Santa’s Workshop by Design Eye (Quarto) - ESSENTIAL

Santa’s Workshop by Design Eye (Quarto), 2023. $30. 9781836001027

BUYING ADVISORY: GIFT  - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

The elves at the North Pole have come together to write a handbook about the goings-on in their workshop and home. And because they are elves, they have made things extra special by including an interactive workshop with a large cast of characters to make-up your own stories with.

Being as I am, I put the workshop together without seeing the instructions on the last page of the booklet - and I did just fine.  I can think of three little ones (besides myself) that I want to gift this to this Christmas. I will also be buying a set to add to my personal Christmas decorations!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Story Fold Classics) - ADVISABLE

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Story Fold Classics), 263 pages. Design Eye (Quarto), 2024. $15. 9781836001423

BUYING ADVISORY: GIFT - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Design Eye has taken the classic Christmas story and published it in a very beautiful cover, with illustrated and colored pages.  What makes this version really special, and best suited as a gift, is that as you read the book you fold each page (lines provided), so that by the time you finish the book you now also have a Christmas display piece.  

I haven’t finished the book, so I haven’t seen the final product, but I have my suspicions.  As someone who is book-folding-challenged, I appreciate the guiding lines. This seems to be the first in what I hope is going to be a series of collectable foldables. It would be fun to read this aloud at bedtime together and mark your progress with the folds.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano, 357 pages. Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2022. $18.

Language: R (128 swears, 5 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULT - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

On an online forum, FedUp has called for a hit on Finlay’s ex, and Finlay (31yo) and Vero are doing everything they can to stop anyone from completing the job—Finlay might want to kill him sometimes, but she doesn’t actually want him dead. Trying to stay one step ahead of the hitman and write another manuscript for her demanding agent, Finlay entangles herself further with both the police and the mob.

The antics escalate, Finlay’s love triangle unbalances, and shootouts turn into car chases. Continuing Finlay’s story is not a rewash of the first, which I expected. Finlay and Vero have new obstacles to overcome, building on the experiences they had and also branching into new illegal territories. The last chapter tied up most of the plot points satisfactorily (all of them except the romantic strings to pull readers into the next installment), leaving readers with a hook in the epilogue.

Finlay is portrayed as White on the cover, Veronica and her cousin are implied Hispanic, there are Russian mobsters, and the majority of other characters are implied White. Georgia is part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for alcohol use; illegal activity; partial nudity; kissing; groping; sexual harassment; mentions of drugs, pornography, human trafficking, sex toys, orgasms, and sex; and persistent innuendo. The violence rating is for assault, corpses, blood and gore, gun use, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Beat I Drum by Dusti Bowling - ADVISABLE

The Beat I Drum (Life of a Cactus #3) by Dusti Bowling, 272 pages. Union Square, 2025. $17.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G (2 G rated kisses) Violence: PG (Connor has Tourette syndrome and experiences a couple of intense episodes) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

14yo Connor has moved across town and is starting High School without his friends. He's worried because his Tourette syndrome makes him tic and bark sometimes, that he will struggle to make friends, but right away, Amanda steps up and invites him to eat with her and her friends. His music teacher, Mrs. Chen, has offered to teach Connor to play an instrument, and he's amazed when he discovers that playing the drums might help settle his tics. 

I have loved this series. The Beat I Drum is more of a companion than a book three as the story happens at the same time as Momentous Events. I'm happy that Connor has found his tribe again, and that they are nice kids with issues of their own, as well as strengths to buoy up Connor. He's still having a rough time with his dad. I wonder now if Zion will get his own book? The characters are in high school, but they read younger. That is why it is just recommended for Middle School. The characters default white. 

Lisa Librarian 

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano - ADVISABLE

Finlay Donovan is Killing It (Finlay Donovan #1) by Elle Cosimano, 355 pages. Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2021. $18.

Language: R (111 swears, 2 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULT - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

The start of the day is bad with a nanny no-show, a toddler with scissors, and being late to a meeting with her agent, and Finlay (31yo) is just trying to keep her head above water despite how each choice makes the day become worse—and then the worst. She’s desperate. At the end of the day, the question Finlay has to answer is whether she’s desperate enough to bury a body.

The situations that Finlay gets tangled in are convoluted in the best way, and readers get the fun of two stories in one as Finlay uses her new experiences as fodder for her writing project. All of my questions were addressed throughout the book—and I loved that Casimano gives readers the space to form the questions before Finlay does. The story ends with a cliffhanger that leaves even Finlay dumbfounded.

