Alex hasn’t been back to Indigo Harbour where her grandmother lived in years. Now her grandmother has died and Alex offers to help pack up her house. Her best friend Grim comes with her and the two explore Indigo Harbour, meeting the people who were close to Alex’s grandmother. When Alex discovers that her grandmother had a beloved girlfriend that she never knew about, she sets out to meet her. But Indigo Harbour has a certain magic about it. It’s a magic that makes people who leave forget it, that protects those who live there and that offers sanctuary to resident witches. Alex must remember her own memories and build new ones to discover who her grandmother was.
This YA graphic novel uses magical realism to grapple with loss. It takes a magical place, offering solace to those who may not have visited relatives as much as they would have liked in retrospect and giving space for grief. The beautiful town is a mix of warm acceptance for the queer characters as well as being a space for magical beings. The use of metaphor throughout is thoughtfully done, supporting the Alex through her journey.
A beautiful graphic novel about loss and love. Appropriate for ages 13+.
Truth is 17 and not sure what she wants to do after she graduates this year. When she finds out that she is pregnant, she has one more choice to make. Her best friend assumes that Truth will have the baby, but Truth isn’t sure. She can’t tell her verbally abusive mother about being pregnant, since her mother has made it clear that her own teenage pregnancy that resulted in Truth being born ruined her life. She doesn’t want to let the baby’s father know either. Luckily, Truth finds a space in which she can start to process her own decisions and find a way forward: slam poetry. As Truth struggles to make slam practice while dealing with her pregnancy and her decision, she continues to lie until one of her poems gets released online and people learn what her decision was. It’s time for truth.
Brilliantly written in verse, this story of a teenage Black girl finding her voice in slam poetry and standing on her own despite the many critical people around her is triumphant. It is one of the few YA novels about choosing to have an abortion that shares that as a valid choice without ongoing emotional trauma. Truth is such a real person, making mistakes, dealing with consequences and still dreaming of a different future than others see for her. Her relationship with her best friend and her mother are rendered with complexity and a deep understanding for Truth herself.
A great verse novel that speaks to the power of choice and voice. Appropriate for ages 15+.
Opening this book, readers are greeted by a staring cow, a blue duck with a wand, and an alligator driving a dozer. In very short stories that cover just a few pages at most, readers are introduced to a different sort of large machine and the characters show how they can be used. The characters range from farm animals to giraffe to moose, each depicted in a merry and playful way. Best of all, this is a book about big machinery that can actually be shared aloud and enjoyed by kids who like the machines and those who aren’t entirely enamored.
Whimsical and heavy machinery have never gone together better. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Mama Car by Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9780316578035
A little girl has her own tricycle. Her father has a car. And her mother drives a wheelchair. The two of them go on expeditions together from the snuggly bed to the kitchen for snacks after making a list. They take the Mama Car together. The little girl helps a lot with moving toys, reaching things, and holding stuff. She also helps decorate Mama Car. When she has a little accident riding her tricycle, Mama Car is there to pick her up, keep her cozy and make her feel safe.
Written by an author who uses a wheelchair, this story is based on what one of her daughters used to call her wheelchair. The book is a merry and loving look at a parent using a wheelchair and the adventures they have together that use the chair. I love that the story is entirely positive and told from the point of view of a small child who simply sees the chair as part of life and nothing to be worried about. The illustrations are friendly and large format, adding to the child appeal of the story.
Wheel this one onto your library shelves. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Sleeper Train by Mick Jackson, illustrated by Baljinder Kaur
Publisher: Candlewick
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
Reviewed from library copy
ISBN: 9781536238983
A little girl goes on an overnight train with her parents. They have their own compartment, but she just can’t fall asleep easily. So she starts to think about all the various places she has slept before. There is her parents’ bed at home, a hotel near the sea, on a beach, in a tent, in the hospital, and staying over at her grandparents’ home. Soon she had fallen asleep on the train. In the morning, there was breakfast on the train and soon they arrived at their destination.
