The team of Audrey Vernick, Liz Garton Scanlon and Chris Raschka probably had a substitute teacher or two during their school days. However, I wonder if they were as unsure of them as the narrator is of their substitute teacher in Dear Substitute. Finding out that their teacher is out unexpectantly (why did Mrs. Giordano not warn them?) all sorts of feelings pop up for one student. After all, Miss Pelly changes their routines, cannot pronounce some of the student’s names, she reads new books […]
No Matter the Wreckage there Can be Hope
Sarah Kay, along with illustrator Sophia Janowitz, created her debut collection of poetry back in 2014. And in 2018 No Matter the Wreckage came on my radar. Kay’s poems celebrate family, love, travel, as well as the oddness, beauty and darkness of the world. She is powerful and soft. Bold and quiet. She hits you over the head and whispers in your ear. To hear her read her works (so far only on YouTube) would be a grand treat. Her voice is the perfect vessel […]
Introducing Your Friend and Mine: The Honeybee
This a solid 4.5 as the only issue I have is that I would have liked more facts at the end or even more within the text of the story. This is a poetic story about our friend, The Honeybee. Kirsten Hall and Isabelle Arsenault have created a story that the adult is not going to mind rereading. It has a lot to it, and while there is not a lot of traditional action, this is a lot going on. The rhyming text reminded me […]
Our Days are Numbered, but not the feelings You’ll get after reading Hilborn
Amazons review of Our Numbered Days by Neil Hilborn hits it on the head. He might be talking about love and heartbreak, but he is also dealing with mental illness, loss and death, therefore there is “nothing saccharine” about it. His humor is dark, self-deprecating and raw. Sometimes too raw. He is honest to a fault sometimes and rips the band aid right off. Even when there is no band aid on in the first place. While accessible to almost everyone these poems are for […]
Halt! Who Goes there? Friends or Foes…?
When you read advanced reader copies you should be careful about three things: will the text change (therefore, be careful when quoting); will the cover art change and finally will the title change. Friends and Foes: Poems About Us All has at least two of these. It has the change in name and cover image (though I am keeping the image of the F&G as I liked how it came out!) Douglas Florian is a poet known for being deliciously fun, whimsical and quirky. Some […]
Something IS Okay….and this is it!
WOW! WOW! WOW! I seriously could write WOW 250 times and that would be my review. You will love some of these poems and hate others. And others still you will be WTF?!?! Nothing is Okay by Rachel Wiley is one of those poetry books that you hope will be good after hearing one or two of her readings knowing that, yes of course, Facebook is going to highlight the “strong” poems, the “good” ones, the ones that will tease and make you drool for […]
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