
Teen Librarian Toolbox
May 6, 2022 by Betsy Bird
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.
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.
September 23, 2021 by Betsy Bird
Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long have given us a title that is filled up to the brim with dignity. Dignity for the people who actually put their blood, sweat, and tears into making the places and objects we so desperately need to live.
August 27, 2021 by Betsy Bird
“Their story does not begin with whips and chains”. Today I review a marvelous testament to not just the power of reclaiming your own story, but the story of your ancestors as well.
July 2, 2021 by Betsy Bird
This is the fun, fast-paced, witty, and not too long adventure novel you’ve been searching for. Chock full of jokes and characters you grow to love.
February 18, 2021 by Betsy Bird
The publisher sold this book to me as Doll Bones with a trans narrative and maybe that’s the best description you should hope for. Smart. Original. Necessary. Thank god we have this book now.
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February 3, 2021 by Betsy Bird
Read this book to a child when you yourself need to remember that the world is full of horrible, wonderful, complicated people and that there are millions of their stories out there just waiting to be learned.
January 21, 2021 by Betsy Bird
Created by the crackerjack team of Venable and Yue, this daring duo introduces the world to small, furry New York City superheroes and the catsitter that gets caught up in the action.
September 11, 2020 by Betsy Bird
Let’s hand Omar to as many kinds as we can name. Because as far as I’m concerned, funny books that also prove to be smart and socially conscious (not to mention anti-racist) might help us get out of the mess this world is in.
June 11, 2020 by Betsy Bird
We may have spent the better part of Poetry Month sheltering in place, but that doesn’t mean poetry went to sleep. Instead, books like this one have just been biding their time. Go out. Find it. Discover it. And discover why a book this good deserves some keen adjectives in its arsenal.
Teen Librarian Toolbox
by Amanda MacGregor
The Classroom Bookshelf
by Denise Davila
The Yarn
by Travis Jonker
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