Geo Librarian

  THE DEN THAT OCTOPUS BUILT written by Randi Sonenshine, illustrated by Anne Hunter Candlewick Press, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-5362-2654-6 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Follow one of the ocean’s most mysterious animals in this warm but candid look at its dramatic life cycle, from the creators of The Nest That Wren Built. These are the shells she wears like a sheath, keeping her safe from Tiger Shark’s teeth when she’s far from the den that Octopus built . . . The solitary and ingenious octopus is a master of disguise and invention, creating her den out of the objects of the ocean, from shells and rocks to tiny glass shards. Using creative methods of hunting and construction, the octopus prepares for the biggest task of her life: motherhood. With one last, poignant gesture of love, the mother octopus sends her hatchlings on their way, starting a new cycle o

  NOT NOTHING written by Gayle Forman Aladdin, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-6659-4327-7 Source: publisher for review Ages 10-1 4 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, author photo, summary & interview provided by the publisher. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels, including those in the Just One Day series, Where She Went, and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than forty languages and was adapted into a major motion picture. Her first middle grade novel, Frankie & Bug, was a New York Times Best Children’s Book of 2021. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family. AUTHOR INTERVIEW *What is the 'story behind the story'? The story is the culmination of multiple threads—an apt metaphor in a book where sewing plays a pivotal role. It’s partially my own family history: My grandparents were German Jews who believed they were so assimilated they would be

  MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller Philomel, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-62452-4 Source: purchased Ages 8-10 Middle grade realistic fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK New York Times bestselling author and artist Chanel Miller tells a fun, funny, and poignant story of friendship and community starring Magnolia Wu, a ten-year-old sock detective bent on returning all the lonely only socks left behind in her parents' NYC laundromat. Down at the bottom of the tall buildings of New York City, Magnolia Wu sits inside her parents’ laundromat. Magnolia has pinned every lost sock from the laundromat onto a bulletin board, in hopes that customers will return to retrieve them. But no one seems to have noticed. In fact, barely anyone has noticed Magnolia at all. What she doesn’t know is that this is about to be her most exciting summer yet. When Iris, a new friend from California arrives,

OVER AND UNDER THE WETLANDS by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal Chronicle Books, 2024 ISBN:   9781797210872 Source: author & publisher (Thanks!) Ages 4-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Discover the hidden magic of the Everglades in this fascinating and beautiful exploration of the wetland habitat from the New York Times bestselling author and award-winning illustrator of the beloved Over and Under series! Part of the acclaimed nature book series that includes Over and Under the Pond, Over and Under the Rainforest, and Over and Under the Snow, this volume takes readers on a journey into the magical and mysterious reaches of Florida’s Everglades National Park. Over the swamp, the barred owl hoots, and the great egret swoops down on snowy wings. The slow mazes of waterways are quiet with the shush of reeds and grasses. But under the swamp’s soft shadows, there’s a wh

THE SECRET OF THE FANG Meesh the Bad Demon #2 written and illustrated by Michelle Lam with colors by Lauren "Perry" Wheeler Alfred A. Knopf, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-37291-3 Source: Nicole Banholzer PR Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Meesh the Bad Demon is no stranger to saving the world—but she never thought she’d have to do it twice! Can she defeat the darkness once and for all in this sequel of epic proportions? When Meesh banded together with Fairy Princess Nouna to save the underworld, she never expected she’d have to… do it again someday. Though, as Meesh grows into her newly discovered destiny as the Guardian of the world, she figured there would be a few minor rescues, maybe some crime-fighting here or there. But before long, her new friend Chai’s family is forced out of their home by an evil force who threatens to destroy all of fox-kind if they dare stay. Meesh s

  SLEEPY: Surprising Ways Animals Snooze written by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Robin Page Beach Lane Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-6659-3510-4 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From award-winning author Jennifer Ward and Caldecott Honor illustrator Robin Page, this nonfiction picture book interweaves informative poems and prose to show the many different ways animals snooze! Just like people, all animals need sleep, but not all animals sleep in the same way. When dolphins sleep, half their brain stays awake. Snakes sleep with their eyes open. Giraffes sleep in five-minute intervals, while koalas sleep for twenty-two hours a day! From grizzly bears to hummingbirds, there are creatures of all sizes and habitats to wish a good night in this cozy and compelling book. REVIEW Fun facts such as dolphins sleeping with half its brain at a time punctuate this

  BRIGHT written by Brigit Young Roaring Brook Press, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-250-82211-6 Source: purchased Ages 10-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK In this poignant middle grade novel, a struggling student joins her school's celebrated quiz team in a bid to avoid failing eighth grade. Marianne Blume has always known she’s not smart. After years of trying and trying at school, she’s mastered the art of getting by on a combination of luck, deflection, and her winning personality―that is, until she lands in the classroom of Mr. Garcia. Suddenly she’s at risk of flunking his class, repeating the eighth grade, and getting left behind by her best friend, Skyla. To receive much-needed extra credit and get into high school, Marianne makes the desperate decision to join her school’s Quiz Quest team, only to find out that her teammates have problems of their own―and that they need to win for her to