Finally Heard by Kelly Yang - ESSENTIAL

Finally Heard (Finally Seen #2) by Kelly Yang, 339 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2024. $19. 

Language: PG (9 Swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G (mature meanings of some emojis are eluded to, but not identified; Lina is beginning to mature and is very self-conscious about her changing body.); Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

10yo Lina and her friend Carly seem to be the only 5th graders without a phone. But when Lina's mom discovers that social media can help grow her business, Lina gets a phone to help film videos for her. She soon discovers the allure of social media, and wants desperately to join Discord, and be part of a group chat. She soon discovers that her friends act differently in a group chat, saying things online they would never say in real life. 

I so want my 12-14yos to read Finally Heard, and I hope they won't be turned away by the ages of Lina and her friends. Yang's story is engaging and relevant and I loved that their teacher was fostering discussions about brain chemistry and why the children are becoming addicted to social media. The author's note, including essential research on social media and kids, is directed more to parents and teachers than the intended readers. It's almost as if Yang anticipated Finally Heard as a class novel and included a teacher study guide. While it continues Lina's immigration story,  reading Finally Seen is not necessary, although highly recommended. Lina is Chinese. 

Lisa Librarian 

Do You Know Them? Families Lost and Found After the Civil War by Shana Keller and Laura Freeman - ADVISABLE

Do You Know Them? Families Lost and Found After the Civil War by Shana Keller, illustrated by Laura Freeman. PICTURE BOOK Atheneum (Simon), 2024 $19. 9781665913072 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO SEVERAL

Each day Lettie does small jobs to help her Uncle Charlie and pay for her keep and save precious pennies for something very important. Each Sunday she stands in front of the congregation and reads the Lost and Found People ads in the newspaper out loud, in case someone has information, or to share the joy when someone is found. One day she hopes that she and Uncle Charlie will also have good news. 

Don't dismiss this as another Civil War story - instead, it adds more dimension to life after the War when Black families were scattered all over the country, and sometimes the world, trying hard to reunite. Our 8th-grade curriculum covers post-Civil War, so I am excited to share it with our teachers. The characters are Black. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow by Sebastián Santana Camargo - OPTIONAL

My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow by Sebastián Santana Camargo, translated by Elisa Amado. PICTURE BOOK Greystone, 2022. $17. 9781778400063 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - NO, 

HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

A child is told his uncle is coming to visit and he waits. 

My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow is more about the afterward than the picture book. The illustrations are simple line drawings. I think the subject matter is more appropriate for an older audience, maybe a high school class talking about political terror. 

*Spoiler* the uncle never arrives because he is one of the "disappeared" from the Cold War or organized crime. 

Lisa Librarian

Enlightened by Sachi Ediriweera - OPTIONAL

Enlightened by Sachi Ediriweera, 304 pgs. GRAPHIC NOVEL Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2023. $23. Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Prince Siddhartha lives a charmed life in a beautiful palace with all his needs and whims met. However, he is frustrated as his father, the king, will not allow him to leave the palace as he claims the outside world is too dangerous and holds nothing for the prince. No longer able to accept his perceived imprisonment, Prince Siddhartha leaves his life of privilege, wife, and child to seek out an understanding of suffering and overcoming humanity’s cyclic existence. 

Although above the title on the cover in tiny font there is the statement, “a fictionalized tale,” this version of Buddha’s history is presented in a way that makes it appear as fact rather than one of the many stories of his origin. The story that the author has chosen to retell is one that is mythical and so the presentation as fact could lead to misinforming and confusing readers who have no previous knowledge of Buddha or Buddhism. If a reader supplemented this reading with other non-fiction books and/or guidance from someone with knowledge of Buddha and Buddhism, it could be worthwhile.

AEB

The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina - OPTIONAL

The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina, 320 pages. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2022. $19.

Language: PG-13 (78 swears, no ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: R (talk of war and labor camps, off-page executions, on-page beatings and gun violence)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

World War II is in its final months and 16yo Maria has left the Nazi labor camp where she has been held to return home to her family. Upon her arrival in her Polish village she finds out that her parents have been killed in a battle between the Polish Resistance and the Ukrainian Nationalists. Shockingly, she is reunited with her brother, whom she believed to be dead, only to discover that he is a leader of the Polish Resistance and a “Silent Unseen”, a special agent sent in by Allied forces to resist the oncoming Russian threat. When her brother disappears, Maria must join forces with a sworn enemy to get him back.

While it is appreciated that a book about World War II is taking on a lesser discussed aspect of the war, the author does not do justice to the task. The myriad of groups and characters introduced quickly become muddled for the reader leading to confusion and frustration. The action is constant and chaotic without ever developing into a convincing or engaging story. There is also a highly unnecessary and awkward romance that is forced into the plot that brings nothing to the story. The ending is abrupt and the reader will find that they are no closer to understanding what or who the Silent Unseen were than when they started the book.

