Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston - ADVISABLE
Monday, March 10, 2025
I Will Never Leave You by Kara A. Kennedy - OPTIONAL
I Will Never Leave You by Kara A. Kennedy, 343 pages. Delacorte Press (RandomHouse), 2024. $20
Language: R (17 swears, 19 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (Lesbian relationship, drinking); Violence: PG-13 (death, verbal abuse)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
18yo Maya finally decides to end her toxic relationship with her manipulative girlfriend, Alana, during a hike in California's Antelope Valley. Soon after, Alana goes missing and Maya becomes the prime suspect while battling guilt over what happened. But when Alana's ghost begins haunting her, Maya realizes their connection is far from over. The vengeful spirit demands Maya's help in possessing their friend Rowan, or face terrifying consequences. As Maya fights to break free from Alana's grip, she must confront the lingering effects of abuse and trauma.
Kennedy explores love, control and the struggle to reclaim one's identity. This book was very frustrating and compelling to read. Maya and Alana's relationship was extremely toxic, and it was frustrating to see Maya remain trapped in Alana's influence, even after her death. The novel definitely portrays the type of relationship to avoid. I really enjoyed the supernatural elements as well as the bond Maya eventually develops with her sister. The mystery kept me engaged and the twist at the end genuinely caught me by surprise.
The characters in this book are white.
Jessica Nelson Librarian
Sunday, March 9, 2025
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle , Crystal S. Chan (Adaptor) and Julien Choy (Illustrator) - ADVISABLE
A Study in Scarlet (Manga Classics Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1) by Arthur Conan Doyle , Crystal S. Chan (Adaptor) and Julien Choy (Illustrator), 200 pages. MANGA. Manga Classics, 2025. $20
Language: PG (2 swears, 0 f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (smoking); Violence: PG (off page death)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
I struggle reading Manga because it takes me a moment to adjust to reading the opposite direction of what I'm used to but I enjoyed this rendition of Sherlock Holmes' book, "A Study in Scarlet". The art is done well and the story is true Sherlock Holmes! A delightful mystery and it was fun to tag along with Sherlock and Watson as they solved the case. The suspense was perfect. The illustrations were eye-catching and pulled me into the story.
I love the artwork! This is a manga that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm impressed with this rendition of "A Study in Scarlet"!
The characters are white
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
Saturday, March 8, 2025
The Totally Not Boring Book of Feelings by Julie Taylor and Brandon Dorman - ADVISABLE
The Totally Not Boring Book of Feelings by Julie Taylor and Brandon Dorman, 128 pages. SHORT STORIES. Shadow Mountain, 2024. $23
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
The book contains short graphic novels like stories and poems interspersed with hilarious drawings. The stories and poems are all about feelings but written in a way that makes you laugh. I loved this book.
At first glance I didn't think I would like this book, no color illustrations and it looked just kind of “blah.” How wrong I was. It is my 2 year old grandson's absolute favorite book! We read from it every day and he sits down and “reads” out loud from it every day. The book has become a special friend in our family the last several weeks while my grandson has stayed with us. I highly recommend this book for preschool aged children up through 3rd grade, maybe even all through elementary school. The illustrations are just darling and funny and a 2 year old laughs out loud at them. Enjoy this book for years to come.
Ellen-Anita. Librarian
Friday, March 7, 2025
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - ADVISABLE
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, 384 pages. Tor, 2024. $15
Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG (prejudice)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS, ADULT - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Kiela, an adult, lives in Alyssium and loves her job as a librarian. The only social interaction she gets is with Caz, the sentient spider plant that resides in the library too. When the library is burned, Kiela and Caz take as many magical books as they can and sail away to Kiela’s birthplace, Caltrey, which she hasn’t been to for too long a time. They move into her parents’ abandoned cottage and hope that they won’t be found hiding the restricted magical books. Kiela has always enjoyed being alone and antisocial but her new neighbors see things differently and will try to break down her barriers any way they can.
This is a sweet book. Charming, innocent and full of fantasy. The book was so relaxing to read and it truly was comforting.
The ethnicity is a variety of races, species and colors.
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Cruzita and the Mariacheros by Ashley Granillo - ADVISABLE
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal - OPTIONAL
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Solving for the Unknown by Loan Le - OPTIONAL
Language: R (47 swears, 2 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Coming in as a first-year in college, Việt (18yo) is worried about making friends and about leaving his parents in the house alone without him as a buffer. After a rocky encounter with his roommate’s friends, Việt changes his mind about accepting a party invitation. He might not remember most of the night, but Việt is grateful for the people he meets in the morning, especially Evie—third-year Evie who has a jerk boyfriend.