Finlay is described as “pale,” Julian is described as “tanned,” Veronica is implied Hispanic, and there are some Russian mobsters. Also, Georgia is part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for alcohol use; illegal activity; kissing; partial nudity; mentions of drugs, strippers, pornography, nudity, human trafficking, and rape; groping; innuendo; and implied sex. The violence rating is for blood and gore, implied domestic violence, gun use, suicide, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Three Little Tardigrades by Sandra Fay - ADVISABLE

The Three Little Tardigrades by Sandra Fay. PICTURE BOOK. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2024. $19. 9781250776099

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

After more than a decade of caring for her three little tardigrades, Mother T kicks them out to find places of their own, with a final warning to watch out for the BIG HAIRY WOLF SPIDER! Each of them eventually chooses a new habitat, and just as they are settling down, the BHWS swoops in for a visit with some unanticipated bad consequences for the spider.

A fun mix of whimsy and scientific information for any science teacher. Unlike the author’s other book about the cryptid Mongolian death worms, tardigrades actually exist.  I will happily share this with the science department to see who touches upon the topic!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

An Animal a Day: 365 Amazing Animals to Take You Through the Year by Miranda Smith et.al. - ESSENTIAL

An Animal a Day: 365 Amazing Animals to Take You Through the Year by Miranda Smith, illustrated by Kaja Kajfez, Santiago Calle, Mateo Markov and Max Rambaldi, 221 pages. NON-FICTION Bright Matter Books 2023 $25. 9780593903353 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

This is one of those books that can be left on the coffee table and opened anywhere for a quick browse. 

The design is to read about a different animal each day for a whole year. I just think it's too much fun to stop at just one a day. I think kids would have a hard time not browsing through it. The illustrations are cute - not terribly realistic, but the kids will get the point and can certainly look up any animal they want more information about. I like that the descriptions are short. Includes statistics about each animal, like how big they are and where they live and whether or not they are endangered.There's also back matter about some conservation successes as well as a quiz for the kid who thinks he already knows everything about animals.

Lisa Librarian

The Gender Binary is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities Around the World by Lee Wind - OPTIONAL

The Gender Binary is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities Around the World by Lee Wind, 316 pages. NON-FICTION. Zest Books, 2024. $20

Language: G (0 swears, 0  “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (gendered body parts and surgeries mentioned multiple times in a clinic way); Violence: PG [mentions non-elective surgeries (castration, intersex reassignment) being forced on people]

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Wind takes us on an historical and international tour through gender identity and biological sex identity. In an informative, not prurient or sexual, manner Wind shows us how many cultures throughout history have accepted different gender identities, while also showing roots of the “traditional” gender binary. 

If your school has the 57 Bus by Dashka Slater, then you will also welcome Wind’s deep dive into gender identities. Very informative (a bit long-winded at times), with extensive source notes for further investigation.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Woe: a Housecat's Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley - OPTIONAL

Woe: a Housecat's Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley, 208 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL RH Graphic Random House, 2024. $17 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, ADULT - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

This is the story of a housecat named Linney and the family she deigns to be a part of. It includes her adventures and misadventures and what she thinks of her world.

 If you are a cat lover, you can probably relate whole heartedly to this book, The story is told mostly from Linney's point of view. Getting into the head of a cat is a tricky thing, but Knisley seems to have mastered it, and her love for this cat shines through. Besides the fact that there is a human child in addition to the cat, the interactions are mostly between the cat and it's owner, so the story seems like it would appeal to adult cat owners more than kids or teens, even with the graphic novel format, though perhaps cat lovers know no bounds. Linney's owner is a white female. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Rise up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music by Andrea Warner and Lousie Reimer - ESSENTIAL

Rise up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music by Andrea Warner, illustrated by Lousie Reimer, 183 pages.  NON-FICTION. Greystone Kids, 2024. $22

Content: G (mentions alternative lifestyles with no descriptions)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Warner takes us on a musical tour of how music has been used for protesting throughout recent history. Focusing on climate activism, indigenous rights, LGBT rights, and human rights, among others, she spotlights famous and less-famous faces in the movements, and gives as a playlist for each topic.

I appreciate that Warner focused on recent history (going back only to the 70’s), as it will help its young target audience relate, while introducing them to older artists. It would be great to curate the playlists on Spotify for student enjoyment.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine and Maddi Gonzalez - ADVISABLE

The Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine, adapted by Maddi Gonzalez, 160 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Graphix (Scholastic), 2024. $13 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Carly Beth is tired of getting teased for being scared all the time. She decides she needs something scarier than the duck costume her mother made her to save face with her friends. Carly Beth goes to a strange costume store and takes home a creepy mask that she is sure will scare everyone. The mask does help Carly Beth feel powerful and scary, but the mask becomes increasingly harder to take off. 

