Grades 9-12
Claudia overhears a conversation at a party at the end of the summer, and now she’s on the bad side of the meanest girl in school. What’s more, Claudia and she are assigned to write a paper together, and they’re both auditioning for a part in the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Along the way, Claudia gains an unexpected friendship, meets an adorable new guy, and starts to think that things aren’t so bad after all.
Thanks to School Library Journal for a review copy of this book.
Grades 3-5
Fourth grader Moxie McCoy is a confident detective who is determined to catch whoever stole her school mascot, Eddie the Owl. Usually, she works together with her best friend who has recently moved away. She calls on her little brother Milton instead, and together the two of them interview Moxie’s classmates, who are all potential suspects. Can the two rival siblings come together and solve the case?
Thanks to School Library Journal for a review copy of this book.
Ages 18+
Jayne is a 27-year-old virgin children’s librarian who’s looking for a date for her upcoming high school reunion. She is shy and reads all kinds of books including one called How to Get A Man Interested In You. She’s still single and needs a date for the reunion so she isn’t made fun of just like she was in high school.
She met a guy at an art gallery recently but isn’t quite sure she’ll recognize him the next time she sees him because she wasn’t wearing her glasses the first time they met.
Now, being a glasses-wearing children’s librarian myself I can relate quite a bit to Jayne. However, this character makes me mad because she is ashamed of who she is! I love my job and I love the fact that I always have my nose in a book. Should I socialize more? Sure. But curling up with a book is just about my favorite thing to do.
Sugar and Spice is so cliche it’s crazy and it just bothers me to no end. I love Debbie Macomber’s books but this one just infuriated me. I loved the story, it’s just that this character needs to get her stuff together and read a book on confidence.
Grades 9-12
This novel is based on the real story of Dita Kraus, who was a prisoner at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Her Jewish leader, Freddy Hirsh, asks her to take charge of eight books that prisoners manage to sneak in with them.She became known as the “librarian of Auschwitz” because she made books available to the other prisoners no matter what the cost. Dita’s story is one of courage and hopefulness at one of the darkest periods in history.
Thanks to School Library Journal for a review copy of this book.
Grades 3-6
Delphine and her two younger sisters are sent to visit their birth mother, Cecile, during the summer of 1968. They travel all the way from Brooklyn to Oakland, California and they’re not sure what to expect. When they arrive, they find that Cecile isn’t happy to have them visit, and wants them to attend the Black Panther summer camp. They came with one thing to accomplish: to get to know their mother better. However, Delphine fears this might be an impossible task, given how outlandish their mother is.
The Bookish Librarian 