English All Ages summary I’ve been described as a “militant recycler” before, a title that I wear proudly. But recycling is just the bare minimum of what we should be doing for our earth. Climate justice is for the whole family, and citizens need to hold corporations accountable as well as politicians to ensure that…
Category: Independent Thought
Fearless: The Story of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Defender of Free Speech
English 6+ Historical Figure Protest Journalism Free Speech CW: Pet death, Daphne’s death mentioned in back matter. Gattaldo summary I had never heard of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a journalist from the island of Malta, before seeing this book from Candlewick. Upon reading, I was flabbergasted that I’ve never heard of this amazing journalist working for…
Hello, Mandarin Duck!
English & many others! 4+ May Day Languages Welcoming Bao Phi & Dion MBD summary Twins Hua and Hue are on their way to the big May Day parade in their community when they come across a Mandarin duck looking a bit lost. As they run into more of their friends, they welcome the duck…
The Spectacular Suit
English 4+ Identity Gender Stereotypes Non-Conformity Self-Confidence Self-Esteem Kat Patrick & Hayley Wells summary Frankie is overseeing her party preparations and everything is going perfectly. There are beautiful decorations, a slightly suspect but delicious pie made by her brother, and even a borrowed tent! But Frankie is worried about one thing…what to wear. Her mom…
Read This to Get Smarter: About Race, Class, Gender, Disability & More
English YA (12/13+) Education Anti-Oppression Blair Imani summary Y’all, think back to the person that you would go to for answers when you were a teen. Maybe they were an older sibling, maybe a friend’s older sibling. A cousin, a cool neighbor or babysitter. That one person who you could trust to not bullshit you…
Abrams Dinner Party & a YA Read!
English YA (13+) Food/Cookbooks LGBTQ+ Relationships Sex Positive YA Romance Humor summary Cheese. One of the best substances in the world. In my opinion, the more a cheese tastes like a barnyard the better. When I got the book Cheese, Sex, Death from Abrams Books as the next installment of #AbramsDinnerParty it was obviously a…
Looking for a Jumbie
English & Caribbean spirit names 4-8 Folklore Caribbean Black Protagonist West African Spirits Tracey Baptiste & Amber Ren summary Looking for a Jumbie is SO cute. Main character Naya sneaks out of her house one night when the moon is perfect for finding a jumbie. Along the way she meets lots of interesting nocturnal characters,…
The Last Cuentista
English & Spanish 10+ Science-Fiction Space Dystopia Folklore Storytelling Donna Barba Higuera Cover by Raxenne Maniquiz summary Latinx Heritage Month may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean that our reading lists should be any less packed with amazing Hispanic & Latinx creators. Today I have an awesome sci-fi read for ages 10…
Antiracist Family Book Club: The Kidnapping Club & Call and Response
English MG & Up Racism BLM History Historical Figures Activism Protest summary I’m back with another pairing for the #AntiracistFamilyBookClub that y’all seemed to enjoy the first installment of! The first book I want to share with you was recommended to me by a colleague of Lee’s named Daryl! The Kidnapping Club: Wall Street, Slavery,…
Playing at the Border: A Story of Yo-Yo Ma
English 4-8 Music Historical Figures Immigration Collective Action Joanna Ho & Teresa Martinez summary I’m confident that you’ve seen this gorgeous book floating around on the internet, and I’m here to try and add my two cents to campaign for why you need this book. Playing at the Border weaves together a specific event when…