Review of Joyful Song, by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal

Award Winners, Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Joyful Song

A Naming Story

by Lesléa Newman
illustrated by Susan Gal

Levine Querido, 2024. 40 pages.
Review written February 4, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Sidney Taylor Silver Medal, Picture Books

I checked out this picture book after it was honored with a Sidney Taylor Silver Medal by the Association of Jewish Libraries – and what a beautiful book it is!

The story is told from the perspective of a kid named Zachary. His family is walking through their vibrant, colorful neighborhood to the synagogue for his baby sister’s first Shabbat, when they will announce her name to the world. Zachary gets to push her baby carriage.

Along the way, their neighbors Miss Fukumi, Mr. Baraka, and Mrs. Santiago greet them and ask the baby’s name. Before Zachary can speak, first Mama gives a nickname, then Mommy gives a nickname, and the third time, Zachary knows to tell Mrs. Santiago they call her Snuggle Bunny. All three neighbors are invited to come with them to the naming ceremony.

In the synagogue, the family comes up front, and they announce the name and why they chose it. It’s all followed by a meal, and walking home, with the three neighbors saying good-by, each in their own way, and talking about the lovely baby with a lovely name.

For Jewish families, it must be a delight to see your traditions reflected in this gorgeous picture book. (I can’t stress enough how wonderful the art is!) For non-Jewish families, you’ve got a lovely cross-cultural window. And every family who reads this book will find the perfect lead-in to talking about how you chose the names for your children.

galgirlstudio.com
levinequerido.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone, by Tae Keller

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

by Tae Keller
read by Shannon Tyo and Carolyn Kang

Listening Library, 2022. 7 hours, 4 minutes.
Review written January 7, 2023, from a library eaudiobook
Starred Review

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone is told from the perspective of Mallory, a middle school girl who worries about fitting in. Her best friend, Reagan, is the queen bee of the school. But when her neighbor, Jennifer Chan, goes missing, Mallory is terribly afraid it has something to do with “the Incident.”

When Jennifer moved into their neighborhood last summer, Mallory knew she was different. And Jennifer’s honesty about how she believes in aliens and is researching how to find them doesn’t help.

But then when Jennifer comes to school and seems to think she can get away without following the normal rules of popularity, Mallory doesn’t know what to think. Reagan feels she needs to be taught a lesson.

The timelines of the story go back and forth. Mallory thinks Jennifer was surely searching for aliens. Maybe if she can find some allies to follow in her footsteps, they can find Jennifer. But is that simply a way to avoid thinking about The Incident? What if that’s the real reason Jennifer left?

This book explores friendship and peer pressure and bullying and trying to figure out how to make amends. And it asks the question: Who do you want to be? Oh, and it also talks about aliens and how they might make themselves known to us.

I was especially moved by the author’s note at the back, read in the audiobook by Tae Keller, where she talks about how she was horribly bullied in middle school and her process in trying to channel that for this book. She did an amazing job of turning that awful experience into art that heals.

taekeller.com

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Review of The Wrong Way Home, by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Award Winners, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

The Wrong Way Home

by Kate O’Shaughnessy
read by Caitlin Kinnunen

Listening Library, 2024. 9 hours.
Review written March 27, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2025 Newbery Honor Book

My hold on the audio version of this Newbery Honor book finally came in, and Wow! This one packs an emotional punch as well as letting you spend time with delightful people.

For six years, twelve-year-old Fern, once known as Frankie, has lived at the Ranch, an off-the-grid sustainable community in upstate New York, led by kind and wise Dr. Ben. Before they came to the Ranch, Fern had her mother had several different homes, but now they have stability and purpose, away from the harmful influences outside the community. When Dr. Ben tells Fern she’s ready to go on her Rite – a challenging scenario that will mark her as an adult and a true member of the community – she’s full of pride and scornful that her mother would want to hold her back.

But soon after that, Fern’s mother tricks her into going outside the community, saying it’s a trip for Dr. Ben, when really they’re moving across the country to a coastal town in California. Her mother has landed a job housekeeping in a small hotel while they live in a hotel room. It turns out that her Mom has a history there – and a godmother who wants nothing more than to look out for them. Fern only wants to go back home.

Things are rough for Fern in school – she knows about sustainable practices and the harms of man-made chemicals, but she doesn’t even know who George Washington is. But she makes a friend when a girl named Eddy needs a partner for her science project. Eddy wants to prove that the local legend, the Spirit of the Sea, is a hoax. Fern is happy to help and makes more ties in the community – all while trying to earn money to hire a private investigator to find Dr. Ben’s address and ask him to talk her Mom into taking them back home.

The author skillfully shows us how Fern little by little gains a new perspective on Dr. Ben and all the control he held over their community, all while she finds more and more to appreciate in California. But can she remember that when Dr. Ben shows up to take her back?

