Review: Zadie Smith’s Intimations Offers Honesty and Moral Clarity in a Moment of Crisis

An honest and morally clear collection of essays, Zadie Smith’s Intimations grasps at how this unprecedented moment in time peels back the layers to reveal our relationships to the world around us.  Happy autumn, fell book lovers! My latest read, Zadie Smith’s Intimations, is one of my favorite quarantine books so far. “Intimations” is quite apt … Read more

Review: The Woman Warrior Is a Surreal Tribute to Storytelling

Laced with fantasy and folklore, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior is a surreal tribute to storytelling through the memoir form.  Hey, y’all! I’m back with a review of The Woman Warrior. Maybe five years ago, my adviser recommended me this book when I was working on a thesis re: Vietnamese American literature, but I hadn’t gotten around … Read more

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 that so lovingly invests in its details and characters.  The … Read more

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 enjoyed the book and devoured all 355 pages of it … Read more

Review: The Science of Breakable Things Gets to the Yolk of Human Complexity

The Science of Breakable Things

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 it didn’t sway me in a cloyingly sentimental way. I … Read more

Review: Zoe in Wonderland Beautifully Finds Roots in Reality

Zoe in Wonderland

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 lover! While the title suggests a Lewis Carroll fantasy of … Read more

Review: Saadia Faruqi’s Meet Yasmin Is a Breath of Fresh Air

Meet Yasmin

Meet Yasmin is a punchy and bold addition to kid lit that deserves a space on your bookshelf. Saadia Faruqi’s Meet Yasmin is a delightful concoction of childhood joy, a marriage of evocative prose with bold, beautiful colors. It’s really a collection of early reader chapter books: Yasmin the Explorer, Yasmin the Painter, Yasmin the Builder, and Yasmin the Fashionista. If … Read more

Hello, Fronds!

stacey indoor plants

Hello, fronds! Stacey Nguyen here. I’m a 25-year-old writer who loves children’s books and indoor plants in equal measures. Right now, I’m hanging out in California’s Central Valley, where I’m writing away about pop culture, lifestyle, and entertainment while also furiously documenting my love for plants and kid lit on my Instagram page @theplantbbs. I’m … Read more