Month: October 2019

Posted in Uncategorized

Coming Soon! November Kids Releases

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

October has been a great month for this blog! I’ve posted more than ever before. Enjoyed the spooky holiday season. Now I’m ready for things to get colder and to celebrate friends and family. Now I want to showcase some of the books coming out in the next month.

The Midwinter Witch

The conclusion to Ostertag’s The Witch Boy trilogy, Ariel and Aster must face dark magical forces as Vanissen Midwinter Festival near. Aster looks forward to the Midwinter Festival where there will be competitions in witchery and shapeshifting. This year will be the first year he gets to compete as a witch so he’s extra excited to everyone he’s grown into his power. But he knows that showing the whole family, the Midwinter Festival is also the Vanissen Family reunion, that is he’s defying tradition won’t be easy.

Meanwhile, Ariel is thankful for the Vanissen family, but seeing them all together just highlights to her the fact that she doesn’t really belong. And when a witch appears in her dreams claiming to know the secrets about her mysterious past, Ariel can’t help but try and figure out what her dreams mean.

The Festival doesn’t go according to plan for either Aster or Ariel, but when a sinister force finds its way into the festival and tries to destroy everything the Aster and Ariel have fought for, will they be able to face it together, or will it tear them apart?

So excited for this to come out on November 5th!

Amazon: The Midwinter Witch

Power of a Princess

Aislin is more than just a princess, she’s half-fairy she has magical gifts she’s been hiding for years. Gifts which she’s only beginning to understand. After learning that her people knew about her gifts all along, she’s in for another surprise when the fairies decide to move back into her people’s mostly human territory.

Setting out to find a balance between humans and fairies Aislin chooses a group of young women who aren’t what is usually expected for a princesses’ confidants and guards. The situation is further complicated by an old foe, who is out for trouble.

Aislin knows she has the power to save the kingdom especially with the support of her friends, but will that be enough to solve all the problems before her?

Out November 19th, this is the second in a series of books that started out More Than a Princess.

Amazon: Power of a Princess

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Legacy

I’m especially looking forward to this book as I love the series. After years of secrets, Sophie Foster and her friends are on the edge of the truth about their lives and legacies. She and her friends have blank spots in their memories and they are in need of answers.

But finding answers may come at a bigger price than they are willing to pay when they out they are a part of bigger plans than they could have imagined and that their roles in these conspiracies have already been chosen for them.

When new revelations make them question themselves and each other, will they able to fight together against the roles that have been chosen for them, or will everything fall apart?

Out November 5th

Amazon: Keeper of Lost Cities-Legacy

These are just some of the many great books coming out in November. What are you looking forward to reading?

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

 

 

 

Posted in Monthly Reads

The Tea Dragon Society Review

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

I’ve been meaning to read The Tea Dragon Society for months. I’m really glad I finally got to it. It’s one of the cutest things I’ve read in a while. I love most anything Katie O’Neill does and this continued book continued my postive impressions.

This award-winning book follows Greta, who is having trouble appreciating the art of blacksmithing she’s learning from her mother. She doesn’t see the point in a craft no one appreciates anymore.

Greta is out walking one day when she sees a small animal being beaten up by other bigger animals, she helps it out. She soon learns it is a tea dragon. Tea dragons are small animals, that honestly remind me of cats. They produce tea from their horns and backs. She finds out the owner of the dragon is Hesekiel, the owner of a local tea shop, he and his partner Erik invite her to learn the dying art of taking care of tea dragons.

Through this process, she learns the importance of crafts for both oneself and others. Greta also befriends a girl that Hesekiel and Erik are letting live on the property,  Minette.

Through learning the art of tea dragon keeping, she befriends Hesekiel, Erik and Minette.  Set across the seasons of the year, Greta learns the importance of the lost art and learns to appreciate blacksmithing as well.

Something I thought was cool was how tea dragons store the memories of their owners in their tea leaves. I also especially enjoyed the extra content call “Extracts from the Tea Dragons Handbook”, explaining more about the creatures with illustrations of all the dragon breeds not seen in the graphic novel.

Rating 4.5

This was a cute, sweet and beautifully illustrated book, that shows the importance of crafts.

Photo by Alisher Sharip on Unsplash

Posted in Recommendations

Dia Day Los Muertos Reads

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

Some of my favorite reads featuring or focusing on The Day of the Dead.

