolic on the page. Counting five stars at the end of the book allows the two to say goodnight and snuggle down for some well deserved rest.

*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*

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Middle-Grade Review: Running Back to You By Sarah Henning

June 3rd, 2026 by Jan Farnworth, Digital Manager/Blog Assistant and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

A usually-honest middle schooler fibs about having been kissed then rushes to lock lips with someone before her lie is uncovered in this charming and relatable middle grade rom-com.

Millie hates liars. Ever since her mom lied to their family about the six-month affair she was having, Millie has pledged to always tell the truth, no matter what. But when her classmate Logan asks her—in the middle of study hall with everyone listening—whether she’s kissed anyone, she panics. She panics and lies, saying she has.

Afterward, Millie spirals. She hasn’t only broken her most important rule, she’s done it badly. Millie’s sure everyone knows she was fibbing. The only way out is to make reality catch up to her lies by changing her kiss status and getting a boyfriend…as quickly as possible.

But Millie’s mission keeps getting foiled by Logan, who suddenly seems to be there at every turn. Millie starts to wonder why Logan cares so much in the first place. Could it be that when he asked about her first kiss, it wasn’t to embarrass her at all?

Review Contributed By Beth Rodgers, Staff Reviewer

Twists and Turns

Running Back to You” by Sarah Henning follows main character Millie as she struggles to find her way out of a lie and get her first kiss. When a guy in her class, Logan, asks if she’s ever kissed anyone, she doesn’t want to tell the truth, so she goes with the answer that is least embarrassing, despite the fact that it’s a flat-out lie. When a video goes viral and becomes part of the high school gossip mill, it takes all that Millie has to keep it together. Lying is not something she wants to do—in fact, she prides herself on being painfully honest.

Her best friend, Hannah, thinks that finding a way out of Millie’s lie involves making it turn into the truth, so she works with Millie to plan the ultimate redemption—a first kiss that will make everyone forget there was ever a lie to begin with. When they decide that Caleb is the guy she should have this kiss with, it isn’t as easy as it might have been, especially because Caleb happens to be Millie’s twin brother’s best friend and she’s known him forever. This, coupled with the fact that Logan keeps showing up everywhere she goes, makes it quite difficult to get that first kiss. However, as she gets to know Caleb in a different light and Logan keeps appearing randomly, she realizes that her expectations—and even her desires—are possibly taking a turn, and she doesn’t quite know what to make of that.

This middle grade contemporary romance has its share of twists and turns that are not always expected, but they keep readers on their toes, interested till the last page.

Good Points

This middle grade contemporary romance has its share of twists and turns that are not always expected, but they keep readers on their toes, interested till the last page.

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YA Review: The Hyacinth Labyrinth (Jamie Pacton)

June 3rd, 2026 by Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

A whimsical adventure full of magic, fantastical road trips, and a sapphic slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance—for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

All magic begins in stories. That’s what Fae princess Hyacinth has always been told. As the unmagical daughter of Queen Mab, Hyacinth has never fit in at her mother’s court. She hopes that if she learns about her father, who disappeared fifteen years ago, she can finally learn more about herself.

When Hyacinth and her friend Chloe—a human stablehand trapped in Fae—sneak off to a riverside night market, Hyacinth learns that her father was last seen heading to a library at the heart of a treacherous labyrinth. The problem: The labyrinth was built long ago by three goddesses, and no one has ever returned from it.

Still, Hyacinth has to try.

With the help of Chloe and a tiny dragon named Coffee, she defies Queen Mab and sets off into the wilds of the Moonshadow Kingdom. Along the way they face bandits, magical creatures, a centuries-old human who hosts an Endless Ball, and Hyacinth and Chloe’s growing feelings for each other. Meanwhile, an ancient power lies in wait at the center of the labyrinth, and it is eager to write the girls’ ending.

A lush, fairycore, sapphic YA fantasy that returns readers to the Fae world introduced in Jamie Pacton’s bestselling novel The Absinthe Underground!

