Book Reviews

I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin (9781536215533)

This incredible sequel to The Genius Under the Table continues Yelchin’s biographical story in graphic format. Yevgeny is living in Leningrad with his mother and grandmother in the same tiny apartment. He is now older, working on his art and doing scenery and design for theater. At an illegal art show, he first meets Lizzy, an American college student working on social justice issues. As the war in Afghanistan begins, Yevgeny is threatened with being drafted, escaping only by heading to Siberia to do theater design there. But there he finds himself institutionalized and abused. 

A grim look at Soviet Russia with a first-hand account of the atrocities that happened at the hands of the KGB and in the name of Mother Russia. Yelchin’s black and white graphic format focuses on faces and characters while Russia forms an often blurred background. It gives the feeling of an old TV with a tightly focused camera. The effect is incredibly personal and offers no way for readers to look away.

One of the best graphic memoirs for teens, this is a must read and can be read as a stand alone. Appropriate for ages 13-18.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Candlewick. 

The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell (9780593809907)

Return to the world of Impossible Creatures with this second book in the series. Christopher is delighted to be called back to help the Archipelago again, this time to save the dragons. It takes a lot to kill dragons, and they only trust Christopher to speak to them and rescue them. As Christopher travels to the magical world, he meets Anya, a girl with a special connection to royal birds and who has lost people to the poison being used to kill the dragons. Now they have a shared quest, to find an antidote and save Anya’s father from being accused of killing the king, her grandfather. 

Readers’ hearts will soar along with Christopher’s in delight at returning to the Archipelago. Second books in series are particularly challenging and Rundell carries this off with grace and style. She gives readers exactly what they were yearning for, a grand adventure with beloved characters as well as new characters to connect with. Anya is a great foil for Christopher in the tale, which is less a tour of the magical land and more focused on a specific quest, yet feels incredibly expansive too. Don’t forget to say some of Rundell’s gorgeous language aloud, particularly her character names for the creatures, they are great fun!

A great sequel in a marvelous series. When does the third come out? Appropriate for ages 10+.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Seven Ways Through the Woods by Jenn Reese – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Seven Ways Through the Woods by Jenn Reese, illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz (9780063356269)

When you come to a dark forest, you have several ways to enter it. First, you can simply follow the path where others have walked before you. It’s not exciting, but it’s an option. There are six other choices that are a lot more fun. Perhaps riding a griffin? Or taking the sprite tunnels? Or finding a portal flower. The seventh way is only for the bravest explorers. That way is to leave the path and stay in the magical forest, not seeing it as an obstacle but a destination. 

I didn’t know much about this picture book when I started reading that thought that it might be focused on nature and hiking. I was overjoyed to find that it took a magical turn into sprites, moss giants, griffins and more. The text keeps the tone of a guide narrator, much like a regular hiking book, which adds to the charm. The illustrations from the beginning are rich and colorful, using the digital format to create saturated tones that glow. 

Pure forest magic. Appropriate for ages 4-7. 

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Greenwillow.

The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle by Sy Montgomery – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Matt Patterson (9780063325166)

This nonfiction picture book shares the story of Fire Chief, a common snapping turtle. This turtle is currently over 60 years old and living in a pond near a fire station. Throughout his life, Fire Chief was lucky. He survived being so small that almost anything else could eat him. He found a safe pond to spend his summers and another one nearby to overwinter in. But as the town grew up around him, he was very unlucky one day as he moved to his winter pond and was hit by a car. That’s when the Turtle Rescue League came to help. They patched his shell and helped him regain the use of his back legs. When Fire Chief was ready to return to his pond, the humans there also decided to lend a hand to get him a space that would work for him all year long. 

The author and illustrator of the award-winning The Book of Turtles return with another book celebrating these animals. The author and illustrator also help rescue turtles in their hometown and know Fire Chief personally. This connection to the animals and to this story really make this book special. The book wisely mixes turtle facts and information with Fire Chief’s own life and story. There is so much to enjoy here in its warm tone and clear delight in its subject matter. That is matched by the art which takes close-up looks at Fire Chief and his habitat, getting readers closer and more intimate than photography could. 

A majestic look at one very lucky turtle. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Clarion Books.

Let’s Get Together by Brandy Colbert – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Let’s Get Together by Brandy Colbert (9780063092488)

A modern retelling of The Parent Trap, this version focuses on identical twins who meet one another at school for the first time. Kenya has been raised by her father and grandmother. She is confident and doesn’t want anything to change. In fact, the boy she has a crush on has started to notice her, so things are getting even better. Liberty has spent most of her life in a variety of foster homes and finally has found one where she belongs and feels accepted. She is starting a new school and for the first time looking forward to the future. But neither girl expects to meet someone who looks just like them. Now everything is changing whether they like it or not.

Colbert keeps a light touch in this story which could have gotten serious at times. Instead, she continues to pay homage to the original in tone with funny moments between the sisters and an organic growth and blossoming of their connection with one another. With Black characters rather than white girls, this book has a depth to it and a focus on family that is more profound than the original and very welcome. 

Clever use of tropes from the original are freshened in this new twin-focused novel. Appropriate for ages 8-12. 

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Edelweiss and Clarion Books.

