Reviews written by Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer

Europa proves the City Spies series is still going strong with more stories to tell. This 7th book in the series sees our team face so many difficult puzzles and codes, and it takes all their unique talents to thwart the bad guys before multiple bombs go off in multiple...

Valentine’s Day in the Village is a sweet, small-community story about creating an event that brings everyone together for a great Valentine’s Day. I like how the story shows how one idea can have a big impact, as other people are inspired to participate, bringing everyone together. The story is...

The Cursed Queen’s Daughter is the second book in the Thirstwoood world. You would not have had to read Cassia’s story first, but I think the story was more enjoyable having read them in order. This story follows the warrior daughter, Thea, and the shadow prince, Damon, from Illuna. We...

Who Is Amy Schneider is a young reader edition of her memoir, IN THE FORM OF A QUESTION. Since Amy Schneider became famous for her phenomenal run on the game show Jeopardy, she gets asked a series of questions that revolve around the same concepts, such as how she got...

Valentine’s Are the Worst is another grumpily adorable addition to THE WORST series. Gilbert the Goblin does not like Valentine’s Day or Cupids until he thinks he is hit by an arrow and tells us what he really loves. The illustrations add so much value to the text as the...

The Dragon’s Apprentice is an engaging start to a new series by James Riley. We start by meeting Bianca of Skael, a starving street orphan, who meets Tia, the Dragon Mage, who summons dragons to teach 5 young people magic so they can pass it on to the world. ...

Theodora Hendrix And The Snare of the Shadowmongers is the last book in the trilogy. The stakes have never been higher for Theodora and her friend, Dexter. Hilda is back with monstrously terrible creatures called Shadowmongers, that take the magic out of monsters and give eternal nightmares to humans. ...

Meet the Smushkins is a joyful picture book full of imagination. The Smushkins feel like a franchise in the making, but do not seem tied to any tv or toy product and are solely imaginary creatures doing activities that most young readers would find relatable. The text length and word...

Rock and Roll is a fantastic book for toddlers and preschool audiences. With short text and simple, engaging pictures, readers are led to a nice message about friendship. Rock and Roll does interesting things on each page, and the illustrations are fun to look at, although a few of Roll’s...

Look up inspires curiosity about our natural world with a message to look up. The illustrations are key to conveying the mightiness of nature and the smallness of man. The story may follow a man, but he is depicted as small, and the sky, mountains, and other natural features are...

My Little Deer is a padded cover board book focusing on the love between a mother and her fawn in winter. This gentle message of love would be perfect for baby showers and Mother’s Day, particularly for winter babies. The soft, muted colors of the illustrations and sweet words make...

How to Find a Yeti is a delightfully fun book perfect for winter! Our character is sure he knows exactly how to find a yeti and that he is an expert who will soon be on the news with his discovery. During his wandering in the forest, readers will delight...

The Darkness Within Us is the companion sequel to The Shadows Between Us, this time with Chrysantha Stathos as the new main character. In this highly fictionalized world, the author hits on major themes of women’s rights. Chrysantha was married off to a man old enough to be her grandfather...

Glorious Rivals continues where the events of the Grandest Game left off. There are several budding romances of questionable judgment. Grayson is determined to help Lyra Kane, who is remembering more of her father’s death. Jameson wants her gone when the name Alice Hawthorne starts being mentioned. Rohan and Savannah...

Cluedle: The Case of the Silver Cypher is the third book in the interactive detective series, where readers solve interactive puzzles to uncover who is chasing Agent Cade and trying to steal the super-secret Silver Cypher. I enjoyed the punny names of the potential criminals; say them out loud to...