When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea by Karen Cushman - ADVISABLE

When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea by Karen Cushman, 230 pages. Knopf (Random House), 2025 $18. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (peril, attempted hold-up) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

13yo Sally was raised in an orphanage in the late 1800s, and things have never worked out for her. So, when she loses her latest job at a hotel in Oregon, she decides to leave on her own and head west. She's heard the sea is something to see. She has some tips from her job at the hotel, and buys a pair a dungarees so she can rip off the torn hem of her dress. When a delivery wagon comes by, and a woman named Major offers Sally a ride, she takes it, despite her promise to herself to trust nobody. But when Major gets an unusual shipment - a spoiled 7yo boy named Lafayette, Sally wonders if walking would have been a better plan. 

I was so excited to see another book by Karen Cushman! Sally is funny and smart and independent. Lafayette was perfectly irritating, and Major the kindest. Cushman's character development was spot on. Because they are traveling, there are a lot of side characters, but even they are fleshed out a bit - the Saloon girl who brings Sally and Lafayette sandwiches to the drunk robber on the road - tiny pieces of the stock characters of the west. Marvelous. It was hard to pinpoint the time period - Sally mentions once having to wait for something until 1899, so we know it takes place before then. I adored When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea and am so happy to add it to my Karen Cushman collection. Sally and her companions are white. 

Lisa Librarian 

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Coleman - ADVISABLE

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Coleman, 256 pages. Farrar, Straus, Giroux (Macmillan), AUGUST 2025. $18

Content: G (some deaths from the dust, one accident)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

12yo Joanna has dealt with her scoliosis all her life - a life already made difficult by the degrading conditions on her family farm and Oklahoma in general, as the land around them seems to dry right up.  Her father has headed off to California, hoping to find work to send money back; and when her older brother breaks his leg in an accident, JOanna’s twin, Howe, has to leave school, which he loves, to help his mother keep the farm going. Joana finds purpose in helping the Red Cross nurses who have come to tend the victims of the dust, while Howe struggles to find his own way to happiness, but no one seems to be listening to him.

I love learning about history through novels - I don’t think our students are as eager for historical fiction as I am - especially when it is not war related. I would suggest you show this to a classroom teacher, especially in elementary, as it covers a wide variety of issues of the time, not just the Dust Bowl. I think it would be a great classroom read.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Rewind by Lisa Graff - OPTIONAL

Rewind by Lisa Graff, 248 pages. Philomel (Penguin), 2023. $18.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Every June, McKinley’s hometown celebrates a different year in history - this year it is 1993 - back to when her parents were teens! McKinley even has the perfect 90’s outfit for the fashion show.  When she finds herself back in the real 1993, she is shocked by what she finds - the adults she knows are totally different people than they were as kids. And McKinley has to help someone make a change in order to get back to her own time - but what and who is it supposed to be?

As time travel books go, Graff has kept this one pretty simple - even though McKinley does dive into the mind-stretching part of the concept right at the end. Watching McKinley’s adults as teens is quite funny - especially the adult who wants to lock her in a room for the whole time she is there.  While I enjoyed the trip back, I’d rather have a historical fiction book about the time period, rather than a time travel book dipping into it.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra’s Needle by Dan Gutman - OPTIONAL

The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra’s Needle by Dan Gutman, 181 pages. Holiday House, 2024. $19

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

The journey of Cleopatra’s Needle from Egypt to Central Park, New York, is a journey of inches, but also of thousands of years and miles. The boy knows his mom wants to tell him the Needle’s history, but until she speaks with the stories of kids he can relate to, the history is just not that interesting. Once he sees how kids’ lives were affected and involved, the history feels more alive and he becomes invested in the story.

In his back story, Gutman reveals that every kid in his story is made up, which didn’t endear the book to me anymore - I was only mildly invested in the reading. Gutman tries really hard to bring this historical story to life. Only a few kids will become personally invested in it. 