Perfect for readers who love Sapphic Slow-Burn, Friends-to-Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, Princess/Lady Knight, Bodyguard Romance, Fae/Human Relationships, Only One Bed, and Stories Are Magic!

*Review Contributed by Evren Dodd, Staff Reviewer*

THE HYACINTH LABYRINTH is a YA book that follows Hyacinth, a Fae princess, and Chloe, a human disguised as a common Fae, as they head out on a journey. Hyacinth is seeking out her father who disappeared 15 years ago. Chloe is hoping to find a portal that will take her back home to her sister after being trapped in Fae. Will they succeed? And will emotions develop along their journey?

It’s been decided: I am a sucker for a cozy yet adventurous fantasy story. Stakes are present, but the overall vibe appears to be very light-hearted and fun. This book has an excellent balance of those elements. There’s humor and sweet romance scenes, but there are also battles and puzzles to be solved. It combines to make a fun read that had me enraptured.

Chloe and Hyacinth both get POV chapters and that allows the reader to see into both of their heads. Hyacinth and Chloe have different personalities and backgrounds, so they take to the world around them differently. It’s interesting to see how the two of them handle the world around them and the situations that they get into.

Hyacinth is an amazing character and I think one of my favorite characters ever written by Jamie Pacton. Something about her managed to strike a perfect chord with me and I fell in love with her from the very beginning. She’s a sweet character, but she also has layers to her depth and she grows along the way. By the end of the book she feels like a different character than she had at the beginning, not a total opposite but someone more sure of who they are and where their place in the world is.

Chloe felt a bit more stagnant to me, like most of her growing had already happened by the start of the book, but she was no less interesting. She’s driven and fun.

The romance between the two was endearing. I like a good rivals/enemies to lovers as much as the next, but something about friends to lovers always manages to hit me in the feel. Chloe and Hyacinth are already close at the beginning of the story, having even kissed just prior to the start, and it lets the romance feel sweeter somehow. It’s not always an easy romance, but there’s something so genuine and sweet about it.

Jamie Pacton managed to craft a world that I would both love and hate to live in. It feels so vibrant and full of life and magic, each scene pouring out of the pages and pulling me into the world. But it’s also brimming with danger. There’s darkness that lingers in the story and in the world.

I don’t want to spoil anything as I think this book is better to read blind, so I’ll have to give brief notes on the plot. Personally, I thought the plot moved at a pretty solid pace. It had slower moments and quicker moments, but they didn’t feel out of place. The plot does meander a bit, it’s not just a straightforward ride from point A to point B. This allows more aspects of the world to be shown and side characters galore to pop up.

THE HYACINTH LABRYINTH is a fantasy road trip through the realm as Chloe and Hyacinth search for a way back to their families, while trying to figure out their growing feelings for each other.

*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*

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Middle-Grade Review: Harper and the Horse Show Sabotage (Windy Creek Stables #2) (Kaitlyn Sage Patterson)

June 3rd, 2026 by Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

In Harper and the Horse Show Sabotage, the second book in the charming middle grade Windy Creek Stables series from author Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, Harper and Presley must uncover the mystery behind who is undermining the stables before it’s too late!

Every year, the team at Windy Creek Stables packs up the trailer and makes the trip to the famous Kentucky Horse Park for the best and biggest horse show of the year. Usually, the competition is Harper’s favorite thing in the world, and she can’t wait to show off for her new best friend, Presley, who is competing for the first time. This year, though, she’s more than a little nervous. It’s her first time competing against her old barn, Foxcroft Equestrian Center, and she isn’t looking forward to seeing the mean girls who still ride there. Her anxiety only increases when she gets a midnight call that Isolde, her beautiful grey Andalusian mare, is sick.

Luckily, Isolde recovers, but when another Windy Creek Stables horse starts to show signs of illness, Harper and Presley know something is up. One sick horse is just a sick horse, but two sick horses are a mystery. The girls must don their detective hats and figure out who’s sabotaging the stables before anything else happens . . . and ace their competition as well, of course!