The illustrations work well with the story and are easy to follow. It's an R.L. Stine, so readers know the drill. The graphic novel stays true to its source. Carly Beth could be any student who just wants to get back at people who tease. Relatable and fun, even if the ending is predictable. Carly Beth is white. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Hurdles in the Dark by Elvira K. Gonzalez - OPTIONAL

Hurdles in the Dark by Elvira K. Gonzalez, 314 pages. MEMOIR. Roaring Brook (Macmillan), 2024. $22

Language: R  (30+ swears, 3  “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (strip search mentioned, mentions a girl pregnant at 15yo); Violence: R (grooming, rape by a trusted adult mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

At even a young age, Kristy impressed a high school track coach with her speed. Life as a chica in a Texas border town is not easy, however. Tension between Kristy and her Mama can flare badly - once ending in Kristy spending 2 weeks in custody. And her Mama has never recovered from trauma inflicted on her the time she was kidnapped and Kristy had only 24 hours to raise the $40K ransom. Kristy struggles to find coaches who will believe in her and help her fulfil her dreams of riding hurdles events to a college scholarship - and the coach she does find for her final high school years, grooms her for sexual abuse as he also coaches her to success.  The hurdles Kristy’s life has placed in front of her may be more than she can actually surmount.

Compelling, dramatic, I can see students sharing this book with each other. The parts about grooming by her coach and about the other coaches undermining her because of their jealousy are especially valuable to any young person who wants to understand a little more about what dangers might be out in the wide world. I appreciated Ms. Gonzalez’s bravery in exposing her story to the world. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Dinosaur a Day: 365 Incredible Dinosaurs to Take You Through the Year by Miranda Smith et. al. - ESSENTIAL

A Dinosaur a Day: 365 Incredible Dinosaurs to Take You Through the Year by Miranda Smith, Jenny Wren, Juan Calle, Xuan Le, Max Rambaldi and Olga Baument. 220 pages. NON-FICTION Bright Matter Books, 2022. $25. 9780593903339 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

A great resource for the Dinosaur lover, each month is divided into different types or traits of Dinos, like the smallest, flying ones, roof lizards, dinosaur weaponry, giant sauropods. 

I love the bite sized explanations for each dinosaur. Each short entry includes an illustration which I love because it's modern paleo art which includes lots of them with feathers. Also included are Statistics including period, family, diet, how big it was and where it could be found. It would be so fun to have this out in the library and turn the pages every few days - some days have as many as 5 different dinosaurs. Kids will want to check it out. 

Lisa Librarian

Born a Girl: It takes courage by Alice Dussutour - ADVISABLE

Born a Girl: It takes courage by Alice Dussutour, 157 pages. Orca, 2024. $30. 9781459838987

Language: G (0 swears,  0 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (menstruation mentioned; drawings with small patches of menstrual blood; clinical drawings of female reproductive system); Violence: PG-13 (inappropriate touching mentioned, female genital mutilation mentioned, violence against women mentioned, femicide mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Dussutour uses five girls from across the world (Mexico, India, Afghanistan, Kenya, France) to illustrate the variety of challenges that just being born a girl brings to life. 

All of it is very well presented in a highly illustrated format that helps it be simple to understand and swift to digest. The only problem I found was that nowhere does the author say whether the “main characters” are real people whose stories she is sharing, or if they are amalgams of the problems many girls in those cultures confront. While there is an index, there is no bibliography; the few resources mentioned are suggestions, without any links. Still powerful, but without the sources, I am unsure how factual I can be sure it is. I do believe that it is a high school level book that girls will talk about amongst themselves.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Happy Gift Day to You by Andy Nonamus, illustrated by Amy Jindra - OPTIONAL

Happy Gift Day to You (The Very Worst Ever) by Andy Nonamus, illustrated by Amy Jindra, 122 pages. Children's Fiction, Little Simon, Simon and Schuster, 2024. $18 

Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G  Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL  - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

It's the rich girl's birthday and what to get the girl who has everything? Finding the coolest birthday present presents a lot of challenges, Plus nearly getting eaten by a famous pony just makes the day even more challenging. What's a person to do? 