AEB

Justice Is… by Preet Bharara and Sue Cornelison

 Justice Is… by Preet Bharara, illustrated by Sue Cornelison. PICTURE BOOK. Crown (Random), JAN 2022. $18. 9780593176627 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Bharara talks about the many facets of justice, showing people and events throughout history. She has thoughtfully collected representative people and events and left the words simple and clear. Each page has a person or situation worthy of a deeper dive. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

My Story Starts Here by Deborah Ellis - ADVISABLE

My Story Starts Here: Voices of Young Offenders by Deborah Ellis, 176 pages. NON-FICTION. Groundwood Books, 2019. $17.

Language: PG13 (12 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Here are the experiences of more than 20 young adults and 10 adults who have been in and out of (or have had family members in and out of) the children’s criminal justice system in Canada. These people give the facts as they are -- the ugly truths and buds of hope -- and all of them encourage readers to not repeat their mistakes.

We may all occupy space on the same planet, but we each live different lives. While some details are left out or made vague to protect the identities of those sharing their experiences, enough is shared here to make you grateful for what you have -- people, things, opportunities. Ellis does her best to help every reader relate by asking questions that put readers in the shoes of those they read about and giving application ideas at the end of each experience shared. Whether you are in a bad situation or you know someone who is or you just want to see life from someone else’s point of view, those interviewed want you to read this book and know you are not alone. The mature content rating is for underage drug and alcohol use as well as mentions of rape and sexual abuse. The violence rating is for bullying; criminal activity, including stealing and gun violence; mentions of self-harm, suicide, and murder; and mentions of physical, mental, verbal, and sexual abuse.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Spacesuit by Alison Donald and Ariel Landy - ESSENTIAL

The Spacesuit: How a seamstress helped put man on the moon by Alison Donald, illustrated by Ariel Landy. PICTURE BOOK.  Maverick publishing, 2019.  $18. 9781848864153

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ESSENTIAL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Ellie worked as a seamstress for a large commercial fabric company.  When they decide to enter the contest for a suit that astronauts could use to walk on the moon, Ellie and the others rise to the challenge to create a suit that is safe, comfortable, and flexible.

What a great insight to even another part of the space program where the intuition and work of women contributor silently to its success.  I wish there was more back matter to support the story.  I’m still going to show this to those science teachers who talk about space and about female engineers and inventors.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

curriculum

Around the World in 80 Maps by Clare Hibbert - ADVISABLE

Around the World in 80 Maps by Clare Hibbert, 96 pages. NON FICTION. Firefly Books, 2017. $20. 9780228100102

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The British Library has a lot of maps, many of them centuries old. This delightful journey through maps of the world (as represented mostly by European mapmakers) dates each map, tells where or by whom it was made, and what it is a map of. Lots of text boxes or other small bites of information. Includes a map of Dresden Germany (used by Allied bomber pilot during WWII) a map of Scandinavia from 1570, Mount Everest from 1930, a 16th century map of Japan and Korea, even a map of New York City from the 1770's.

 What an interesting way to look at 80+ different examples of maps (some examples contain an additional map or two)! Besides the standard information, there are also things to find, current information about the place (Area, population etc), interesting things to know - either about the place, the map or something else. This is the kind of book you can open anywhere and have an interesting few minutes with whatever pages you see, or can devour it one map at a time, searching for the suggested finds - and more! This book would make a great gift - along with a magnifying glass, and I'm showing it to my 9th grade geography teacher!

Lisa Librarian

What's the Big Deal About Elections by Ruby Shamir - ESSENTIAL

What's the Big Deal About Elections by Ruby Shamir, illustrated by Matt Faulkner. NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK. Philomel Books (Penguin), 2018. $18. 9781524738075


BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: EL, MS - AVERAGE

Voting in America is seen as a fairly ubiquitous right at this point, but the actual who/what/when/where/why can be a bit more complicated. This easy-to-read picture book explains the details of voting in the United States. Each page has fun illustrations, answers an important question about voting (How do we know who to choose in an election?), and includes a few interesting tidbits or stories. The basic heart of the book encourages young readers to get involved and get educated on the important subject of voting.

This is a fantastic nonfiction picture book that checks all the boxes for me. The information is accurate and important, the text is detailed but still written in a way kids can understand, and the illustrations are on point. This is the sort of book middle readers could handle on their own, and elementary age readers could utilize with a teacher's guidance. I think its a book that should be used in elementary social studies classes, for sure! Overall a great book that covers all your bases when teaching students about voting in America.