*Review Contributed by Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*

Harper is excited to be attending a competition at the Kentucky Horse Park, but is apprehensive about seeing riders with whom she worked at her previous stable, since they were so mean to her. She loves working with her friend Presley, and is eager to introduce her to competition. Harper’s sister Marnie is creating content for Young Rider, an equestrian magazine, and is hoping to interview an Olympic rider who is at the competition. Natalie, the daughter of Tracie, who owns Windy Creek, is along for the competition, but a bit apprehensive, since she is very allergic to horses. Harper is eager to compete with Isolde, so when her horse is colicking in the middle of the night, she is disappointed that the two can’t take part, although the health of her horse is the most important thing. When another horse comes down with similar symptoms, the girls decide to investigate to see if something nefarious is going on. The girls from Foxcroft Stables are incredibly mean to both Harper and Presley, even stooping to racial comments, since Presley is black. Are the girls so competitive that they would stoop to sabotage? With the help of Marnie, Harper and her friends identify the culprits and get footage of them. How will this affect the competition?

Good Points

This is a great book for horse fans, and has tons of details about caring for horses, competition, and even equipment and clothing. There’s some diversity with Harper and Minerva’s two mothers, and even a tattooed Olympic athlete. The covers are great, and I’m sure that my readers who love horses will be looking forward to the third volume, Natalie and the Summer of Surprises (May 12, 2026).

There are some great new books about equestrian pursuits, like Burkhart’s Saddle Hill Academy or Canterwood Crest series, Farley’s The Phantom Stallion book, or Hapka’s Marguerite Henry’s Ponies of Chincoteague, but Windy Creek Stables captures all of the drama of vintage series like Pony Pals, The Saddle Club, or Thoroughbred while still feeling updated and relevant.

*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*

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Kids Review: My Cuddly Ili Pika (Finger Puppet Pals) (Samantha Sweeney)

June 3rd, 2026 by Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

A cozy, rhyming board book for children ages 2-5 with an adorable ili pika finger puppet.

A friend joins in my favorite games–
we’re buddies through and through.
Your friendship means the world to me.
I’ll always pika you!

An ili pika is an adorable animal sometimes described as a bunny with a teddy bear face–and the inspiration for the Pikachu character. One such delightful ili pika plays a starring role in this interactive, cozy board book. This hands on story features simple rhyming text and an adorable, soft ili pika finger puppet. Young readers will love to watch Ili Pika interact with friends as they play games and share hugs!

With Finger Puppet Pals, children will love to explore the plush finger puppet that shows through the cover and appears on each page of these hands-on board books, which encourage interactive play and motor skill development.

*Review Contributed by Olivia Farr, Staff Reviewer*

A cozy, rhyming board book for children ages 2-5 with an adorable ili pika finger puppet.

A friend joins in my favorite games–
we’re buddies through and through.
Your friendship means the world to me.
I’ll always pika you!

*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*

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Kid Review: I Love You, Axolotl: A finger puppet book (Finger Puppet Pals) By Danielle McLean

June 2nd, 2026 by Jan Farnworth, Digital Manager/Blog Assistant and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

A cozy, rhyming board book for children ages 2-5 with an adorable axolotl finger puppet.

Thanks for telling me I’m loved,
no matter what I do.
I love you, Axolotl,
and I know you love me, too!

Axolotls are cute salamanders with big, smiley faces who are enjoying a wave of popularity. One such delightful axolotl plays a starring role in this interactive, cozy board book. This hands on story features simple rhyming text and an adorable, soft axolotl finger puppet. Young readers will love to watch Axolotl interact with friends.

Review Contributed By Olivia Farr, Staff Reviewer

cute finger puppet board book

I LOVE YOU, AXOLOTL is a sweet interactive board book that toddlers will enjoy. The book consists of phrases about care and consideration that add up to a message of love between listener and reader. An axolotl finger puppet pokes through a die-cut circle on each page for added fun.

What I loved: This is a sweet book with messages of love. The best part of the book is the finger puppet that is easily worked through the thick board book pages. It can be wiggled to the delight of toddlers and makes the book feel interactive. Each page has a sentence about care and love that convey a message between reader and listener, feeling quite sweet. The surrounding images work well with good use of color and details.

