Children's Book Reviews

Lennon is a twelve-year-old girl, living with her family in Ireland during the potato famine of 1845-1850. Her father and brothers have left their home to find work, leaving Lennon and her mother to survive on their own. They are poor and hungry, struggling to find food and enough money to pay the landlord and keep their home.

This sweet, beautifully written story reminds me of classic Aesop’s fables. Summer, the bunny, wants to cross a river to go to her family, but she needs Cody, the fox, to help. It’s a story of an unlikely friendship, formed with courage, trust, and a promise...

I was thrilled to read the sequel to Arty by Penny Schneider. Arty Too is filled with all the excitement of Penny’s first graphic novel. Arty, the friendly betta fish and Slug, a silly, purple-loving sea slug, are on another adventure and make a new friend, Shelly, who happens to be deaf.

This beautiful book sees the difficult things in a child’s life as scribbles that grow if he lets them. When he asks God for help, he learns how the bad things can be changed into something better than he imagined.

This is the inspiring true story about Annie Londonderry’s bike ride around the world. Times were tough in Boston in the 1890’s, so when Annie saw an ad promising $10,000 to the first woman to circumnavigate the world on a bike, she taught herself to ride.

If you are looking for a funny graphic novel for kids about friendship, check out Arty by Penny Schneider. Arty is a betta fish who would rather have a friend than fight. Slug is a purple-loving sea slug. The fun details, jokes, and lively expressions make this a delightful read.

Bear loves to read like his friend Ellen, but he wants to find a book of his own. The problem is he’s a bear and bears aren’t allowed at school or the library or in bookstores. Ellen is determined to help Bear and won’t give up until they find a solution.

It’s a RHAP, Cat, the second book in the Ellie & Co Series, combines art and Renaissance history in this exciting middle grade mystery adventure.

Wei to Go is a unique mystery filled with adventure, humor, and Asian culture. Ellie will capture the attention of middle-graders as she finds clues and travels around Hong Kong.

Wow! This memorable novel deserves every award it received. Jason Reynolds tells this dramatic story involving teenage gun violence in short powerful poems. Reynolds has explained, setting the entire book in an elevator, he wanted to mimic the feelings of anger, pain, and helplessness.

I knew I would like Ruby Moon from the first page. The poetic prose and introduction to Jenay’s vulnerable side hooked my attention. Author Jenny Knipfer begins her novel in the present, revealing Jenay’s guilt for some horrific accident she caused. I was intrigued, wanting to know more, and not disappointed as the story slowly unfurled.

From the first page, I knew this was going to be something special. And it was even better than I expected. I’m not one to usually read fantasy novels, but the poetic descriptions of this magical world author Jennifer Kropf created sparkled.