Lynn: We love finding picture books for Mystery Month! Kate Warne: Pinkerton Detective (2017) by Marissa Moss is not only a picture book biography of the first woman detective, but tells the story of Warne’s role in a pivotal case that helped establish the reputation of the Pinkerton Agency. It’s true crime for the middle-grade […]
Lynn: I love my job! Seriously—sometimes I am just awed by the amazing books being created for young readers these days. Take nonfiction for example: gorgeous, fascinating, perfectly attuned to children’s developmental levels, packed with information and just plain fun. Jonathan London’s terrific Hippos Are Huge! (2015) is a perfect example of just how outrageously […]
Lynn: The story Eve Bunting tells in Yard Sale (2015) is one that many young readers will recognize and relate to. Callie’s family is moving to a small apartment and almost everything they own is spread out in front of the house for a yard sale. Callie and her friend don’t understand why she has to […]
Lynn: Seventeen-year-old Ben Fletcher’s life is one big tangle in T. S. Easton’s British import Boys Don’t Knit (In Public) (2015). Analytical, responsible, and a world-class worrier, Ben is a good kid but lately everything has gone wrong. Reluctantly pulled into a shoplifting scheme as a lookout by his friends, Ben is the one caught and […]
Cindy: A new twist on the old “My dog ate my homework” excuse is found in Julia Sarcone-Roach‘s sly picture book The Bear Ate Your Sandwich (2015). An unreliable narrator explains that yes, your sandwich is gone. But the real story is how that sandwich went missing: “It all started with the bear.” And so unfolds a story […]
Lynn and Cindy: Yes, it is still March. But April is Poetry Month and it is coming FAST! Here are some brand new, beautiful poetry books to add to your collections. Get them while there’s still time! The Maine Coon’s Haiku and Other Poems for Cat Lovers (2015), by Michael Rosen. Poet and cat lover, […]
Lynn: The sassy, courageous heroine of Thanhhà Lai’s Newbery Honor book Inside Out & Back Again (2011) won a lot of hearts, including mine. I was excited to hear about her new book, Listen, Slowly (2015), and now having read it I can tell you it’s worth getting excited about. This story is told in prose instead of […]
Lynn: So what’s with the underwear in picture books recently? Last year saw the publication of Veggies with Wedgies (2014), by Todd H. Doodler, and this year brings even more. Duh—why am I even ASKING that question? Underwear makes kids giggle, that’s why. The good news is that we have not one, but two, really fun picture […]
Cindy: Magic books are popular in one of my middle schools because we have a magician on staff! Mr. Huber runs a magic club during his lunch break and his enthusiasm is contagious. When I saw Joshua Jay’s new book Big Magic for Little Hands (Workman, 2015) I was eager to get my librarian hands […]
Cindy: It’s March. That means a basketball post (or three) from Bookends. Faithful readers will know that Lynn and I cheer on our Big Ten teams this time of year … she the Purdue Boilermakers, and me the Indiana Hoosiers. My team can shoot threes and drive inside but we’ve sure had our ups and […]