This picture book shares a way of travel that many children may not have experienced themselves and makes it approachable. I enjoyed that it focused on the variety of places a child may have slept, inviting the reader to see their own experiences alongside the character’s. The illustrations show a Sikh family traveling the train in India. The pictures use spicy colors of saffron and chili with cool teals to create a vibrant experience.
An engaging trip on the train. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Kaylani is not happy about spending her summer vacation on Martha’s Vineyard with wealthy family friends. It means that her father won’t be able to call her from prison as easily. Kaylani knows that her father is innocent of the financial fraud he was accused of, even if the justice system didn’t agree. Now she is stuck on an island that is full of beautiful large homes, beaches and people having a great summer. She tries to enjoy herself, but the daughters of the family she is staying with don’t make it easy. When a teenager turns up dead, Kaylani sets out to figure out what happened. But as she gets closer to the truth, it may just be her own life that is turned inside out.
Jackson’s middle grade debut is incredible. She writes with such skill for this age group, never speaking down to them and giving her young protagonist agency and wisdom. Kaylani is an engaging character, looking for connection with her father while also struggling to fit with the family she is staying with and their rules. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book where she engages with kids her age outside of the family, showing that she is the personable one as she makes friends easily and cares for them well.
Brilliant plotting, a murder and plenty of questions make this a compelling middle grade mystery. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
Soojin has lost her mother to a car accident years ago and now has lost her older sister who was found drowned in the river. In Soojin’s family, the women have a unique gift of being able to bring small animals back from the dead. Cautioned her entire life from using her power to bring back people, Soojin’s grief leads to do the unthinkable and bring back Mirae. The two sisters must hide what Soojin has done and as time goes by, the choice she made changes them both. Mirae becomes more vengeful and deaths start happening in town. Soojin begins to sicken as the toll of using the power becomes clear. Can the two sisters survive this? Should they?
Filled with the currents of grief and loss, this book triumphs. Using the river and water as a constant rush in the reader’s ears, the book is a dark and destructive look at what grief can cause people to do and how it is impossible to move on, particularly if you are keeping the dead alive. The use of Korean traditions throughout the book strengthens the magic of the sisters and makes the horror all the more palpable on the page. Additionally, the book has themes that take on racism in their small town and women taking back power from abusive men.
A marvelous slow-burn horror novel that will carry you into the depths. Appropriate for ages 13+.
In ten little stories, readers meet Bean, a very small hedgehog who lives with her Grandma. There is a story of Bean’s favorite blanket getting smaller as it is loved until it is finally a bandana. There are ghost stories that are entirely unscary. There is a tale of Clem, Bean’s favorite toy who keeps her safe from storms. Then there are stories of the delights of big boxes and jumping off of swings.
Told with a winning simplicity that is entirely charming, this book is just right for other little ones with big imaginations and who love ghosts and strawberries. The illustrations are digital and are full of warmth and a timeless childhood feel.
Terrific tales of a tiny hedgehog. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from library copy.
The Family Tree by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Fiona Lee (9781665948371)
Everyone in Penny’s family is always busy and never has time to slow down. They are always hurrying to the next thing until suddenly a tiny sprout appears on their kitchen floor. The sprout grows and becomes something they can’t ignore or rush past. Penny starts to water and care for the tree with help from her dog. Each day it gets more special and bigger with its roots going down into the earth. Soon it is a tree and everyone in the family makes room for it. But that’s not enough, and the house needs to be changed to accommodate the tree that is breaking through the roof. The tree has everyone in the family spending more time at home, slowing down and being together. Now they all feel at home, thanks to the tree.
This book uses an astute way to speak to the rushing of modern life and families. The use of the tree as a form of physical connection and an invitation to slow down and be together with one another works particularly well. As it grows, it becomes a central feature, something to nurture, transforming their home. The illustrations are jaunty and playful, celebrating the tree, new connections and family joy.
A picture book to savor with those you love. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Beach Lane Books.
Emmylou’s class is presenting their family trees. All of the others have lots of branches filled with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. For her, it’s just her and her mother. Her mother doesn’t like to talk about Emmylou’s grandparents or her father. Emmylou realizes that her neighbors are more like family to her. There is Mrs. Patel who shares her mango chutney, Mr. Li who taught Emmylou to ride a bike, and Rosa and her twins where they all watch out for one another. But those people don’t belong on a family tree, or do they?