Cindy, MS Library Teacher

Lady Flyer by Heather B. Moore - ADVISABLE

Lady Flyer by Heather B. Moore, 416 pages. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2024. $28.

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

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Nancy Harkness fell in love with flying at a young age and got her pilot’s license when she was 16 years old. A few years later, she became the 54th woman in the United States of America to have a commercial pilot’s license, and Nancy continued to work hard for a career in aviation. When WWII started, Nancy passionately started lobbying for female pilots to help with flying jobs in America to free up the men to go to war, but opposition arose at every step.

With our modern-day freedoms, it’s easy to forget that we stand upon the shoulders of people like Harkness who fought for equality. It is also fascinating to see how these pilot pieces fit into the history of WWII and shaped our ability to win that war. I never knew that these pieces were part of the puzzle, but Harkness and those who worked with her were key players. The story is bittersweet with all the losses felt even amidst the celebration of the end of the war, and the happy ending comes when we recognize that the reality of women in the workforce today, especially in regard to aviation, owes credit to Harkness’s determination.

Nancy is depicted as white on the cover, and the majority of characters are implied white. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, and mentions of sexual harassment. The violence rating is for death and for mentions of war and suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

What Was the Children's Blizzard of 1888? by Steve Korté and Dede Putra - ADVISABLE

What Was the Children's Blizzard of 1888? by Steve Korté, illustrated by Dede Putra, 106 pages CHAPTER BOOK NON-FICTION Penguin Workshop, 2023. $8. 9780593520710  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

On January 12, 1888, a surprise blizzard hit the Great Plains which lasted several hours. Many people were caught unaware and unprepared. Especially hard hit were the teachers and students stranded in their schools. They had to make the hard decision to wait out the storm in the school without heat or food or to brave the blinding snow and try to make it home. Many children and adults died. But there were also amazing stories of survival and bravery. 

I enjoyed this book. It was well-written and easy to understand, and I learned a lot. The book tells the story of the blizzard and what happened to the people caught in it. It also provides insight, context, and background information about other things happening during this time in history. There are small illustrations throughout the book to add interest. A timeline and bibliography are included at the end of the book. 

A. Snow

Facing the Enemy by Barbara Krasner - ADVISABLE

Facing the Enemy by Barbara Krasner, 335 pages. NOVEL IN VERSE. Calkins Creek (Astra), 2023. $20

Violence: PG (implied that a boy was drowned deliberately)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In the 1930’s Benjy and Tommy were best friends, until Tommy’s German father insisted that Tommy join the local Nazi New Jersey youth camp and learn how to be a “good” German. Benjy, meanwhile, watches his father befriend the famous boxer Nat Arno, as they and other Jews form the Newark Minutemen to counteract the local Nazi propaganda. 

Spanning 1937 to 1941, on Tommy’s side we see the insidious work of Nazi brainwashing and on Benjy’s side we see countermeasures that were ongoing within the US. While the poetry is not poetic, Krasner has created a good way to for any reader to learn about America’s own Nazi past (any maybe compare it to the present?). The subtitle for the book is “How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship”.  The main characters are not real people. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Sixties Girl by Mary Lou Driedger - ADVISABLE

Sixties Girl by Mary Lou Driedger, 188 pages. Wandering Fox, 2023. 9781772034363. $8 (ebook format only), $15 paperback

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

11yo Will was badly bullied by the kids at his old school when they found out his grandmother was a famous picture book artist - the bullying revolving around the plots and titles of her books - so when his new friends at his new school assume his grandparents are dead, he doesn’t try to correct them. Grandma has moved nearby, though, and Will’s parents insist that he spend each Wednesday with her so that he isn’t home alone. At first Will resents this forced close time, but each Grandma has a new, exciting story to tell him about what life was like for her growing up. But what will Will do when his friends discover he has been lying to them all this time?