What left me wanting more: The book does not really read as a story. While the messages are very sweet, they seem to be messages from a little one (such as “thanks for teaching kindness”) and feel more like a gift book, which may not be quite what readers expect. It is still very sweet.

Final verdict: I LOVE YOU, AXOLOTL is a sweet finger puppet board book that toddlers will enjoy.

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Kid Review: Supergrannies by Mónica Carretero

June 2nd, 2026 by Jan Farnworth, Digital Manager/Blog Assistant and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

In a secret place on the outskirts of town, there is a house inhabited by a group of adorable grannies.

They tell incredible stories because…

There is a secret place where some very special grannies live. At first glance, they seem sweet and affectionate… but in reality, they have an amazing secret: they have superpowers!

When their grandchildren visit them, they not only find hugs and cookies, but also the most incredible stories they could ever imagine! In this hilarious illustrated album, you will discover their mysterious secret names, their impressive magical powers, and their exceptional superpets, who are as brave and surprising as they are.

Together they form the most amazing team, capable of defeating any villain. Because, between flying croquettes and balls of yarn, these super grandmas can handle anything!

Top-secret information that you can discover page after page, with countless curious and fun details.

Do you dare to enter their world and discover them?

An original picture book that will bring a smile to the faces of little ones and those who are still young at heart.

Review Contributed By Adrien Carter, Staff Reviewer

Funny Story about Grannies and their Superpowers

There’s a house just on the outskirts of town that has many grannies who share incredible stories. The grannies all have their own superpowers and combined they are an amazing team that can defeat all villains.

What I Liked: This book opens by introducing you to each of the grannies, their superpowers, and their disguises. Once you’ve met each of the grandmas the action begins as burglers approach and the supergrannies spring into action to save the day. This book has a great balance of humor and love with the exciting scene that unfolds at the closing of the story.

The illustrations do a great job of highlighting the supergrannies unique designs and disguises making it easy to distinguish which granny is whom. The illustrations are vibrant and colorful to keep a younger audience’s attention. It was fascinating to learn about the grannies and the format they are introduced in feels like we are reading cold cases.

Final Verdict: Supergrannies is a sweet book highlighting the superpowers that grannies have that will make you ponder what superpowers your own granny has. This book is perfect for children ages 4 and up who will enjoy the vibrant colors and unique designs of the grannies. This unique book is perfect for those looking to show children the amazing things that grannies can do in order to teach them to embrace their grannies.

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Middle-Grade Review: Stream By Aida Salazar

June 2nd, 2026 by Jan Farnworth, Digital Manager/Blog Assistant and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

Newly graduated 8th graders Celi and Elio don’t know each other, but after a catfishing incident in their Oakland, California, community goes viral, both sets of parents discover their recent screen overuse. Independently, they have the “brilliant” idea to ship the kids off to the same rancho in Mexico for two months, thinking it will help them reconnect with themselves.

In the middle of nowhere―without internet, electricity, or even running water―the two meet and bond over their miserable fates: Celi is forced to spend her days helping in a primitive healing clinic with her eccentric tías while Elio carts sticks and logs to rehabilitate a river. But day by day, amidst the stark beauty and cultural richness of rural Mexico, with crushes blooming, Celi and Elio each shed a little of their online selves and begin to understand what it means to embrace nature, connect to culture, and cultivate authenticity.

Review Contributed By Rachel Moulden, Staff Reviewer

A Journey of Reflection and Self-Growth

Stream is a wonderful story that blends themes of rediscovering the natural world along with a coming-of-age narrative. This novel in verse manages to seamlessly move back and forth between the two povs of main characters, Celi and Elio. Because of screen addictions and consequences of technology that play out in their neighborhood they are forced to spend a summer in Mexico away from it all. What starts out as despair quickly turns into wonder as the two embrace the unknown of their journey.

Reading this novel in verse felt lyrical due to Salar’s writing voice. She has such a way of immersing the reader in the story and putting themselves into Celi and Elio’s shoes. Because we live in a technology-filled world this novel is a reminder for us to log off, go outside, and enjoy life’s smallest moments. Celi and Elio work through their feelings of isolation and internal self-doubt. Through their hard work they come to realize they are a part of something greater and end up having a deeper understanding of their culture.