Dia de Los Muertos

A picture book celebrating Dia De Los Muertos. Taking place in a pueblo or town it shows the town getting ready to celebrate, decorating with colored streamers, calaveras, and pan de muertos, or bread of the dead. The book explains the festivities and music involved and is interspersed with Spanish vocabulary

Amazon: Dia De Los Muertos

Día de los Muertos (Celebrate the World)

A board book series focusing on celebrations around the world. This book teaches about the traditions surrounding Dia De Los Muertos, such as sugar skulls and alters. Along with the importance of honoring ancestors and loved ones.

Illustrated by Golden Globe-winning Mexican illustrator Jorge Gutierrez. 

Amazon: Dia De Los Muertos Board Book

Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble

Another book focused on The Day of the Dead. Leonora Logroño’s family are bakers in fact they own the most popular bakery in Leonora’s small-town Rose Hill. The family makes cakes for all occasions but the biggest event is the annual Dia de Los Muertos festival.

Leo has dreamed every year of helping her family prepare for the festival, but she’s always told she’s too young. Leo’s curiosity is peaked when she notices something strange at the bakery and sneaks out of school to check on her family.

What she finds is surprising,  her mother, aunt, and four older sisters are not just bakers: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry. They add their magic to everything they make.

Finding out she has magical powers make Leo more determined to join the family business than ever before. But she needs a little bit of practice before she lets her family know she knows the family secret.

So when her best friend Caroline has a problem that looks like it could be solved with magic, Leo can’t help herself from jumping in to assist her friend. After all, she figures it’s just one little spell, what could possibly go wrong?

The first in a series by Anna Meriano.

Amazon: Love, Sugar, Magic 

Ghosts

A love story to grief, family and The Day of the Dead. Catrina doesn’t want to think about the fact that her little sister Maya is sick. Even as her family is moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister because the weather there helps her little sister’s cystic fibrosis.

She also isn’t excited about leaving her friends and going to a whole new town. But her sister and she soon meet a boy who lets them in on a town secret, their new town of  Bahía de la Luna, has ghosts.

Maya longs to meet one but Catrina wants nothing to do with the idea. It makes her think too much about Maya’s own mortality.

But as the veil between the world of the living and the dead thins, Catrina must find a way to put aside her fears for her sisters’ sake and perhaps her own?

Amazon: Ghosts

I wish I’d been able to find more books, a lot of the focus seemed to be children’s picture books, but I would have liked to find more MG/YA.

Do you know of any middle grade or young adult books that focus on this holiday?

Photo by Valeria Almaraz on Unsplash

Posted in Reviews

Dead Voices Review

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

Dead Voices is the sequel to Katherine Arden’s book Small Spaces. The book picks up a few months after the end of Small Spaces. 

SPOILERS FOR SMALL SPACES AHEAD

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Having survived possessed scarecrows in October, along with beating the evil ‘Smiling Man’ Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready for a quiet winter break with Ollie and Coco’s parents at a newly opened ski resort Mount Hemlock Lodge.

But things start off weird, Coco sees what she thinks is a ghost on the road during their drive up the mountain and this shakes her up. But she’s not the only one, on their first night there Ollie starts having dreams of a strange frostbitten girl who is looking for her bones.

But when a snowstorm traps them in the lodge, they try to make the best of it, setting up board games and roasting smores, only to be interrupted by a ghost hunter, Mr. Voland, who claims the lodge has a sinister history.

Despite the owner’s denial of the possible ghosts, Ollie is intrigued, especially when the ghost hunter claims he can help Ollie connect with her mother. Brian and Coco, aren’t so sure but they want to support their friend. When Mr. Voland helps them escape from a malevolent ghost, he starts to earn their trust.

However, the little girl in Ollie’s dream warns her not to ‘listen to the dead voices’ and her mother’s old watch, which helped the group escape from the ‘Smiling Man’ warns her to BEWARE. There are even more questions about who or what they should help and trust.

And when the propane and generators start acting up, and the kids realize things might not be as they seem and they are in for a long night of ghostly adventures. They are about to find out that while they didn’t give a second thought to the world behind the mist after they escaped the ‘Smiling Man’. The shadow world may not have forgotten about them.

