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

THE DANGEROUS ONES is an intriguing YA historical fantasy. The story is told from alternating perspectives of Jerusalem and Alexei during the Civil War. Jerusalem is a saint, someone with special super-human-like skills. She fled the plantation where she had been enslaved after they killed the rest of her family,...

SWEET NIGHTMARE is an intriguing spin-off of the CRAVE series. The story follows Clementine, a manticore who has never been able to experience her powers due to the fact that she has always lived on the island of Calder Academy. Calder is a place where magical beings come when they...

WAITING FOR THE STARS is a sweet picture book about anticipation, friendship, and stargazing. Mouse and her friends, Owl, Firefly, and Squirrel are staying awake at night to see the stars, but the wait feels so very long. Mouse is so excited, but with Owl's long story and the soothing...

HOW IT WORKS: SHARK is a clever board book that teaches about sharks in an approachable way. The book peels back a shark layer by layer as it explains some key facts about sharks, the way they move, cool features, how they breathe, and more. ...

A HAPPY PLACE is a lovely die-cut peek-through book that takes children on an adventure into the night. The story invites children to come along into the night where they observe several animals who then slowly leave before the child in the story also goes home and to sleep. ...

THE GOAT AND THE STOAT AND THE BOAT is a humorous picture book about a goat and a stoat who are arguing about who should be in the boat. While there are some mishaps, they learn that it is better to work together than at odds. ...

REALLY BIRD, REALLY SCARED is a new early graphic novel story about Really Bird on a day when he felt really scared. Really Bird wakes up one day, but the sun hasn't risen. The moon is getting a bit anxious, as are Really Bird's friends who miss the sun. Even...

THE GIRL WHO PLANTED TREES is a lovely picture book about conservation, community, and patience. A young girl sees a picture of the mountain next to their town from the past. Although it is dry and dusty now, it was once covered in a lush forest, before people began cutting...

IT'S YOUR TIME TO SHINE is an inspirational and giftable board book. The book features a poem about life that is intended to encourage young children to be themselves and enter the world boldly and confidently. What I loved: The illustrations here are lovely and...

PARTY REX is a cute picture book about how to behave at a birthday party. The story is told in the second person with instructions for what to do as Rex has a birthday party. The story ends with a happy completion to the party leading into Rex attending the...

PARTLY CLOUDY is an intriguing picture book that teaches children about types of clouds. The story takes place as a conversation between two bunnies who are looking up at the sky and describing what they see - one imagines pictures while the other labels the clouds. Small information bubbles at...

SUBMARINES is a delightful and educational journey into the ocean along with the curious kiwi bird, Karl. Karl dreams of exploring the ocean deep, and he considers how he can do so, when he reads a book and realizes that he needs to join a research submarine. As the book...

SOURGRASS is a lovely picture book about friendship and promises. Sofia and May are next-door neighbors and best friends. They play together in their yards and the fields beyond, especially enjoying the sourgrass plants that grow there. May tells Sofia that her mother says that sourgrass always keeps its promise...

MAISY LOVES TREES is a fun board book that explores trees along with Maisy! The book includes basic facts about trees, such as the parts of a tree, how they grow, and how they change during the year. Alongside each page of facts is a small sentence that shows how...

THE ELEPHANT DETECTIVES is a cute story about friendship and searching for a lost pet. Alan and his elephant are having a fantastic day until their balloon flies away and gets stuck in a tree. Alan climbs up to try to get it, but he finds that he cannot reach...