Reviews written by Beth Rodgers, Staff Reviewer

‘The Blueberry Balladeer’ by Andrew Frodahl is a tale of truth and discovering one’s self-worth. When Darcy Pickens plays a nasty trick on a friend to damage her reputation, she finds herself in hot water. With eighth grade finally over and ninth grade looming, her parents send her away for...

‘The Baker by the Sea’ by Paula White contains beautiful images that paint a provocative picture of how the roles people play in a town are all important, no matter how they might seem to the naked eye. The young boy in the story is enthralled by the fishermen. He...

‘Symphony for a Broken Orchestra: How Philadelphia Collected Sounds to Save Music’ by Amy Ignatow, illustrated by Gwen Millward, shows how the power of music, even through unconventional means, can bring about newfound possibilities. When it is discovered that schools in Philadelphia are chock full...

‘Brothers in Arms: A True World War II Story of Wojtek the Bear and the Soldiers Who Loved Him’ by Susan Hood, illustrated by Jamie Green, tells the story of an untraditional war hero. When Wojtek joined the troops, he learned to walk just as they did, to be friends...

‘The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense’ by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Julia Rothman, combines definitions, Morse Code, comics, news articles, recipes, hieroglyphs, crosswords, haikus, and more, in expertly wacky fashion, to create a book that contains exactly what the title implies—nonsense! ...

‘The Capitol: A Meet the Nation’s Capitol Book’ by Lindsay Ward contains easy to follow wording and pictures that emphasize what is happening on each page. With fun facts on many pages, including information such as how Congress first met in the Capitol building on November 17, 1800, to the...

‘The Zee Files: A Very Malibu Vacay’ by Tina Wells takes Zee Carmichael back from her new home across the pond to sunny California, where she will spend Christmas with her family. While she’s excited about the trip and meeting up with best friends Chloe and Ally while there (since...

‘The Zee Files: Girl/Friend’ by Tina Wells launches Zee into the world of being a girlfriend, but she’s not quite sure how she likes it. Archie seems needy at times, and Zee doesn’t know if being with him is right for her. She does know how she feels when she’s...

‘What About the Universe: An Illustrated Q&A Book for Kids’ by Bertrand Fichou, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre, asks the questions all kids (and even adults!) have about the universe and its infinite wonder. From how planets and stars get their names to learning exactly what the Milky Way is (no,...

‘Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures’ by Arnaud Roi, illustrated by Charlotte Molas, includes ten awesome pop-ups, from land creatures to those in the sea. Each page names the dinosaur, along with the time period and region in which it lived, its maximum size and weight, and a paragraph of detail...

‘The Cool Code; by Deirdre Langeland, illustrated by Sarah Mai, is a graphic novel that does a nice job capturing not only the angst of being a teenager, but the desire to find a way out of that angst. For her whole life, main character Zoey has been homeschooled, but...

‘Surely Surely Marisol Rainey’ by Erin Entrada Kelly follows Marisol and her best friend, Jada, as they try to navigate the perils of elementary school gym. The fact that they have to play kickball is not something Marisol wants to remember, but lo and behold, her gym teacher is dedicating...

‘My First Guide to Weather’ by Camilla de la Bedoyere, illustrated by Cinyee Chiu, delves into all aspects of the weather, including, but not limited to, how weather is defined, changes in weather, weather around the world, extreme conditions, and a handy glossary at the end of the book. ...

‘Snoopy’s Book of Joy’ by Patty Michaels, based on the work of Charles M. Schulz, and illustrated by Scott Jeralds, is an adorably illustrated board book replete with the Peanuts characters. From Snoopy and Charlie Brown’s hug on the opening page of the book, to Snoopy’s adventures with Woodstock, to...

‘This Book Is Not a Present’ by Max Greenfield, illustrated by Mike Lowery, is a funny story, perfect for readers who love silliness, in the vein of ‘The Book with No Pictures’ by B.J. Novak. The narrator of the book is adamant and wants readers to know that despite the...