What a clever and realistic accounting of how we demonstrate what it looks like to stand up and be a true friend: through sickness and health, through buggers and bullies, swiping pocket change and wiping out on skateboards, first crushes and first kisses. This story is told through ten vignettes of individual kids who are …
Compelling narrative. Fantastic pre-teen middle reader that does an excellent job of exploring race and race-related issues via the clever mechanism of a young Black student who begins her middle school journey with some color-blind ideas and anti-Black biases that prevent her from forming meaningful relationships with other Black students. Great book to approach students …
I ordered this book around what would have been Bookstore Day in late April and it languished in a stack of to-be-read books until I watched the KidLit4BlackLives Rally—the author was one of the speakers. I pulled it out this morning and was charmed by Ryan and her family; I’m so glad to see that …
The summer after Steve finishes 6th grade three things happen: His baby brother is born, though he is sickly and must return to the hospital for numerous tests. Steve learns that he might never, walk, talk, or feed himself. If he survives. Angels visit Steve in a dream. Wasps start building a nest in the …
Seattle kids’ author Mark Holtzen interviewed Seattle kids’ author Kim Baker about her upcoming middle grade novel, The Water Bears. Where did the idea for The Water Bears come from? What was the original grain of sand that led to this pearl? (If you have better ideas for jokes or puns in questions, I’m all …
If you’re interested in mysteries and secrets, Kate Messner’s Chirp is out now. Mia, a young girl with dreams of being a world-class gymnast, moves to Vermont after she breaks her arm. It’s a fresh start for the whole family, but there’s a plot afoot to drive Grandma’s cricket farm out of business. Mia, needing …
Kirkland, WA was the site of the first reported cases of coronavirus in the US. The governor of WA, Jay Inslee, declared a state of emergency (as have CA and MD). Large tech employers have instructed employees to work from home and one school district has closed for up to two weeks while they transition …
Ware is looking forward to spending the summer thinking and dreaming. His parents have other ideas and sign him up for a rec camp, something he absolutely dreads. On his first day at Rec, he slips out the back door into the dream of a broken church. Unfortunately, the space is already occupied by a …
The winners for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association 2020 Pacific Northwest Book Awards have been announced. The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) is a non-profit association of independent bookstores from five Northwest states, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The Association produces educational and promotional events and materials for its members and offers literacy, free …
The Newbery award-winning author’s newest book is a lush fairy tale of a book steeped in the mythology of the Philippines. The 12-year-old protagonist faces some dark and scary monsters and some equally monstrous men in her community, but persistence in spite of fear and honorable intentions guide her choices on an adventures reminiscent of …
