This weekend passed away like a cloud of smoke. Literally, because I smell smoky air whenever I crack open a window! There are fires just half an hour away from me towards the South Bay. The crunchy air quality (yes, it is crunchy to my […]
Books
Review: Linda Sue Park Crafts an Emotional Narrative Glazed With Elegant Writing in A Single Shard
I’ve been picking up more adult-oriented books lately (lots of romances by Jasmine Guillory and a few thrillers by Megan Miranda), but I’m still reading kid lit! I went on a lovely afternoon excursion yesterday, checking out local mom and pop shops and picking up […]
Weekend Update: 8/8
Work has slowed down to a screeching halt after a whirlwind in July, which means I’m applying to more copywriting gigs at the moment. It also means that I have more time to simmer in my thoughts. It’s almost facile to say this, but quarantine […]
Review: Kelly Yang’s Front Desk Paints Dazzles With Depth and Nuance
Kelly Yang’s Front Desk illuminates issues of poverty and immigration with a heartwarming story and fiercely self-aware protagonist at its core. Hello, kid lit book hive! I’m back with a review of Kelly Yang’s Front Desk. Yang’s middle-grade novel is extremely my speed — that is, a slice-of-life story […]
Review: Goosebumps Offers the Perfect Blend of Wry, Spooky Nostalgia
Hello, hello, hello, my fronds! It’s me, Count Olaf — just kidding. I’ve been slow to post this week because work has me l-e-v-e-l-e-d. I’m back with a kid lit blog, though. This week, I read not one, not two, but three books, not to […]
Review: Merci Suárez Changes Gears Is a Winsome Story About Intergenerational Immigrant Family Love
Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears explores family and school drama with warmth and nuance. I recently picked up Meg Medina’s lovely Merci Suárez Changes Gears on sale for $7. This whim of a purchase turned out to be a great decision because I thoroughly […]
Review: One Crazy Summer Layers Revolution With Emotional Nuance
One Crazy Summer is a salient read that illuminates revolutionary ideas and emotional nuance through a child’s perspective. Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer initially drew me in because its setting is Oakland, a city that’s near and dear to my heart. For a whirlwind of a […]
Review: Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me Is a Radical Exercise in Empathy
Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me explores systemic American violence with a gentle force. Of all of the kid lit I’ve been reading lately, Harbor Me has been one of the most intense reads. I considered myself a Woodson fan since picking up Red at the Bone, a […]
Review: The Science of Breakable Things Gets to the Yolk of Human Complexity
Review: Hope remains an unbreakable force in Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things. Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things might be the longest kid lit pick I’ve read in a while, but the length was definitely worth it considering how the book moved me. And […]
Review: Zoe in Wonderland Beautifully Finds Roots in Reality
Review: Zoe in Wonderland is a down-to-earth story that grounds itself in reality. Since this is a plant and book blog, I gave myself a tremendous pat on the back when I discovered Brenda Woods’ Zoe in Wonderland, a middle grade chapter book about a plant […]