I like that the reader doesn’t hear the word “cult” until Fern does. We’ve only been hearing Fern’s rosy perspective on things “back home,” and kids may gradually realize, along with Fern, that something’s off.

The Newbery committee did a fine job choosing this book! I only wish I’d gotten it read sooner so I could have recommended it at my February awards round-up to other librarians. It’s a book I’ll remember for a long time to come.

kloshaugnessy.com

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Review of Forest Fighter: The Story of Chico Mendes, by Anita Ganeri and Margaux Carpentier

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Forest Fighter

The Story of Chico Mendes

by Anita Ganeri and Margaux Carpentier

Crocodile Books, 2022. 48 pages.
Review written December 29, 2022, from a library book.
Starred Review

Forest Fighter is a children’s biography of a hero I’d known nothing about. Chico Mendes was born in the Amazon rainforest on a rubber estate to parents who were rubber tappers.

But the rubber estate owners of the time exploited the tappers. They were paid for the rubber they got from the trees, but then charges were deducted for tools and even for renting the trees. So the families were forced to stay in poverty.

The book gives plenty of details on big, bright pages. There’s more text than a typical picture book biography, but the information paints a picture of the difficult situation. Chico was tapping rubber with his father when he was still a boy — and then a stranger came to the forest and taught him to read.

When Chico grew up, he got a job with the Brazilian Literacy Movement. But many of his students were rubber tappers and he learned about the challenges they faced.

In the 1970s, the Brazilian government needed money and looked to the Amazon to find it. They began facilitating clearing the rainforest to start cattle ranches. But that didn’t work out well for the land or the people. Chico was instrumental in a movement to save the rainforest — including making government reserves to use the rainforest in sustainable ways.

A quote from Chico sums up his story:

At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity.

Chico brought the attention of the world to the plight of the Amazon, but ended up losing his life because of his work. However, his legacy lives on with a large forest reserve named in his honor.

The book has five pages of back matter, including facts about the Amazon rainforest. Unfortunately, rainforest destruction is happening more quickly than ever in our day — which makes Chico’s story all the more important.

margauxcarpentier.com
interlinkbooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Strength for My Path, by Maureen E. Wise

Christian, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Strength for My Path

52 Devotions from the Hiking Trail

by Maureen E. Wise

BroadStreet, 2024. 176 pages.
Review written March 24, 2025, from my own copy, purchased via Amazon.com.
Starred Review

Full disclosure: Maureen Wise introduced herself to me online after finding my Sondermusings Substack and Sonderjourneys blog, saying we seem to have a lot of views in common. I love finding kindred spirits online! Then she offered to introduce me to her agent – and her agent enthusiastically read the full manuscript of my Psalms book and told me she enjoyed reading it but couldn’t represent me because it was too similar to a book by one of her existing clients, and it wouldn’t be fair to her. But anyway, I’m always interested in books by kindred spirits – so I’d already ordered myself a copy of this book, and yes, was predisposed to like it. But liking it is not at all a stretch.

It’s a book of devotions – so it’s an encouraging way to start your morning – and they all relate to hiking in some way. For example, “The Washed-Out Path” is about how Jesus is with us when our life feels in need of repair. “An Unexpected Storm on the Trail” encourages you to think about God’s perspective when your plans go awry. “What God Sees in Canal Paths” talks about how old abandoned canal paths have been turned into hiking trails – and God recognizes that we are valuable and worthy of care and protection. “Not Only the Destination But Also the Journey” has a rather obvious life application beyond enjoying your hike not just for the panoramic vista at the end.

Every devotion takes up two small pages, followed by a page with a prayer and a “Nature Connection” – Background facts about the topic of the day – and super interesting wide-ranging tidbits are included here.

I have to also give a shout-out to the book’s design. It’s got a soft and flexible suede-like cover, a ribbon bookmark attached, and a small trim size that makes you want to tuck it in a backpack and bring it on a hiking journey. I am a hiking dabbler – I love hiking, but prefer day trips so short that I can carry everything I need in my pockets. I do look for short hikes when I go on vacation, and this book got me wanting to hit the trail.

And of course the highlight is the devotions. I enjoyed this daily reminder to connect with nature – and to connect what I see in nature with God. To give you a taste, here’s a bit from the first devotion, “Jesus Valued Time in Nature”:

Follow Jesus’ lead and pray in wild places too. We don’t have to meet God only in set-aside places such as churches, Bible study meetings, Sunday school, and prayer rooms. While these places and times are sacred and important, we can connect with God anywhere. He is everywhere, after all. By intentionally choosing outdoor spaces to pray and be with God, we can also connect with creation and reflect on faith topics in a different way. Away from distractions and our human-made structures, immersed in the beauty of creation, we can find a deeper intimacy with the Creator.

