Reviews written by Olivia Farr, Assistant Blog Manager & Staff Reviewer

DREAM SHIELD is an engaging new installment in the STAR FRIENDS series. Sita, Mia, Lexi, and Violet are back together with the town upset about a new development of extremely expensive mansions planned to be built on the top of the cliff. If it is built, a lot of greenery...

A FOX, A PIG, AND A DIG is an early graphic novel. Fox and Pig are at the beach, and while Pig is good at napping, Fox is good at playing tricks. While Pig naps, Fox sets up his first trick where he pretends to be buried in sand. He...

MYSTERIOUS WAYS is a unique YA magical realism read about a teen that can read other people's minds. Maya begins the story in a mental hospital because of the voices she hears when she is reading minds. Later, when she goes to a new school, she begins to reevaluate her...

ONE HOUSE LEFT is a creepy horror read that keeps the pages turning. The story primarily follows Nate, a boy whose family never lives anywhere too long after their proximity to the Murder Road, which got its name from the Hiding Boy curse. This seeming folk legend was all too...

MAKE TRACKS: TRAINS is an entertaining, interactive board book. The book introduces a type of train with labeled parts and then has a small track that little ones can use their fingers to "drive" around. They also include some tasks and questions for additional learning fun. ...

SUKI CAT: DANCER is a cute board book where Suki Cat gets to dance. Suki Cat is deciding who to be for the day, and she is a ballerina. She gets ready for the big show, and when the star falls and hurts her knee, Suki Cat is ready to...

MARVELOUS MARGOT is a sweet picture book about kindness and friendship. Margot is going to visit her friend Oscar, and she has baked a marvelous cake to share. Oscar lives on the other side of town, so Margot loads up the cake in her wagon and begins her journey. Along...

A BANH MI FOR TWO is a sweet YA contemporary about family, grief, and finding yourself. Vivi is Vietnamese American, but she knows almost nothing about her parents' history in Viet Nam. She suspects that her mother has family there, and she has arranged for her first semester of college...

NUMBER TRAIN is a fold-out interactive board book for toddlers and preschoolers that combines counting with flaps, rhymes, and animal fun. The book goes through a train of animals, with each flap showing the number of animals doing an activity up to 10. The flip side of the fold-out train...

CUDDLY BEAR is a simple and sweet cloth book that is great for babies. The book shows different animals/objects on one page with the opposing page featuring a flap to lift to see another. The final flap hides a mirror. What I loved: This is...

AMI is a captivating YA fantasy. This is the second book in the Guardians of Dawn series, combining the story of a new guardian with that from the first book. As such, this does work best read in order. The story is told from alternating perspectives of Ami and Zhara....

THE DIGGER AND THE DARK is a cute picture book about bedtime and friendship. Digger and the other big construction vehicles have had a long day of work and are settling down to sleep when two raccoons come to play. Instead of sleeping, the vehicles play all night long. They...

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is captured beautifully in this new edition from Nosy Crow. The story is fully captured alongside stunning full-color illustrations, telling the story of how Anne came to Avonlea and stayed at Green Gables, where she found her life full of hope, charm, and a bit of...

SLEEPING BEAUTY is a shaped board book of the classic fairytale. The story is told through brief sentences on each page, building the shape of a castle. Sleeping Beauty is born and all the fairies are invited except one. That one is upset and curses her. When she is older,...

CITY PALS is a delightful new installment in the charming ISLA OF ADVENTURE early chapter book series. Isla has lived on the island of Sol her whole life, and she has a secret gift - she can speak with animals. The only one who knows is her BFF Tora Rosa....