Rating: 4.5

This was maybe even creepier than Small Spaces. Our group has to face sinister forces by themselves, and they can’t trust what is around them. This book is especially focused on Coco, which I really enjoyed. She defies stereotypes and is a smart character and Ollie’s equal. Both girls have to face evil things but their friendship helps keep them strong and connected even through impossible barriers. I can’t wait to read the next addition to this series.

Photo by Madison Olling on Unsplash

 

Posted in Monthly Reads, Reviews

City of Ghosts Review

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

My first introduction to Victoria Schwab’s work. A spooky read perfect for this time of year.

Cassidy is just looking forward to a vacation at the beach. She needs a break from the ghosts that demand her attention both around her city and at school. Her break with her family is blissfully free of ghosts, except for her best friend, Jacob, who happens to be corporally challenged.

See Cassie almost died (did die but she doesn’t like to think about) about a year ago. Since then she’s been able to see ghosts. Another side effect of her almost dying, she and Jacob seem to be tangled up. She’s the only one who can see him, and he can read her mind. It works better than one would expect, they’ve set up a series of rules that govern their friendship. After all, being friends with a ghost needs some ground rules.

Yet another side effect of her almost dying Cassidy has been able to pass through something she calls The Veil, which separates the world of the living from the dead. She goes to the world of the dead to take pictures and find out if ghosts stories are true.

But her connection with The Veil and with Jacob are about to get a lot more complicated. Instead of her vacation to the beach, her parents let her know they going to be traveling to Edinburgh, Scottland to film their new TV show called The Inspecters. Cassidy’s parents are ghost hunters who can’t actually see ghosts but have written books on some of the world’s most haunted places.

Cassidy is apprehensive about going to Scotland, after all, which its rich and often violent history, she knows the city will be full of ghosts like she’s never seen before. But Cassidy doesn’t know how much of a surprise she’s in for when they arrive in Edinburgh and Cassidy meets a girl who like herself can cross through The Veil.

However Cassidy doesn’t just attract the attention of this new girl, now that she’s in Edinburgh, she’s caught the attention of one of the cities’ most powerful ghosts. Cassidy must face this ghost and win because she doesn’t realize until it is too late what the ghost really wants from her: her life.

Rating: 4.5

Likes

  • Cassidy and Jacob’s banter.
  • The history worked into the book.
  • Cassidy’s cat.
  • It was cute but not mushy.

Dislikes

  • The girl who can also see ghosts, at least at first.
  • The plot seemed rushed at the end.

Overall, this was a really cute book and I can’t wait to read more of Schwab’s work.

Photo by Jörg Angeli on Unsplash

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Twisted Tale, Conceal Don’t Feel Review

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

I’ve heard about the Twisted Tale series before, and it’s been on my radar of things to read, however the moment they came out with a Frozen Twisted Tale, I knew I had to read it right then. If I haven’t said it here before Frozen is my favorite movie and I can’t wait for Frozen 2. I also love all the book adaptations.

Frozen: Conceal, Don't Feel: A Twisted Tale (Twisted Tale, A) by [Calonita, Jen]

Conceal Don’t Feel’s basic premise is that Anna and Elsa have never met. Or so they think? Having lived separate lives, Elsa as Arendelle’s sole heir and Anna as a regular girl in a village. Elsa notices something is afoot with her parents when she overhears them talk about a mysterious girl, a secret, and curses.

Her parents have also been making some interesting slips, thinking Elsa has done things she hasn’t, for example, recalling her making cookies when Elsa never baked. Elsa’s mother Queen Induna has also been making mysterious trips and won’t tell Elsa where. So Elsa tries on her on to explore the castle on her own hoping to find clues about this mysterious girl.

Anna meanwhile, has mysterious dreams filled with snow that she can’t explain. And while she tries to fit in with her adoptive family in a village called Harmon, she finds herself drawn to Arendelle. Her parents and her mysterious Aunt ‘Freya’ however warn her to stay away because she isn’t old enough. They pacify Anna for a while but she still can’t get Ardendelle out of her mind.

Everything changes when the King and Queen of Ardendelle die during a voyage at sea and in her grief Elsa begins to discover she has strange powers she knew nothing about along with a wealth of memories about the mysterious girl she thought she’d just imagined.

