Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024

| Tasha

ALA has released their list of the 10 most challenged books of 2024 as part of their annual observance of National Library Week. Most books on the list were challenged due to “false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and dealing with topics of race, racism, inclusivity, equity and social justice.” These are just the top titles out of the almost 2500 unique titles facing challenges last year.

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Flamer by Mike Curato

Take a look at ALA’s The State of America’s Libraries report for more information on ways to support libraries and the freedom to read.

The Gift of the Great Buffalo by Carole Lindstrom

| Tasha
The Gift of the Great Buffalo bookcover

The Gift of the Great Buffalo by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Aly McKnight (9781547606887)

A young Métis-Ojibwe girl, Rose, travels with her family to the biannual buffalo hunt where they are joined by hundreds of other families. The hunt has become more difficult as white people and trains take over the prairies. Rose longs to join her father, who is one of the hunt’s captains. After days of no buffalo being spotted, Rose decides to help scout. She tracks the buffalo, thinking of herself as a wolf and sensing them nearby. While Rose found the buffalo, she has to also face her father, who told her not to leave camp.

A story that speaks to the real life on the prairie, the impact of white settlers and railroads, and the beliefs of the Métis people, this picture book is filled with an impactful mix of small details and a grand adventure. Written by Lindstrom who is Métis-Ojibwe and illustrated by McKnight who is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes, the authenticity of the story is particularly noteworthy. The watercolor illustrations have a luminous quality that captures the light on the prairie and the beauty of the landscapes, creatures and people.

Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from e-galley.

Waking Your Friday Brain Cells

| Tasha

Some interesting articles to enjoy:

9 Exemplary Novels in Verse for Middle Grade and Teen Readers – SLJ

The American Picture Book’s Unsung Parent: Japan – The New York Times

Author John Green talks about living with OCD – NPR (This one really moved me. Definitely worth the listen!)

Classification as Colonization: The Hidden Politics of Library Catalogs – The Scholarly Kitchen

Happy Trans Day of Visibility 2025 – a booklist for all ages – LGBTQ Reads

Magic Cat Announces Deal for Board Book Series with Jamie Oliver – Publishers Weekly

Michael Morpurgo: The five books that changed my life – iNews

Ten New Children’s Books That Reveal the Wondrous Act of Storytelling – Literary Hub

And a cool video on publishing picture books in translation:

Upcoming April Books to Wake Your Brain Cells

| Tasha

Here are the books I’m looking forward to in April:

PICTURE BOOKS

Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III (3 stars: Booklist, Kirkus, & Publishers Weekly)

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat (3 stars: Booklist, Kirkus, & Publishers Weekly)

His Fairytale Life: A Book about Hans Christian Andersen by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Brooke Boynton-Hughes (2 stars: Booklist & Kirkus)

Mistaco by Eliza Kinkz (3 stars: Booklist, Kirkus, & Publishers Weekly)

Peddler of Puzzles by Beth Ferry & Tom Lichtenheld (2 stars: Booklist & Kirkus)

Night Light by Michael Emberley (2 stars: Horn Book & Kirkus)

CHILDREN’S FICTION

Benny on the Case by Wesley King (2 stars: Booklist & Publishers Weekly)

Candle Island by Lauren Wolk (2 stars: Booklist & Publishers Weekly)

The Pecan Sheller by Lupe Ruiz-Flores (2 stars: Booklist & Kirkus)

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (3 stars: Booklist, Kirkus, & Publishers Weekly)

YA

The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum (3 stars: Booklist, Kirkus, & Publishers Weekly)

Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick (3 stars: Booklist, Kirkus, & School Library Journal)

HOME IS A WISH BY JULIA KUO

| Tasha
Home Is a Wish bookcover

Home Is a Wish by Julia Kuo (9781250881328)

A young girl moves to a different place with her mother and grandmother, taking a plane and a car. Throughout there is a connection to nature, birds pass windows and fish surge in the water. But the sounds are different at her new home and so are the customs and rules. Slowly, new friends are made and a new home is formed.

With illustrations that are an enticing blend of vintage lines and modern color, this book speaks to tradition and family but also new possibilities in both its story and art style.

Appropriate for ages 3-7.

Reviewed from e-galley.

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Paka by Sara Andrea Farjardo

| Tasha

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Paka by Sara Andrea Fajardo, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (9781250838612)

Two Peruvian-Americans come together to create a warm and delightful picture book biography of Alberto Salas, a Peruvian scientist who dedicated his life to potatoes. Searching for wild potatoes through the Peruvian landscape is a treat with that landscape depicted by a Caldecott-honoree illustrator. From the hilly land to Salas’ notes to finding the spark of a potato in the mud to the potatoes themselves, readers will be amazed by the colors on the page.

This book tackles climate change, the need for scientists and the manual labor that it sometimes takes for science to happen and to discover something that can feed a changing world. Enjoy this game of hide-and-seek!

Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from e-galley.

Everything is Poison by Joy Mccullough

| Tasha

Just finished Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough. Just the 17th century Italian YA novel that modern readers need right now. Full of strong women taking care of their community plus the beauty of found family and an apothecary. http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746825…

— Tasha Saecker (@tsaecker.bsky.social) 2025-03-28T18:41:29.297Z

Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough

A truly great YA read that is engrossing, filled with fascinating details about apothecary work, and a call for women to fight, survive, and thrive on their own terms. The text is an engaging mix of prose and poetry, offering small glimpses of other people of that time who are living very different yet hauntingly similar lives. Highly recommended.

Taking a Break

| Tasha
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

I’ll be taking a break from blogging. Thank you to all of my readers and the publishers who have supported my little corner of the Internet over the years.

Yours in Books by Julie Falatko

| Tasha
Cover image for Yours in Books.

Yours in Books by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo (9781951836207)

Owl is looking for peace and quiet to be able to read his books. So he reaches out to a local bookshop to get titles that might help. After getting the store’s catalog, he asks for titles like “How to Soundproof Your Forest Dwelling” and “The Can-Do Guide to Moving to a Remote Tropical Island.” However, the store doesn’t have those titles, instead sending other books, ones that are helping as the youngsters of the forest begin to listen to Owl read stories aloud, bake treats together, and make crafts. Happily, the books selected by the cheery squirrel are just what Owl actually needs.

Told entirely in the letters being exchanged, the emerging relationship between Owl and Squirrel is a joy. At first businesslike, the accurate assessment by Squirrel of the book that Owl truly needs leads to exchanges of jokes and invitations to tea parties and visiting the bookshop. The entire book is about accepting a changing neighborhood complete with young and eager visitors who may also be exactly what Owl needs in his life.

The simple illustrations evoke the warm and lovely life in the woods. From the book-filled shop to the often spattered Owl looking surprised that some things are actually working out well. Readers will want to join in on their tea party and also head out to visit the bookshop and have Squirrel pick a tome just for them.

Full of friendship, letters, books and baking. What a treat! Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.