Though this novel does feature characters from Salazar’s previous novels, you do not need to have read them to enjoy it. It’s fast paced and filled with many relatable themes that its intended reading audience (middle grade) and older can enjoy. I appreciated how the novel balances humor with important life lessons that we can take away from the novel. I found cultural aspects to be my favorite part of the book and all the ancestral traditions Celi and Elio learn about.

The romance is very sweet and doesn’t take away from the main message of the story either. I think this novel overall does a great job of covering modern dilemmas of growing older, puberty, and finding your identity. It’s such an inspiring and moving novel.

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YA Review: The Secret World of Briar Rose (Cindy Pham)

June 2nd, 2026 by Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer

About This Book:

One hundred years have passed since the last heir of Gyldan fell into eternal slumber and doomed the once-mighty kingdom to poverty and invasion. At least, that’s what the fairy tales claim.

Corin is a jaded thief who doesn’t believe in fables, even when she searches Gyldan’s underground tunnels to find her younger sister, Elly, who ran away to find the sleeping princess in hopes of a better life. Corin’s conviction is challenged when she discovers the ruins of the ancient castle, maintained by beings from the kingdom’s golden age, who protect a hidden portal into Princess Amelia’s subconscious. Following Elly’s voice, Corin jumps in the portal and seals the entry behind her.

Inside the lush world of Amelia’s dreams, the sisters reunite for a new adventure as they meet Briar Rose, Amelia’s whimsical alter ego, and Malicine, a sharp-tongued demon with a gift for magic. But as they explore ice castles, sunflower mazes, and star-filled oceans, Corin suspects Briar Rose is hiding darker secrets behind her “perfect” paradise – and that there are some things her subconscious can’t bury forever.

*Review Contributed by Katelyn McCall, Staff Reviewer*

YES! YES! TO ALL THESE QUEER FAIRY TALE RETELLIGNS!

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham is a YA queer fairy tale retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” that explores the themes of escapism and grief. 100 years have passed since the last heir of Gyldan fell into eternal slumber and doomed the once-mighty kingdom into poverty and invasion. At least, that’s what the fairy tales claim. Corin is a jaded thief who doesn’t believe in fables, even when she searches Gyldan’s underground tunnels to find her younger sister, Elly, who ran away to find the sleeping princess in hopes of a better life. Corin’s conviction is challenged when she discovers the ruins of the ancient castle, maintained by beings from the kingdom’s golden age, who protect a hidden portal into princess Amelia’s subconscious. Following Elly’s voice, Corin jumps in the portal and seals the entry behind her. Inside the lush world of Amelia’s dreams, the sisters reunite for a new adventure as they meet Briar Rose, Amelia’s whimsical alter ego, and Malicine, a sharp-tongued demon with a gift for magic. But as they explore ice castles, sunflower mazes, and star-filled oceans, Corin suspects Briar Rose is hiding darker secrets behind her “perfect” paradise – and that there are some things their subconscious can’t bury forever.

Listen. I LOVE fairy tale retellings, I literally wrote my master’s thesis on the topic of fairy tales and how to write a ya retelling. So when I was given the option to read this book ahead of it’s publication, I literally screamed. Because not only is a retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” (ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE FAIRY TALES) but it subverted the expectations set upon the reader by not only presenting a queer romance, but instead of creating a world in the physical fantasy world, but in the mental world (ie. dream world) or Briar Rose. So anything is literally possible. Which I highly appreciated as it allowed a lot of expectations to be subverted.

One thing that tripped me up, was the general writing style. I am not one that grew up watching Pham’s Youtube videos, so I was unfamiliar with her content going into this book. (Which didn’t help nor hinder in my honest opinion). But her writing style tended to lean heavily on metaphors instead of concrete details, which left me wondering what was actually happening throughout.

Regardless, this book warmed my heart. And I am eternally grateful for getting a chance to read it ahead of it’s publication.

*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*

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