I enjoyed the peeks back into Grandma’s 1960’s years - her stories are really good. Will’s story is not quite strong enough to hold it all together - but neither part feels right without the other. Will struggle to admit the terrible extent of the bullying to everyone who cares about is wrenching and eye-opening; bullies are very creative and have so much power over everyone around them. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer - OPTIONAL

A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer, 261 pages. Union Square Kids, 2023. $17

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG (Throwing of vegetables and kicking and punching of Jews)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

11yo Shoshana and her family moved to North Dakota in 1905 to run away from the persecution happening to Jews in Liubashevka. Shoshana struggles with being different and unique in her Jewish religion. She finds joy in these struggles through music and showing her love to her family. She learns English and new things about the Christian religions that makes her confused.

I really liked the amount of details the book gave even in simple motion and actions along with the big actions. I felt that the book had no forward momentum, however. I felt like even though the story was moving forward it was stuck in place which just made it hard for me to want to read it. I also didn't enjoy how much description of a girl’s menstrual cycle there was. There wasn't anything graphic, but I also think it didn't need as much detail and they added to explain what it is.

Student Reviewer: Sarah T, 9th grade student

Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus - ADVISABLE

Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus, 288 pages.  Margaret Ferguson (Holiday House), 2023. $18

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

12yo Dory lives with her older (17yo) and her younger brother in a small apartment in New York City.  Dory’s mother is dead and her father is away fighting during WWII. The families within their apartment and others extended through the neighborhood are very supportive of the children while their father is away.  However, when a new landlord arrives, the kids are in trouble - if he finds out they are alone, the family will be split up into the foster system. But Dory has an idea. Maybe they can find a way into the abandoned and sealed hotel above their favorite restaurant! 

I love Dory’s spunk and ingenuity.  And I love that the narrator has included some particular asides, breaking the fourth wall with the reader. Good look at life in NYC in the 1940’s and lots of tension and adventure to move the story along. While I would love to rate this ESSENTIAL, I know that historical fiction is not a huge draw usually. Dory and her family are white, and their neighborhood is diverse.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Mexikid: a graphic memoir by Pedro Martin - ESSENTIAL

Mexikid: a graphic memoir by Pedro Martin, 309 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Dial (Penguin), 2023. $23. 

Language: PG (1 swear 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (naked doll illustration, pee and diarrhea references); Violence: PG (danger, depictions of fighting)

 BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

It's the 1970's and Pedro and his large family are leaving the strawberry picking fields of Watsonville, CA to drive 2000 miles to Mexico to help their abuelito wrap up his affairs and move back to California with them. Pedro, is not excited, until his father and older siblings tell him stories of Abuelito's exploits during Mexico's wars. Along the way he gives us a ring-side seat into what life was like crossing the border, driving the dangerous roads of Mexico, and coming to get to know yourself better. 

Cindy listened to the book courtesy of libra.fm, so she had no idea it is a graphic memoir. The audiobook is so spectacular, read by a full cast, and would make a fun read aloud in an upper elementary classroom. Hilarious and heartfelt. Lisa read the graphic novel and loved the illustrations - some of the depictions of Pedro's grandfather fighting off several men make him look (understandably) like a super hero. There's a section that takes place in a cemetery which could be troubling for a sensitive child, as well as an event where a deer is hit on the road.  Also, Martin uses a lot of Spanish, some is translated in footnotes. Highly recommended, especially to my Mexican population. Includes an author's note with photos of the family, including Abuelito. Pedro and his family are Mexican. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS and Lisa Librarian

Underground Fire by Sally M. Walker - ADVISABLE

Underground Fire: Hope, Sacrifice, and Courage in the Cherry Mine Disaster by Sally M. Walker, 220 pages. Candlewick. 2022. $25. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Mining injuries, mild descriptions of burned bodies, peril, death). 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

On November 13, 1909, inside the Cherry Mine in Illinois, kerosine lamps dripped on a mine cart full of bales of straw and caught fire. As the ventilation fans circulated air, they also supplied oxygen to the fire. By the time mine supervisors realized it was out of control, evacuating the miners was difficult and over 300 miners were trapped inside the mine. For the next several days, the miners who were safe from the fire were stranded in areas with bad air and little to no light, no food, and almost no hope of rescue. Above ground, the families desperately waited for news of their loved ones, while mine management tried to control the fire and make it safe for rescuers to retrieve the dead and find the living. 

