Reviews written by Rachel Feeck, Staff Reviewer

Murder seems to happen wherever Montgomery Bonbon goes, and so the mysterious detective suits up in coat and mustache for an island based case in an exciting sequel. The story wastes no time getting down to business, with the investigation ready to begin just chapters in. ...

A clever new kid detective series, brimming with crime scene clues, mildly unhelpful adults, fun illustrations, and the astute observations of one Montgomery Bonbon. Bonbon is definitely not ten-year-old Bonnie wearing a mustache, nope definitely not. This first mystery tackles the classic case of a locked room murder, at a...

Cute, magical, and heartfelt. Think Percy Jackson, but about two girls escaping from the underworld's biggest and baddest (demons, Prometheus, carnival games…). The adventure also features a sentient cloak and boat, a raven tutor, and Charon as beleaguered father figure and ferryer of souls. High likelihood of tears at the...

Playful and dramatic, with a sweeping wonder that fuses worlds below the ground and in the sky, the schemes of an industrial complex, and personal drama driven purely by the heart. In the tradition of excellent retellings, this story fully integrates and expands on the legend of the Woodcutter and...

A cozy and quirky seaside tale of how a storm can bring different people together. One fierce little woman lives peacefully on the end of a dock - she swims, and fishes, and knits, and serenades on her bagpipes. When a self-proclaimed wicked pirate blows in on a storm, she...

This little kid loves having a dinosaur...so wouldn't two dinos be even more fun? Join this fun counting adventure where dino play pals get out of control - at the park, in the bathtub, and everywhere in between - and this little kid learns that maybe one dinosaur is more...

A compelling account of an overlooked natural disaster, with suspense to thrill and lessons to learn for readers of all ages. In 1980, Lake Peigneur is a hub of activity, but what starts as an ordinary day for fishermen, oil drillers, salt miners, and lounging locals becomes a vortex of...

Three kids and a dog go on a walk, looking for fairies in the woods. Maybe the fairies are too shy to play, but they find a whole different adventure in the splish-splashy puddles, green leaves, and creatures hiding under rocks. This is a great...

The synopsis says it all. Learn why crabs walk sideways and more from this adorable question and answer style, fully illustrated book, featuring a variety of sea creatures and lots of labels with names for young readers to find and learn. The amount of information is nicely tailored for little...

A story about scary new experiences and finding the strength to face your fears. Nellie the sea turtle just hatched, right next to the ocean - but she's too scared to follow her friends into the loud, crashing waves. So she waits, and moves a little further away until she...

Step aside, Skyrim's shambling skellytons, cause Soren is here to prove that draugr can also be romance-worthy vampires. Inheritance of Scars is a standalone, YA fantasy romance with more than a dash of horror and mysterious woods in modern Sweden. From the moment Astrid found...

A hefty compendium of saints, made to inform and delight. This book features over seventy saints, including for each where and when they lived, their patronage, feast day, and emblem, and a short story of their life. As someone familiar with the saints in name...

A children's biography of Ruth Patrick, a pioneer in ecology and pollution studies who pursued a career studying what she loved despite long hours of learning, overcoming peer pressure, and traipsing through marshes. Perhaps I shouldn't admit this, as someone with a partial degree...

Saphie lives with a few other cats and their nice owner, who likes to pet and cuddle but is also in charge of some things Saphie doesn't agree with, like portion control at dinner, keeping things clean, or adopting rambunctious kittens. But they're pretty good at sharing cardboard boxes and...

What do a sheep scultor, cow pianist, and chicken farmer all have in common? They need some big equipment to get the job done! This book explores the ways different machinery are used to solve many problems, with creative scenarios and tongue-in-cheek annotations. (It's probably not allowed to use a...