Reviewer: TC

Spooked! : How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow - ADVISABLE

Spooked! : How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow 139 pages. NON FICTION Calkins Creek 2018 $18.95 Content: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

On October 30, 1938 Orson Welles' Mercury Theater presented a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells novel the War of the Worlds. Setting it in the real town of Grovers Mill New Jersey, and presenting the action through realistic sounding news broadcasts caused people to believe the reports were real and danger was imminent. But the story of wide spread panic doesn't end there. The aftermath of the broadcast with a possible investigation by the FCC and threats of government controlled radio programming may ruin careers or make Welles and his associates celebrities. 

Jarrow tells the whole story of the broadcast, including the writer's challenges with shortening and updating a classic novel, the rehearsal process where the actors felt the show was going to be dumb and boring, and the production itself, choreographed by the masterful directing of young Orson Welles. Well documented with captioned photographs, side bar information and quotes, as well as an appendix including sites to listen to the broadcast itself, interviews and documentaries; sources to find out more about Mars, Hoaxes, and Old Time Radio; a bibliography and index. This is a great resource for a classroom learning about fake news, propaganda, or World War II. 

Lisa Librarian

Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat - ESSENTIAL

Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

PICTURE BOOK Disney Hyperion, 2018 $17.99. 1484767608

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

When a young boy is dropped off at his grandfathers house, he quickly realizes that the language barrier is insurmountable, so he gets out his paper and markers and starts to draw - that's when grandfather gets out his brushes and ink, and the two spend the afternoon communicating through their artwork. 

Such beautiful illustrations, the mixed styles blend so well together and the art makes the story take on a life of its own. A great idea, well executed. A great art lesson as well.

 Lisa Librarian

How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made The Modern World by Steven Johnson - ESSENTIAL

How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made The Modern World by Steven Johnson, 152 pages. NON-FICTION. Viking (Penguin), 2018. $20
978-0-425-28778-1

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

This book is a young reader adaptation from a New York Times bestseller and covers the discoveries and innovations surrounding glass, cold, sound, cleanliness, time, and light. Each chapter covers one of these topics and includes a comprehensive history with the logistical details embedded in the timeline. The chapters also contain a number of photographs and illustrations. There are a lot of attention grabbing anecdotes in each section.  

My entire family loved this book. We jumped around the book, each taking a turn picking a topic, and learned a lot in the process. One of the anecdotes that we have retold to other people we read in the chapter on light and it tell the story of how whale oil was used to make cheaper candles. To get the oil, or spermaceti, they had to send a small person, often a child, inside the body of the whale to scoop out gallon after gallon of the substance. Gross. This would be a fun informational text to read aloud in a science, history, or English classroom.        

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan - ADVISABLE

Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. PICTURE BOOK. Calkins Creek (Highlights), 2018. $18. 9781629797182.


BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: EL, MS - LOW

Lorraine is a young girl in 1968 Memphis when her father and other sanitation workers go on strike. The strike quickly becomes another piece in the Civil Rights movement taking place and Martin Luther King, Jr. even comes to hold a march and draw attention to their cause. While in Memphis for speeches and marches, Mr. King is assassinated by James Earl Ray. Shortly thereafter the federal government sends an official labor representative to negotiate an end to the strike.

This historical fiction picture book is based on the memories of an actual witness to the events of 1968 Memphis, and I liked the way the story was told from the perspective of a child. This is one of those picture books that is generally too long for a good read aloud but has a great story in it. I imagine this would be useful in social studies classes covering the Civil Rights movement--this is a story not as well known as Rosa Parks or Selma but just as important. Teachers might need to tell the story rather than read it as written, but the book would still be useful in a well thought out history lesson.

Reviewer: TC

Out of the Ice by Claire Eamer - ADVISABLE

Out of the Ice : How Climate Change is Revealing the Past by Claire Eamer, Illustrated by Drew Shannon, NON FICTION Kids Can Press, 2018. $18. 1771387319

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Global warming is melting the glaciers and permafrost revealing long frozen artifacts. Tools, clothing, animals and even ancient people are being revealed as the ice recedes. Radiocarbon dating helps us place the age of organic material, and tools and weapons found along side bodies and animal remains are rewriting history. 

 Short chapters make this so easy to read, illustrations are provided alongside photographs, and boxed text of "additional information" ties everything together. Includes a glossary, timeline, index and bibliography. This is a great springboard for a report on archaeology, climate change or global warming. 

 Lisa Librarian 

Lights! Camera! Alice! by Mara Rockliff - ESSENTIAL

Lights! Camera! Alice! : The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff, Illustrated by Simona Ciraolo, PICTURE BOOK, BIOGRAPHY, Chronicle Books. 2018. $18. 1452141347

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Alice Guy Blaché is one of the world's first movie makers. She worked for a camera company and was allowed to make movies after hours which she used to demonstrate the new motion picture camera. Soon her films became a huge success in France. One of the first pioneers of motion pictures, she is little known - mostly because she was a woman. She made hundreds of films in America and even more in France. 

