CeeCee: Underground Railroad Cinderella by Shana Keller – Book Review

August 12, 2025July 24, 2025 | Tasha

CeeCee: Underground Railroad Cinderella by Shana Keller, illustrated by Laura Freeman (9781623543891)

CeeCee was first called Cecelia, then Celia and finally CeeCee, but she remembered the name her mother had given her. She was a slave on a plantation in Maryland, working constantly though the daughters of the house never worked. CeeCee longed to learn to read and when she was caught looking at books was punished by being locked in the attic. It was after one of those incidents that she learned from the plantation cook about Moses, who could lead her to freedom. After months of preparation and planning, CeeCee put her plan in action.

Told with simple frankness, this picture book demonstrates the power of names, the way changing names was used to dehumanize enslaved people, and the importance of connection to one’s family even when pulled apart. Using the structure of the Cinderella story works particularly well. The digital illustrations capture the emotions of each moment on the page, inviting readers to experience them too.

Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Charlesbridge.

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz – Book Review

August 11, 2025July 24, 2025 | Tasha

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz (9781250357465)

This adult science fiction novella tells the story of a crew of robots who awaken from being turned off to find that the restaurant they had been working in has been abandoned. The world around them has changed too with more destruction and fewer other stores in the area. As the four robots begin to think about what they want for themselves and their own future, they decide to open a biang biang noodle shop. Along the way, they face more than their share of anti-robot hatred but they also learn that they have created a larger community willing to stand with them.

With its focus on robots and found family, this novella will resonate with an older YA or new adult audience. The length is enticing and the cover is a colorful riot of noodles, San Francisco and robots. The book has lots of heart, almost no violence and is set in a vivid world of conscious legal contracts, sentient robots with limited civil rights, and a colorful cast of human and robot characters.

A cozy SF novella food, family and San Fran. Appropriate for ages 16+.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Tor.

Wake Your Friday Brain Cells – August 8 Edition

August 8, 2025August 7, 2025 | Tasha

CHILDREN’S LIT

8 Amazing New Children’s Releases to Read in August – Book Riot

8 Children’s Books That Spark Wonder in Big Lessons from the Tiniest Creatures – Book Trib

Celebrate Disability Pride Year-Round through Collection Development – ALSC

Children’s literature has lost an all time great – The Telegraph via Yahoo News

Penderwicks Author Jeanne Birdsall Was ‘Spent’ After Writing the Beloved Book Series. Then Along Came Fairies – People

The Sneaky Gender Bias in Picture Books: Animal Characters – Publishers Weekly

LIBRARIES

Fearing Legal Action by the State, School Districts in Eight Florida Counties Remove Hundreds of Books from Libraries Ahead of the New School Year – PEN America

How a public library’s summer game took over a Michigan city – NPR

Library Tourism: Must-Visit Libraries for Book Lovers Seeking Literary Heritage- Here’s Latest Information Only For You – Travel and Tour World

The Verdict Is In: Texas Library Kiosks Bridge the Justice Gap – Texas State Library

Writers Need Libraries: How Libraries Can Help You Write Better – Book Riot

YA LIT

2025 Fall Preview: Books for Young People – Young Adult and Nonfiction – Quill & Quire

All the New Young Adult SFF Books Arriving in August 2025 – Reactor

2025 Wainwright Prize Shortlists

August 7, 2025August 6, 2025 | Tasha

The 2025 shortlists for the Wainwright Prizes have been announced. The UK awards encompass both adult and juvenile titles that celebrate nature, conservation and environmental writing. In 2025, the awards expanded, particularly in children’s publishing. Here are the shortlists for the juvenile categories:

THE CHILDREN’S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR FICTION

Ettie and the Midnight Pool by Julie Green, illustrated by Pam Smy

Ghostlines by Katya Balen

Land of the Last Wildcat by Lui Sit, illustrated by David Dean

Turtle Moon by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold

Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto (available in US)

Wildlands by Brogen Murphy

THE CHILDREN’S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

Cloudspotting for Beginners by Gavin Pretor-Pinney and William Grill (available in US)

Hamza’s Wild World by Hamza Yassin

Look What I Found by the River by Moira Butterfield and Jesus Verona

Mega: The Most Enormous Animals Ever by Jules Howard, illustrated by Gavin Scott (available in US)

Secrets of Bees by Ben Hoare, illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti

Wildlife in the Balance by Dr. Sharon Wismer and Terri Po (available in US)

THE CHILDREN’S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR PICTURE BOOKS

Bothered by Bugs by Emily Gravett (releasing in US in March 2026)

Flower Block by Lanisha Butterfield, illustrated by Hoang Giang

Frog: A Story of Life on Earth by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egneus (releasing in US in January 2026)

Herd by Stephen Hogtun

Leave the Trees Please by Benjamin Zephaniah, illustrated by Melissa Castrillon (releasing in US in February 2026)

The Wild by Yuval Zommer (available in US)