And this book made me want to go out and do just that.

maureenwisebooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Finding My Dance, by Ria Thundercloud, illustrated by Kalila J. Fuller

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Finding My Dance

by Ria Thundercloud
illustrated by Kalila J. Fuller

Penguin Workshop, 2022. 32 pages.
Review written December 29, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

Finding My Dance is a picture book autobiography of a dancer — a dancer of all kinds of music, beginning when she was four years old and received her first jingle dress, hand sewn by her mom.

Ria begins the book giving her name in her nation’s language, which means “Beautiful Thunder Woman.” She introduces herself as from the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin and Sandia Pueblo in New Mexico. Then she talks about how her heritage built her passion for dance, something those tribes value deeply.

She tells about first being brought into the powwow circle when she was very young and spending summers on the powwow trail, dancing with family and friends.

Later, she studied other kinds of dance — modern, jazz, tap, contemporary, and ballet. She joined a competitive dance team and was named International Dance Challenge Champion.

She sometimes was made to feel she didn’t fit in, but her indigenous heritage was her foundation, fueling her love of dance and connection with the earth. There are many beautiful pages in this book. I love the spread with postcards from many places all over the world where she traveled as a professional dancer, and I also love the spread where she talks about being given a set of eagle wings.

The eagle flies the highest in the sky, and we believe their feathers carry our prayers to our ancestors — it is a messenger.

The connection to sky elements has always been a part of who I am.
When I performed my eagle dance while wearing the wings,
it felt like the eagle was with me the entire time.

This picture book does a lovely job of expressing not so much a list of facts about her career (Alas! There is no back matter), but her feelings about dance and about her tribes and her connections to the world. A truly beautiful book.

penguin.com/kids

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Most Ardently, by Gabe Cole Novoa, read by Harrison Knights

Audiobooks, Austenalia, Historical, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Most Ardently

A Pride and Prejudice Remix

by Gabe Cole Novoa
read by Harrison Knights

Macmillan Young Listeners, 2024. 7 hours, 30 minutes.
Review written March 1, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2025 Stonewall Honor Book, Young Adult Literature

I have long loved Pride and Prejudice variants and everything related to Jane Austen. I even have a webpage devoted to reviews of such books – my Austenalia page.

I found this version of Pride and Prejudice completely delightful. The big switch? The second child in the Bennet family is actually a transgender boy named Oliver.

The scenes in the novel play out as Oliver is beginning to live as himself and stop pretending to be a girl named Elizabeth. His father is understanding and affirming, but he shudders at the thought of letting his mother know. And Oliver encounters Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy both when dressed as himself and when pretending to be a woman. It turns out that Mr. Darcy fancies men, but when appearing as Elizabeth, Oliver can’t let on that he knows that.

There were a couple of odd changes – Longbourne and Netherfield were much closer to London, for starters, as was, apparently, Pemberley and Hunsford. That did help the story speed up – this version got in most of the major scenes, but it was much shorter than the original novel. We also had Oliver not being much taken with Wickham right from the start – there was much less misunderstanding and later reversal than in the original, but it was kind of fun to watch Wickham try to flirt with Oliver, and Oliver having none of it.

Now, I was a little skeptical of how well most who learned about Oliver handled the news and accepted him as himself in that day and age. The historical note at the end did help me believe it could have happened – and regardless, it did my heart good to read about a young transgender man getting love and support from his family and friends.

All in all, it’s a delightful addition to Austenalia – with a new twist I haven’t seen before. Let me ardently recommend this book.

gabecolenovoa.com

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Review of Infinity: Figuring Out Forever, by Sarah C. Campbell, photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell

Children's Nonfiction Review, Mathematical, Starred Review 0

Infinity

Figuring Out Forever

by Sarah C. Campbell
photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell

Astra Young Readers, 2022. 32 pages.
Review written December 22, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

Kids are fascinated by infinity. Well, my kids were fascinated by infinity, anyway. But more kids can hear about the ideas behind infinity and become fascinated with the help of this simple picture book.

I like that the illustrations are photographs, helping kids grasp that the idea of infinity is all around us. There’s a picture of a kid sitting between two mirrors and looking into them. There are pictures of starry skies, flocks of birds, and leafy trees. On another page, they’ve written out a googol.

But the book also makes clear that infinity isn’t just big numbers. They also demonstrate an orange slice, with half taken away, then half of that taken away, and so on.

Thinking about infinity is tricky. You have already thought of a large number and added one, but that might lead you to make the mistake of thinking infinity is something really, really big. Remember, though, infinity is not something big. Infinity is endlessness.

They tie it up by saying that even though the stars in the sky are finite, your mind has no limits.

The back matter is fun because it includes the ideas of Hilbert’s Hotel as an infinite school with infinite school buses arriving. It’s kind of a shame it’s buried in the back matter — but if this intrigues your kid, they need to find a copy of The Cat in Numberland, by Ivar Ekeland, where the whole book explores those ideas, and why adding infinity to infinity can just be infinity.

