All the Books by Hayley Rocco
Piper, a book loving chipmunk and I have a lot in common. We are both book lovers. We have cute, chubby cheeks, we’re not keen on sharing our books, and we both love books. Did I mention that already? Well it is true. And in fact, I’m a book dragon. Well, you might call it hoarding, but I call it dragon. And I would say that Piper is a dragon, too. Only I don’t go as extreme as she does. You see, Piper loves her […]
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
When you’ve been a children’s librarian for years, it is easy to get burnt out on the material. For me, that also meant I got cocky. Can any kids book really hook me anymore as a bitter adult who has READ IT ALL? Are there any GOOD STORIES LEFT? Yes, of course, to both of those things. THE LOST LIBRARY by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass proved just that. The last day of fifth grade is approaching, and Evan is pretty nervous about moving up […]
I Want to Read All the Books by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
When I first saw the online reader copy of I Want to Read All the Books I skipped over it. Somewhat ironically, as I do want to read all the books, but I know I cannot, so I have to choose. But then I saw that it was by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. And that sealed the deal and I was thinking that I must read. Ohi is one of those authors/illustrators of books that you need to read. Maybe you do not love the work, […]
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
This is a late start for me this year—I have had a very busy couple of months. Hopefully things smooth out a bit! Lucky me, Mark Lawrence knocks it out of the park again. The man can write some serious engaging blends of fantasy and science fiction. With The Book That Wouldn’t Burn—the first book of his new trilogy—we have a love letter to stories, libraries and nostalgia. Unlike a number of his previous trilogies (yes, the man is a prolific writer) The Book That […]
Wizkit: An Adventure Overdue by Tanya J. Scott
Wizkit: An Adventure Overdue by Tanya J. Scott is an actually terribly cute story that had a bit more punch than expected. This is a true case of not judging a book by its cover. At first glance I figured it would be silly and not have any real “meat” to it. Yet, I was happily surprised. The illustrations are sweet and simple, allowing focus to be on the story itself but allows for strong support as well. Things are colorful and draw your eye […]
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Look, I’m just gonna do the thing. Here is (part of) the blurb: On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the […]
