Loved the friendship between Isaac, who is a natural on the basketball court but struggles with schoolwork, and Marco, who is the opposite. They help each other out all throughout the book, and are both dealing with father issues. I liked the dual POV and occasionally we get to see the same situation from both of their points of view. Great friendship and basketball story about these two boys trying to be the best they can be.

Jason Reynolds can do no wrong in my book and this book is no exception. I loved this format; the illustrations add so much to the story! Portico is funny, a bit naive, kindhearted, and dealing with his anxiety the best ways he can. I loved his imagination and his friendship with Zola is top notch. I love that they had so many adventures living in the apartment building; lots of kids live in apartment buildings so it’s great to see that representation. Can’t wait to read more in this series.

What a fun holiday read to escape into! I loved all the holiday book reviews that Lila shared too; all of those books sounded good! I'm a sucker for books that take place over a short period of time. I liked that it was a bit enemies to lovers, but really they misunderstood each other at the beginning to lovers. The two main characters seemed really realistic; I liked how they were still trying to figure out what they loved/wanted to do and balancing that with the expectations of their families, either real expectations or what they think their family wants them to do. I really enjoyed spending time in this book; the Christmas vibes were strong! Great family relationships too. The romance was pretty light and flirty and fun. Overall an enjoyable book!

I read this last Christmas and I didn't really connect with the characters or the story that much. I'm glad I read it but I wouldn't read it again. I'm glad the main character got things figured out but it didn't feel very much like a holiday novel. That said, it was well-written, it just wasn't for me, which is fine.

A sleeping beauty retelling featuring beauties from multiple universes? Yes please! I really liked how the main character was a good balance between hopeful and realistic. I wish it were a bit longer! The witch's backstory was awesome. I also really liked how friendship was at the center of this, not romantic love. 

I love this series! It's really fun to read all the comics the frogs in the class create, and you get to learn right along with them. In this one everyone learns drawing techniques to help with perspective, but to also understand someone they may have fought with before. A fun read that will inspire readers of all ages to make their own comics, I'm sure!

I really loved being in the world of this story! The characters felt so real. I really liked how it was about every day things that feel monumental to our main characters (because that's how life goes, doesn't it?) I was cheering for Luc and Oliver from the start, not only to have a real relationship but to also grow as their own people. Can we get a spinoff starring Luc's Mom when she was younger? I'd love that! This was an enjoyable listen. I got the book from Libro.fm's ALC program through my job as a bookseller.

What an adventure! I adore all of the RR presents books, but this one just grabbed me from the start and wouldn't let go. I loved Sik from the start, the mystery around Mo, and how quick the adventure started. I don't know too many middle grade protagonists who have jobs, so I loved seeing that represented. It was awesome to read about a Muslim-American family as well.

Sik is happy to help his parents in the deli, but he's jealous his brother Mo got to go back to Iraq so much. Sik's parents and Mo fled Iraq when Mo was little. Sik is grieving Mo, his big brother, his hero, who has been dead for a few years, and Sik's world gets turned on its head when an evil god attacks his family's deli, claims Sik has something he wants, and sets a plague loose in the city that infects Sik's parents first. Sik teams up with a kick butt ninja, a goddess, and some other unlikely heroes to try and save the day.

I loved the emotion that infused itself into this story. Of course every character goes on an emotional and physical journey, but I felt like this one was a bit deeper than other RR presents books I've read. I got swept up in the mythology and stories, but also in Sik's relationships with his friends and family. 

I hope there are more coming in the series! It was awesome!
I also appreciated that gay couples were presented in the book as simply existing and being commonplace (like they do/like they are) and not something strange or wrong (like sadly so many people still believe). The main characters also lament how so many people are quick to blame Muslims, or cast them in the role of the bad guy, simply because of who they are. I hope this opens kids' eyes to the injustice of that and inspires them to act to combat that as well.

We need more books with Muslim heroes for sure, and this was such a great one.

Another classic in our house. A great rhyming tale with darling illustrations. Mr. Willowby gets a grand Christmas tree, but it's just a bit too big. No worries, his butler will just chop the top off; and pass it to the upstairs maid, who finds that it's a bit too big for her room, so she does the same. The top of the tree gets passed off and cut again from humans to animals alike until it ends up coming full circle in a sense. It's so fun and has such a classic feel to it. Adore this one!

This is one of my FAVORITE Christmas books. I LOVE the illustrations. I LOVE the story. I LOVE Rory and his Dad. There are really funny moments, really emotional moments, and, let me just say the page turn where Rory sees what is sparkling outside his window is the most surprising page turn I have seen in a GOOD LONG WHILE. I love that Christmas is all about spending time with friends and family in this book too. A classic in our house for sure.