Overall, the book is a straightforward introduction for kids. The photo illustrations make it extra inviting.

sarahccampbell.com
astrapublishinghouse.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Sand-Reckoner, by Gillian Bradshaw

Fiction Review, Historical, Old Favorites, Sonderbooks25, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

The Sand-Reckoner

by Gillian Bradshaw

Forge (Tom Doherty Associates), 2000. 351 pages.
This review written March 13, 2025, from my own copy.
Original review written August 2001.
Starred Review
2001 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #1 Fiction

I’m revisiting this wonderful book – one of my all-time favorites – as part of #Sonderbooks25, my celebration of my 25th year of writing Sonderbooks. I’m rereading at least one book from each year’s Sonderbooks Stand-outs. And while I will probably not write a new review for all of them, the first five years of reviews were posted in a different format that isn’t phone-friendly, so I want to bring this book to the main site. Does this qualify as an “Old Favorite“? The first time I read it, the book was new! But I’m thinking that enough time has gone by, and it will always be one of my lifetime favorite books, so I’m going to add it to the Old Favorites page, too.

The Sand-Reckoner was reviewed in my very first issue of Sonderbooks (back when it was an email newsletter posted in issues), and the first time I read it was while I was on vacation in Ireland. Despite not being in an idyllic location this time around, I still found the book utterly delightful.

It’s all about the character of Archimedes. He’s portrayed as a genius who gets so wrapped up in his work, he forgets about anything else – which totally fits the historical anecdotes about him. This book shows Archimedes as a young man, returning from the intellectual company of the Museum of Alexandria back to his home in Syracuse, because his father is very ill, and Syracuse is now at war with Rome.

Because of Archimedes’ geometrical genius, he’s better than anyone at building machines – including machines of war, and as he arrives, his first task is to convince the leaders of Syracuse that he can build bigger and better catapults for them. After that, the tyrant of Syracuse (He’s a good guy, but that’s what the leader was called.) must figure out how to entice Archimedes to stay, instead of going back to Alexandria, where more understood his philosophical discussions.

There’s a major subplot about Archimedes’ Roman slave and a romantic subplot as well, and the whole book immerses you in the world of ancient Syracuse with a lovable naive genius.

And, yes, this is one of my all-time favorite books. I’m a math person myself, though never as genius as Archimedes, nor so single-minded. But I do have a big soft spot for sweet nerdy engineers like him.

tor.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Killer Underwear Invasion! by Elise Gravel

Children's Nonfiction Review, Current Issues, Graphic Novel, History, Humorous, Starred Review 0

Killer Underwear Invasion!

How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories

by Elise Gravel

Chronicle Books, 2022. 104 pages.
Review written December 22, 2022, from a library book.
Starred Review

Killer Underwear Invasion! is a just-about-perfect graphic novel explanation for kids about fake news, how to watch for it, and why it’s harmful. The examples are silly, which makes the book a lot of fun, but they’re also presented in a way that reminds the reader of real-life examples.

After an explanation of what fake news and disinformation are, we get lots of reasons why people would make them up: To make money, to get famous, to spread beliefs, to gain power, and to get other people to share information on social media (which is generally to make money). There are funny examples with silly characters for each one.

Then we’re told that fake news can be very dangerous.

Let’s say Galbinus wants to try to convince you to take a remedy that doesn’t work — or might even harm you.

“You can cure every disease by drinking shampoo!*”

[Click here to buy shampoo!]

*Please don’t try this at home.

Of course, doctors and scientists will say. . .

“No, no, no! DO NOT drink shampoo! It’s dangerous! It doesn’t cure anything!”

So Galbinus might start writing articles attacking doctors.

“ALL DOCTORS ARE EVIL LIARS!”

“THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO FEEL BETTER!”

You get the idea! The next example is a big factory that dumps toxic chemicals in the ocean. They get a fake expert to write an article saying that pollution doesn’t exist.

Then we’ve got a politician who claims his opponent is bad because he pinches puppies. For all of these examples, it shows many people believing the fake news.

And then the chapter on conspiracy theories pulls all of these silly stories together. It shows some fake news going viral and then people putting stories together and believing that doctors and the political candidate have sent robot-scorpions into the sewers to pinch your puppies.

All this silliness aside, the book brings things around by looking at why people believe fake news, and how we can guard against it, with ten practical steps.

This does include a nice shout-out to librarians:

Okay, so can I really trust anyone?

Well, it can be difficult to decide who to trust. If you’re not sure if you can trust a source, ask a librarian.

Librarians are trained to help you find reliable information.

It all adds up to an informative, fun, and entertaining book about an important and timely subject. It was fun for me to read, even already knowing a lot about the topic.

elisegravel.com
chroniclekids.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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