Picture Books
An Ordinary Day
Elena K. Arnold
Read for Librarian Book Group
One street, two kids playing, two houses, two visitors, and Magnificent the Crow continuing her declarations about everything. This is how picture books are done!
My Best Friend
Julie Fogliano & Jillian Tamaki
Read for Librarian Book Group
There are poeple who don’t mind all lowercase text, but I am not one of them. Especially in picture books.
Outweighing my the lack of punctuation are the great illustrations. I loved the panel of turning leaves into skeleton hands.
The Paper Kingdom
Elena Ku Rhee & Pascal Campion
Read for Librarian Book Group
Daniel’s parents are night janitors. One night he must accompany them to work. Gorgeous illustrations and a story about people who often don’t get to tell their stories.
Snail Crossing
Cory R. Tabor
Read for Librarian Book Group
Snail is cabbage bound and nothing will get in his way. Or so he thinks.
This book is funny.
Chapter Books
Planet Omar, Accidental Trouble Magnet
Zanib Mian & Nasaya Maffaridik
Read for Librarian Book Group
The style of big illustrated words among normal text took some getting used to, but I enjoyed this hybrid graphic novel format. Maybe we can call it text with extra pop?
The experiences with the neighbor felt spot on. The book was called “The Muslims” in Britain. I hope books like this will help the US move through the stage of giving suspicious glances to our Muslim neighbors.
Young Adult
Girl Unframed
Deb Caletti
Read for Librarian Book Group
There have been a smattering of books in the past few years touching on the point when a girl’s body starts attracting the attention of the general public—that changeover from being a girl to being an object.
This book is about that, and is more complicated than most because Sydney’s mother is a fading actress known for her body. Thanks to Caletti’s talent this book is full of uncomfortable (yet so familiar) situations, some fine art analysis, and a good love story.
Go with the Flow
Lily Williams & Karen Schneemann
Read for Librarian Book Group
Four friends work to change their high school’s practice of not stocking the feminine hygiene dispensers as well as to talk more about periods. The graphic novel’s color palette is marvelous and there are good observations about differing needs among friends.
Six Feet Over It
Jennifer Longo
While we can all agree that abusive parents are terrible, I also find parents who check out of their parental duties to be harmful to the health of children and adolescents. Two such parents populate this novel.
I’m always interested in the stories of teenagers who take on adult responsibilities too early as Leigh has. She’s been put to work selling grave sites at the cemetery her father has purchased on a whim. The Pre-Need people are okay. The At-Need Customers are a lot for a fifteen-year-old to take on. She’s also mourning the loss of her town, her friend, and keeping all of this all under wraps because of her older sister’s illness.
Calling My Name
Liara Tamani
Sometimes books aren’t anchored around a plot, but move through a period of a character’s life. This is the story of Taja from about age eleven to eighteen. It’s about faith and changed beliefs and love and finding what’s good for you, rather than what you should do.
Story of a Girl
Sara Zarr
Zarr is great at capturing dysfunctional family life as with Deanna, who was caught by her father at age 13 having sex with her older brother’s friend. She’s had the label of school slut ever since, and her father still can’t look at her, three years later.
What was interesting was the day-to-day of living with that label. Deanna has plans for escape, but they depend on her job and her older brother.
This was a good read that ended abruptly.
Sweethearts
Sara Zarr
Oh man, the food feelings! No book has ever captured them as well as this one.
Also, if food feelings aren’t your thing (or you have no idea what I’m talking about) there’s a great friendship that starts in elementary school but is cut off abruptly.
As always with Zarr, the parents just aren’t quite plugged in.
What We Lost
Sara Zarr
Sara Zarr’s examination of imperfect parents continues with Samara’s dad, a pastor who has no time for his wife and child. Plus, her mom’s in rehab.
When an acquaintance goes missing and is believed to be lost, Sam feels lost. There are a lot of good levels of uncomfortable in this book.
The Best Laid Plans
Cameron Lund
I love a punny title and this one is a winner! I also love books about virginity and its loss. I didn’t love that I predicted every plot turn of this novel.
Being Toffee
Sarah Crosson
In this novel in verse, Allison runs away and ends up living with Marla, a woman living with dementia, who thinks Allison is Toffee, a woman from her growing-up years.
It was unsatisfying to not find out more about Marla’s life and who Toffee was, but this was probably realistic.
The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Cynthia Hand
Oh suicide. How your effects ripple through the world.
Lex is finishing her senior year and still grieving her brother’s death. Cynthia Hand hits all the feelings.
Between this and the How and the Why, I’m completely on board with anything Cynthia Hand writes. (I was already on board for her collaboration that has resulted in the Janey books.)
Since You Asked
Maureen Goo
Spend a year with Holly Kim, copyeditor of her school’s newspaper. The September-to-June format threw off my three-act pacing feel, and I found it had some miscues at some points.
But for hanging out with a sophomore girl find her way, it’s a solid book.
Grownup Fiction
Standard Deviation
Katherine Heining
We take the temperature of a marriage that’s perhaps in its middle age. Graham is pondering his role as father to Matthew, husband to Audra and ex-husband to Elspeth.
This was one of the most amusing books I’ve read in a long time, thanks to Graham’s observations of his wife’s verbal vomit and his musings about life.
I came by this novel because I emailed the library asking for reading suggestions. I told them 10 grownup fiction books I’d liked over the last few years and within a day I got a list of books that were on the shelves at my library and suited to my tastes. If you haven’t taken advantage of your local library’s wealth of knowledge, please do not hesitate to contact them.
Young People’s Nonfiction
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera
Candice Fleming & Eric Rohman
We travel with Apis as she is born and carries out her honeybee duties.
Gorgeous illustrations and an engaging narrative. Note that the back matter encourages people to “..write your congressman and senators…” I was surprised this gender-specific and inaccurate description of someone serving in the US Congress made it through the various rounds of editing. Currently, there are 101 women and 4 territorial representatives serving.
Grownup Nonfiction
The Middle Finger Project
Ash Ambrige
Ash wants you to find your thing and she will tell you how she did it, and made tons of money.
This was inspiring and GREAT unemployment/pandemic reading.
If you are starting your creative business and you want more Ash, she has a 25-day email series that is top-notch and free.