The World to Come by Robert MacFarlane and Johnny Flynn, illustrated by Emily Sutton

A Place for Us by James E. Ransome – Book Review

August 7, 2025July 24, 2025 | Tasha

A Place for Us by James E. Ransome (9780593324882)

This wordless picture book shares a day in the life of a mother and son who are unhoused. The boy goes to school and is picked up afterwards by his mother. They live in an unnamed city and he shares his news of his day as they walk to get dinner. After dinner, they spend the rest of their evening together in the library doing homework and reading. Once the library is closed, they head to a park where the boy sleeps on the bench, his head in his mother’s lap as she keeps watch through the night. The boy brushes his teeth in a drinking fountain, changes clothes and then is off to another day at school.

This book is immensely moving and powerful. There is such dignity to their day together, such effort in keeping her son safe and such a strong connection between the two of them. All of that is shared in images alone, speaking from the page through their interaction, their body language and their time together. It is haunting, beautiful and a call to action. Ransome is one of our greatest picture book creators and this one is one of his best.

Powerful and full of heart, this picture book doesn’t let you look away from those in need of housing. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Nancy Paulsen Books.

Menudo Sunday by María Dolores Águila – Book Review

August 6, 2025July 24, 2025 | Tasha

Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book by María Dolores Águila, illustrated by Erika Meza (9780593462256)

Count upwards in Spanish as a family gathers to eat menudo, a Mexican soup, together. The counting grows from 1 small casita to 7 warm tortillas to a theft of treats that leads to a chase by the dogs. Just as the food is being carried to the table, the dogs and children run through and there is a terrible crash. No one is hurt, but the platter is shattered into 15 pieces. After 1 deep breath, it is time to fix the damage and start again, counting upwards as they all work together to get dinner on the table.

So many counting books don’t have a storyline, but this one does. It’s a story of a family that works together even when things get tough to support one another, fix problems and share food. Every page brims with their love for one another. A Spanish glossary is offered at the end along with some tips for hosting your own menudo gathering. The illustrations capture the same warmth as the story itself, using merry bright colors in pinks, yellows, oranges and blues.

A comforting culinary counting book. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Penguin Young Readers.

This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat – Book Review

August 5, 2025July 30, 2025 | Tasha

This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat (9780593698600)

‘Wayne Le is a perfectly normal high school kid, who doesn’t talk much to his father and cares deeply about his younger sister, who isn’t actually related to him. Since his mother left when he was a kid, ‘Wayne hasn’t done much to make his father proud. So when he is selected to be part of a Johns Hopkins study, he sees it as a way to impress his father and also find a way forward in his life since his grades won’t get him into college. But when he starts the study, he steadily realizes that it’s not what he was told at first. Along the way, he meets Jane, a girl from school who he’s had a crush on for years and hasn’t had the courage to speak with. He and Jane, who is also in the study, start to meet regularly to discuss what is happening. Kermit, ‘Wayne’s best friend, is convinced that it’s a vast conspiracy, but what happens when conspiracy theories might just end up being true?

Vacharat has written a multi-layered and gorgeous novel that explores what it means to change who we are and how that happens. She uses a variety of devices in her novel, including prompts from the app in the study, stilted scripts for ‘Wayne’s conversations with his father, and folded paper when Jane speaks to the reader. She has created very human characters, including ‘Wayne who finds himself changing whether due to the study or not, and Jane, who is autistic and makes origami, but is definitely not a manic pixie girl, thank you very much.

Whiplash smart and incredibly engrossing, this novel is unique, insightful and uproariously funny. Appropriate for ages 13+.

Reviewed from library copy.

Bob the Vampire Snail by Andrea Zuill – Book Review

August 4, 2025July 24, 2025 | Tasha

Bob the Vampire Snail by Andrea Zuill (9780593814963)

Bob the snail (all snails are named Bob) is just minding his own business when suddenly there is a scream, stomp, crack, drip and POOF! Bob feels strange and it turns out he has small wings, fangs and no reflection. He can’t eat the things he used to love, so he tries a bunch of other things, including eating the other Bobs. But nothing satisfies until he discovers the joy of using his fangs on a juicy tomato. He finds that he has other powers too, including hypnotizing other animals to get him more tomatoes. The other Bobs don’t want anything to do with him, especially since he tried to eat them, but Bob isn’t deterred and soon meets another creature who loves tomatoes too.

Ideal for those looking for a Halloween read that isn’t scary at all but also has plenty of action to keep little ones’ attention, this picture book is also hilarious. A small bug offers side commentary about vampires and what is happening to Bob as he transforms. This lets young children who may not understand all of the vampire lore into the jokes as they happen and is very cleverly done. The illustrations are great fun with Bob offering more emotions than might be expected from a snail thanks to his expressive eye stalks. The transformation is particularly effective visually and adds to the fun.

A great Halloween read aloud with lots of laughter. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Penguin Random House.