Graphic Novel Review: Lovely Recipe

Sofia's struggling with her future. It's her last year of high school and her friends are excited to leave home for college. Sofia doesn't have the grades for it. She's sad at the idea of missing her friends, especially since her mother works all the time and never has time for her. Ever since her grandmother died, Sofia and her mother haven't been close. 

Sofia comes up with the idea to cook something from the family cookbook. Maybe the memories will bring her mother back to her. The only problem? She can't cook. 

Sofia stumbles across her classmate working at restaurant and has a brilliant idea. Maybe Anna Marie can teach her how to cook. It's worth a try!

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I felt badly for Sofia as she struggled to find connections. I loved the cooking moments - the disasters, the successes, and the family recipes. I really liked Anna Marie's family - especially her grandfather. I appreciated how college wasn't an immediate conclusion for either Sofia or Anna Marie. It's hard to know what you want to do at such a young age. I think it's realistic not to know. I liked how the book included the senior year moments. I loved how the relationship between Sofia and Anna Marie evolved. And that ending was fantastic.

Cover Thoughts:
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A great graphic novel that's perfect for those kids not sure of their future. 

Picture Book Wednesday: Dino Door

There's a to do list, but a little one isn't that excited about chores.  (Who can blame them really?). Will they get everything done or will play interrupt?

I'm always a fan of Josh Funk's books and this one is super cute. While this book doesn't have a lot of words, it does rhyme. The illustrations are bright and cheerful. The story is funny and charming. This is a great book to read again and again.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR

 This week's topic is our Summer TBR list - which for me means books coming out in July and August

 

Middle Grade:

YA:

Graphic Novels:

Adult:

Already Read:

Have you read any of these? Which should I read first?

Middle Grade Review: Stealing the Score

Best friends Sasha and Ethan meet Mateo. All three kids are huge soccer fans. They're excited to participate in the contest to attend the Men's World Cup. Their favorite play is hosting a scavenger hunt. At first, Ethan and Mateo butt heads, but Sasha sees another side of Mateo and tells Ethan to give him a chance.

When their favorite soccer player's cleats are stolen, they're sad to see him play so poorly. He's devastated at the loss of his cleats - his magic touch. He can't believe it. In a series of videos, he's worse in each one - until the world believes he's been kidnapped.

Can the three kids come together and solve the mystery of the stolen cleats?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I loved the sports element, the video games, the friendship moments, the family moments, and the moments with a superstar soccer player. There's something for everyone in this book. I liked how the two boys became friends because of Sasha. There were a lot of connections in this book that came together, which was fun to read. 

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic

Source: my Library

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your school and public library

Picture Book Review: Love, Dad

This book is perfect for Father's Day!

A letter from a father to a child - filled with love, hopes, and dreams.

This is a such an emotional read - perfect for Father's Day or a gift for new dads. There are so many dads and kids in this book, it's adorable.

Author Event: Jenn McKinlay

 

Last week Jenn McKinlay visited my library for an after-hours event and it was awesomesauce.

Her newest book Summer Share just came out:

Which I reviewed for Fresh Fiction

"The Perfect Summer Read"

Jenn and I had a conversation where we talked about:

The Bat Scene

How the setting was influenced by her childhood memories

How the grandfathers were influenced by her uncle

The Dude and how she comes up with all the mischievous and cute animals in her books.

The Hallmark+ series for Paris is Always a Good Idea

Sadly, she does not have a cameo in the series

But she did talk about her visit to the set with her two sons

She shared how fast the timeline moved and how surprised she was having heard that Hollywood is VERY slow.

There's another work that has been optioned - this time by Acorn TV

The hat shop series starts with Cloche and Dagger. It's a seven-book series that takes place in England.

I loved this series

Jenn shared how the series idea struck her after watching William and Kate's wedding and seeing the hat Beatrice wore. 
I REALLY hope this happens. 

We talked about her writing habits and how they changed over time (and a little influence from her husband). 

We talked about switching genres (romance, cozies, romance, and fantasy)

We talked about the ending of series because of the end to printing mass market paperbacks (This is SO NOT FAIR! I want more cupcake bakery mystery series)

This ended on a cliffhanger of sorts and I want more.

Jenn signed books afterwards. 

Here I am getting my book signed

All in all, it was a great night! 

* thanks to my co-workers for taking the pictures

Picture Book Review: Books about Juneteenth

 

A few new Juneteenth books for the library:

The author asks how you would celebrate this day of freedom.

Although there are not many words to this book, it is powerful. There is an explanation of the history of Juneteenth in the back of the book along with words to Lift Every Voice and Sing.

A young girl is celebrating Juneteenth with her block and asks several people about their previous celebrations.

I love how this book talks about the history of the day in memories of people at the party. It's a clever book that shares hope for the future as well. At the end of the book, the author shares the history of day, information and importance about the color red, and a recipe.

Mrs. Connor's class is learning about Juneteenth. 

While this isn't chock full of information, it's a nice starting point. This series shares a lot of books that work well for kids learning to read. This book also contains a letter to caregivers about Juneteenth

Review: Everest Trilogy

 

I hadn't read this trilogy, but I shared the first few chapters during World Read Aloud Day at a school. Gordon Korman is always a hit with readers.

There's a competition for hikers and climber under 18 to secure a spot on the team hiking up Everest. There are several in the running. Dominic and his brother Chris are hoping to make it. Dominic is VERY young, but he has experience. 

The first book features the competition to get on the team.

The second book is about getting to Everest and acclimating

The third book is about climbing to the summit

I would read all these books back-to-back.

This trilogy was intense with lots of twists and turns. There are multiple POVs. There's lots of action and danger. There are secrets, betrayals, and death. I didn't want to put these down. It's about luck, survival, and determination. 

Everest is NOT for the faint of heart. This book made me realize that I didn't want to hike Everest or go anywhere near it. 

This book was published over 20 years ago, and it holds up today. If you're late to the party like I am, don't miss these.

Picture Book Wednesday: Haircut with Dad

On Saturday mornings, a boy and his father head to the barbershop. It's their special time together. The barbershop is THE place to be on Saturday mornings. 

There's lots of laughter, chatter, and smiles. Best of all is the time spent together - just the two of them. This is a such a cute story with a great message. I love the bright vibrant illustrations. 

* Perfect to share for Father's Day

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Wishes

  This week's topic is Book Wishes - for me is ARCs I would love to be sent.

* I'm here for ALL the holiday romances

Any of these on your wish list too?