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Reviews

May 24, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett

Sarah Everett wrestles with an outsized and ambitious bit of plotting, all the while keeping her cards close to her chest. Here’s some advice: Hand this to kids that like their books with a bit of a twist. And do NOT skip to the ending and read that first.

May 18, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Like Lava In My Veins by Derrick Barnes, ill. Shawn Martinbrough with Adriano Lucas

A perfect melding of superhero tropes and topical contemporary issues. It’s a tricky balance, but by gum Derrick Barnes pulls it off in the end.

May 10, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Stories of the Islands by Clar Angkasa

A marvelous example of bringing the old and the new together to create something that contains the best of both worlds. A beautiful potential future for folktales worldwide.

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More Recent Reviews

Review of the Day: Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

April 28, 2023 by Betsy Bird

This is for the kid who likes their humor to be complicated, their writing to be scintillating, and to never, ever, know what an author is going to do next.

Review of the Day: To the Other Side by Erika Meza

April 21, 2023 by Betsy Bird

With care and invention, Erika Meza tells a migrant story that is both literal and figurative, realistic and metaphorical, and does so with honesty and more than a bit of cleverness.

Review of the Day: Glitter Everywhere! by Chris Barton, ill. Chaaya Prabhat

April 15, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Children will come to this book for the sparkles. Grown-ups? Come to this book to find out how to make the best nonfiction for kids possible. Let this book be your guide.

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Review of the Day: The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, ill. Shawn Harris

April 8, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Though you may not be the biggest fan of books populated by furry woodland creatures, read The Eyes and the Impossible and you will find a thoroughly well-written, occasionally touching, funny, strange little book that sticks both its landing and in your memory. It might even turn you around on the whole animal fiction thing.

Review of the Day – Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis

March 31, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Today I ask you to consider Bear and Bird and all their myriad adventures from the small to the slightly less small but always cozy. Raw charm on the page.

Review of the Day – Trees: Haiku from Roots to Leaves by Sally M. Walker, ill. Angela McKay

March 25, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Quietly engrossing, this is an appreciation for both subject and form, all wrapped up together. Hug a tree, or write a poem, or just do both.

Review of the Day: Hands by Torrey Maldonado

March 2, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Torrey taps into a kind of writing we've been in dire need of for a very long time. And with his authentic voice and whole heaping helpfuls of heart, his latest book Hands is one that your kids are NOT going to want to miss.

Read More Posts »

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