Alistair Grim's Odditorium

If you are looking for a fantasy chapter book, then this book might be for you! It had several starred reviews and has a sequel, so I checked it out from the Frisco Public Library as an ebook! I am so glad I did. Grubb is a twelve year living the miserable existence as a chimney sweep. He was abandoned as a baby and lives with his cruel master. One day as he is cleaning an inn, he stows away in a horse driven coach owned by a mysterious guest and once he emerges from Alistair Grim's trunk, he encounters the wonderful world of Odditorium, a place with all kinds of enchanted objects. Grubb then helps Grim and his colleagues fight evil from overtaking the Odditorium. Twists and turns and a great adventure!

The Undefeated

The Undefeated is the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor Winning poetry book of 2020! Earning both honors is rare. Watercolor illustrations by Kadir Nelson and poetry written by Kwame Alexander ( both of which have won numerous awards) makes this picture book a page turner. The poetry is like a love letter to black life in the United States and highlights the trauma of slavery and the civil rights movement. It depicts the perseverance of some of some of the world's greatest heroes. There are also references to Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks and others. This book will be available in our library in the fall and it is available from your local library as an ebook!

The One and Only Bob

   

The One and Only Bob is the sequel to The One and Only Ivan, the best selling Newbery Medal  Award  winning novel by Katherine Applegate. The One and Only Ivan is a fiction based story on the real life gorilla , Ivan, who lived in a shopping mall with other animals for 27 years. The story is about how his life is shaped by best friends Stella and Bob. The One and Only Bob picks up a little bit later after where the The One and Only Ivan ends, and  in the newest installment, we find Bob living life well in his new home and visiting his friends Ivan and Ruby as they face a hurricane that has the potential of ruining their sanctuary. Wonderful story with a great ending!! The first several pages are included in the First Chapter Friday section of this blog and this book can be downloaded from your local library as an ebook!

The Stepmom Shakeup by Niki Lenz

                                                

                                                

The Stepmom Shakeup is Niki Lenz's 2nd book. Her first book is the belly laughing Texas Bluebonnet nominee, Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen. This book did not disappoint either. I needed a good laugh after the last few days' events and this book hit the spot! Grace Martin learns that her dad is ready to date again 3 years after her mother's death, and Grace just isn't ready for him to date. She and her friend Bea pull all kinds of pranks trying to sabotage his dates. Until she finally recognizes the woman who is right for her dad and then she devises all kinds of shenanigans  trying to get them together. I loved Bernice Buttman and loved this story,  too. Niki Lenz's books reminded me of The Terrible Two series so anyone that  needs some humor in their life will like this book! This book drops around June 20th. We will for sure have it in our library in the fall.  Look for it at your local public library this summer.

The Ickabog-JK Rowling's new read aloud... read aloud here!

I've been hearing about JK Rowling's new story. Lots of librarians are really liking it. I am going to try to start reading it this weekend! This book is not like Harry Potter and there isn't any magic in it. It is for ages 7 and up. Several chapters are posted every few days until around July 10th. The book publishes in November!! I've seen several comparisons to Roald Dahl's The BFG.

                                            

                                                      https://www.theickabog.com/home/

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

I checked this ebook out of the Frisco Public Library because I had heard such great things about the story. The author,  Christina Soontornvat, is an Austin based author that attended Frisco Librarypalooza last year. She has some earlier chapter reads that I have heard are good, Diary of an Ice Princess series and the The Changelings duology. Kirkus Reviews also gives this book a great review. I have never seen Les Miserables or read it, but this book is an almost complete retelling with a Thai flair. Pong escapes a Thai prison because he was born there, not because of anything he has done. Nok, a daughter of the prison warden, goes on a mission to find him and return him to the prison to restore her father's good name. This book has some twists and turns and some great realizations for both Pong and Nok. It's also an engaging adventure!

Lift by Minh Le and Dan Santat

Illustrator Dan Santat has another winning story under his belt. This time , Ming Le is the author and Dan Santat is the illustrator. This new picture book is told in a large graphic novel format of a young girl who loves to push the elevator buttons in her apartment building when she and her family use the elevator. One day, her younger brother beats her to it, and she can't get over her disappointment because that was her job. Then one day she finds an elevator repairman working on the elevator and notices  a discarded elevator button panel in the trash.  She takes it and places it on wall next to her closed and you have to see what happens next! Love the girl's imagination in this story!! A definite must read!