With her parents gone Elsa begins to feel more and more alone, having only one unusual companion for company. Elsa thinks she knows what her life will be like until she discovers a secret letter from her mother on her coronation day. This leads to the reveal of her ice powers and her flight from the kingdom like in the original film.

While ice sweeps up the mountain towards Anna’s village, Anna feels the magnetic draw to Arendelle stronger than ever before. When she learns of what happened to Princess Elsa, she feels drawn to help her, despite having never met her.

Will Anna be able to stop the eternal winter that has gone over the kingdom and find answers to her past along the way. Will Elsa find the source of her powers and how she’s connected to Anna and why no one else remembers her?

Will the two women finally meet, and if they do, will it be their salvation or their doom?

Rated: 4 Stars

I love how the author captured Anna and Elsa’s unique voices, interspersed with other characters who are also well represented. I love the unique take on the story and I can’t wait to read the other Twisted Tales.

Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash

Posted in Reviews

Review: Small Spaces

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

Small Spaces

Synopsis:

Ollie is reeling over losing someone in her family the year before, she wants to shut everyone out. She doesn’t even want to take part in things she used to love. They remind her too much of the person she lost. But soon she’ll find herself becoming part of a mystery after she finds a woman about to throw away a book by a river.

Ollie saves the book and starts reading it, forgetting her grief for a moment as she gets caught up in the story of a woman named Beth, two missing brothers and the mysterious ‘smiling man’.

Things get even weirder as Ollie goes on a class trip and discovers that the story in her book might be real. She finds the graves of the people she’s been reading about in the book. When the school bus she and her class are riding on breaks down, she wonders if the ‘smiling man’ might be real as well. Especially when her watch that has previously been broken starts a countdown to nightfall and flashes the word RUN.

Only Ollie and two of her classmates Coco and Brian decide to take the warning seriously, getting off the bus and heading into the woods, with a field of scarecrows watch them from the farm. The scarecrows aren’t what they seem, and neither is the farm, leaving Ollie, Coco, and Brian in for a night of terror as they try and solve the mystery of ‘the smiling man’ and Ollie’s book while making it out alive.

Amazon: Small Spaces

Thoughts:

I haven’t read Arden’s work for adults but I love her narrative voice via Ollie.

Ollie

Oliva aka Ollie is very relatable. You can feel her pain about the loss of her family member, and the importance of the connection she has to that family member throughout the book. At the beginning of the book, she’s very clearly depressed, wanting to avoid things she used to love because she’s caught up in her loss.

Finding the mysterious book starts to draw her out of her shell as does her friendship with Coco and Brian. She’s a great leader throughout the various situations the group faces in the book, and in the end makes a very tough decision I’m not sure I could make. She described as smart early in the book and lives up to it through the way she faces complex enemies.

Coco

Coco is shown at the beginning of the book as being quick to cry. But once she gets into the main conflict of the book she’s a lot stronger than people give her credit for. She tries to befriend Ollie early on and is an important part of drawing her out of her shell.

The friendship between the two girls grows organically throughout the book as they both learn things from each other. She’s very much the emotional heart of the book. I’m looking forward to reading Arden’s book, Dead Voices, where Coco is more front and center.

Brian

Brian is presented as jock. He’s known to Ollie as a star hockey player and when they start their adventure she doesn’t think of him as much more. He, however, surprises both Coco and Ollie with his smart and insightful comments and ideas throughout the book.

I would have liked to know more about him and how his being one of the only black kids in the town the book is set in affected him, but perhaps in a future book.

The series is supposed to cover one book each season and perhaps his perspective will be highlighted in one of those books. I have a hard time liking many male characters in books, but he’s well written and relatable.

Other highlights 

Ollie’s dad: Even though he is clearly still depressed from the family member passing, he is still wonderful. He bakes for Ollie, knits, and brings the heart to his home called the Egg.

‘The Smiling Man’: Without revealing too much he’s a smart villain, with good motivations, not just an evil laughing cliche. He’s a good opponent to Ollie’s wits and his actions shape the narrative in a way that keeps readers guessing.

Stars: 4.5

Arden’s narrative is well-paced, and I didn’t figure out the mystery till close to the end, which I always love for scary books. My only problem with it is that it’s too short and I wanted more.

I’m so happy that Dead Voices is out and I can’t wait to read more of Ollie, Coco, and Brian’s adventures.

