Monica Jan - Future Librarian

  It's Time for Fantasy & Science Fiction! Lowe, Mari.  Aviva vs. the Dybbuk.  Levine Querido, 2022. 176 pages. $17.99. ISBN 978-1646141258   Summary:  A long ago “accident.” An isolated girl named Aviva. A community that wants to help, but doesn’t know how. And a ghostly dybbuk, that no one but Aviva can see, causing mayhem and mischief that everyone blames on her.  That is the setting for this suspenseful novel of a girl who seems to have lost everything, including her best friend Kayla, and a mother who was once vibrant and popular, but who now can’t always get out of bed in the morning. As tensions escalate in the Jewish community of Beacon with incidents of vandalism and a swastika carved into new concrete poured near the synagogue…so does the tension grow between Aviva and Kayla and the girls at their school, and so do the actions of the dybbuk grow worse. Could real harm be coming Aviva’s way? And is it somehow related to the “accident” that took...

  Let's Look at Contemporary Realism! Sumner, Jamie. Roll with It.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020. 272 pages. $17.99. ISBN  978-1534442566 Summary:  Ellie’s a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker. If she’s not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she’s practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother. But when Ellie and her mom move so they can help take care of her ailing grandpa, Ellie has to start all over again in a new town at a new school. Except she’s not just the new kid—she’s the new kid in the wheelchair who lives in the trailer park on the wrong side of town. It all feels like one challenge too many, until Ellie starts to make her first-ever friends. Now she just has to convince her mom t...

  Let's Look at Some Historical Fiction Books! Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out & Back Again.  HarperCollins, 2013. 288 pages. $16.99. ISBN 9780061962783 Summary:  Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope—toward America. -- Amazon Review: Thanhha Lai's Inside Out & Back Again  is a Newbery Honor Book and National Book Award winner, capturing the impact of war and the immigrant experience through verse. Lai reflects on her own experiences living through the end of the Vietnam War and immigrating to the United States to create an authentic story through the eyes of  Hà, the main character. Themes of displacement, resilience, and cultural identity are skillfully narrated through the three parts of the story, "Saigon", "At Sea", and "A...

 It's Time to Review Graphic Novels! Wang, Jen. Stargazing.  Illustrations by Lark Pien. First Second, 2019. 224 pages. $12.99. ISBN 978-1250183880 Summary:  Moon is everything Christine isn't. She’s confident, impulsive, artistic . . . and though they both grew up in the same Chinese-American suburb, Moon is somehow unlike anyone Christine has ever known. But after Moon moves in next door, these unlikely friends are soon best friends, sharing their favorite music videos and painting their toenails when Christine's strict parents aren't around. Moon even tells Christine her deepest secret: that she has visions, sometimes, of celestial beings who speak to her from the stars. Who reassure her that earth isn't where she really belongs. Moon's visions have an all-too-earthly root, however, and soon Christine's best friend is in the hospital, fighting for her life. Can Christine  be the friend Moon needs, now, when the sky is falling? -- Amazon Review: Stargazing...

  From Picture Book to Chapter Book! Pizzoli, Greg. The Book Hog. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019. 48 pages. $17.99, IBSN 978-1368036894 Summary:  The Book Hog loves books -- the way they look, the way they feel, the way they smell--and he'll grab whatever he can find. There's only one problem: he can't read! But when a kind librarian invites him to join for storytime, this literature-loving pig discovers the treasure that books really are. Greg Pizzoli, master of read-aloud fun and three-time Theodor Seuss Geisel Award recipient, introduces a character sure to steal kids' hearts using his signature cheerful colors and lighthearted narrative style. -- Amazon Review: The Book Hog  by Greg Pizzoli is a heartwarming Level Two book that celebrates a love for reading. This picture book, recommended for children aged 4-8, is a great choice for those looking to introduce the world of reading to young children with its gentle humor and protagonist with an admiration...

  Information Books for Kids! Thimmesh, Catherine. Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild . Clarion Books, 2018.64 pages. $17.99. Summary:  From the Sibert medal–winning author of Team Moon and the bestselling Girls Think of Everything comes a riveting, timely account of panda conservation efforts in China, perfect for budding environmentalists and activists. Roughly a thousand years ago, an estimated 23,000 pandas roamed wild and free through their native China. But within the past forty years, more than fifty percent of the panda’s already shrinking habitat has been destroyed by humans, leaving the beautiful and beloved giant panda vulnerable to extinction. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds—poaching, habitat destruction, pollution, human overpopulation, and global climate change—the panda is making a comeback. How? By humans teaching baby pandas how to be wild and stay wild. -- From Amazon Review: Catherine Thimmesh is a Sibert medal-winning author with a love ...