Formatted like a silent movie, in frames and short ideas - sprinkled with French and title cards this was a delight to read. I want to know more about Alice! Good thing the author has included a short author's note, bibliography, articles and movies. A fun read for a theater or film study class, or a lesson in social justice. 

 Lisa Librarian 

Persuading Miss Doover by Robin Pulver - ADVISABLE

Persuading Miss Doover by Robin Pulver, illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson, PICTURE BOOK Holiday House 2018 $18.00 978-0-8234-3426-8

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Jack and Samir are in trouble again. Besides drawing a picture of the principal (which he found) they put a whoopee cushion on Miss Doover's chair. Now they don't get to sit together anymore. But wait! For writing workshop, Miss Doover has assigned a 4 sentence persuasive essay. Maybe the boys can revise their essay until it's perfect and persuade Miss Doover to reconsider the seat change.

Pulver has created great characters - the boys are delightful and I just love Miss Doover, always correcting their grammar, using fun vocabulary words like frivolous, and guiding them to write the perfect paper. Full of great writing advice, I'm handing this to my Language Arts teacher. Also, a fun shared read, because it is told in dialogue bubbles.

 Lisa Librarian

My Baby Crocodile by Gaetan Doremus - OPTIONAL

My Baby Crocodile by Gaetan Doremus. PICTURE BOOK. Enchanted Lion Books, 2016. $19. 9781592701926

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - OPTIONAL.

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

A crocodile finds a knight alone in the swamp and mistakes him for a baby crocodile, given that the shape of his helmet looks like a crocodile. Crocodile takes care of him and falls in love with him as his baby. Then, on a swimming expedition, the crocodile realizes that his baby is really a human and the point of view of the book switches to the knight. The knight realizes that the crocodile isn’t going to eat him, but begins to think about killing the crocodile and being a hero back home. The point of view then shifts back and forth as each of them considers killing the other and then dismissing that thought. In the end, they part in peace. 

This book is quirky. I think there are a lot of layers that could be peeled back in this interesting tale. I see its potential mostly in a high school unit on war and diplomatic differences. This book does seem to require discussion around reading it, talking about what could be gleaned from a story such as this. The illustrations are pen sketches in different colors and the text is hand written. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

Nothing stopped Sophie by Cheryl Bardoe - ADVISABLE

Nothing Stopped Sophie : The Story of unshakable mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe illustrated by Barbara McClintock PICTURE BOOK, NON FICTION Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Hatchette, 2018 $18.  316278203

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3),  EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Sophie Germain understood math so well she thought about it all the time, her parents had to take away her candles and warm pajamas to keep her in bed at night. Her favorite thing to do was study math, but she lived during the French Revolution and women mathematicians were not taken seriously at all. Sophie studied math by correspondence (under an assumed male name) and when the Academy of Sciences offered a medal with a cash prize to anyone who could figure out a very difficult mathematical task - how to predict patterns of vibration - Sophie, then age 32, took on the challenge. 

A remarkable story about a courageous and intelligent woman; Sophie Germain is an inspiration. The true story, fully illustrated in pen and ink and watercolor, is well told, beautifully written and will make great read aloud. Can't wait to read this to the "Girls who Code" class and to hand it to my math teachers. So happy to see another picture book biography. 

Lisa Librarian 

God Bless America: The Story of an Immigrant Named Irving Berlin - ADVISABLE

God Bless America: The Story of an Immigrant Named Irving Berlin by Adah Nuchi, illustrated by Rob Polivka.  PICTURE BOOK/NON-FICTION. Hyperion (Disney), 2018. $19. 9781368015769 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – OPTIONAL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

In a bustling immigrant neighborhood of New York City in the 1890s, young Irving, born Israel “Izzy” Baline, hustled the evening news with a song. He always had a song, whether the “zim-a-lay-quiver, weep, call, waver prayers” of his Jewish forefathers in Russian or the “thump-two-three, ting-a-ling, whee song” of the crowded American streets around him. He wrote and presented a musical for the soldiers of World War I, and when a second world war looked likely, Irving polished off a song he had written 20 years earlier, which became an inspiring classic around the country. He donated all the royalties from God Bless America to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America. Before his death at age 101, Irving had written over 1500 songs. 

The color pencil drawings illustrating this biography give the book an old-fashioned look that may be off-putting to an elementary school audience. I even found a couple of the illustrations at the beginning somewhat confusing. Additionally, most elementary kids will not know the music of Irving Berlin, but students in middle and high schools may, especially if their school has a musical drama program. Annie Get Your Gun is a staple for high school musicals. Use this book to introduce students of all ages to this talented composer, an immigrant, who helped shape our country's identity through the two world wars with his talent and service. The story is fleshed out more with an Author’s Note at the end. You will also find a timeline, a list of Berlin’s most famous songs, and selected sources. 

P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian