Jennifer Hubert Swan

Nov 26, 2024 | hbook.com | Jennifer M. Brabander |Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres |Julie Hakim Azzam |Jennifer Hubert Swan

Pearl by Sherri L. Smith; illus. by Christine NorrieIntermediate, Middle School    Graphix/Scholastic    144 pp. 8/24    9781338029437    $24.99Paper ed. 9781338029420    $12.99e-book ed. 9781338029444    $12.99In this graphic novel, a Japanese American girl visiting family outside Hiroshima is trapped there after Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. Amy’s sōsobo (great-grandmother), whose underwater pearl-diving feats are beloved family lore, urges the girl to learn survival, just as she had to.

Nov 25, 2024 | nytimes.com | Jennifer Hubert Swan

"Practice gratitude." It's a simple instruction we see on tote bags, coffee mugs and yoga T-shirts. And just like yoga, we know that, when we do it, we will feel better. Yet it can often feel nearly impossible to maintain this habit. Is it any wonder why? Even in this season of abundance, there are plenty of bona fide reasons to cry, complain and kvetch! Just remember: Our kids are listening. Build back your gratitude muscle by sharing these 10 picture books with the little ones in your life.

Nov 19, 2024 | hbook.com | Megan Lambert |Lindsay Bayer |Jennifer Hubert Swan

Too Small Tola Makes It Count by Atinuke; illus. by Onyinye IwuPrimary, Intermediate    Candlewick    96 pp. 9/24    9781536238150    $16.99e-book ed. 9781536240030    $16.99Atinuke returns for a fourth time (Too Small Tola, rev. 3/21, and sequels) to her diminutive, high-spirited, mathematically gifted protagonist’s “run-down block of apartments in the megacity of Lagos, in the country of Nigeria,” with its close-knit and quirky neighbors.

Nov 12, 2024 | hbook.com | Eboni Njoku |Lindsay Bayer |Jennifer Hubert Swan

Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings by Dionna L. MannIntermediate    Ferguson/Holiday    208 pp. 8/24    9780823455553    $17.99e-book ed. 9780823459261    $10.99Mann sets this amiable story in 1930s Vinegar Hill, “a thriving African American business and residential community” outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Allie Lewis wants the best for her mama and thinks she needs a husband to help with financial worries and repairs.

Nov 5, 2024 | hbook.com | Lindsay Bayer |Jennifer Hubert Swan |Jessica MacDonald

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger; illus. by the authorMiddle School, High School    Greenwillow    304 pp. 8/24    9780063158153    $25.99Paper ed. 9780063158146    $15.99e-book ed. 9780063158160    $9.99In this quick-paced graphic novel, Tara’s runaway thoughts are great when she plays pretend with her baby brother but not so great when she feels anxious about skipping eighth grade to go directly to high school.