Reviews written by Connie Reid, Site Manager

Sona Sharma: Looking After Planet Earth was an insightful early chapter book. Sona learns in school about global warming and takes her teacher's call to action seriously to start small, start now, and include her family in making changes. Sona’s initial approaches to trying to help the Earth leave all...

Reckless delivers a compelling second book in the Powerless trilogy with nonstop action and plenty of twists to keep you turning pages. Paedyn is injured on the run and Kai is now the enforcer with orders to bring her back alive. The rage and betrayals from the big reveal and...

Heir, Apparently is the sequel we needed after that cliffhanger ending of The Prince and the Apocalypse. It has been months and Wren’s life feels untethered. She is operating without a plan and is about to start college with an undeclared major. Prince Theo is about to become King because...

As the Sea Rises is a biography of Nicole Hernandez Hammer. Nicole has lived through two natural disasters, has lived in many places, and has a fondness for nature that helped her to notice the increasingly volatile weather conditions and the effects on frontline communities. Many people living...

Madame Badobedah is an eccentric story perfect for fans of The Magic Treehouse. Mabel lives in an inn and they have a live-in guest that she calls Madame Badobedah. The two spend time searching for treasure on the beach and having magical adventures by using a magical closet...

Everyone Starts Small is a beautifully illustrated story for the very young about the concept of an ecosystem. Told through poetic phrases and easy-to-understand word choices, young readers can see how everything starts small and then grows. Nature is personified, which does a nice job of making plants...

A Hat Full of Sea is a heartwarming story of a granddaughter cheering up her grandfather while he’s in the hospital. Having someone you love in the hospital can be scary but this book diffuses that by sharing how you can visit and bring cheerful mementos and memories until the...

Penguin Parade offers stunning photographs from James Roberts about Penguins. The text is in large font and contains simple sentences to present basic facts about Penguins for young readers. The facts paired with interesting photographs made this book an engaging nonfiction choice for toddler-early elementary readers. I do wish...

A Flicker of Hope is the tale of one girl watching the Monarch butterflies leave for the north just as her father seeks work and both will return one day. The rich illustrations give flight to the poetic words that the author uses to give the story a whimsical...

The Endfixer was a delightful ‘story about stories’ and a celebration of the power of imagination. Based on the title and the cover photo, I was expecting a completely different book. While cute, the cover didn’t give any hints about the contents or theme of the book, which makes me...

Always, Clementine is a perfect next read for fans of Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan series. A researcher with a conscience can no longer keep a lab mouse engineered to be super smart in the facility. He sneaks it and the one that looks like it out and...

If you love YA Romance, then it is time to put THE PRINCE AND THE APOCALYSPE on your shortlist of books to read. Wren Wheeler is such a relatable and authentic character. She has planned out her whole future and makes lists for days and knows her trip to England...

IT ENDS IN FIRE is an immensely readable book by Andrew Shvarts. Alka Chelrazi is another compelling character sent to shake up the political landscape of an unjust world. She was born with magic to a family on the run. She fled with her sister when her parents were found...

My Antarctica was an interesting glimpse into one author’s adventures visiting Antarctica. Through a grant, G, Neri left his sunny home of Florida to travel to Antarctica and learn everything he could about the people, animals, and the place to write a book for kids. The mixture of real photographs...

Noura’s Crescent Moon follows Noura and her family through a special celebration during Ramadan. Noura has just participated in her first fast and is excited about all the cultural traditions her faith observes to welcome the new moon. This book highlights the positive experience Muslims have participating in an important...