Ana on the Edge by A. J. Sass
When I saw that I could request a reader copy of Ana on the Edge by A. J. Sass, I figured, “Why not?” As worse case would be I do not like the story and passed it onto a coworker who might. Lunch reading was slow going, so I decided to take it home and try and give it a longer at a time reading stretch. Unfortunately, that did not work out, as I needed to excuse myself for a two-day hospital stay. I did […]
321 Awesome! 20 Fearless Women Who Dared to be Different by Eva Chen
I was pleasantly surprised with this 321 Awesome! 20 Fearless Women Who Dared to be Different by Eva Chen. Books that list influential women can be a bit preachy or only have the same women always used. Yet, not only does it have “popular” people one would know, it has people you do not normally see in a book about women as influencers. However, there are a few people that not everyone will agree should be included (JK Rowling, Temple Grandin, Rhianna). This variety is what […]
The Word for Friend by Aidan Cassie
Just too darn cute! Read it! Okay, I need to write more. But The Word for Friend is really just too darn cute. Aidan Cassie created a story where language barriers does not mean friendship barriers. Kemala the pangolin is excited for her new city, home and school. She is a happy, talkative little girl (pangolin) and it is not until she gets to school that things change. She does not know anyone. And more importantly, nobody speaks her language. How is she going to […]
A Cat Story by Ursula Murray Husted
While I immensely enjoyed this graphic novel of Ursula Murray Husted, there is a scene in A Cat Story that is reminiscent of the Lotus Eaters (I believe it is called that and believe it is from the Odyssey) or a “Hell scene” or a “bad trip.” This, to say the least, was a bit disturbing for me. Up to this point, the story had been sweet (a cat is trying to find a special location/home where they (cats) will not be cold or hungry, […]
Becoming Beatriz by Tami Charles
This review is long as this book brought out a lot of feelings. Feelings of remembering books I read as a kid and didn’t get “the point” of. Feelings of current events. Feelings of not liking characters. And a lot more. This is a book you experience and YMMV. Becoming Beatriz is the companion novel to Like Vanessa. It starts on the day Beatriz turns 15 and the night her brother is murdered by a rival gang. Like this incident was a sidebar in the […]
When Pencil Met the Markers by Karen Kilpatrick
Pencil should have stopped meeting writing tools after they meet Eraser. Karen Kilpatrick and the gang (Luis O. Ramos, Jr. and German Blanco) have created a new Pencil and Eraser picture book book (ages 4 to 7) with When Pencil Met the Markers. But this time the point of the story is that it is okay to “color outside the lines.” In fact, it is encouraged after the initial, “Oh no! You cannot do that! You cannot be different!” We also learn that you cannot […]
