Geo Librarian

  EMMA MCKENNA, FULL OUT The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class #1 written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Algonquin Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 9781523525737  Ages 7-10 Early middle grade realistic fiction Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Emma looks forward to attending her new school, Curiosity Academy with her new teacher, Mrs. Z. Until her former friend turned arch enemy, Lucy shows up in the same classroom.  Emma wants to make friends but after an unfortunate incident between her and Lucy that resulted in an unpleasant nickname, she's wary. Friendships can be tricky things as Emma discovers as she wrestles with her conundrum. In addition to the friendship concerns, Emma wants to participate in helping her school choose a mascot for the school, but she absolutely doesn't want to get up on the stage to present her suggestion. Can Emma find a way through her friendship concerns to h

https://www.meetthewildthings.com/ Many thanks to HAYLEY & JOHN ROCCO for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer a few questions! INTERVIEW • Reading is ….one of the greatest ways to not only expand your mind, but your perspectives and viewpoints, as well. It’s an opportunity to see how others think and feel, which naturally inspires empathy. • I hope our books will ….Inspire empathy for these fascinating endangered animals in young readers, and if we’re so lucky, maybe even motivate them to take action or pursue a career in the conservation sector they’re excited about. • How did your series come about?  When I was young, I loved animals so much, I wanted to be Dr. Doolittle and Dr. Jane Goodall all in one. While I was researching for Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough, I really became aware of just how many of our beloved creatures were on the brink of extinction. I learned that the most trafficked animal in the world was the beloved pangolin, and I

  COOKIE TIME written and illustrated by Jessie Sima Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-6659-3674-3 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 From the New York Times bestselling creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a tasty picture book about two kids who get into time travel shenanigans while trying to skip waiting for cookies to bake!Kat and Ari love cookie time, their special tradition with Grandpa and his dog, Biscuit. It’s always fun and oh, so delicious! But waiting for the cookies to be ready is so hard. What better way to skip to the good part than a time machine? The two plan to jump a little into the future, to when the cookies are out of the oven, but they overshoot and go way too far ahead! And when Kat and Ari try to return, they still can’t get the timing right. They have fun meeting prehistoric dinosaurs, futuristic robot

  HOMEBODY written and illustrated by Theo Parish HarperAlley, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-06-331959-2 Source: public library Ages 14 and up YA Memoir All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK In their comics debut, Theo Parish masterfully weaves an intimate and defiantly hopeful memoir about the journey one nonbinary person takes to find a home within themself. Combining traditional comics with organic journal-like interludes, Theo takes us through their experiences with the hundred arbitrary and unspoken gender binary rules of high school, from harrowing haircuts and finally the right haircut to the intersection of gender identity and sexuality—and through tiny everyday moments that all led up to Theo finding the term “nonbinary,” which finally struck a chord. “Have you ever had one of those moments when all of a sudden things become clear…like someone just turned on a light?” A whole spectrum of people wi

  A NEWCOMER IN POCKETVILLE Monti and Leo #1 written and illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz Walker Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-5362-2277-7 Source: purchased Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A charming early reader in graphic form draws on the classic theme of friendship to show that being new—or different—doesn’t have to mean being lonely. Pocketville is a small town, set in its ways, and the arrival of a stranger causes a stir. Monti the mole is stunned one morning to find Leo the lizard hogging his special reading rock. When Monti visits the bakery and the library, he learns that the last cinnamon roll has been purchased, and the book he was waiting for has been checked out. What’s a fastidious mole to do? When Monti confronts Leo, the newcomer turns out to be agreeable in the extreme, and friendship is a given. Now to convince the town’s cantankerous baker, Ms. Sheep, to stop turning ev

  NARWHAL, UNICORN OF THE ARCTICE written by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Deena So'Oteh A nne Schwartz books, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-37778-9 Source: Blue Slip Media & publisher Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com & Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK Venture to the Arctic Ocean and discover real life underwater unicorns--narwhals--in this stunningly illustrated nonfiction picture book.You are a narwhal. Shy... Swift... Small... Humans call you unicorn of the Arctic.When winter ice covers the Arctic Ocean, a narwhal pokes his head through a patch of open water, his tusk--a six-foot long tooth--pointed to the sky.Join this mammal as he jousts with another narwhal, floats with his pod, and uses echolocation to find his prey. When warmer weather arrives, he will migrate towards summer ground. But he must be careful! Predators--orcas and polar bears--will be hungry and looking for a meal.... Ho

  LEO'S FIRST VOTE written by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Isabel Roxas Alfred A. Knopf, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-64426-3 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Get out the vote! In this kid-friendly picture book introduction to voting and elections, Leo's father teaches him about the importance of every single vote, and how to use their voices to uplift their community. Leo's dad is voting in his first election as a naturalized US citizen, and he promises to take Leo to the polls with him. Leo can't wait! But, after his cousin Ray casts doubt on the importance of a single vote, it'll take Leo's class mock election results, as well as a talk with his dad to convince him that each and every vote matters. This lively picture book shows us how citizens decide who will be in charge, hitting key moments in an election, from voter registration to

INK GIRLS written by Marieke Nijkamp, illustrated by Sylvia Bi Greenwillow Books, 2023 ISBN:  978-0-06-302710-7 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Every secret is a story waiting to happen. From New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp and illustrator Sylvia Bi, this debut middle grade graphic novel celebrates the power that everyone—even those often overlooked—has to create change. In a vibrant city, two girls from very different walks of life join forces to fight censorship and protect the people they love. Eleven-year-old Cinzia is a printer’s apprentice. She adores Mestra Aronne for taking her in—most guilds don’t have room for apprentices with a crippled leg—and she loves life in the raggedy workshop that smells of paper and printing, where secrets and stories are always circulating. So when Mestra Aronne is imprisoned for publishing accusations against

LIFE AFTER WHALE The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall written by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin Neal Porter Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-8234-5228-6 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Follow a blue whale’s enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish. All living things must one day die, and Earth’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond. Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin’s astonishing

 As a member of the 2025 Cybils Graphic Novel panel I will be reading many great graphic novels in the next couple of months, so I will be posting quite a few reviews for those books. These are my opinions only and do not represent the views of the group. SNOW AND SORCERY Cardboard Kingdom #3 illustrated by Chad Sell, contributing authors: Jay Fuller-Ng, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Barbara Perez Marquez, and Jasmine Walls Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 9780593481622  Source: eBook from public library Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK The kids of the Cardboard Kingdom go on a new adventure! This time, they are in search of new friends—but what they discover is a lot more like enemies ... It’s winter break in the Cardboard Kingdom, and kids from the town across the park want to play together! But according to the evil Sorceress, not just a

THE PRINCESS IN BLACK AND THE KITTY CATASTROPHE written by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham Candlewick Press, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-5362-3409-1 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK The Princess in Black may know how to handle all kinds of monsters, but a kitten set on destruction? Me-OW! Duchess Wigtower had heard that pets are fun, but all her kitten has gotten her is nine lives' worth of problems. Eeeeek! It’s time for someone else to deal with this catastrophe. Princess Magnolia is thrilled when a kitten lands on her doorstep, but just as she’s about to play with Plumpkins (or should it be Hugmaster Floof?) the monster alarm goes off. When Princess Magnolia returns to her castle, her furry companion has carved up the wallpaper! In fact, each time Princess Magnolia leaves to help the Goat Avenger fight a very grouchy mon

THE NIGHT LIBRARIAN by Christopher Lincoln with color assistance by Bonnie Rosado Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-61765-6 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A graphic novel adventure in which two siblings, a mysterious Night Librarian, and a motley cast of book characters try to save the New York Public Library Twins Page and Turner know about the magic a library holds—they’ve been going to their beloved New York City public library for years, especially since their parents are always traveling for work. But a secret mission involving their dad’s rare and valuable edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula uncovers a world they’ve never known, featuring a mysterious Night Librarian, famous heroes (and villains) that have broken free from classic books, and an epic battle to save the library from total destruction. REVIEW Paige and Turner spend much of their t

  THE BOY AND THE ELEPHANT written & illustrated by Freya Blackwood Random House Studio, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-70766-1 Source: publisher through Blue Slip Media Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & illustrations & author/illustrator bio provided by Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK The powerful new picture book from Greenaway Medallist and seven-time CBCA winner, Freya Blackwood The boy lives in a city, where everything is fast and loud. But amidst the bustle and the noise, the boy has a secret ... In the overgrown lot next to his apartment building, deep within the green, he has a friend. But one day progress arrives, bringing with it plans for something new, and the boy must find a way to save his friend before it's too late ... From award-winning illustrator and storyteller Freya Blackwood comes a magical and tender wordless picture book about the world we live in and our ability to change it. ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR Freya Blackwood fell

  RISE OF THE SPIDER Web of the Spider #1 by Michael P. Spradlin Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2024 ISBN: 9781665947206 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, author photo & bio, and book summary provided by the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK 1929, Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf might only be twelve years old, but he’s old enough to know that things have not been good in his country since the end of the Great War. Half of Germany is out of work, and a new political movement is taking hold that scares him. Every night, Rolf’s father and older brother, Romer, have increasingly heated arguments about politics at the dinner table. And when two members of the new Nazi Party, Hans and Nils, move to town as part of the Hitler Youth, Rolf is uneasy to see how enamored Romer is by their promises of bringing Germany to glory. Rolf doesn’t trust Hans and Nils for a moment. For all their talk of greatness, they act more like bullies, antagonizing sho

  THE IGUANODON'S HORN: How Artists & Scientists put a Dinosaur back together again & again & again! written & illustrated by Sean Rubin Clarion Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-06-323921-0 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Highlighting the role of artists in the scientific process, this crowd-pleasing look at dinosaurs explores how new discoveries deepen our understanding of the world. Ever since mysterious bones were found in 1822, scientists and artists have tried to figure out what the creature they came from looked like. But it seems that every time they’ve made up their minds, someone makes a new discovery, and they have to start all over. That’s only fair, though—after all, it’s how knowledge advances! With an inviting tone and detail-filled art, Sean Rubin traces the process of defining—and redefining—the dinosaur called Iguanodon . Entertainin

  I WANT TO READ ALL THE BOOKS written & illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 9781481416313 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, summary, author bio & interview, provided by the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK An insatiably curious girl decides the only way to answer all her questions is to read all the books in this funny and charming picture book in the spirit of The Library Fish and Tom Chapin’s The Library Book.Hana wants to know everything about the world around her. When she starts asking questions, her mother gives her a book. She learns so much, but now she has even more questions! She also has a big she will read all the books—every single one! She reads every book in her house…and then her friends’ houses…and then the whole block. Nonfiction, fiction, romance, mysteries, and science fiction. But when her mother takes her to the downtown library, she realizes there ar