This book was okay.  It was like a travel log to show kids how to enjoy the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  There is nothing wrong with that, and if one was going to be visiting that location, this would be a great book.  The story sends the kids on a quest to find this magic music, that turns out is just everyone singing together. Otherwise, the story is lacking, and a bit boring.  

 

Mariana lost her mother two years ago. Her and her father have moved from California to someplace new to be with her family. Mariana is shy and has never had to move. Her teachers are constantly telling her to put your phone down live in the here and now. It’s only once she decides to live within her current life instead of her past life, that she makes new friends. Turns out they have similar interests: hair care. Together the group of friends create their own mini salon in an old trailer, create a non-toxic, all-natural hair dye, and cut some fantastic if not a little crazy, hairstyles. This book is all about family and friends and intended for middle grade. It does a lovely job of showing that everybody has issues or problems and sometimes you fight but you make up and make things better. This was a quick and fun read that any kid, middle grade or elementary is sure to enjoy. 

 

Apparently, there are multiple Arlo books. In this one, a storm has run through the community, and it was dark and scary, but the sun and the rainbow are out. That means it’s time for a gathering, so Arlo and Cookie are going to have everybody over. This is an elementary graphic novel meant for kindergarten/ first grade. It’s overly sweet and quite predictable but a fun read that will have kids wanting the next book in the series. 

 

This was a very well done. It talks about galaxies and mentions many things that I had never read before in a book of this level. The Scooby Doo portions of it aren’t the best but it is a draw to get the kids to pick up the book. And in this case, it works very well. Overall, this was a fantastic read with interesting information and the kids are sure to laugh and want to read the rest of the series. 

 

These books are cute and any kid that likes race cars be they fast cars or big dirt racing cars will enjoy this. I do find that it is a little long and wordy,  so it might be a bit much for story time. This book also started with a meet the team and then how to practice your breathing exercises when you’re not on the track. It seemed this book was focusing more on concepts than on being entertaining. Saying that, I do love the illustrations, I love the artwork, I love the color. Sometimes the words were hard to read, because they blended into the background, but overall this was pleasant and kids will enjoy it. 

 

This was very interesting. This manga is a memoir. It’s the story of the author and her sexual-harassment, and how it affected her life. How issues when she was younger held on into adulthood. This wasn’t just about one instance of sexual harassment as a young adult, but the sexual harassment of women and girls, or those who appear to be women, or a girls, most of their life. This was not an easy read. The author left all their thoughts and feelings in the panels. And while the story didn’t end since it is a volume one, I did find the story interesting. However, I don’t think I want to read anymore. Not because it wasn’t good, but because there are leftover questions, I felt like the author told us everything they needed to. 

 

The Fiona hippo books are fun. I have missed a few so now she has a brother and she’s learning about seasons. As the seasons change some of her friends will hibernate, some will search for warmer climates, etc. but change can have a good side.  Fiona just needs to learn that and learn that her friends will always be there. As always, the artwork is lovely and the stories a little long but works very well. 

 

This was a rather fun book about Drew who has CP.  His friend gifts him a shard from Area 51 for his birthday. Aliens come and grant his wish to learn anything just by touch.  He uses his newfound powers for good. He makes new friends, helps find a lost journal, and ensures the aliens will have something interesting to watch far into the future. This is a short and entertaining graphic novel intended for elementary school but enjoyed by all ages. Drew has Cerebral Palsy known as CP and while it’s not a main part of the story, how he explains things to his friends in the beginning is a great lesson for any child. 

 

The littlest turtle comes to us from imagination press, which is a division of the American psychological association. This book is fantastic. Every day when all the turtles go to eat, the big turtles, eat what is on the ground and the little turtles climb on top of the big turtles to get to the fresh ripe fruit in the bushes and trees. The big turtles are tired of always eating what’s on the ground because it’s usually sour and semi rotten. But the little turtles don’t seem to notice that there is a problem because this is the way it has always been done. But the littlest turtle says okay I understand what you’re saying. The littlest turtle has empathy. The big turtles hatch a plan to show everybody else that they to deserve the freshest type of berries. They put their plan into action. A lesson is learned and new models are created. This book is very much up an allegory for modern society. Just because things are the way they’ve always been doesn’t mean they are right. What is good for one should be good for all. No one should be at the bottom of the pile. No one should be less than anyone else. This book makes the statement in such an easy to understand concept for any age, child or adult. You add on top of that the fantastic artwork, and this is a killer book that will stay on shelves and be used for many years to come. 

 

What a fantastic read. This is another book from imagination press, and the American psychological association. Verity is not gendered. Adult readers may think there’s something different about Verity and the readers notes at the back of the book discusses how neurodiverse people might see things differently. In this book whenever somebody asks Verity how their day is going, Verity not only says “good” but also says information about aquatic animals because that is what they love. Their brother tries to teach Verity that people don’t always want all the extra when they ask you a question. Sometimes when someone says hello all they want to hear is “good”. But sometimes they want more and Verity‘s brother had a lesson to learn the same as Verity, that simple rules do not always work. The illustrations are great. They’re colorful and the way the story is told makes perfect sense.  As someone who hates readers notes these take heavy concepts and make it easier for non-experts to read, understand, and learn.