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Jen |
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We’re often asked how we know about books………one of the ways is from YOU. Our friend and customer Leslie recently told us about a picture book called Margaret’s Unicorn. Since we trust Leslie’s judgment, I immediately ordered the book and when it came I promptly read it!
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Margaret’s Unicorn
Briony May Smith
When Margaret’s family moves to a new home, Margaret goes exploring, and discovers two amazing things: 1—she sees a herd of unicorns flying away; and 2—she discovers a baby unicorn that was left behind! Margaret brings the foal home, does her research on how to care for a unicorn (mostly asking her unicorn-wise grandmother), and cares for her new friend through the fall and winter. Inevitably spring comes, and the herd of unicorns returns to the area (if you want to know why they flew away in the first place, you’ll have to read the book yourself) and the young unicorn is reunited with his mother. The artwork and text are beautiful and the ending is perfect. Don’t miss this one! |
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Not Quite a Ghost
Anne Ursu
Literary Minnesotans are especially proud of the authors that Minnesota has produced. In particular, we have amazing mystery writers and children’s writers, including Anne Ursu, who writes middle grade novels. Ursu’s latest is Not Quite a Ghost and it’s fantastic. Violet’s family has outgrown their small home and needs a bigger one, so her parents buy one (without the approval or consent of their children.) It’s nice that every kid in the family can now have his/her own room, but Violet ends up in the creepy attic bedroom. Soon after moving in, Violet begins middle school. Her two best friends from elementary school feel it would be best to expand their group of three to a group of five. To test out the two new girls, a slumber party occurs, and things go oh so wrong for Violet. Ursu nails the agony of middle school including the modern-day struggle of technology (Violet’s friends have cell phones and she does not.) Additionally, Violet becomes ill with something that doctors can’t diagnose and attribute it to being in her head. As if middle school and an invisible illness weren’t enough, there is something supernatural happening in the wallpaper of Violet’s creepy attic bedroom. What I especially appreciated about this book was Ursu’s subtleties of issues that can overshadow a plot in a less-skilled writer’s hands. Violet’s parents are a mixed race couple, a boy at school has two dads, and so on. As a nod to fellow writers, Ursu has named local elementary schools in the book after other middle grade authors, such as Barnhill and Erdrich.
I listened to this book on libro.fm and I highly recommend it—make sure you listen to the afterword at the end.
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The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin
I recently read this children's classic. It's a fairly quick read and great fun for those who like mysteries and puzzles. When the will of Samuel Westing is read, sixteen heirs are gathered and put into eight teams of two. Their task is to figure out the clues left behind and determine who among the group is untrustworthy and who will receive the greatest share of the money left behind. The Westing Game was released in 1978 and won a Newbery Medal in 1979. Fun fact.......before writing her own books, author Ellen Raskin was a well-known graphic designer and book illustrator, including the cover of the first edition of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic A Wrinkle in Time. |
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Rebekah |
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Maybe
Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Gabriella Barouch
Maybe author Kobi Yamada writes that he likes to “think of Maybe as a love letter to our potential.” Maybe is a story about everything you are and everything you could be and would be an excellent book to read for the first day of a new endeavor, (preschool, college, a new job, even retirement), the last moments of an era, and, I think, would be a beautiful graduation gift. For an extra treat, take time to sit with Gabriella Barouch's illustrations. This book is so beautiful! |
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