Sally M. Walker (Written in Bone, Blizzard of Glass) is a master storyteller, tying all her well-researched information together into a heart-wrenching narrative non-fiction. I loved all the captioned photographs, the maps of the mine, and the insight into the miners and their families provided by family photos. Especially poignant were the quoted passages from notes written by the miners themselves as they awaited either death or rescue. In addition to the excellent photographs, Walker has included source notes and an index. Underground Fire would be a great addition to your non-fiction section. Most of the miners are immigrants from Europe. 

Lisa Librarian

Yonder By Ali Standish - ESSENTIAL

Yonder by Ali Standish. 368 pages. HarperCollins. 2022. $17. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (physical bullying, descriptions of injuries). 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

12yo Danny Timmons has a hero. An older boy named Jack Bailey. Jack saved twins from drowning during a flood, and he also stepped up and stopped a bully who was hurting Danny. They are friends of a sort, delivering newspapers together in their small Appalacian town, but Jack is a loner - his father is abusive, and when he doesn’t show up for his route one morning, Danny is frantic, certain Jack’s father has done something. 

Danny’s own father is overseas fighting in WWII.  Danny is collecting scrap metal, there are food rations, a draft board, service stars in peoples windows, prejudice against a German widow and a black family.  Although there is a lot going on, Yonder is an honest look at WWII and how it affected the people in the United States.  I was thoroughly engaged right from the start. Ali Standish tells some of the story in flashbacks - which are easily identified as the pages are grayish and the text is italics. I haven’t read many stories about American children during WWII, and I loved Yonder. Includes an authors note on some of the history of WWII that isn’t in the history books like how long our government knew about the extermination camps and our response to German refugees. Danny and Jake and most of the town is white. 

Lisa Librarian

Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt - ESSENTIAL

 Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt, 322 pages. Atheneum, 2021. $18

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

While Zada, a very old camel, makes it through a storm to a big mountain lion's cave, she thinks back over her life. She was born in Smyrna, Turkey, well cared for by her keeper, Teodor. While Zada was still young, she was given as a gift, along with all her friends, to the U.S. Army. She was transported in a boat across the Atlantic till they reached Texas. There they met many other camels. They helped the army transporting goods from Texas to California and back. Many years went by and Zada was happy. One day Zada and her best friend were set free. They stayed together and wandered by themselves. What will happen to the two camels? The story goes back and forth between West Texas and Smyrna. I learned a lot from this book. I had no idea that the army actually used camels in Texas. It was called the "Great Camel Experiment." There are still rumors that there are wild camels in Texas. This was a most amazing book. I loved it and I recommend it to everyone I talk to. The book is a great read aloud for a class. There are so many things to talk about and discuss. One of my favorite reads this year.

 Ellen-Anita, LMS 

Pony by R. J. Palacio - ADVISABLE

Pony by R. J. Palacio, 304 pages.  Knopf Books for Young Readers Little, Brown and Company, 2021 $18.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G. Violence: PG13. (Gun violence, ghosts with death wounds) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

12yo Silas is left alone when his father is taken by armed horsemen in the night. But when the pony they brought for Silas comes back for him, Silas decides that he has to try to rescue his father. Silas can see ghosts - in fact, Mittenwool, who woke him in time to see the riders coming, is a ghost. So when Silas starts off on the Pony, Mittenwool comes along. It's a dangerous undertaking, not one for a 12-year-old on his own, not even one as courageous as Silas. 

Oh, I loved this book so much! A beautiful ghost story, written in 19th century dialogue - like reading Poe or True Grit. It caught me on the very first page and I could hardly put it down. However, I have such a hard time getting my patrons to read historical fiction (1860 Ohio). I hope the ghosts will help me sell it. 

