Tag: Book Recommendation

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Today’s book recommendation: CASTERS AND CROWNS by Elizabeth Lowham – Young Adult Fantasy

This delightful book came out just last month!

It’s a sweet romantasy, meaning it’s both a romance and a fantasy, and the romance is of the chaste, slow-burn variety. The Casters are those who are born with the ability to wield magic, but magic is highly feared and even outlawed by the Crown.

In an effort to prove herself to her father, the crown princess tries to negotiate for peace with the Casters, but ends up getting herself cursed. If she doesn’t find a way to break the curse, she will die, followed by every member of her royal family, one by one.

A certain handsome Baron, who is loyal to the Crown, but also happens to be a Caster, has to overcome his own fears in order to help her find a way to unite her kingdom.

There’s elements of fairytales like Sleeping Beauty and 12 Dancing Princesses, but this book really has a feel all its own. I loved the antics of the Baron’s younger siblings, the love letters being delivered by bird, and the ending surprised me in the best kind of way!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: THE YEAR OF THE DOG by Grace Lin – Middle Grade Fiction

You might be familiar with author/illustrator Grace Lin from when her middle grade book, WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, won the Newbery Honor in 2010 for its contribution to children’s literature. And it is a beautiful book! It reads like a Chinese fairytale adventure story with Lin’s own beautiful full-color illustrations along the way.

Lin is truly talented and has many not-to-be-missed reads, like her very first book, THE UGLY VEGETABLES, or her delightful chapter book, LING & TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. But my very favorite of all is her middle grade debut, THE YEAR OF THE DOG.

This heartwarming book is truly a must read! The main character is a young Taiwanese-American girl who begins the books celebrating the Chinese New Year with her family. Since it is the Year of the Dog, her mother explains that this is the year she should try to find herself.

And that’s exactly what the book’s about. As the year progresses, Pacy navigates family and friendship dynamics, all while working to discover who she is, what she values, and what she’s good at. Because there are very few Asians where Pacy lives, it is often extra challenging as she faces unintentional (but hurtful) microaggressions along the way that are heartbreaking and eye-opening. (Click on the images below for examples.)

I loved the intergenerational aspect to the storytelling with her parents’ and grandparents’ stories within stories and the cute little doodle-like illustrations scattered throughout. Lin’s humor is spot on, too. There were many times where I laughed out loud!

This is an earlier middle grade novel, designed for 8-10 year olds, and while that’s the perfect age, it really is enjoyable for any age. I read it to my boys when they were that age and every day they begged for more.

If you are new to Grace Lin’s beautiful books, I encourage you to give her a try!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: A DINOSAUR NAMED RUTH: HOW RUTH MASON DISCOVERED FOSSILS IN HER OWN BACKYARD by Julia Lyon – Nonfiction Picture Book

Do you know any kids who love dinosaurs? How would they feel if they found real dinosaur bones right in their own backyard!? Well, that’s what happened to Ruth Mason, only she didn’t know what they were at first!

This is an incredible true story that took place in South Dakota in 1905. I love the beautiful illustrations by Alexandra Bye and that the story is about a girl! Girls can love dinosaurs and paleontology, just as much as boys!

This is a great book to give as a gift or pickup for your own collection.

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: MURDER AMONG FRIENDS by Candace Fleming – YA Nonfiction

In honor of Halloween, here is a true story for you and/or your older teens that will give you all the chills! 👻

Candace Fleming is an incredibly talented author and she has taken mountains of primary source material and crafted it into a true crime tale that feels like a thriller.

Back in the 1920s in Chicago, two teenagers decided to brutally murder an innocent child in order to collect ransom money. More than the money though, their main motivation was to prove they could pull off the perfect crime and never get caught.

And they might have gotten away with it, but for one little mistake–a dropped pair of prescription glasses. 👓

The first part of this book is about the actual crime and capture, and then moves on to the boys’ confessions and the ensuing courtroom battle.

The part I found most compelling was the courtroom arguments regarding mental health. This was a landmark case because there wasn’t a lot of precedent at this time for pleading insanity or for trying teenagers for murder.

This book isn’t for the weak of heart! That being said, Fleming keeps the violence matter-of-fact and the focus of the book is really on the psychology of the boys and the legal system of the time. She addresses relevant contributing factors like police corruption, anti-semitism, the boys’ homosexual relationship, nature vs. nurture, and wealth & privilege with exquisite care, which makes for great discussion starters for you and your teens.

If you’re feeling brave, go ahead and give this thought-provoking book a try.

Happy reading and happy Halloween!

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Today’s book recommendation: ODDER by Katherine Applegate – Middle Grade Verse Novel

I read this beautiful little book all in one sitting last night. It was delightful! The story is primarily told from “Odder’s” perspective, so, of course, it is fictional, but it is based on real sea otters who have been rescued and rehabilitated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

Sea otters are an endangered species, and they are also a keystone species, which means they are vitally important to the balance of their ecosystem. I learned so much about sea otters from this book, and now my kids are eager to get their hands on it!

