Category Archives: Reviews

2+2 Cybils Graphic Novel Finalists

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Katy K.

Here are reviews of four more outstanding 2021 Cybils Graphic Novel finalists – Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby, The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor, Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Fraiser, and Nubia: Real One by L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smyth. Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Realistic, Reviews, Romance, Teen/Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Unicorn Island: Secret Beneath the Sand by Donna Galanti

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Katy K.

Thanks so much to Donna Galanti for sending me the second book in this appealing not-quite-middle-grade series.  Unicorn Island: Secret Beneath the Sand by Donna Galanti. Illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe. Epic!, 2022. Review copy kindly sent by the author.  Unicorn … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Early Chapter Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Remixed Classics: So Many Beginnings, Clash of Steel, and Travelers Along the Way

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Katy K.

These first three books from Feiwel & Friends’ Remixed Classics series take the classics, still in their original time periods, and retell them from the point of view of people of color.  The first three include retellings of Little Women, Treasure Island, and Robin Hood – all fabulous. Continue reading →

Posted in books, Historical, Print, Reviews, Teen/Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Good Neighbors by Stephanie Burgis

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Katy K.

Here’s a sweet, uplifting and funny fantasy romance … between a semi-magical inventor and the necromancer down the road,. Continue reading →

Posted in Adult, books, Fantasy, Print, Reviews, Romance | Tagged , | 4 Comments

4 Cybils YA Spec Fic Finalists

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Katy K.

Here are my takes on four of the seven 2021 Cybils YA speculative fiction finalists, including high fantasy, magical realism, and twisty science fiction. Continue reading →

Posted in books, Fantasy, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Teen/Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias. Illustrated by Tracy Subisak

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Katy K.

A heartwarming and beautifully painted picture book about a girl building a real relationship with her grandmother when she and her mother travel to Taiwan. Continue reading →

Posted in books, picture books, Realistic, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Four 2021 Cybils Middle Grade Graphic Novel Finalists

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Katy K.

Here are short reviews of four of the seven finalists in the elementary/middle grade graphic novel category of the 2021 Cybils Awards, including Borders, Chunky, Jukebox, and Salt Magic. Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical, Middle Grade, Realistic, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Monsters of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Katy K.

A fantasy from Irish author Pádraig Kenny that strikes a balance between scary, adventuresome, and thoughtful. Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

3 Fantasies by Award-Winning Authors: Willodeen, the Beatryce Prophecy, and the Robber Girl

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Katy K.

Here are three Cybils-nominated books, all of them by authors who have already won major awards – Kate DiCamillo, Katherine Applegate, and Franny Billingsly. All three are also about children finding meaning and a new life after major trauma. Continue reading →

Posted in books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Time Villains by Victor Piñeiro

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Katy K.

Here’s a fast-paced time travel adventure, with two modern-day kids at a school with more secrets than they know about accidentally bringing the notorious pirate Blackbeard into the present day. Continue reading →

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