Việt struggles with depression, and Evie struggles with self-worth. Even with their support system of loving friends and family, their problems are not slain with a one-time defeat. These characters have to figure out how to not get discouraged when their trials resurface and how to be comfortable sharing the burden by accepting help. Not all problems go away, but they can become smaller. While this is the companion to a previous book by Le, Việt and Evie’s story can stand alone.
Việt, Evie, and their families are Vietnamese American. The majority of active characters in the story are Asian, and the majority of supporting cast characters are implied White. The mature content rating is for kissing and for alcohol use, including underage drinking. The violence rating is for mentions of blood and murder in fake crime scenes.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
Monday, March 3, 2025
I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew - OPTIONAL
Language: R (84 swears, 18 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
College dropouts paying for their mother’s medical bills are beggars, not choosers, which is why Thomas (18yo) is living the Farrow household as an interpreter for Vivienne (18yo). Vivienne chooses not to speak, but she doesn’t need an interpreter-slash-babysitter. Once she finds a way to ditch Thomas, she can continue with her plans to fix herself—or else die trying.
The occult aspects of this story are not explained very clearly. The vagueness adds an element of horror in the beginning but distracts from the action the deeper readers go, turning mystery into confusion. In the end, the forces of evil somehow collapse, causing the antagonists to somehow face consequences while the protagonists drive hopefully into the dawn of a new day. A happy ending, if not a very disclosing conclusion.
The majority of characters are implied White, and Frances, Hudson, and Reed are part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, illegal activity, scary elements, mentions of prostitution, kissing, and innuendo. The violence rating is for assault, gun use, blood and gore, mentions of suicide, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Confessions of a Junior Spy by Rosaria Munda - ADVISABLE
Confessions of a Junior Spy by Rosaria Munda, 224 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), JUNE 2025. $20.
Content: G (some danger)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
12yo Bea has lived in the hotel Pangean her entire life. Her dad is the Chef, while her mom appears once in a while to recuperate between spy jobs. Bea is waiting for her Knack to manifest. Bea wants a Knack that will help her be a spy like her mom- fighting the good fight. But Mom seems to have a different idea - she wants Bea to be a Normie?
Munda has packed in adventure and danger into this middle grade version of The Gallagher Girls or Alex Rider. A fun, fast read with danger around each corner.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham - ESSENTIAL
Friday, February 28, 2025
Let the Fur Fly (Grimwood #2) by Nadia Shireen - ADVISABLE
Let the Fur Fly (Grimwood #2) by Nadia Shireen. 240 pages. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2023. $12. 9781524882273
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Fox siblings Ted and Nancy are enjoying living in Grimwood. But when a smooth talking fox named Sebastian Silver shows up, their home is threatened. Silver wants to level Grimwood to build an amusement park and mall. Can the eclectic residents of Grimwood work together to save their home?
A fun story filled with jokes, mystery and adventure. The cast of characters are interesting and quirky. The illustrations throughout add to the overall appeal of the book.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
Thursday, February 27, 2025
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman - OPTIONAL
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman, 528 pages. Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2025. $18.
Language: R (65 swears, 6 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG (undescribed death)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
The Crown Royale virus seems to be everywhere and it either becomes fatal or creates a happy mindset in survivors. Teenager Mariel and her mom are homeless and she believes that the virus would make life great but her mother doesn’t. 16yo Ron, the youngest of six children, hosts his rich father’s Airbnb and welcomes people to stay for four nights at the beautiful penthouse for a very cheap price. This will be the last stay before the penthouse closes. His father is wanting to live in isolation so they don’t catch the virus and give all their money to charity because they’re out of their right minds, all caused by the Crown Royale virus. Morgan reaches her internship meeting, where she meets with a very rich woman who has recently been diagnosed with Crown Royale and wants to bequeath everything to Morgan to eradicate the virus. Ron becomes an alpha-spreader, Mariel is immune, Morgan wants to do everything possible to eradicate the virus and after inheriting tons of money and partnering with Ron’s extremely rich father, she has the means to.
I love the inclusion and representation of several different ethnicities and cultures. The stories of random people and encounters intrigued me and helped cement the nature of the virus and its effect on people. I enjoyed how the author explored the choices people made and their actions. Interesting story.
Ron is of Spanish descent. Morgan is Eurasian, Mariel is white.
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The Secret of Moonrise Manor by Stephanie Bearce - ADVISABLE
The Secret of Moonrise Manor by Stephanie Bearce, 256 pages. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2025. $20.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY
Knocking a hole in the local hotel’s wall was honestly an accident, but Raven (12yo) isn’t sorry when it reveals a mummified body. Spunky Raven and her eclectic group of friends dive recklessly into solving the mystery of Mummy Man, working around working for family businesses and being grounded. Even so, they’re sure to figure out the whos and whys of the murder before the adults do.
