Geo Librarian

KIN: ROOTED IN HOPE written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-1362-1 Source: publisher for review Ages 12 and up Middle grade memoir All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, illustrations, & audio provided by the author. ABOUT THE BOOK A powerful portrait of a Black family tree shaped by enslavement and freedom, rendered in searing poems by acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford and stunning art by her son Jeffery Boston Weatherford. I call their names: Abram Alice Amey Arianna Antiqua I call their names: Isaac Jake James Jenny Jim Every last one, property of the Lloyds, the state’s preeminent enslavers. Every last one, with a mind of their own and a story that ain’t yet been told. Till now. Carole and Jeffery Boston Weatherford’s ancestors are among the founders of Maryland. Their family history there extends more than three hundred years, but as with the genealogical sea...

FLIGHT OF THE BLUEBIRD The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters #3 by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Jen Hill Amulet Books, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-4197-3144-0 Source: publisher for review Ages 8-12 Middle grade historical adventure All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Fasten your seat belts for some unexpected turbulence ahead, as Jaundice and Kale Bland are back for their final unintentional adventure! Now that they’ve returned from the Uncanny Valley to find their home in Dullsville in absolute shambles, the sisters are rescued by high-flying aviatrix Beatrix Airdale. This time, they’re jetting off (literally) to Egypt to uncover the mysteries of a magical scarab.  By way of Casablanca and after foiling multiple attacks along the way (thanks to Jaundice’s nautical knot-tying skills and Kale’s super-sleuth powers of observation), the Bland Sisters are reunited with their parents. But it turns out that Mom and Dad aren’t as bland—or as “Bla...

EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS Real Tales of Deadly Diseases by Judy Dodge Cummings Nomad Press, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-61930-625-7 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 MG Nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Feel a tickle in your throat? Do you still have that headache? Could you be falling victim to a deadly virus? From history’s earliest days, bacteria and viruses have stalked humans. Stowing on wagons, ships, and airplanes, these diseases traversed the globe, infecting people in city streets and isolated hamlets. Epidemics and Pandemics: Real Tales of Deadly Diseases tells the tale of five of history’s most critical contagions. REVIEW Disease has long played an important role in both historical and contemporary events.  In this book, the author takes the reader through five such diseases and specific times when those diseases changed history.  The diseases covered include the bubonic plague that wreaked havoc during the Middl...