Reviews written by Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer

I know that middle grade authors often kill off a parent or two so that children can have unimpeded adventures, but really, how far can the average 12 year old get WITHOUT an aquamarine Cadillac? Pairing up a sometimes unwise adult with a group of kids, and putting them all...

In about June of 1940, we meet 14-year-old Lizzie Novis, who is in a difficult circumstance; her Polish born Jewis father died when she was young, her mother, who worked for the US embassy in Poland, is presumed dead, and her grandmother, who lives in Cleveland, is trying to get...

Even though Maisie and Felix get to live in a fabulous Newport, Rhode Island mansion, what the really want is to return home to New York, specifically to a time when their parents were still together and their father wasn't living in Qatar. Since their first foray into the Treasure...

Maisie and Felix Robbins' lives are upturned in an instant when their parents announce they are divorcing. Before they know it, they are whisked from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island while their father packs himself off to work at a museum in Qatar! Because an ancestor built Elm...

This oversized picture book has very little text, arranged with lots of white space on the page. THe gorillas, chimps, and apes are often centered in the middle of the page with no background, making the details of the illustrations really pop. There are not that many concepts; old and...

After going into her den for the winter to hibernate, a mother bear emerges with two small bear cubs in the spring. They must learn how to find food, leave their scent for other bears, and scratch off bugs, all foundational activities that will serve them well in their lives...

In this lyrical, heart print book, we meet Malcolm, the youngest child of Hmong refugees. In the first part of the book, we hear from the adults in his life as they describe moments where Malcolm deeply affected their lives. His mother, father, and three much older siblings discuss not...

By 1939, Atlas Wade and his father have scaled a number of mountains, since his father is a map maker who has inherited wealth. Since Atlas' mother died three years ago, Atlas accompanies his father on many of their expeditions. The newest one is a climb of Mt. Everest, something...

Immie and Jack have been friends and neighbors for years, and have a great time hanging out, watching movies the other person hates, and supporting each other at school. As they start high school, however, things start to change. For one thing, Immie finally is insistent that her mother tell...

Pavlo's mother has some great ideas for their day together, but Pavlo is in a bad mood, and nothing sounds good. Everything at the park sounds like too much. Swimming is too wet. Going to the movies isn't appealing because Pavlo would have to sit still, and he's feeling too...

A little girl catches Santa putting a candy cane on a table in her room, and has a LOT of questions for him. Has he read her letter? Has he wiped his shoes? Can she ride in his sleigh? Since Santa is magically understanding and doesn't have to worry about...

Eve has a comfortable home with her parents and two brothers, and plenty of STUFF, but she doesn't have a PictureFace Lizzy. This doll is a sort of starter cell phone that has proprietary filters, games, and videos that all of Eve's friends have access to because they often have...

A cold, snowy snap in Acorn Village's weather causes the animal inhabitants to settle in for a cozy day. Dad Rabbit shops for ingredients for a vegetable stew, and comes home to Pop Rabbit making breakfast. The rabbit children get dressed in comfy clothes. The beavers stack up firewood, the...

A little girl tells her mother the ten things that she loves best about her, describing each one. She loves the comfort of her mother's hugs, and the encouragement her mother gives her to try new things. Her mother teaches her things and does things with her, but is also...

After Kwame enters the Nkonyaa School in Rise of the Green Flame, he has to deal with two powerful calabashes being stolen by another student, Fifi. This causes many problems. In this book, only he can save the world from falling apart. He must get to the mountain and stop...