Review: Whale Eyes by James Robinson

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Whale Eyes by James Robinson

Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen
James Robinson
Illustrated by Brian Rea
Penguin Workshop
Published March 18, 2025

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About Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen

From Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson comes a breathtaking illustrated memoir for middle-grade readers (and adults, too) inspired by the viral, Emmy-nominated short film Whale Eyes.

Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals, this book immerses readers in James’s point of view, allowing them to see the world through his disabling eye conditions.

Readers will get lost as they chase … Continue reading →

Review: Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley

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Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley

Bad Graces
Kyrie McCauley
Publisher
Published

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About Bad Graces

Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn’t belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life … so she steals her perfect sister’s identity.

Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning … Continue reading →

Review: They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

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They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

They Bloom at Night
Trang Thanh Tran
Bloomsbury
Published March 4, 2025

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About They Bloom at Night

The author of the New York Times bestselling horror phenomenon She Is a Haunting is back with a novel about the monsters that swim beneath us . . . and live within us.

Since the hurricane, the town of Mercy, Louisiana has been overtaken by a strange red algae bloom. Noon and her mother have carved out a life in the wreckage, trawling for the mutated wildlife that lurks in the water and trading it to the corrupt harbormaster. When she’s focused on survival, Noon doesn’t … Continue reading →

Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

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Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-In

Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

This will be the whale shark of blog posts because I read a lot of backlist titles in January and February. I was sick for most of February, so I ended up taking it easy and doing a lot more mood reading than I usually do. Plus, as I heard the news about removing Black History celebrations and mentions of women leaders in STEM from websites and government programs, I only felt more determined to read more about both of those things.

Because this list includes so many books, I’m breaking it into subsections. Click the links to jump directly to a subsection that interests you, or feel free … Continue reading →

Review: Hidden Figures: Young Readers Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly

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Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space (Young Readers Edition)
Margot Lee Shetterly
HarperCollins
Published November 29, 2016

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About Hidden Figures: Young Readers Edition

The uplifting, amazing true story—a New York Times bestseller

This edition of Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed book is perfect for young readers. It is the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program. Now a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.

Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil … Continue reading →

Review: Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar

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Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar

Divining the Leaves
Shveta Thakrar
HarperTeen
Published March 4, 2025

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About Divining the Leaves

From critically acclaimed author Shveta Thakrar comes a beautifully imagined contemporary fantasy about two teens, one a believer of magic who yearns to belong, the other a skeptic searching for an escape, who find themselves embroiled in a twisty world of court intrigue when they venture into a forest ruled by yakshas, mysterious woodland spirits drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore.

Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.

Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and … Continue reading →