It Doesn't Have to Be Awkward: Dealing with Relationships, Consent, and Other Hard-to-Talk-About Stuff, written by Drew Pinsky and Paulina Pinsky, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary:  TV doctor, Dr. Drew Pinsky, and his daughter, Paulina, team up in this accessible, well-paced book about relationships. The entire book is framed through a concept introduced in the first chapter - that all relationships, whether romantic, platonic, friendships, family relationships, etc. should be governed by the rule of TCB - trust, compassion, boundaries. The topics in the book range widely, highlighting chapters on self-identity, friendships, attraction, bullies, crushes, sex, substance abuse, assault and more, but always return to the TCB tagline, reminding readers that any of these situations will improve and benefit from building trust, harnessing compassion for yourself and others, and establishing clear and consistent boundaries.The Pinskys offer many anecdotes, both from their own lives and from teens they have spoken to, to illustrate their points, and there are frequent callout boxes with quizzes, important messages, and top three takeaways for each chapter. The book contains copious back matter, including many additional resources and support offerings.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This book is an important addition to the ever-challenging human growth and development section of the library. The majority of the text is focused on taking care of oneself, communicating clearly and effectively, and making informed and important decisions within relationships. Though the text does address potentially controversial topics like sex and masturbation, these are discussed without specifics of the acts themselves, and always tied to important emotional factors, like consent, self-awareness and understanding, and breaking through common misconceptions and stereotypes. That being said, the authors (without details) encourage masturbation as a self-understanding exercise, and suggest that sex does not only have to happen in committed relationships as long as TCB is in operation, so more conservative parents or communities may struggle with such concepts. Many parents would hand this title to middle school students, but it is probably better housed in a high school collection for general use. Overwhelmingly, though the topics of this book could indeed feel awkward, the focus is on healthy relationships and interactions with a focus on understanding and communicating emotions, which would make it a useful text related to human health or biology curriculum, and a valuable addition to a collection for teens who are experiencing or surrounded by these concepts for the first time.
 

Stolen Justice: The Struggle for African American Voting Rights, written by Lawrence Goldstone, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary:  Stolen Justice is a rich and complex history about the roadblocks and limitations imposed upon African Americans as they tried, often in vain, to pursue their right to vote. Many historical examples of Jim Crow laws, racist practices and corrupt politicians are included in this volume, some familiar and some lesser known. The chapters are short and include frequent photographs and primary source artifacts to illustrate the evidence being presented by Goldstone. Extensive back matter, including a glossary, bibliography, source notes, image credits, and index that measure a combined 35 pages support the well-researched text.

Straight Talk for Librarians: 

While the details are impeccably included and the topic could not be more relevant, Stolen Justice falls a bit short for its audience. It includes incredible detail and information but frequently fails to offer any emphasis on a unifying narrative or provide modern context for the importance of these issues. Though it is appropriate for both middle school and high school readers in content and scope, most tween and teen readers will find this book either too challenging or too boring to complete. It would be an excellent reference source for students digging deeper into African American voting rights for a research project, but it is unlikely to leave the shelves for long otherwise. Worthy of a spot on the shelf if you already own it, but probably not worth precious budget dollars if you don’t.

Bisa's Carnaval, written by Joana Pastro and Carolina Coroa, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  A young girl named Clara and her great-grandmother are preparing for their favorite celebration of Carnaval.  Clara’s Bisa (grandma) is getting too old to be partying in the street celebration and parade.  She is happy to help create the elaborate and colorful costume.  They go shopping to buy all the material needed and Bisa reminisces to Clara about other Carnavals from previous years.  The whole village is coming together to celebrate.  Since Bisa can’t come to the party, the party comes to her with just a slight detour and everyone gets to celebrate!

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This book is just as colorful as the title suggests.  You can feel the Carnaval atmosphere with the setting and the colors the illustrator chose. You see a small seaside village where Clara and her Bisa live.  You can tell they are somewhat poor, but still make the best of their situation by making a costume.  There are Portuguese words sprinkled throughout the text and in the illustrations. Both the author and the illustrator originate from Brazil and can showcase with some authenticity the Carnaval of Olinda, a city in the northeast of Brazil.  There is a glossary at the end.  A great book to add to any elementary school library collection to celebrate diverse holidays and celebrations of the world.  A highly recommended purchase for any IB school library collection because of the global community emphasis.  All readers will appreciate the multi-generational relationship between Clara and her Bisa.  A sweet, fun read.
 