Lisa Librarian

The Ambassador of Nowhere Texas Kimberly Willis Holt - ADVISABLE

The Ambassador of Nowhere Texas Kimberly Willis Holt 320 pages. Henry Holt (MacMillan), 2021. $17 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Rylee Wilson's dad is Toby from "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town." They still live in Antler Texas, and things haven't changed much in the last 30 odd years. Everyone has gotten older, and their neighbor, Miss Myrtle Mae has recently passed away. Rylee and her best friend Twig have had a falling out, and Rylee is navigating a new friendship with Joe - who recently moved to Antler after his father, a first responder, was killed on September 11th. After Toby receives a photo of himself and Zachary Beaver from Miss Myrtle Mae's estate, Rylee and Joe embark on a search to find Beaver and see what happened to him. 

I loved the connection to 9/11, and the theme that those who weren't there have a different understanding, a different kind of memory about it. Kimberly Willis Holt is a great writer for middle grade readers, although a bit slow, this slice of small town life is a sweet story. More of a companion than a sequel, a recent reading of Zachary Beaver makes it more enjoyable, but not entirely necessary as it is indeed a different story.

Lisa Librarian

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee - HIGH

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee, 400 pages. Houghton Mifflin, 2020. $18 

Language: R (100+ swears, 22 “f”); Mature Content: PG (allusions); Violence: PG-13 (racial slurs, war deaths) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

14 teenagers formed a wide-ranging group of friends and family in San Francisco in 1941. Then Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. Now, the only thing that seems to matter is that they are of Japanese descent – the enemy. Rounded up and incarcerated, they try to build new lives for themselves in harsh, unwarranted conditions. Through their eyes we see many different actions, choices, and indignities. 

A great choice for a high school classroom read for American history especially. I appreciate an honest look at the incarceration camps leveled at older teens instead of younger children. Definitely a 9th grade and up book. So well done! 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

The Pig War by Emma Bland Smith and Alison Jay - ADVISABLE

The Pig War: how a porcine tragedy taught England and America to share by Emma Bland Smith, illustrated by Alison Jay. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Calkins Creek (Boyds Mill), 2020. $19. 9781684371716 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

In 1859, both British and American citizens lived on San Juan Island near Seattle, Washington. When a British pig ruined American potatoes, the American farmer shot it, setting off a chain of events that almost started an international incident. After much posturing, and arrival of naval forces, it took a calm head to broker peace. 

An interesting note for classes that cover this period in American history or to talk about diplomacy. I know our 8th grade covers this, so it will be a welcome addition.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Rescuing the Declaration of Independence by Anna Crowley Redding and Edwin Fotheringham - ESSENTIAL

Rescuing the Declaration of Independence: How we almost lost the words that built America by Anna Crowley Redding, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Harper, 2020. $19. 9780062740328 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

When James Monroe saw that the British were headed towards Washington DC in 1814, he sent word immediately to America’s new capitol to “remove the records”. Stephen Pleasonton, Monroe’s clerk, knew immediately exactly what his boss meant – he had to get all of the documents from the founding of the country to safety – including the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. But it would take the help of many of the citizens to move the wagonloads of documents not just once, but twice, to keep them out of British hands. 

American History teachers will love this episode from the War of 1812. Any level class can happily use this as part of their American History work. Redding tells the story in a compelling way and Fotheringham’s illustrations have just the right old-fashioned look. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Blue Skies by Anne Bustard - ADVISABLE

 

Blue Skies by Anne Bustard, 218 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2020. $18. 

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G: Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

11yo Glory Bea is excited for the Friendship Train that is making its way across America to Texas because there is an advertised surprise coming on the train.  Glory Bea is convinced that the Friendship Train surprise will be her father who was “lost” on Omaha Beach.  As Glory Bea prepares for her father’s return, she is upset that her father’s best friend from the war is courting her mother and hopes that the train comes soon.  

Although the storyline is predictable, Glory Bea is an endearing character.  Her grandparents, mother, friends and even her father’s war buddy all support her throughout the book. Even though I could see the end coming, I cried like a baby. A feel-good read for your middle readers.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson