Review: Linda Sue Park Crafts an Emotional Narrative Glazed With Elegant Writing in A Single Shard

A Single Shard

I’ve been picking up more adult-oriented books lately (lots of romances by Jasmine Guillory and a few thrillers by Megan Miranda), but I’m still reading kid lit! I went on a lovely afternoon excursion yesterday, checking out local mom and pop shops and picking up some books from the library. (I also had the best … Read more

Review: Kelly Yang’s Front Desk Paints Dazzles With Depth and Nuance

Kelly Yang’s Front Desk illuminates issues of poverty and immigration with a heartwarming story and fiercely self-aware protagonist at its core.  Hello, kid lit book hive! I’m back with a review of Kelly Yang’s Front Desk. Yang’s middle-grade novel is extremely my speed — that is, a slice-of-life story that so lovingly invests in its details and characters.  The … Read more

Review: Merci Suárez Changes Gears Is a Winsome Story About Intergenerational Immigrant Family Love

Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears explores family and school drama with warmth and nuance.  I recently picked up Meg Medina’s lovely Merci Suárez Changes Gears on sale for $7. This whim of a purchase turned out to be a great decision because I thoroughly enjoyed the book and devoured all 355 pages of it … Read more

Review: One Crazy Summer Layers Revolution With Emotional Nuance

One Crazy Summer is a salient read that illuminates revolutionary ideas and emotional nuance through a child’s perspective.  Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer initially drew me in because its setting is Oakland, a city that’s near and dear to my heart. For a whirlwind of a year in college, I covered art and worked at a … Read more

Review: Zoe in Wonderland Beautifully Finds Roots in Reality

Zoe in Wonderland

Review: Zoe in Wonderland is a down-to-earth story that grounds itself in reality.  Since this is a plant and book blog, I gave myself a tremendous pat on the back when I discovered Brenda Woods’ Zoe in Wonderland, a middle grade chapter book about a plant lover! While the title suggests a Lewis Carroll fantasy of … Read more

Review: Saadia Faruqi’s Meet Yasmin Is a Breath of Fresh Air

Meet Yasmin

Meet Yasmin is a punchy and bold addition to kid lit that deserves a space on your bookshelf. Saadia Faruqi’s Meet Yasmin is a delightful concoction of childhood joy, a marriage of evocative prose with bold, beautiful colors. It’s really a collection of early reader chapter books: Yasmin the Explorer, Yasmin the Painter, Yasmin the Builder, and Yasmin the Fashionista. If … Read more