Birdsong tells her story in brief text that captures Emmylou’s worry about class clearly. It also shows just as vividly her strong relationships with her neighbors, her found family. The illustrations, done in watercolor, are beautifully textured and deeply toned. They show Emmylou’s emotions roiling as her presentation comes closer as well as the warmth and connectivity of her neighborhood.
A brilliant picture book about how some families aren’t related to one another. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Edelweiss and Neal Porter Books.
Set in the early 1990s, this graphic memoir tells the story of the author’s middle school and high school years. Raised by divorced parents who could not be more different from one another and yet are both absent from her life, Briana spends much of her time alone. She eats dinner alone, draws and writes in her closet, and listens to her mother complain about her on the phone to other people. Her days are filled with time with her friends, listening to music on her mix tapes, struggles at school. The book doesn’t offer a bright ending, but rather offers space and a way forward through art and writing that Briana found.
The art in this graphic novel is not the brightly colored, poppy graphics one might expect in a YA graphic work. Rather, it is powerfully dark, stormy on the page, filled with isolation and frustration. The images echo the subject matter beautifully, creating a unique reading experience. The setting of the 1990s, speaks to the differences time brings. There are no cell phones, no ways to check in when waiting to be picked up, and adults will find themselves and their own childhoods shared here.
Deep, thoughtful and powerfully quiet. Appropriate for ages 13+.
On a lonely Christmas without his true love, the main character suddenly receives a partridge in a pear tree. Then the next day, you know what happens and soon it spirals out of control. When he tries to ask his true love why she would do this to him, she hangs up on him. So he heads out with the menagerie and all the people to see his mother. She wasn’t much help either. On their way home, they accidentally start a parade. That happens when you have leaping lords, dancers, cows, pipers and a band. A young boy gets the narrator thinking about things in a more positive way and soon they are making a difference all over town. The next morning, they have a bake sale from all of the eggs and milk they have. But what about his true love?
I must admit I’m not a huge fan of Christmas books. There are just so many mid-level releases each year. But this one is delightful! I love the premise of what happens with the presents after the 12th day, since so many of them repeat and multiply. This creates just the right sort of holiday wackiness that we need without ever becoming too sweet, despite the cakes.
A new classic for those who like silliness with their celebration. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Sharing the story of a busy, modern Jewish family and the eight nights of Hanukkah, this picture book celebrates each night with a poem. From the first candle emerging from the darkness and lighting faces.The second night, the candles in the window are noticed by a man walking past. The third night is a rush to get home and the candle lit before pizza is served. The fourth night is Sabbath filled with light. The fifth night has darkness as the candles go out. The sixth night is spent with family and the youngest is finally old enough to light the candles themselves. The seventh night is messed up with a flat tire and the family has to improvise. The final night the light lingers longer than expected as the family gathers one last time.
Snyder’s poetry is perfectly balanced between being accessible for children but also profoundly speaking to the meaning of Hanukkah and the importance of family. She has created a book of short poems that reads aloud beautifully, one that families can use year after year or librarians creating programs. The illustrations glow on the page with candles, moonlight, playing with light and dark and showing the beauty of traditions.
A shining picture book that is a must-buy for Hanukkah collections. Appropriate for ages 4-8.
This is the story of people who choose to become Americans. They come from around the world at all ages. Some come alone, others being family, most leave people they love behind. Some come to study and work while others are refugees fleeing their countries. They add so much to our country. They bring new music, food, and language. They do many jobs. They study hard and eventually take a citizenship test to formally become American.
Written by an immigrant to the U.S. and illustrated by a refugee, this book is engaging and vibrant. It shares with children the many reasons people may come to live in the United States, emphasizing that they still remain part of their original culture, bringing those elements with them and not losing themselves in the process. The illustrations are full of diversity, capturing the many people from across the world coming to the United States to live.
Ideal to share in classes learning about citizenship and immigration. Appropriate for ages 5-7.
Waking Brain Cells 