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry & the Big Hungry Bear El ratoncito, la fresa roja y madura y el gran oso hambriento, written by by Audrey Wood and Don Wood, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This is an English and Spanish bilingual book.  The English text is in black font below the Spanish text which is in red font.  This is a board book that follows a mouse as he finds a huge, red strawberry.  The narrator is warning the mouse that the bear will come to steal the strawberry.  Mouse tries to hid it and disguise it.  Finally, he splits it with the narrator.  The illustrations have beautiful muted forest colors and the expressions on the mouse’s face will have young readers laughing.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  The language development with a familiar story will be beneficial for students learning either Spanish or English.  Perfect for any bilingual elementary library or classroom.  Schools with mostly English speakers will benefit from this book if they offer Spanish classes.  I am putting this book in my high school library because we have a lot of new Spanish language learners.  This is perfect for first-year students learning Spanish.  They might already be familiar with these characters and will appreciate both languages on the page.  Students will learn new vocabulary and practice their reading comprehension.
 

Curious George: Trash into Treasure | Jorge el curioso: De basura a tesoro, written by H. A. Rey, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This is an English and Spanish bilingual book.  The English text is in blue font and the Spanish text is below in black font.  Curious George is excited for Pretty City Day.  It’s a day to pick up trash and clean up their city. Curious George is on the hunt for litter. He comes across someone clearing out their apartment and George wants to keep a lot of what was thrown out for trash collection. He kept a lot of the items he found for himself. The Man in the Yellow Hat was not happy with all the things George brought home.  George brought an empty bag to the mayor and they all realized that some people’s trash could be someone else’s treasure. The book ends with an activity asking readers to think about collections and there are instructions on how to make a recycled bird feeder.
Straight Talk for Librarians:  Everyone loves Curious George!  This book is adapted from a TV show.  The language development with a familiar story will be beneficial for students learning either Spanish or English.  Perfect for any bilingual elementary library or classroom.  Schools with mostly English speakers will benefit from this book if they offer Spanish classes.  I am putting this book in my high school library because we have a lot of new Spanish language learners.  This is perfect for first year students learning Spanish.  They will be familiar with the characters and will appreciate both languages on the page.  Students will learn new vocabulary and practice their reading comprehension. 

Clarinet & Trumpet, written by Melanie Ellsworth, illustrated by John Herzog , reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  Clarinet and Trumpet “were friends from the first note.”  The author explains that the trumpet is a brass instrument and the clarinet is a bit “long-winded” alluding to being a wind instrument. They supported and helped each other out all the time. One day the double-reed Oboe walked in and a new friendship started to form between the two woodwinds. Trumpet became jealous and even went so far as to compose a fanfare for his old friend. In a twist, Trombone “slid” in with his new friend Trumpet.  In a hilarious scene, Trombone emptied his spit valve right on Oboe.  Any musician will know how gross this is.  Flute sided with the woodwinds.  French Horn joined the brass group.  Bassoon joined team woodwinds and all of a sudden Saxophone swings in.  Saxophone has both a reed and is made out of brass.  He didn’t fit either side.  But everyone liked him because of his mellow, smooth sound.  They realized that they could all make great music together and should be friends.
Straight Talk for Librarians:  This book is a perfect introduction to some music vocabulary and band instruments.  The book can shake and rattle like a maraca, which young readers will LOVE!  It’s a great lesson on how the instruments are grouped together in a band or orchestra, specifically brass and woodwinds.  It has vocabulary like crescendo and flat, which any music teacher will appreciate.  It makes for a great read-aloud and could be done with different voices.  This would make for a great school librarian and band teacher collaboration.  The band teacher could display all the instruments presented in the book.  I do think some of the vocabulary needs to be defined.  A music teacher could demonstrate the difference between a flat and a sharp note.  Some settings in the illustrations include a stage and a practice room.  The emotions conveyed by the instruments are cute and funny.  The illustrator did a great job with that.  A perfect choice for any elementary school library and music classroom.  It might not be the best choice for any sort of sustained silent reading because the book is loud :)  But that is what makes it even more fun.  My 9-year-old reader summarized the story as “they hated each other and then they liked each other.” 

The Goody, written by Lauren Child , reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  Chriton Krauss was a good child.  He did everything his parents told him to do.  He ate vegetables he didn’t like and he finished his sister’s chores that she never did. His parents gave him a button that said “Goody”. Myrtle was Chirton’s sister.  She was the opposite of her brother.  She was always in trouble and it seemed like her parents let her do whatever she wanted.  She was so bad that even her friends stopped inviting her to their birthday parties.  Chirton gets mad one day and decides not to be good.  He gets punished and as a result, his sister goes to a party in his place.  She has a lot of fun and starts reconsidering why she is always so bad.  Myrtle and her brother talk about how they have hurt each other and what they should do.  Then they talk to their parents about how unfair it is to label them.  Because when they get labeled, that is how children proceed to act.  Everyone vowed to do their best.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Lauren Child is the author and mixed media illustrator of this book.  It thought the illustrations looked familiar and it turns out she is also the creator of Charlie and Lola.  This is a beautiful book with fun font.  It’s a good lesson for young children and parents alike.  It makes for a good read aloud.  This would be a good fit for any elementary school library.  Humor is woven throughout the text and the illustrations. I’m not sure if “goody” is more British slang?  However, it can certainly be explained with our US “goody-goody two shoes” phrase.  I would say the main takeaway is to not label children.  It would be a great purchase for any elementary school library.  It makes for a good read-aloud and for silent reading.  I think there could be a lot of creative crafts that can go along with this story.
 

Hip, Hip...Beret! written by Melanie Ellsworth and Morena Forza, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This book starts out in the streets of Paris, where Bella gets a fuzzy, red beret from her Grandfather. She tries it on and it gets blown off by a sudden gust of wind. It lands on a horse, on a flamenco dancer, on a gentleman, on a chef, on a ballerina dancer, on a balloon, on a skunk and then gets buried under the winter snow.  When spring rolls around and the snow melts, Bella finds her hat and shouts “hip, hip, Beret!  Readers can then touch the fabric of a beret.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This is a sweet story full of rhymes and examples of words we use in the English language that are from the French language.  The story is cleverly set in France.  The seasons go from summer, to fall, to winter and finally to spring.  The colors in the illustrations match the seasons and the scenes that depict Paris employ a very French color palette.  There is lots to look at and young readers will love feeling the fabric of the beret.  This book would be perfect in a French bilingual school.  It would also be perfect for any IB school.  The IB learner profile attribute that stood out to me is “balanced”.  Belle had very balanced emotions when her brand-new hat flew away.  A great addition to any elementary school library.
 

Our Table, written by Peter H. Reynolds, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  Violet is the youngest in her family and she is fondly remembering sitting around the table enjoying a meal with her family.  Her family is now too busy to make a meal, prepare the table, and sit together.  Dad is watching the big screen tv, mom is on her phone and her brother is playing his video games.  Violent notices that the dining room table is shrinking and then all of a sudden it disappears.  Violet knows that her family needs to “rebuild” the table and their connection to each other.  Violet gives them all a task and they get to work.  The pages go from all violet to full color at the end when the family is back together.
Straight Talk for Librarians:  A cautionary tale for all families today who don’t always take the time to have a meal together.  An all too true telling of how we are all attached to technology more than the people who surround us.  It will make readers of all ages consider how much time they spend connected to technology instead of their friends and family.  It makes for a good read-aloud.  It would be a popular choice for any elementary school library.  For any PYP IB programs, there is a focus on being a Communicator in the Learner Profile.  There could be lots of library activities to complement this book.  My 9-year-old reader stated, “It was really short but still super good!” Highly recommended.  

Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist, written by Evan Griffith and Joanie Stone, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This picture book looks like the sea when you first open it. Jeanne Power moved to Italy from France when she got married. She went from being a seamstress to wanting to do something else.  She had moved to Sicily because her husband was a merchant who needed to be by a port.  She decided to become a naturalist and taught herself about natural history. She started with land animals and then was intrigued by the sea.  There was not a lot of research available, so she decided to be the one to provide the research.  She started to think about how she could observe the animals in the ocean.  She invented the concept of an aquarium and she had local fishermen give her creatures from the sea that seemed unusual.   She became intrigued by paper nautiluses and focused her study on discovering if the outer shell was grown or found. She worked hard to be included in science academies.  Usually being the first woman to join and present her research.  She encountered some resistance and some male scientists even tried to steal her research.  But she had everything documented and wrote lots of letters defending herself, so she is still given credit for her work today.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This is a beautiful non-fiction picture book about a female scientist. The illustrations retain a sea like quality and fit the time period of the Victorian era. It is very informative and students will learn about a female scientist and about paper nautiluses.  They will also learn about the invention of the aquarium. Lots of notes are found at the end about the topic and also about historical research.  This is a great addition to any elementary library.  I would also say that high school science teachers could have this book in their classroom for students to quickly read. This particular book was tested on a 9 year old and she said “It was really good!  I liked learning about paper nautilusus.”  A ringing endorsement.
 

By the Book: A Novel of Prose and Cons, written by Amanda Sellet, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This RomCom is a book lovers perfect match!  Mary Porter-Malcolm is from a large family.  Both her parents are professors and Mary has been attending a small charter school, where being super smart is an asset.  The school closes the summer before sophomore year and Mary now has to attend the local public high school.  Mary resigns herself to being friendless for the year after being dropped by her old friends.  However, she is quickly found by a group of friends who find her references to classic literature wise and insightful.  Mary deems Alex Ritter the ultimate rake of Millville High.  They plot to write the Scoundrel Survival Guide as a lesson to other girls about certain types of boys.  Mary’s new friends also work to give her the ultimate high school experience.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  I LOVED this book!  I like the classic literary quotes sprinkled throughout the book.  I like the focus on family and friendships.  I like that Mary didn’t try to hide that she and her family were super smart.  The developing romance between Mary and Alex was funny, witty, and swoon-worthy.   The cast of characters draws the reader into the fun drama of this book.  There are lots of emotions in this wide circle, but the story flows and draws the reader in.  There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments and an HEA that the author did a nice job of tying all the pieces together.  It would be easy to imagine being in the quirky town and settling into the local cozy bookshop called Toil & Trouble.  This book is a 2020 release and didn’t seem to get the attention that it deserves.  The cover art is very bookish in muted colors.  Overall, it’s a smart, funny, and literary contemporary YA romance. I highly recommend this book for any high school library.
 

Gloom Town, written by Ronald L. Smith, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  Rory and his mom Hilda live in a poor and deary part of Gloom Town.  Hilda works two jobs in order to be able to put food on the table and pay rent.  Their landlord is a terrible person and his threats force Rory to go out and look for a job as a 12 year old boy.  Rory’s friend, Izzy, works as a fortune teller at the local pub.  Rory lands a job as a gentleman’s valet and Foxglove Manor, which has a lot of rumors about it floating around town.  It’s a big step for Rory because he has to move into the Manor House and be at Lord Foxglove’s beck and call.  He is not allowed to talk about salary or pay, but he does get a generous advance, which should be enough to pay rent for the rest of the year.  After working there for a while, Rory begins to realize and feel that something is amiss.  People are not what they seem and Foxglove Manor is a scary place to be.  He tells Izzy about some of his worries and she promises to help him.  Eventually, Izzy and Rory realize that everyone has lost their shadows (which are connected to souls) and that a terrible creature is getting stronger because of the shadow harvesting.  Rory is worried that he will not be able to survive his job and die like his predecessor did.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Having read and enjoyed some of Ronald L Smith’s previous books, you can tell this is his setting and style of storytelling.  Diving into the book, it seems like it will be realistic fiction.  The story IS set in what seems like a fictional English seaside town.  But right away you get the feeling something is wrong and that evil might be lurking beneath the surface - then the story has elements of magical realism.  There is a little bit of dabbling with the occult in this story.  I’m not sure that the creature is connected to a mythological creature or if it is made up by the author.  Either way, it is a bit scary (in a fun way).  I enjoyed the friendship between Rory and Izzy.  The mystery part of the story began to be solved when Rory started telling adults about his problems and allowing his friends to help him.  The cover art on this book is gorgeous and speaks to the diverse characters without trying too hard.  The author always includes diversity in his books in a natural way.  Lots of bad creatures die, which resolves the storyline. The author throws in some twists and turns at the end, which makes the end even better and pulls together some treads from the beginning.  This is a great pick for a middle school library.  I’d recommend it to students looking for stories about witches, mages, scary creatures, mystery, high paced adventure and a fun cast of characters.
 

Far from Fair, written by Elana K. Arnold, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  Far from Fair is a perfect title for this book as we follow the events of Odette’s life.  Her father is laid off from his job.  They are selling their house and most of their things in California and preparing to live in a camper as they make their way up to Oregon.  They are going to Oregon because Odette’s grandma has cancer and is very sick.  Odette’s brother is autistic and she feels that it’s unfair that her parents have different standards for both of them.  Finally, Odette has to leave her friends behind and start over.  Oh, and to top it all off, mom and dad are having marriage problems. She is not happy and lets it be known throughout the story.  When they get to the island that Grandma Sissy lives on, Odette meets a boy, she gets to help run the bakery and the pace of life is a bit slower.  The underlying message of this story is that life is not fair, but you have to make the best with what you have to work with.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  I thought the cover of this book was beautiful and really went with the camper life theme.  I think most readers would sympathize with Odette.  She is having a lot of hardships in life and a lot of changes are coming too quick.  This story explored friendships, family dynamics and grief.  This book is targeted to ages 9-13 (grades 3-7) and I certainly believe that grief has a place in fiction and it needs to be explored.  However, I think the author went too far with diving into Oregon’s Death with Dignity law and sort of compared euthanasia to putting down a pet.  It got even more political when Odette’s brother had an exotic animal as a pet (ferret) which is illegal in California, but legal in Oregon.  It’s these political state laws, which are complex, that really hinted at ideologies that might not yet be appropriate for the age group targeted.  Depending on religious leanings, parents might be completely opposed to the POV presented in this book.  I think the intended age group is too young for the level of detail of grandma taking the drug cocktail to die.  There is also the possibility that younger readers are not well-schooled in individual state rights and might not fully understand what is going on between California and Oregon.  Only one of the professional reviews mentions this and others are ambiguous about the details.