The illustrations of Charles Santoso make you want to reach out and cuddle the little cuties–baby sea otters, what could be better?

This book is ideal for a first experience in verse novels, as well. The prose is clear and straightforward, there is a short glossary in the back, and most of all, the free verse format can inspire kids to play with words on the page in their own writing.

Now that I’ve read it, I really want to take a trip out to Monterey Bay and see this remarkable program in action! 

I hope you pick this up and give it a try.
Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: HAZARDOUS TALES series by Nathan Hale – Middle Grade Graphic Novels

I posted earlier about reading the Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution with my boys. What I didn’t anticipate was how it opened up their desire to learn more about the war. I love seeing it, and I was quick to take advantage with Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales graphic novels.

While these books have a fictional storytelling framework, most of the information is nonfiction. These two are about the Revolution, and my boys swallowed them whole, as well as some of his others. They’re funny and silly, all while teaching about real events.

I pulled out my copy of 1776 by David McCullough, and they loved all the handwritten letter, map and newspaper reproductions. It was interesting to see the difference between the maps the Americans had, with the poorly drawn ones in the hands of the British.

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Today’s book recommendation: I AM SMOKE by Henry Herz – Nonfiction Picture Book

If you haven’t read this book yet, you simply must pick it up! The literary STEM prose of Henry Herz and the gorgeous, ethereal illustrations of Mercè López are the perfect combination.

Growing up, we learn how dangerous smoke is, but this book also shows how it has been used for good over time. I love the fun twist of the smoke itself narrating the story. It speaks in riddles with a poetic rhythm that gives it an alluring timelessness that is just so, so perfect!

Herz and López also teamed up for a follow up book that released this spring called I AM GRAVITY.

Both of these books are great for reading out loud and discussing, plus they have excellent backmatter for the truly curious!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: A BRILLIANT NIGHT OF STARS AND ICE by Rebecca Connolly – Adult/YA Historical Fiction

This book was heart-wrenching and beautiful! Rebecca’s research was impeccable, and although I’ve long been fascinated with the story of the Titanic, I was mesmerized and inspired by Captain Rostram’s heroic rescue of the 706 survivors.

As I read of the rescue, I was reminded of the Titanic artifact exhibit in Las Vegas. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going through it, especially after reading this book! It has a fun, interactive (but also sobering) element to it where you are assigned a passenger profile and given a ticket, and then at the end you see if you survived!

The crazy thing is that my profile passenger was a woman named Kate and one of the main point of view characters in Rebecca’s book is also Kate, who is traveling with her sister!

I’m so grateful to know of the bravery and selflessness that went into saving those who were lucky enough to secure a spot in the lifeboats. If you want to know the untold story of the Titanic disaster, I highly recommend this book! It’s perfect for both teenagers and adults.

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: POTION MASTERS by Frank Cole – Middle Grade Fantasy

This photo always makes me giggle. 🙂 Apparently, it’s okay if your head gets squished while you nap, as long as it’s a Frank Cole book!

Frank’s Potion Masters series is terrific for roadtrips, or anytime, in fact, because these books are just a whole lot of fun! Kids who learn to brew magic potions and use them to save the world–what could be better? There’s secret societies, renegade potion masters, black market potions, and plenty of magical mishaps!

I got to know Frank at a writing conference a couple years back and he’s just as fun in person as he is in his books. There’s no doubt that he knows his middle grade audience. In his books, I love that you can always count on finding lots of adventure, plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, and at the center of it all, a meaningful message.

In this series, Gordy and his friends learn about trust and loyalty, navigating middle school friendships, believing in themselves and their own special gifts. If you have any 10-13-year-olds in your life, chances are they’ll love them!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: DRAWN TOGETHER by Minh Le – Fiction Picture Book

This picture book is one of my absolute favorites. The illustrations by Dan Santat are stunning, and the story has so much heart. I love the wordplay of the title, as well. In the book, a grandson struggles to connect with his grandson because they don’t speak the same language. After several tries, the grandfather realizes they both love to draw, and so they go on a magical adventure together with their drawings. Basically, their drawings literally draw them together.

The words are sparse because the characters’ expressions really do a lot of the talking in a simple, graphic novel style with multiple images on a page. It makes for a fun, interactive experience when reading it with young children as you ask them about the pictures and discuss what each character is feeling.

I think this book is so effective because it depicts a language barrier that both the author and illustrator related to personally–Vietnamese American for Le and Thai American for Santat.

My grandparents spoke English like me, but even then, we can all relate to trying to find a way to relate to another person, which can be especially tricky across generational gaps.

Depending on if you borrow this book from the library or buy your own copy, you might not be able to take off the dust jacket. If you can get a peek, the casewrap is a fun surprise as it is designed to look like the grandfather’s sketch book from the story!

Grab a copy of your own today and enjoy!

Happy reading!