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Reviews

May 20, 2022 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

The Last Mapmaker offers readers proof positive that you can write succinctly, sacrificing nothing, while showing your readers absolutely everything.

May 13, 2022 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: You Ruined It by Anastasia Higginbotham

A book about sexual abuse by trusted family members. Or, put another way, a messy, complicated, unique, necessary creation for those who will need it most.

May 6, 2022 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day – Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler by Ibi Zoboi

With care, grace, and not a little cleverness, Zoboi doesn’t just introduce Butler to kids in the book Star Child. She makes it very clear from the get go that young Octavia was one of us. A supremely relatable person with a drive and output that far outstripped her times.

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More Recent Reviews

Review of the Day: Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe

April 26, 2022 by Betsy Bird

An accounting of a family and a tight knit community dealing with the repercussions of a hate crime, this book expertly navigates between taking into account the seriousness of the content while also punctuating it periodically with joy, laughter, and light.

Review of the Day: Odd Birds by Laura Gehl, ill. Gareth Lucas

April 15, 2022 by Betsy Bird

I don’t do it very often, but sometimes, when the right one comes along, I’ll even review board books. Today I have discovered the wonder and beauty of Laura Gehl and Gareth Lucas’s Odd Birds.

Review of the Day: Red Scare by Liam Francis Walsh

April 8, 2022 by Betsy Bird

Beware the mobs. Beware joining them. Beware and aware of what they’re capable of, and don’t disregard them either. But beware your worst instincts most of all.

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Review of the Day: The Legend of Gravity by Charly Palmer

April 1, 2022 by Betsy Bird

What happens when a book takes tall tales and liar’s tales and then ties all of that into some of the finer examples of trash talk and blacktop exaggeration? The Legend of Gravity by Charly Palmer is that link.

Review of the Day: The Lock-Eater by Zack Loran Clark

March 21, 2022 by Betsy Bird

The Lock-Eater is a marvelous example of how you may render old ideas new, if only you’ve the ability to combine smart, timely writing with the current zeitgeist. Our kids are lucky they get to tap into books like this. Let’s hope for more of the same.

Review of the Day: Blue by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, ill. Daniel Minter

March 11, 2022 by Betsy Bird

“Maybe because blue has such a complicated history of pain, wealth, invention, and recovery, it’s become a symbol of possibility, as vast and deep as the bluest sea, and as wide open and high as the bluest sky.” I consider a truly gorgeous bit of picture book history in the magnificently written and illustrated BLUE.

Review of the Day: Telling Stories Wrong by Gianni Rodari, ill. Beatrice Alemagna, trans. Antony Shugaar

March 4, 2022 by Betsy Bird

An ideal book for a grandparent to read to their own offspring’s offspring. Especially if that kid can’t stand it when grown-ups get facts wrong. Here’s one fact that isn’t wrong: This book is delightful. A win of an import.

Read More Posts »

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