World Entire: A True Story of an Extraordinary World War II Rescue by Elizabeth Brown – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

The World Entire: A True Story of an Extraordinary World War II Rescue by Elizabeth Brown, illustrated by Melissa Castrillón (9781452170985)

This is the true story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who was a Portuguese diplomat with the power to give or deny visas. As the Nazis approached, refugees started to flee France to Portugal since Spain was denying them refuge. Mendes thwarted his government’s guidance and rules on giving visas and in the course of 23 days in 1940 gave out thousands of visas to all sorts of people. He recognized that these people were the same as his own family experiencing it. Mendes saved thousands of people, even showing them a safe way to enter Portugal as the borders closed. He paid for it though, as he lost his position, his home and his family were forced onto the streets. 

Such a timely title during the American immigration crisis, this picture book nonfiction shows everyone that whatever their role and what they are being told to do, there are choices that can save lives and make a difference. Brown’s writing takes a complex story and reworks it for children without losing any of its emotional impact. She takes time to explain how Mendes fretted over his decision to defy his government, showing that it was not simple and that afterwards he was impacted by the choices he made. The illustrations are done in pencil with digital coloring, offering fine lines that show life before the war, maps of the impact, and the suffering of refugees as they wait. They capture emotion clearly and support the story well.

A story that shows how civil disobedience is a powerful force. Appropriate for ages 6-10.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Chronicle Books.

Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) by Joyce Sidman – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (9780358334767)

An award-winning children’s poet collaborates with an award-winning illustrator in this book of nature poetry for children. Each poem is written as a letter between two things from nature. Oak and Acorn exchange letters as do Bubble and Sky and River and Pebble. As each writes a letter, the connection between the two is made all the more clear and profound. 

Readers will enjoy the pairs of poems and could be inspired to write their own nature letters from other pairs that they see in their own experiences. The poems are beautifully accessible to young children while also demonstrating great skill and not being childish. The illustrations by Sweet are done in her signature style of collage and filled with varying colors from page to page to show the different natural aspects. The result is a spectacular marriage of poem and art. 

A great book of poetry for children that belongs in every library. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Clarion Books.

3 Beginning Readers Worth Browsing

| Tasha

Elena Camps by Juana Medina (9781536216424)

Elena has a new tent that she can’t wait to set up and camp in! But when she tries to set it up, it doesn’t work as easily as she expects. With huge GA-BUNKs and GA-BANGs it keeps going wrong. She tries three times, but nothing works. Elena gets angry and stomps around. Sharp-eyed readers will see the instructions in many of the pictures well before a little bird mentions to Elena that they are there. Elena decides to accept the bird’s help and read the instructions and soon she is ready to camp. 

Released simultaneously in a Spanish edition, this second Elena book is just right for beginning readers. Elena’s tries to get a tent set up all on her own are shown with a broad sense of humor and the message of accepting a little help when you need it is shared frankly with readers. The illustrations are colorful and Elena the purple elephant pops on the page next to her yellow tent. 

A fun and friendly beginning reader. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Mouse and Spoon: Owlets and Tarts by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Janna Mattia (9781665962193)

Mouse and Spoon: The Elephant’s Birthday by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Janna Mattia (9781665962162)

Powerhouse easy-reader creator Rylant returns with a new easy-reader series called Mouse and Spoon. Set in a bakery owned by three mouse siblings, each book focuses on a different special order that the mice must make. In Owlets and Tarts, the mice make Pillow Tarts to help the young owlets fall asleep as well as Half-Moon Buns for the owl parents. For the elephant, the request is for pound cake for the elephant’s birthday and banana bread for the monkeys. Now the mice just have to figure out how to make enough cake for an elephant! 

There is a lovely rhythm to both of these books, marking them as a pair. They start in similar ways, introducing the mice and their bakery, so it doesn’t matter what order you read them in. Then the special order arrives and the mice have to figure out how to do it. Told in very simple words and with a lovely softness to the illustrations, this easy-reader series is perfectly sweet. 

A new Rylant series to devour! Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copies.

Wanda Hears the Stars by Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Díaz Merced – Book Review

| Tasha

Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe by Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Díaz Merced, illustrated by Rocio Arreola Mendoza (9781623544874)

When Wanda was growing up in Puerto Rico’s rainforest, she couldn’t see the stars because of all the trees. She first truly saw the stars on a family fishing trip and she was entirely amazed by them. Wanda was a child who didn’t like school all that much and certainly didn’t like the shots she had to take for her diabetes. Eventually, she found out what she liked at school and decided to study physics in college. But at college, she started losing her eyesight due to her diabetes and eventually became blind. How could a blind person study the stars? Happily, she had friends around her to encourage her and one friend who was using sounds to study the stars. Now Wanda could listen to the stars and hear them. Wanda moved to the United States and continued to study the stars, making discoveries that only someone listening to the noises could have found. 

An amazing story of overcoming a disability in a field where it seemed impossible to go on, this nonfiction picture book shows Wanda’s perseverance, skill and also her willingness to accept help in order to find her way forward. The story itself is wonderfully written for young readers and the ending where the star noises are shared on the page is amazing in an entirely additional way. The illustrations are friendly and invite readers to engage with the material. 

A fascinating and inspiring true story. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Charlesbridge.