The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander; illus. by Kadir Nelson Primary, Intermediate, Middle School Versify/Houghton 40 pp. g 4/19 978-1-328-78096-6 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-0-358-05761-1 $12.99 Alexander and Nelson honor the achievements, courage, and perseverance of ordinary black people as well as prominent black artists, athletes, and activists. The free-verse poem begins: “This is for the unforgettable. / […]
Review of Two Brothers, Four Hands: The Artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti
April 17, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Two Brothers, Four Hands: The Artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan; illus. by Hadley Hooper Primary, Intermediate Porter/Holiday 64 pp. g 4/19 978-0-8234-4170-9 $21.99 e-book ed. 978-0-8234-4224-9 $16.99 Experts at accessibly describing art and exploring the often-complex lives of its creators, Greenberg and Jordan (most recently Meet Cindy Sherman, rev. […]
Review of Dogs in Space
April 10, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Dogs in Space by Vix Southgate; illus. by Iris Deppe Primary Kane Miller 32 pp. 3/19 978-1-61067-824-7 $14.99 With a happier ending than that of their legendary predecessor Laika, dogs Belka and Strelka became, in 1960, among the first animals to return, alive, from orbital flight. That does not, however, deny the suspense with which […]
Review of Lovely War
April 9, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Lovely War by Julie Berry High School Viking 471 pp. 3/19 978-0-451-46993-9 $18.99 When the Greek god of fire, Hephaestus, catches his wife Aphrodite, goddess of love, in 1942 Manhattan in a passionate affair with his brother Ares, god of war, Aphrodite defends her actions by showing the two gods what real love looks like. […]
Review of Home Is a Window
April 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Home Is a Window by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard; illus. by Chris Sasaki Preschool, Primary Porter/Holiday 40 pp. 4/19 978-0-8234-4156-3 $18.99 e-book ed. 978-0-8234-4156-3 $18.99 Ledyard offers a meditation of sorts on the sense of comfort and belonging that home should evoke, whether it’s a place we know well or a new home to which we’ve […]
Review of Another
April 4, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Another by Christian Robinson; illus. by the author Preschool, Primary Atheneum 56 pp. 3/19 978-1-5344-2167-7 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-5344-2168-4 $10.99 For his solo picture book debut, Robinson (illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street, rev. 3/15; School’s First Day of School, rev. 3/16; When’s My Birthday?, rev. 9/17; and more) offers a smart, sly, and […]
Review of Dig.
March 26, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Dig. by A.S. King High School Dutton 394 pp. g 3/19 978-1-101-99491-7 $17.99 David has never met his father and is tired of constantly moving around with his mom. Malcolm has already lost his mother and is about to lose his beloved father to cancer. Katie deals drugs out of a fast-food drive-thru window and […]
Review of Hey, Water!
March 25, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Hey, Water! by Antoinette Portis; illus. by the author Preschool, Primary Porter/Holiday 48 pp. g 3/19 978-0-8234-4155-6 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-0-8234-4201-0 $17.99 A girl named Zoe explores water in this playful and informative book. Speaking directly to water (“Hey, water! I know you! You’re all around”), Zoe considers the role of water inside a home […]
Review of SHOUT: A Poetry Memoir
March 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment
SHOUT: A Poetry Memoir by Laurie Halse Anderson High School Viking 290 pp. g 3/19 978-0-670-01210-7 $17.99 “This is the story of a girl who lost her voice and wrote herself a new one.” So opens Anderson’s three-part autobiographical collection of dynamic, mostly free-verse poems that serves as a potent poetic endnote for her landmark […]
Review of On the Come Up
March 12, 2019 by Leave a Comment
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas High School Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins 453 pp. g 2/19 978-0-06-249856-4 $18.99 e-book ed. 978-0-06-249857-1 $12.99 If reading The Hate U Give (rev. 3/17) was like listening to 2Pac, intent on capturing the emotional impact of injustice, On the Come Up is more like Biggie, focusing on the experience […]