Here’s a link to Dead Voices.

Dead Voices

Amazon: Dead Voices

Photo by Rodrigo Rodriguez on Unsplash

Posted in Monthly Reads, Recommendations

Blogtober Day 3: Favorite Fall Reads

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

Do you have any books you read in the fall? These three are my favorites that I have to read every year. I’m super late on this Blogtober post however here it goes!

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

I don’t know why these books feel like fall. Perhaps its because Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday are in the fall near mine. Maybe its the connection to nature that goes throughout all of the books even though they take place over the span of the year.

Amazon: Lord of the Rings and The HobbitAmazon: Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

Ghosts

A love story to grief, family and The Day of the Dead. Catrina doesn’t want to think about the fact that her little sister Maya is sick. Even as her family is moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister because the weather there helps her little sister’s cystic fibrosis.

She also isn’t excited about leaving her friends and going to a whole new town. But her sister and she soon meet a boy who lets them in on a town secret, their new town of  Bahía de la Luna, has ghosts.

Maya longs to meet one but Catrina wants nothing to do with the idea. It makes her think too much about Maya’s own mortality.

But as the veil between the world of the living and the dead thins, Catrina must find a way to put aside her fears for her sisters’ sake and perhaps her own?

Amazon: Ghosts

Small Spaces

A new favorite I just found this year. Ollie is reeling over losing someone in her family the year before, she wants to shut everyone out. She doesn’t even want to take part in things she used to love. They remind her too much of the person she lost. But soon she’ll find herself becoming part of a mystery after she finds a woman about to throw away a book by a river.

Ollie saves the book and starts reading it, forgetting her grief for a moment as she gets caught up in the story of a woman named Beth, two missing brothers and the mysterious ‘smiling man’.

Things get even weirder as Ollie goes on a class trip and discovers that the story in her book might be real. She finds the graves of the people she’s been reading about in the book. When the school bus she and her class are riding on breaks down, she wonders if the ‘smiling man’ might be real as well. Especially when her watch that has previously been broken starts a countdown to nightfall and flashes the word RUN.

Only Ollie and two of her classmates Coco and Brian decide to take the warning seriously, getting off the bus and heading into the woods, with a field of scarecrows watch them from the farm. The scarecrows aren’t what they seem, and neither is the farm, leaving Ollie, Coco, and Brian in for a night of terror as they try and solve the mystery of ‘the smiling man’ and Ollie’s book while making it out alive.

Amazon: Small Spaces

Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble

Another book focused on The Day of the Dead. Leonora Logroño’s family are bakers in fact they own the most popular bakery in Leonora’s small-town Rose Hill. The family makes cakes for all occasions but the biggest event is the annual Dia de Los Muertos festival.

Leo has dreamed every year of helping her family prepare for the festival, but she’s always told she’s too young. Leo’s curiosity is peaked when she notices something strange at the bakery and sneaks out of school to check on her family.

What she finds is surprising,  her mother, aunt, and four older sisters are not just bakers: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry. They add their magic to everything they make.

Finding out she has magical powers make Leo more determined to join the family business than ever before. But she needs a little bit of practice before she lets her family know she knows the family secret.

So when her best friend Caroline has a problem that looks like it could be solved with magic, Leo can’t help herself from jumping in to assist her friend. After all, she figures it’s just one little spell, what could possibly go wrong?

The first in a series by Anna Meriano.

Amazon: Love, Sugar, Magic 

What are some of your favorite books for the season?

Posted in Recommendations

Pakistani-American Characters Feature

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

I have to admit this post is inspired by Hena Khan. I fell in love with Hena Khan’s work, through her book Amina’s Voice. I’ve also spoken with people who talk about the lack of Pakistani American portrayals in children’s literature. So I thought I’d do a feature, focusing on everything from picture books to middle grade and featuring Pakistani-American main characters. I’ve featured books I can find by #ownvoices authors.

Bilal Cooks Daal

Bilal loves cooking daal and wants to share one of his favorite foods with his two friends, Elias and Morgan. They make daal together with his friends helping out with the spices such as turmeric, chili and cumin. But when his friends aren’t certain they are going to like daal (they think it smells funny), Bilal is worried that maybe his friends won’t share his love of daal. But when they sit down to eat Bilal’s friends love the meal. This is a great story for children who worry about sharing their culture with friends.

