Geo Librarian

TEN-WORD TINY TALES TO INSPIRE AND UNSETTLE written by Joseph Coelho & illustrated by 21 Artist Friends Candlewick Press, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-5362-3135-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 10 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK UK Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho presents twenty tiny tales—each one illustrated by a different artist, and each just ten words long—in a book that’s as much a work of art as an invitation to budding writers. “Invite me in,” she says, outside my tenth-story window. Is it possible to spin a tale using just ten words? In this magnificent compendium, author and poet Joseph Coelho proves that it is—with mini-stories of underwater worlds, demon hamsters, bears in outer space, and portals to places unknown. From charming to creepy, fantastical to mysterious, each tale is paired with an outstanding illustrator, and together words and pictures inspire creativity as ...

  THINGS IN THE BASEMENT written & illustrated by Ben Hatch First Second, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-250-83661-8 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From New York Times bestselling author Ben Hatke comes Things in the Basement , a young readers graphic novel about Milo, a young boy who discovers a portal to a secret world in his basement. It was supposed to just be a normal basement—some storage boxes, dust, you know, the usual basement stuff. But when Milo is sent by his mother to fetch a sock from the basement of the historic home they've moved into, Milo finds a door in the back that he's never seen before. Turns out that the basement of his house is enormous. In fact, there is a whole world down there. As Milo travels ever deeper into the Basement World, he meets the many Things that live in the shadows and gloom...and he learns that to face his fears he must...

  JHUPLI'S HONEY BEE BOX words by Achintyarup Ray & pictures by Shivam Choudhary Amazon Crossing Kids, 2023 ISBN: 978-1662514678 Source: Blue Slip Media/publisher Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & other materials provided by Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK A girl’s love for her dad shines in this exquisitely illustrated story about the honey gatherers of the Sundarbans. Where is Baba? Why isn’t he back yet? Jhupli is restless as evening sets in. Her father, Baba, has gone into the dense jungle to gather honey, and she’s worried. There are tigers in there―and sometimes people go into the jungle and don’t come back out. Jhupli wonders, Why must Baba be in danger every day? Then Jhupli has an idea, one that might help keep her father and other honey gatherers honey bee boxes! In this striking picture book first published in India, gorgeous artwork brings to life the magnificent Sundarbans region, a place as menacing as it is beautiful, and highlig...

  GRAVE MISTAKES The Dade Family #1 by Kitty Curran Melissa de la Cruz Studio, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-368-08347-8 Source: eARC from publisher through Netgalley. Ages 9-12 Middle Grade Fantasy/Speculative Fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Grave Mistakes  presents readers with a most unusual family. Molly, her father, and brother, Timothy, all remain human after the accident that killed her mother and brother, Marty. But Molly's mother has returned as a ghost who can't be seen, but can be heard by anyone. Marty on the other hand has come back as a poltergeist, a ghost who can touch and move things. And the family has adopted a young girl who returned to life as a zombie. All of these changes creates awkwardness between Molly and her best friend, Grace. Molly's family encouraged her to tell Grace about the changes in their family, but Molly has yet to do so, creating a great deal of uncertainty and frustr...

WILLOW AND BUNNY written by Anitra Rowe Schulte, illustrated by Christopher Denise Two Lions, 2023 ISBN: 978-1542025690 Source: Blue Slip Media/publisher Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, bios, & illustrations provided by Blue Slip Media & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK From a Caldecott Honor winner and New York Times bestselling artist and a Christopher Award–winning author, a beautiful, heartfelt tale of friendship, community, and hope after a difficult experience. Bunny needs a new home. After a long journey, he meets Willow and knows he will be safe beneath her branches. Every day is theirs to share. Just Bunny and Willow, Willow and Bunny. Then, one evening, an angry spiral whips through the wood. Every creature in the forest runs to Willow for shelter. As the storm rages, Willow shields and protects them with all her might. But when the calm returns, Willow’s beautiful branches are tattered, twisted, and forever changed. Bunny and the other cre...

THE UNSTOPPABLE JAMIE written by Joy Givens, illustrated by Courtney Dawson Two Lions, 2023 ISBN: 978-1662505768 Source: Blue Slip Media/publisher Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, bios, & illustrations provided by Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK Inspired by the author’s son, the story of a boy with Down syndrome who goes on a superhero’s journey to New York City and learns what truly makes him unstoppable. Jamie likes to pretend he’s a superhero. With his cape and gadgets, he feels like he can face anything. When his picture is chosen to be shown in Times Square for the NDSS Buddy Walk®, his family travels to New York City to see it. As he makes his way through the loud, busy, unfamiliar city, Jamie discovers that he doesn’t have all his special tools. But he soon realizes that it isn’t what he wears or the gadgets he uses that make him brave―it’s who he is inside. This uplifting story includes an author’s note with information about Down syndrome. ABO...

FUNGI GROW written by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Diana Sudyka Beach Lane, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-0365-3 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-9 Picture book nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Discover when, how, where, and why fungi grow in this poetic and illuminating nonfiction picture book in the vein of When the Sky Glows and Animal Architects. Above ground, below ground, all around, fungi grow. They root and fruit and twist and twine everywhere on earth. Some are edible, some are medicinal, some are even poisonous. Step into this book and discover the amazing array of mushrooms and see how they multiply. Learn how fungi heal and help humans. Explore the incredible underground fungal network that helps forests thrive. And so much more! REVIEW " Fungi grow. Start with a spore--a sort of seed." Thus begins this fascinating look into the world of fungi, how th...

IT FOUND US by Lindsay Currie Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2023 ISBN:978-1728259499 Source: eARC from publisher through Netgalley. Middle grade Horror (Fantasy/Speculative fiction) Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From the author of Scritch Scratch and The Girl in White comes a new spooky mystery about a girl detective who must decode a series of ominous clues tied to a century-old tragedy to find a missing teenager before it’s too late… Twelve-year-old Hazel Woods has always had an unusual knack for sleuthing. Some may call it snooping, but all she really wants is to solve mysteries around town. So, when she not-so-accidentally overhears her brother Den planning to sneak into the cemetery at night for an epic game of hide-and-seek, she decides to secretly tag along. This seems like the perfect opportunity to investigate the claims that the cemetery is haunted. But the moment the game ends, Hazel re...