Whoops, I guess I forgot to post my June reads since we were away on vacation. Guess I’ll just make this list a teensy bit longer. Not by much though, reading Leviathan Wakes, the first book in The Expanse series has taken up a LOT of my time this month. I haven’t read a 564 page book in a long time!
And if you can’t tell, there was a new cart of children’s books to go through this past month. 🙂
Hostage by Guy Delisle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow, this worked so well as a graphic. I could feel an inkling that lost, lonely feeling that Christophe must have been feeling for all that time. The strange mix of fear and boredom as each day went on, the rush of adrenaline each time the door creaked open. And those last 50 pages, my heart was pounding right along with Christophe.
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The Time Museum by Matthew Loux
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
It started with an interesting premise and I got about halfway through and realized that the whole thing was going to be mediocre at best. Skimmed to the end and everything unfolded exactly like I anticipated. Not great, not awful. Just…meh.
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The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Really quick read but a great way to get kids thinking about gender roles without beating them over the head with it. Aster is a boy and boys cannot be witches, at least according to his communities rules. Boys are shapeshifters, they turn into different animals and fight to protect the village. Girls are witches that use magic to help things grow and for protection spells. But Aster has not shapeshifted yet and finds magic to be far more interesting. He begins to listen in on the girl’s classes, taking notes and practicing when no one is watching. But then he learns from his grandmother about another boy who wanted to be a witch and how things went badly for him. When boys around the village start to disappear, Aster wonders if it is his fault for dabbling in magic instead of following the rules.
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SLAM! Vol. 1 by Pamela Ribon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My only complaint about this graphic is sometimes it was hard to tell the characters apart when they were all playing together. I mean, obviously they are in their team uniforms, but since they are drawings rather than real people, it was hard to know who was who sometimes.
But otherwise this was a really fun read and I love the idea of telling the story of these two BFFs while using Roller Derby to frame it all. It’s like Roller Girl but all grown up!
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Unicorn of Many Hats by Dana Simpson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Usual level of whimsy and fun. Perfect reading for a rainy day.
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A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
That final page. I want to frame it and put it on my wall. “Stink bugs are temporary. Love is forever.”
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Pink Is for Boys by Robb Pearlman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Perfect in its simplicity. Colors are colors and everyone can enjoy them. The end.
And also unicorns. Because unicorns.
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Rock Candy Mountain, Vol. 2 by Kyle Starks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wraps up the story well, part of me wished there was more but I know that dragging it out wouldn’t have made it better. Quick read.
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Lennon: The New York Years by David Foenkinos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Beautifully illustrated and I love how the images are framed, then cropped to evoke different emotions. I don’t think I learned anything I didn’t already know about Lennon but I’m a pretty hardcore fans, but I still found this very readable and could have read more in this style.
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Square by Mac Barnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars
Another really odd little book by Barnett. I just love his quirky sense of humor. I didn’t know this was a trilogy! I guess circle must get the final book?
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Snotgirl, Vol. 1: Green Hair Don’t Care by Bryan Lee O’Malley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was such a strange story, I’m not sure what the heck it is all about, but I am compelled to keep reading! We will see what happens in the further adventures of Lonnie Person in Snotgirl Vol. 2!
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This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The only thing that would make this better is if it came with an audio bonus that had all the instrument sounds. Or even a mp3 of the melody using jazz instruments. I’m already plotting finding a way to get the high school jazz band to visit and maybe use them in a storytime…
but even without that, this is a really fun book. Sing it to the melody of “This Old Man” and have fun with it. I did it with the toddlers today and we counted every time we turned the page and then acted out the instrument. Another librarian did it with preschool age and it was also a big hit. So this one is staying on the storytime shelf.
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The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While you know where this book is going right off the bat, the journey is worth it. Renner’s art is great and the fox’s antics, it made me think of Looney Tunes cartoons, with Bugs and Daffy running around and getting whacked by things (or each other). Really fun read. Can’t wait to see the animated version!
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Most People by Michael Leannah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A book with the best intentions, too bad the editors didn’t pick up on a few lines of text that feel a little problematic (see other reviews). But I did love the idea of assuming that most people want to do good things, want to be good and helpful. It is true!
(Also, I’m really tempted to do a nerdy parody of this with all of the apparent strife going on in the fandom world right now…)
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Teddy’s Favorite Toy by Christian Trimmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So adorable! Though not sure we should tell kids that once something has been picked up by the trash collectors that we can ever see it again because…yeah nope. 😦
But otherwise SO CUTE!
orangerful 