Age: High School-College

Such a satisfying sequel. Three storylines, fast-moving, and surprises til the end. Fair warning: there is some more saucy parts to this than the first book, akin to lighter adult romance.

Plot synopsis for my aging, feeble brain:

Spoiler

Minya (goddess of souls) threatens to release Sarai unless Lazlo brings her and her ghost army down to the city of Weep. Minya is drugged by Ruby (goddess of fire) where Sarai enters her dreams to try and help ease the torment that drives Minya's bloodlust for revenge. Meanwhile, another story is being told of the faranji (foreigners) that have discovered the remains of the lost library of Weep. Thyon, once a pompous prince, experiences a transformation of self as he endures hard labor and true friendship--nothing more really happens to him and although I was waiting for him to regress back into his former self and become a villain, it was rather pleasant to read such a simple transformation. Thyon and Calixte (the acrobat) join with two tizerkane (warriors of Weep) to uncover the powers of the Seraphim that opened portals between worlds.
Interwoven between these storylines is the tale of two sisters living on another world named Kora and Nova. Kora is claimed by the Mesarthim god called Skathis and Nova is left alone in her village at the whim of a cruel, misogynistic society. Kora sends a secret message to Nova that begs her sister to come save her.
Knowing these two stories, we are brought back to the angel structure floating above Weep, as a fold between worlds is opened, bringing forth Nova and all her desperation and cruelty. Nova is a pirate of powers and claims those of the characters we have been following and deposits everyone off the godship except Lazlo so that she can continue to manipulate the godsmetal. Although she has been told her sister is dead, she is in denial and decides to continue her quest. Until Sarai enters her dreams and invites the last remaining piece of Kora into the dream and allows Nova to accept her loss and drop the need for retaliation. After they leave the dream, Nova steps off the side of the ship, finally at peace.
The story ends with Lazlo reshaping the ship into an eagle. With 12 others, they set forth across the worlds to free the emprisoned God spawn that were sold into servitude by Skathis.

Age: Middle School
Horror: At times, it is Neil-Gaiman-creepy more than flat-out spooky

"Spunky, strong-willed eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg isn’t interested in knitting lessons from her stepmother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There’s only one thing she does want: to fight dragons!

Granted, no dragons have been breathing fire around Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives, but that doesn’t stop the plucky girl from honing her skills. She fearlessly stands up to local bullies. She battles a very large, very menacing pig. And she boldly accepts a challenge from a mysterious witch, a challenge that could bring Mirka her heart’s desire: a dragon-slaying sword! All she has to do is find—and outwit—the giant troll who’s got it!" (Goodreads synopsis)

A door opens into an oft-not talked about culture that incorporates its traditions into the fantastical plot without lecturing.

Age: Preschool-2nd grade
Emotions: Perfectionism
"Tough" Issue: Self Care

A veeeeeery good egg finds it hard living with a family of bad eggs. When his head starts to crack from all the worrying, he spends some alone time treating himself to self-care activities like walks, reading, writing, and quiet moments to breathe.

Spoiler

Good Egg comes to realize that nobody's perfect and he doesn't need to be either.

John addresses the much needed topic of self-care for worry-warts in a world of high expectations, with a touch of humor paired with delightful illustrations.

Age: Preschool-2nd grade

A knight is very proud of his wall that separates his side from the dangers of the other side. With each turn of the page, we see water slowly rising on the Knight's side until the mean, terrible Ogre saves him from drowning. Finally able to talk face-to-face, the Ogre congenially chuckles at the Knight's ignorance, explains he is a nice Ogre, and gladly shows him around the Other Side of the Wall.

Kids will love yelling at the oblivious Knight to watch out and escape before the encroaching sea life gobbles him up. And, of course, a perfect allegory for our current state of affairs that demonstrates to children, with humor and lightness, that blocking your neighbors out can lead to a host of bigger problems.

Age: Preschool-1st grade

Rhyming text follows Thelma the horse's ascent to fame as she lives out her dreams of being a unicorn. But the constant spotlight becomes too much for lonely Thelma and she sheds her false image and embraces her old life and true self.

The frolicking text will capture the attention of a room full of younger listeners and the theme of being yourself will appeal to a wide range of ages.

Age: Infant-Toddler (board book)

Hutton demonstrates great early literacy practices for reading books to young ones, while also keeping their interest in the book with fun sounds and rhyming text. A white background emphasizes faces and highlights the emotional bond between parent and child when reading. Librarians are gonna love this one!

Age: Toddler-Preschool
Emotions: Friendliness
Manners: Asking for permission to touch

There are so many different ways to hug but sometimes our friends don't like to be touched--and that's okay! A great tool to show our overly-enthusiastic children that asking for permission to touch is always the right way.

Age: Infant-Toddler
Nature: Playing outside

Younger listeners will glom onto the repetition of words throughout this book as Florian depicts friends playing together. Nothing really makes the book stand out but children will enjoy the playful romp of the children on each spread.

Age: Infant-Toddler

It's time to wash off all the grime of the day in this celebration of a nightly (or *ahem* bi-nightly) routine. Lots of sibling pairs are helping each other take a bath but no adults are shown.

Age: Toddler

A little boy must help an unexpected visitor fall asleep by walking him through his bedtime routine. After the stalling and goofy antics of the bear, I can guarantee you that boy will sleep like a bag of rocks (said from experience). Bold lines and matte colors allow these illustrations to pop in a storytime or circle time setting and kids always love seeing children be the teacher.