Reviews written by Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer

Sunny loves living at the Del Mar Gardens affordable housing community in Monroe Heights, where her father is a manager. Her friend Haley Michaels, who is Black, lives close by, and she spends a lot of time with Mrs. Garcia and her children, who include AJ, who is developmentally disabled....

When Francisco Maghabol's father leaves his mother and sisters in early 1900s Manila, his mother is barely able to make ends meet. Francisco is sent to the US to work and send money back to the family. While missionaries and others have said that there were lots of jobs and...

It's 1929 in the Bavarian town of Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf, who is 12, is worried about his older brother, Romer. A brilliant soccer player, Romer is increasingly dissatisfied with life, and fights frequently with their father, who runs a toy factory in nearby Nuremberg that is experiencing difficulties. Rolf knows...

Modesty "Mo" Seto is twelve, and hugely involved in Taekwondo. She is especially small for her age, so finds it hard to compete with people like Dax, who is larger. When she is momentarily distracted by her father stepping outside during her competition, Dax exploits her weakness, and she ends...

Orion nature magazine collaborated with cut paper artist Nikki McClure to produce this beautifully illustrated, picture book version of Rachel Carson's 1956 script for a television programs answering the request for "something about the sky". In poetic language, Carson gave an overview of how clouds and water work together in...

Noura has just spent her first Ramadan fasting, and is very exciting to celebrate Eid. Will she be able to see the moon? Her parents are making preparations in case the celebrations can begin; frying pakoras for the evening's iftar, and preparing noodles in milk for the Eid breakfast. Noura's...

Paul Robeson was a man of many talents who overcame many adversities. Born in New Jersey in 1898 to a father who was born enslaved but became a college educated minister and a mother from a Quaker background, his life circumstances changed when he was very young. His mother passed...

Stefan and Agnes' village is covered in snow and looks completely different. The two head out to have adventures in the winter weather, clad in snowsuits and mittens and armed with birdseed. They try to identify snow covered objects, make snow angels, taste the falling snow, and track animals. They...

Once again, Charlie is on the run. Her half brother, Dante, and former agent Milana Moon are also trying to fly beneath the radar, so setting up fake passports. It's not cheap, but then, after Charlie's hacking adventures, she can afford it. This money also allows her to occasionally travel...

The Door is Open is centered around the community center in Maple Grove, New Jersey and follows the adventures of a variety of children there. Since the center is so important to the Desi community, when the building is in danger of being shut down, the children try to find...

Hocus and Pocus and the oldest and youngest of a slightly magical litter of puppies that a young witch finds and turns in to the local rescue. Because they are adorable puppies, it seems likely that they will be adopted quickly, but the two don't want to be adopted separately...

As adults, we know how to pivot when plans change, but this is an important skill for young readers to learn. Seeing Rica be grateful (in her prayer journal entries) for situations beyond her control is good modeling of this behavior, and the story points out that even though some...

Balis and Levy employed their "fly on the wall style" in Bringing Down a President, and utilize again to tell the story of McCarthy era Communist "witch hunts" through short observations about particular occurrences, which are then supported by direct quotes. These come from a variety of sources and famous...

In this sixth adventure of Fergus and Zeke, Miss Maxwell has a surprise for the students, and this mice are interested as well. She brings in apples, and asks the children where they grow. The next day, she brings in vegetables, and even pots and dirt in which the children...

A little boy is tired of riding in the baby seat on his father's bike, especially since his father is an avid cyclist with a variety of bikes. He tries his brother's old tricycle, which is an improvement, but still doesn't have two wheels. Next his father (who is always...