Today’s featured blogger review takes a closer look at Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels finalist When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed, and Iman Geddy: This book just gobsmacked me. It’s a powerful tale of two brothers in a refugee camp. Born in Somalia at the onset of a civil war, Omar, the eldest, watched his father get killed. …
REVIEW: I Am Every Good Thing
In our featured blog review for today, read more about Fiction Picture Books finalist I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James: A love letter to African American boys about everything good they are and all of the great things they will become. It did not specifically name a race, but all of the gorgeous …
REVIEW: Rival Magic
Welcome to our first review of 2021! Happy New Year! Today’s blogger review looks at Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction finalist Rival Magic by Deva Fagan: This is a fine example of the sort of middle grade fantasy that one reads in just about a single-sitting, with interesting, likeable main characters, lots of delightfully magical twists and turns, and twists in …
2020 Finalists: Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books
Easy Readers: Cat Has a Plan (Ready-to-Reads) (Amazon, IndieBound) by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Fred Blunt Simon Spotlight Nominated by: Cathy Ballou Mealey Cat Has a Plan written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Fred Blunt was chosen by our panelists for its witty humor and delightful illustrations. The short easy sentence structure and word repetition along with colorful retro …
2020 Finalists: Middle-Grade Nonfiction
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team (Amazon, IndieBound) by Christina Soontornvat Candlewick Press Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz Even though the title gives away the ending of this nail-biting narrative nonfiction, this true story set in Thailand will keep you on the edge of your seat from the time the soccer team realizes they …
2020 Finalists: Young Adult Fiction
Clap When You Land (Amazon, IndieBound) by Elizabeth Acevedo Quill Tree Books Nominated by: Stephanie @ Love.Life.Read When flight 587 crashes, two girls’ lives are changed forever. Clap When You Land explores what it means to be family and what it means to grieve a person you didn’t completely know. The poetry of this book allows Yahaira and Camino’s voices …
2020 Finalists: High School Nonfiction
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto (Amazon, IndieBound) by George M. Johnson Farrar, Straus & Giroux Nominated by: Patricia Tilton After reading Johnson’s memoir twice, I remain impressed with his willingness to share his life with readers who so rarely get to see representations of Black queerness encouragingly and lovingly portrayed. Johnson revisits difficult childhood memories, from having his teeth shattered …
2020 Finalists: Middle-Grade Fiction
Echo Mountain (Amazon, IndieBound) by Lauren Wolk Dutton Books for Young Readers Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz The Great Depression impacts twelve-year-old Ellie and her family. Losing everything forces them to move from town to the wilds of Echo Mountain. Her father, a tailor by trade, must now learn a new life and become a rugged “mountain man.” Her mother …
2020 Finalists: Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction
A Wish in the Dark (Amazon, IndieBound) by Christina Soontornvat Candlewick Press Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz In this mix of magic and Thai culture, with inspiration from Les Miserables, orphaned Pong escapes the prison where he was born with the help of his friend Somkit, who doesn’t make it out. Pong is now a fugitive from the government, …
2020 Finalists: Graphic Novels
Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels: Black Heroes of the Wild West (Amazon, IndieBound) by James Otis Smith, Introduction by Kadir Nelson TOON Graphics Publisher/ Author Submission Bold and action-packed, this graphic novel features three short vignettes about important black heroes from the Old West. With broad appeal for young and old readers alike, Smith paints a different picture than we often …