This book gripped me from the first page. Twelve-year-old
Sai is an assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker, and she has a lot to
prove as she guards a secret that could ruin her.
The Thai-inspired world
building was so vivid, I could see it in my head. But more than that, what I
loved best about this book was how the author turned all my expectations on
their head. The characters and their stories challenged my views on “progress”
and traditions, and the ending was unexpected. I would love to go back to this
world in a second book!
From the visionary author of two 2021 Newbery Honor Books, comes a high-seas adventure set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world. A young woman struggles to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon's most celebrated mapmaker, 12-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a low-life conman - and the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn't the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai…
A
Spoonful of Frogs is a fun and silly picture book about a witch on a cooking
show who is teaching her audience how to make Frog soup.
It starts out pretty
tamely, but the events soon escalate as she tries to add the key ingredient:
the frogs. The story is hilarious! It was so unexpected and had me laughing out
loud. The text is simple, but brilliant. The illustrations are gorgeous and add
the perfect old-time cooking show vibe. Both kids and adults will be grinning
through the whole book. Just pure fun!
Frogs are the most important ingredient in a witch's favorite treat-but they are also the hardest to get into the cauldron! From acclaimed author Casey Lyall and Caldecott Honor artist Vera Brosgol, A Spoonful of Frogs is a humorous and wholly original picture book-and a winning recipe for readers who loved Dragons Love Tacos and Room on the Broom.
A witch's favorite treat is frog soup. Luckily, it's healthy and easy to make. To give it that extra kick and a pop of color, the key ingredient is a spoonful of frogs. But how do you keep the frogs on…
Going into this book, I had no idea what to expect,
but I was hooked from the beginning.
The delightful characters, unexpected plot
twists, relatable problems, and fun tone had me turning the pages long past
bedtime. There were layers of mysteries to solve surrounding the Lost Library,
and I was completely invested in finding the answers to the many questions the
story evoked.
Though there were various subplots going on, the authors expertly
wove them all together until they all spun into one big, satisfying reveal at
the end. Beautiful story.
When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change. Evan and his best friend Rafe discover a link between one of the books and a long-ago event. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.
Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and…
Hope Smith can’t stand rich people—the
Wintertons most of all. Not since she and her twin brother, Gordon, learned
their dad was one. When Gordon enters them into the Winterton’s charity
spelling bee, Hope wants nothing to do with it. But with her family desperate
for money, she has no choice.
After winning the preliminary round, the Smiths
are whisked to Winterton Chalet to compete against their long-lost relatives.
Hope wants to get in and out, but deceased matriarch Jane Winterton had other
plans for this final family showdown: a high-stakes clue hunt revealing exactly
what happened the night the twins’ father died.
With tensions at an all-time high, a fortune
at stake, and long-simmering family secrets about to be uncovered, anything
could happen.