Bearce has imbued her characters with big personalities that, at times, both help and hinder their goals as they clash over opinions of science versus paranormal activity and possible truths that hurt more than lies. This group of determined kids can accomplish much good if they’re willing to learn lessons of forgiveness along the way. In order to find the answers to one mystery, Raven and her friends find several other buried secrets, promising future adventures.
The majority of characters are implied White; Eric is implied Asian. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, illegal activity, and mild scary elements. The violence rating is for corpses and mentions of suicide and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
Champion of Fate (Heromaker #1) by Kendare Blake - ADVISABLE
Champion of Fate (Heromaker #1) by Kendare Blake, 480 pages. HarperCollins, 2023. $10.
Language: PG-13 (10 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG-13 (deaths and bloody fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Reed was eight years old when raiders arrived in her village and killed everyone except her. The raiders find Reed hiding in the wreckage and take her to be a sacrifice to their god for their safe journey home, but she is rescued by two strong women who take her to live among their warrior kind, the Aristenes. Now 16yo, Reed was raised to believe she will become a great warrior and find a hero that will die a glorious death so she can become an Aristene also. Reed learns that life isn’t black and white or easy.
Reed is a strong character who believes in right and wrong. Reed has a great relationship with the two other girls being raised to become Aristene warriors alongside her, Gretchen and Lyonene. The story shows the importance of love, loyalty, strength and friendship. Ethnicity is mixed with many skin tones. Reed has tan skin.
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Chronically Dolores by Maya Van Wagenen - ADVISABLE
Monday, February 24, 2025
Your Blood My Bones by Kelly Andrew - OPTIONAL
Your Blood My Bones by Kelly Andrew, 356 pages. Scholastic Press, 2024. $13.
Language: R (22 swears, 6 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (some kissing, one passionate kiss that is interupted); Violence: PG-13 (Animal death, blood, violence, poisoning, cults, bones, murders, gore, paranormal activity)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
After learning of her father's death and that she is the last surviving Westlock heir, 18yo Wyatt returns to her childhood home intending to burn it to the ground. It has been five years since she was last at the farm. But before she burns it down, she finds that her childhood best friend Peter is chained in the basement. After freeing Peter she begins to piece together what was happening at the farm during her childhood all without her knowledge and understanding. Peter, semi-immortal, has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths at the hands of a cult who were attempting to create wards to keep hell contained. And her father was the steward at the center of it all. Peter knows that the only way to free himself is to kill Wyatt and end the Westlock line. Reluctantly Peter and Wyatt work together as Wyatt learns to use her inherited powers from her alchemist father and witch mother to rebuild the spells and protect the world from the darkness that lives in the forest.
The author's prose is beautiful. The suspense is just right. Her descriptions are rich and vivid. I was quickly immersed in the world she created. If you are looking for an addition to your horror section, I would recommend this book.
Wyatt, Peter and James are white.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
Why We Went Extinct by Takashi Maruyama and Tadaaki Imaizu, Masanori and Yoko Uetakemi - ADVISABLE
Why We Went Extinct: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Species That Just Didn't Make It by Takashi Maruyama and Tadaaki Imaizu, illustrated by Masanori and Yoko Uetakemi. 172 pages. NON-FICTION. Quill Tree Books, 2024. $16. 9780063089938
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: MANY
Why We Went Extinct is a fully illustrated encyclopedia depicting many dinosaurs, mammals, insects, and birds that have gone extinct. Extinction is just a part of the long, long history of life on Earth. You will learn the three reasons creatures go extinct, and why each creature mentioned went extinct.
Why We Went Extinct humorously tells some of the story from the creature itself. Each page is eye-catching, full of well organized information, and fun to read.
PGPowers
Sunday, February 23, 2025
What's Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park - ESSENTIAL
What's Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park, 327 pages. Crown (Random), 2024. $20.
Language: PG (7 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Hate crimes mentioned)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
15yo Jackie Oh loves cooking, living in NYC, and working at her grandparents' deli. Her Korean-American parents, however, expect her to excel at school and attend an Ivy League college. When Jackie skips school and misses her history final to participate in a cooking show audition, her parents are very disappointed. But when she makes it on the show they allow her to do it if only to have something good for her college application essays. Through the course of the show, Jackie learns to trust herself, cook from the heart, and see others for who they are instead of who she thinks they are.
I enjoyed this book. Jackie wants to excel in school to please her parents but she also wants to follow her passion of cooking. I liked that through the process of participating in the cooking show Jackie learned self-confidence and she started to see and understand the people in her life. She was able to get to know her mother better and understand how she failed her best friend. She was also brave enough to do what was necessary to repair some of her relationships. I liked that there was Korean mixed in with English and a glimpse into Korean culture. This book also carries the important message of seeing and understanding people from cultures and backgrounds that are different from your own.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian