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Nov 12, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Steve McCarthy |Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat
A modern twist on classic folklore and the bonds of friendship. Sometimes friendships emerge from the most unexpected places. “Everybody in Ireland knows that banshees are supernatural harbingers of doom.” Referred to as bansheenies when they are young, these fairies grow in pods. Each banshee forms an unshakable link with the first human they see until one day, the banshee bursts forth to “howl the banshee’s howl at them”—a sign that the human is about to die.
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Sep 3, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Debbie Herman |Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat
To see or not to see. Carla’s thrilled that Vision Screening Day’s approaching. She hopes she’ll need glasses because no one else in class wears them. Her friend Buster scoffs, “You like to be different.” Next day, Carla’s wearing self-made purple pipe-cleaner frames. She tells Buster she wants to see what styles and colors will flatter her when she gets real glasses. Every day thereafter, Carla sports different frames she’s designed and constructed.
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Aug 12, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Charlene Chua |Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat |Melinda Beatty
Children will stay wide awake, day or night, to finish this funny sleepy-time story. Getting a good day’s rest is tough for a young vampire. Trying to settle down in his casket isn’t easy for little Vlad, what with the terrifying cacophony coming from outside. He complains about “CLICKETY CLACK” and “SKREEK” sounds, while an accompanying image depicts a smiling, pink-skinned letter carrier delivering mail.
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Aug 12, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Nancy Vo |Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted... Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay. A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive.
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Jul 8, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Tish Rabe |Laura Hughes |Lauren Eldridge
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of... Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol. The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip.
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May 21, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Heather Lee |Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat
A lofty effort that might leave kids wanting to read the stories referenced instead. A spirited ode to the ways books affect us all. A group of racially diverse children celebrate the many journeys reading can take us on. From board books (“a strong, sturdy friend who won’t mind if you chew”) and pop-up books to titles for older kids (“When you grow bigger, your books grow big, too”), there’s something for everyone.
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May 14, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat |Hayley Lowe
A cozy read to share, especially with beloved older relatives. Noor and Granddad are separated by an ocean (though their locations are unspecified). Still, they share a common passion—pie—which they eat together every summer, when Noor and Mom travel by plane to visit Granddad and Nana. Then Noor and her grandfather bake up a storm. The most special—albeit bittersweet—one is the “time-to-say-goodbye pie,” the signal that it’s time for Noor and Mom to leave.
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May 14, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted... Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay. A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive.
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Apr 20, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Jill Biden |Alyssa Satin Capucilli |Kate Berube |Lauren Eldridge
by Jill Biden with Alyssa Satin Capucilli ; illustrated by Kate Berube ‧Kids will enjoy the opportunity to “mews” on the doings of a presidential pet. First Lady Biden and Capucilli, author of the Biscuit series, explain how Willow the cat came to reside at the White House. Willow lives contentedly in a barn. One day, she’s curious when cars approach and people gather to hear a blond woman speak. Willow draws closer, then is delighted as the woman lifts her up and hugs her.
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Apr 20, 2024 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Lauren Eldridge |Christina Soontornvat |Christy Mandin
No poison here; just a garden of delights about someone who improves things in a unique fashion. Millie Fleur La Fae and her mom move to Garden Glen, where all the houses are “flawless” and identical—except theirs. Located on the edge of town, it’s run-down and scruffy. Millie Fleur loves it, but something’s missing. Fortunately, Mom brought seeds from Millie Fleur’s old garden, which Millie Fleur plants immediately.