The narrator of the book has a sticker for a face, so it could be anyone, which gives it a universal appeal. The black and white illustrations are fun and add to the story. Readers can probably relate to the narrator's dilemma and their worries about being embarrassed. Sticker face narrator has orange hair and appears to be white. Rich kid, Regina, is black. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Don’t Wait: three girls who fought for change and won by Sonali Kohli - ADVISABLE

Don’t Wait: three girls who fought for change and won by Sonali Kohli, 146 pages. Beacon Press, 2024. $17. 9780807010952

Violence: PG (threats, attacks mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Nalleli, Kahlila, and Sonia, all young people of the global majority, became involved in movements to make life better in their communities. Nalleli and her community were being poisoned by the oil well across the street from their Southern California apartment. Kahlila felt that the police in her school were becoming too militaristic and were viewing every young person of color as the enemy. Sonia wanted more access to arts programs in her school and schools all around California.

Kohli uses the path of each girl’s story to show future activists how they can also work to make a difference. Each girl spent years on their issues - and continue to work into college and adulthood. The focus is right on the girls as they struggle (Nalleli front he age of 9) to get their voices heard over the course of years.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

An Illustrated History of Urban Legends by Adam Allsuch Boardman - ESSENTIAL

An Illustrated History of Urban Legends by Adam Allsuch Boardman, 123 pages. NON-FICTION. Flying Eye Books, 2024. $20. 9781838749101

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Boardman explores a broad range of urban legends from the pre-modern to the meta-modern ages. While he doesn’t do any in-depth looks at any of the legends, he does try in succinct writing to give an idea of where the legends originated and how much of them can be believed. 

I loved reading the snippets - recognizing many of the legends as ones I have heard over the years - and enjoying the illustrations.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner - OPTIONAL

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner, 464 pages. Redhook, 2018. $11 

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG-13 (Jews were killed, raped and injured off page)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

17yo Liba, 15yo Laya, and their parents live a happy life together on the outer edge of town, away from scrutinizing villagers. They enjoy their privacy and freedoms. When their father’s brother comes knocking at the door to request that he returns home, everything the girls have known changes completely. They discover that their parents were shunned by their own families because of their differences; despite that, they’ve made a good life on their own with Liba and Laya. When the girls are left on their own so their parents can travel to see family, danger arrives. It’s up to the sisters to protect each other and remember what their mother told them above all, it’s their choice what they do with their lives and to not let anyone take that choice away from them.

I like how the story is told in alternating points of view and that Liba is strong and her words take up the whole page while Laya’s words are in a thin column, delicate like her. Jewish mythology and Russian culture abounds in this story. I appreciate the Author’s notes about the true history this book is based on.

Ethnicity is predominantly pale skin, Russian and Jewish.

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah 

Dust by Alison Stine - OPTIONAL

Dust by Alison Stine, 320 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2024. $20.

Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

At first, unschooling was a relief— 16yo Thea no longer had to deal with those who made fun of her and her disability. But then unschooling became an excuse for Thea’s father to move the family to a failing farm in Colorado, and living a simple life turned into doing everything the hard way. As Thea fights to understand the world around her, she discovers that it may be too late and that the dust storms might kill them all before she ever gets a chance to really live.

The world around Thea is dry and bleak with nothing around, and the feeling of that landscape is felt through the slow-going, expository writing. It isn’t boring per se, but most of the book is not action-packed as the challenges pile up gradually. Thea is hard of hearing, somewhere between hearing and deaf, and Stine gives readers that experience through Thea’s perspective. Overall, the story was well-written, and persistent readers will see that.

The majority of characters are implied White. The mature content rating is for kissing, scary elements, mentions of CBD oil and nudity, and innuendo. The violence rating is for child abuse and mentions of guns and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

So Into You by Kathleen Fuller - ADVISABLE

So Into You by Kathleen Fuller, 336 pages. Thomas Nelson, 2024. $18.

Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - ADVISABLE

APPEAL TO: SEVERAL

Making videos about art from her studio at home—where she still lives with her mother—is the perfect job for socially anxious Brittany (28yo). Her mother, Amy (47yo), is still in pain from her difficult marriage and divorce from Brittany’s father, Daniel (48yo), and resists her friend’s attempts to get her to mingle with other singles. When Hunter (30yo) discovers Brittany’s videos online, he finds a peace he hasn’t felt in years, but his entrance into Brittany’s life brings all their personal and family issues to a head.

The number of ways that these two families are tangled around each other is comical, making the moment of collision when they all come together spectacular. This romance includes two separate love stories—further fueling the melodramatic relationships. Fuller’s characters have difficult pasts, uncertain futures, and all the decisions to make today as they try to make the future different from the past. These relatable struggles ground the story just enough to enjoy the truths within the exaggerated drama.

Brittany is described as having “pale” skin, Amy is described as having “moderately tanned” skin, Daniel is described as having “lightly tanned” skin, and Savannah is implied Hispanic. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, kissing, partial nudity, innuendo, and mentions of illegal activity, drugs, and sex.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen