Review: The Tea Dragon Festival by K. O’Neill

The Tea Dragon Festival by K. O'Neill

The Tea Dragon Festival (The Tea Dragon Society #2)
K. O’Neill
Oni Press
Published September 17, 2019

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About The Tea Dragon Festival

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago.

With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help … Continue reading

Review: When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

When Stars Are Scattered
Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Dial Books
Published April 14, 2020

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About When Stars Are Scattered

A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. … Continue reading

Review: The Rez Doctor by Gitz Crazyboy, et al

The Rez Doctor by Gitz Crazyboy

The Rez Doctor
Gitz Crazyboy
Illustrated by Veronika Barinova
Coloring by Azby Whitecalf
Lettering by Toben Racicot
Highwater Press
Published September 10, 2024

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About The Rez Doctor

Young Ryan Fox gets good grades, but he’s not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. It isn’t until he meets a Blackfoot doctor during a school assembly that he starts to dream big.

However, becoming a doctor isn’t easy. University takes Ryan away from his family and the Siksikaitsitapi community, and without their support, he begins to struggle. Faced with more stress than he’s ever experienced, he turns to partying. … Continue reading

Review: Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

Twi Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

Two Tribes
Emily Bowen Cohen
Heartdrum
Published August 15, 2023

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About Two Tribes

In her poignant debut graphic novel inspired by her own life, Emily Bowen Cohen embraces the complexity, meaning, and deep love that comes from being part of two vibrant tribes. Mia is still getting used to living with her mom and stepfather, and to the new role their Jewish identity plays in their home. Feeling out of place at home and at her Jewish day school, Mia finds herself thinking more and more about her Muscogee father, who lives with his new family in … Continue reading

Banned Book Review: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Malinda Lo
Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published January 19, 2021

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About Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other.” And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she … Continue reading

Summer 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

Summer 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in

Summer 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

Summer is always an odd season for my reading life. Since I do most of my reading in the evenings, it never seems to me like summer will change all that much, but somehow, it does. This summer I had the added complication of having surgery early in June. It sounded like the recovery would be pretty quick and easy, but my experience didn’t quite line up with my expectations there, either.

Which mostly meant that I read far fewer books in June than I anticipated. That was okay, though. It was good to slow down. I made up for lost time in July.

I’ve continued my poetry reading … Continue reading