Written by Aisha Saeed, a founder of We Need Diverse Books and Pakistani-American writer, teacher, and attorney. Illustrated by Anoosha Syed who is a Pakistani-Canadian illustrator and concept artist.

Amazon:Bilal Cooks Daal

Meet Yasmin!

Meet Yasmin is the first in a series of books that tell the story of second-grader Yasmin, who is out to use her big imagination to solve life’s little problems. Bold, creative and curious, Yasmin and her multi-generational Pakistani American family will be sure to win your hearts.

Meet Yasmin is written by Pakistani American writer Saadia Faruqi and illustrated by Egyptian-born illustrator Hatem Aly.

Amazon: Meet Yasmin

More to the Story

A retelling of Little Women set in a Pakistani American family. In this case, Jo is  Jameela Mirza who was just picked to be the feature editor in her middle school newspaper. Jameela wants to be an award-winning journalist like a late family member. The head editor keeps shooting down her ideas, and she finds herself writing about a new student, a boy with a British accent who keeps to himself. But how will she make this story engaging enough to win a national media contest?

But things get complicated when Jameela’s family is shaken up by her father taking an overseas job that takes him away from their Georgia home. Jameela, along with her three sisters aren’t sure what to do. Missing her father ignites a fire under Jameela, she’s going to write the best article ever and make her dad proud.

But when her younger sister gets seriously ill, Jameela has to decide what is really important. She has to make the same choice at school where her quest for fame might cost her a friend.

While trying to find out what matters most Jameela wonders whether she’s cut out to be a journalist after all.

Written by Pakistani-American writer Hena Khan.

Amazon: More to the Story

Come back and see more Blogtober posts and Chapter/Picture Book features.

 

Posted in Chapter/Picture Book Feature, Recommendations

Chapter/Picture Book Feature: Black Girls and Science

Posted on by Plaid_Reader

I’m trying to find more diverse and #OwnVoices chapter to feature. This will be part of a series featuring different content. Today I’m focusing on books about black girls doing science.

Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows 

Screen Shot 2016-09-12 at 6.48.23 PM.png

A cute series that combines real science, magic, and friendship. Zoey is a scientist faced with magical problems. In the first book, Zoey and her cat Sassafras discover that injured magical animals have taken up residence in their backyard barn. Things get serious when they discovered an injured baby dragon, Marshmellow. Will they be able to use science to help figure out what’s wrong with their new friend?

The books use easy-to-read language and illustrations on nearly every page making this book series perfect for a wide range of readers. Each book also includes an age appreciate glossary of the science terms used in the book.

Written By Asia Citro and Illustrated by Marion Lindsay.

Amazon: Zoey and Sassafras

Jada Jones: Rock Star

After her best friend moves away Jada feels lost at school. She feels much more at home out in nature looking for rocks for her collection. After all finding rocks is easier than finding friends. When Jada’s teacher announces their next project will be on rocks and minerals Jada finally feels like she’s found her element.

But problems come up when Jada’s partner doesn’t seem to like the same things Jada does. Not only that, but her partner doesn’t seem to like her much. Can Jada find a creative way to solve the situation and end up with a winning project and win a new friend in the process?

Written by Kelly Starling Lyons. Lyons is one of the founding members of the blog The Brown Bookshelf, which is aimed at young African-American readers. Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton who has received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children’s.

Amazon: Jada Jones

Cece Loves Science

Cece is a budding scientist, her first experiment, along with the help of her best friend Issac is to find out, whether her dog Einstein will eat his vegetables. The first in a series.

Written by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes, and illustrated by NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children’s award winner Vashti Harrison.

Amazon: Cece Loves Science

Ada Twist, Scientist

Ada is curious about everything. But sometimes her scientific experiments and elaborate scientific plans don’t go and planned. She must realize the power she has to think things through and remember how important it is to stay curious.

Written by Andrea Beaty, who is also the author of Rosie Revere: Engineer, and Iggy Peck: Architect

If you have ideas for what I should feature next about chapters and picture books. Just post a comment or send me a message via Twitter or IG.

Special thanks to 1000 Black Girl Books Resource Guide

Image credit: Photo by Hans Reniers on Unsplash