Review: Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was more fun than I expected to read in storytime. The kids liked the illustrations on the left side, the adults the photographs on the right.

For children's librarians--it's a good book to pair with a Lego/block building event.

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Review: The Someday Birds

The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is really good. Charlie lives with his grandmother, older sister, and twin younger brothers. Their father is in the hospital, having suffered a brain injury while in Afghanistan. Charlie has a particular way of viewing the world, which is unique to him. He displays traits of OCD and autism, but neither is explicitly named. Events happen which require him to go on a road trip with his siblings and a woman they sort of know from the hospital. While on the trip, Charlie will be testing on how much he can handle. He will also attempt to find all the birds on the "Someday" list that he and his dad have created.

Charlie feels so real. You feel for this kid, who sees the world a specific way, knows it's different, but sticks to his own guns for the most part. He's struggling with a lot, but he makes his way through it. He doesn't always make the best choices, but he makes the choices that make sense for him. I really enjoyed it.

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Review: Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the most beautifully written series I have ever read. Love, love, love it. I love all the ships. I don't really have great words for my feelings about it, just that it is wonderful and that I stayed up late reading it.

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Review: Still Life

Still Life by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Believe the hype. This was excellent.

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Review: The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this one. It's a lot like Jumanji in a chapter book, with some cool twists. Farah loves to play games, despite the fact that she always has to include her younger brother, Ahmed. It's her 12th birthday party, and friends and family are gathering in her new apartment on the Upper East Side of New York City. Things with her friends are a little strained, but she's hoping they get better. Her aunt gives her a gift of a mysterious game. When Ahmed impulsively goes into the game, Farah and her friends Alex and Essie must go in after him and beat the game in order to make it back out...alive.

I am a big fan of diversity in books, and so I was excited to read this offering from Salaam Reads. I think Riazi does an excellent job of setting the groundwork for a game in a world different from others. I had to do a little research to picture everything, but it was fun to do. I do think the actual world of the Gauntlet was hard to picture, I was imagining clockwork and minarets together but trying to get all the different levels was a little hard. I did find the games intriguing. Overall, I liked it a lot.

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Review: Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song

Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I didn't like this as much as his previous book about Jimi Hendrix, this book is an excellent introduction to Billie Holiday and the song. I think it treats the subject of lynching with the respect it deserves, while also not being too much for the age group it is aimed at to handle.

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Review: A Letter to My Teacher

A Letter to My Teacher by Deborah Hopkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved it! It's definitely a great gift for the teachers that have been special in your child's life.

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