Reviews written by Beth Rodgers, Staff Reviewer

“In This Classroom” by Andrew Hacket, illustrated by Arthur Lin, makes it so that both students and teachers can feel comfortable in their classroom settings, showing that there is room for everyone to thrive, grow, and share while working together. From new friends and old...

“Left on Read” by Marissa Eller takes readers into the world of Nova, an overly ambitious high school student who is excited to take a college-level American Literature course. When she finds out that her academic rival, Hayes, is also in the class, she doesn’t quite know how it will...

“Calm” by Gail Hayes is an interesting book that allows readers to experience a “choose your own adventure” type story. Everyone has to deal with the thoughts in their heads, and sometimes those thoughts are not always the easiest to handle. Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s right and what’s...

“Abby in Between: Ready or Not” by Megan E. Bryant will keep readers engaged and flying through the pages to learn what happens to main character Abby. While Abby is happy with her life, it’s about to throw a wrench into the works. Her best...

“Cruel Summer (The Taylors Version #2) by Elizabeth Eulberg allows readers to take another peek into the lives of four best friends—Teffy, Tay, Taylor, and TS. The girls are ready to let loose and enjoy their summers with their friends and significant others, but it isn’t going to be as...

“With a Needle & Thread: A Jewish Folktale from Cuba” by Jennifer Stempel, illustrated by Libi Axelrod, tells the beautiful story of a little girl, Romi, and her grandmother. Their connection is strong and they find warmth in being together. Romi’s grandmother is the town seamstress, and as the story...

“Risk, Resilience, and Redemption: A Miraculous Holocaust Survival Story” by Frank W. Baker tells the story of Bluma Tishgarten and Felix Goldberg. These two individuals both were thrust into the terror of Adolf Hitler’s regime, dealing with life as Jews during the time of the Holocaust. The book goes back...

“Vera the Astronaut” by Susanna Isern, illustrated by Marta Moreno, tells the story of a young girl named Vera who wants to be an astronaut. She joins a class of other kids who also want this profession, but she finds that she and another student named Ana are the only...

“Love Stories (The Taylors Version #1)” by Elizabeth Eulberg is about four girls, all named Taylor, who are best friends and all love Taylor Swift. Even though they are all named Taylor, they have different nicknames to help differentiate them. One is named TS, another Teffy, the third Tay, and...

“Where’s Waldo?: The Magnificent Movie Spotlight Search” by Martin Handford is a super cool addition to the “Where’s Waldo” catalog of books. This newest one encourages readers to take the spotlight searcher that is attached to the back of the front cover of the book and use it to light...

“Yours, Mine, Ours: A Celebration of Service and Community” by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus, illustrated by Andrés Landazábal, allows readers to be a part of the community within the pages of the book, posing the question that starts the book off: “What does it mean to serve?” ...

“Mint to Be” by Katie-Cicatelli-Kuc is a sweet story about two best friends who lose their way with each other, only to try to discover how to be in each other’s lives again. When Emma moves away for boarding school, Aiden is shocked. Emma didn’t...

“It’s a Mitzvah” by Suzy Ultman first shares what a mitzvah is—a re reminder to do everyday good deeds. The book highlights the importance of kindness, connection, and peace with others. There are a lot of Jewish words mentioned throughout the pages of the book, with images that illustrate each...

“Our World: Canada” by Melanie Florence, with art by Carey Sookocheff, takes readers through a variety of pages that show some of the fun things to do in Canada, including playing hockey, eating crepes with maple syrup, picking up leaves, playing hide and seek in the park, and walking dogs...

“Slow Burn” by Bethany Rutter takes readers into the life of Ruby, a sixteen-year-old girl who is plenty happy with her body and who she is, even if others have a problem with it. Even her own brother, who himself used to be heavier, gives her a hard time about...