Age: 8th grade-high school (protagonist is a junior in hs)
Activism: Feminism
Location: Texas, smallish town
Music: 1990s Riot Grrrl

This book excelled in all the right ways: a likeable protagonist with dimension and growth, emerging sense of communal and collective purpose as a teen girl, first romance with a respectful and likeable guy who is still negatively influenced by society's disbelief in women's voices (especially regarding rape), relationships that are growing apart (mom, childhood best friend), and the positive power of music and art to inspire change. I love how Mathieu included Vivian's actual zine pages within the story, adding a nice layer of multimedia flair.

Age: High School+
LGBTQ: 2 side characters--lesbians
Tough Issues: Forced prostitution, rape

Violet, her younger sister, and four other teen girls escape their harem prison and journey across their western-style land to remove the visible brand that is holding them back from true freedom. Lots of interesting world-building elements including the indentured servitude of "shadowless" people, ghosts/monsters that roam the land, men that are trained to inflict misery on women without words or physical contact, and magical/advanced chemical compounds like what is used to brand the girls. These interesting concepts don't receive more than a mention, unfortunately, and Davis puts her focus on the plot progression and the side quests (that get more elaborate as the book moves along). A fun story but didn't fully live up to it's intriguing premise.

Age: 5th-8th grade
Bullying: Fatphobia from classmates, mom, and brother
Location: Texas
Mental health: Therapy (positive interaction)

Every child deserves their voice to be heard and deserves to exist without shame for their appearance. Ellie has received absolutely horrific taunting and verbal abuse throughout her life and none more worse than from her own putrid mother. At her new therapist, Ellie finally finds an outlet to unleash her emotions and find strength in advocating for herself.

A truly eye-opening read for kids (and adults) who exist outside of (and either knowingly or unknowingly perpetuate) the constant societal battle that fat people face. For those that have lived this experience, there are negative and positive reviews but the negative reviews highlight the excessive amount of triggers and lack of justice at the end of the novel.

Age: K-3rd grade
History: 1940s--Japanese Internment Camps
Identity: Japanese American
Tough Issue: Internment, racism

Tama works in the library at the Minidoka incarceration camp where a fellow book enthusiast visits her every day. But is he truly reading a stack of books every day or visiting for another reason? Tokuda-Hall captures this sweet love story of her grandparents while giving a factual depiction of the racial prejudice committed upon Japanese Americans and how they were forced to create a life of escape amidst injustice.

Imamura captures the dismal atmosphere of the internment setting with shadows and brown hues while, at the same time, illustrating the characters with strength, resilience, and lifted spirits.

The unique illustrations, the expertly crafted story, and the importance of historical education for young children make this a true stand out.

Age: Preschool-kindergarten
Animal: Duck
Things that go: Construction

A group of big construction vehicles are annoyed by the presence of a lost, pesky duckling until Digger shows compassion towards her and takes her under his wing/scoop. As she stayed around and learned to do different construction tasks, the trucks dropped their misgivings and welcomed her into the family.

Age: Kindergarten-3rd grade

As the only brown girl in a classroom full of white students, the main character feels on display when African American history is discussed and wants to sink into the ground in order to escape the spotlight and the need to represent an entire race of people. She knows that she should be grateful to go to school and learn--and she is!--but her white classmates are also giggling behind her back or approaching her with racist hogwash. Despite this solitary experience, she grows up to be a doctor and a mother of a child who is also the only brown girl in her class. The mother encourages her daughter to be proud of her history and feel that strength inside her, even if she's the only one to have experienced it in her class.

An incredibly relatable experience for children that have experienced otherness based on their skin color and an equally important window book for white children to understand how their snickering stares can affect their classmates.

Age: Toddler-Kindergarten
Art: Knitting, wood working, making gifts by hand

Two friends go to great lengths in order to find the perfect present. In the end, the thought and time put into the presents is what matters most to these friends.

I find it fascinating that after 6 books, these fuzzy creatures still have no name. I'm sure there are some great suggestions out there from fans of the series.

Age: Preschol-Kindergarten
Location: Japan

Kaiju are meant to wreak havoc and cause fear and destruction with their massive bodies and impressive superpowers. But Anzu's superpower? Flowers! While trying to learn the ways of devastation and striking at the heart of his town's citizens, Anzu and his family embrace his own unique monster gift for spreading joy and laughter.

Delightful illustrations with a sweet message about accepting difference within your own family.

Age: Preschool-2nd grade
Nonfiction: Food, health

Longer descriptions make this perfect for a laptime read and provide just enough information for budding curiosities, but not much more.