King and the Dragonflies, written by Kacen Callender, reviewed by Stephanie Wilson

Summary: Grief has overwhelmed King since his brother Khalid died. Sadness has swallowed his family completely. King believes his brother has returned to him as a dragonfly. Khalid appears to him in his dreams. King comforts himself by reading the words Khalid spoke in his sleep. King escapes alone every day after school to the bayou to look for his brother. He can't lean on his best friend, Sandy anymore. Sandy's confession that he's gay shattered their friendship. King secretly struggles with wondering if he is gay, too. Sandy’s sudden appearance at the bayou shakes up everything King thought he knew. Sandy needs his help, but King is worried about the consequences. Callender’s writing is so smooth and fluid that it belies the seriousness of the subjects it tackles. The reader is gently carried along with King on his journey of self-discovery and grief. Khalid is so thoughtfully rendered that he seems almost as alive as King. He lives on in the novel in a nearly dreamlike state through King’s memories and in the journal King keeps. King is dealing with several impossible situations at once but clinging to his memories of Khalid keeps him grounded. Khalid wasn’t perfect and dying doesn’t elevate him to sainthood. King especially struggles with Khalid’s role in his decision to end his friendship with Sandy. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Callender tackles multiple difficult topics with an age-appropriate and gentle touch. King and the Dragonflies has won numerous awards including the National Book Award. It deserves every single one of them. However, not everyone will appreciate that a middle-grade book is tackling the topics of grief, homosexuality, and abuse all in one book. The reality is many students in upper elementary school and middle school are struggling with t

Maya and the Rising Dark, written by Rena Barron, reviewed by Stephanie Wilson

Summary: Maya is a girl who is obsessed with superheroes. She can't wait to attend Comic-Con with her dad. One day, the world suddenly turns gray, and time seems to freeze. Maya tells her friends but not her parents what has happened. Later, a shadowy figure invades her dreams. A terrified Maya finally tells her dad about the strange occurrences. Her father warns her to avoid the Lord of Shadows. Her father's sudden, mysterious disappearance causes Maya to realize her dad's stories aren't just stories. The creatures and the tales are real. Maya and her friends Frankie and Eli decide to attempt a daring rescue. Maya must summon all of her courage to rescue her dad from the clutches of the Lord of the Shadows. If she fails, the life she knows it may be gone forever. Maya and the Rising Dark has all the elements of a great middle-grade fantasy novel. The main characters are brave but not perfect. The monsters are frightening but not too scary. People in the neighborhood are not as they seem. Barron shatters the typical outsider’s view of Maya’s Southside Chicago neighborhood. It’s not a place riddled with gangs and crime, it’s home. Maya is a realistic, strong character with courage and compassion. Barron infuses the novel with struggles relatable to any middle schooler: being stuck after school with a teacher working on math problems, trying to find your place in the world, and parents who hide things from their children for their own protection. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Barron mixes in a hearty dose of humor with the action. Even the minor characters are memorable. Maya and the Rising Dark fills a void in middle-grade fantasy: books with strong, nerdy, superhero-obsessed female characters. This book is a welcome addition to both classroom and school libraries. I highly recommend this book for middle school-aged readers who love fantasy and mythology. Give this book to fans of Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond who are looking for a book recommendation.

Your Mama, written by NoNieqa Ramos, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: Your Mama is a wonderful take on Yo Mama jokes. One example of the twist on the Yo Mama jokes is "Your mama so sweet she could be a bakery." In this book the mama and daughter have a close, fun, interesting and important relationship. The illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara depict that loving mother-daughter relationship beautifully. Even though "Sometimes your Mama's cray cray" if you "Got math problems? She could solve 'em." "Woman catches all your vibes; must read minds." The text is funny and strong and poignant. The daughter in the book absolutely adores her mama and the mama absolutely adores her daughter. The mutual love and respect comes shining through. This is a glorious story of mothers and daughters. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A great book about motherhood.

Henry at Home, written by Megan Maynor, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: Henry and Liza are brother and sister and did everything together. They got flu shots together, went to the same parties, knew the same people, played using their imaginations together and spent time at their favorite place - the Twisty Tree. But one day Liza started school so the brother and sister could not spend all of their time together. Henry found this difficult at first and called his sister mean and stomped on her crayons. But then Henry found that he could still build a huge fort, rescue imaginary animals, blast asteroids and still play at the Twisty Tree without his sister. This is a great story of siblings. Young children will see themselves in how siblings interact and how events can change things but sometimes for the better. Henry and Liza have a close sibling relationship but they stay close even when one feels hurt and left out. This book is such a good representation of young siblings that it should be popular. The illustrations by Alea Marley are perfect and convey the sibling relationship perfectly. Highly recommended. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A great book for conversations on siblings.

Training Day (El Toro & Friends), written by Raul the Third, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: Another fun, humorous book by Raul the Third with more great illustrations by Elaine Bay. Aninteresting dilemma for El Toro! His big wrestling match with The Wall is coming up and he does not feel like training. His trainer, Kooky Dooky, tries everything to get El Toro motivated to train. He makes El Toro breakfast, tries to get him to exercise and even gets him to swing at the spiked pinatas of doom. The text and illustrations are fun and keep the reader's interest. An added feature is that some text is followed by the words and phrases in Spanish. For example, "To teach you patience, you must help the grandmothers, las abuelas, cross the street." Young readers, and listeners, will enjoy the humor in the book but will also learn how to be quick on their feet, how to develop their senses, how to have patience and other life skills. They may learn something helpful like El Toro! 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Another fun book by Raul the Third. Young children will enjoy the steps El Toro goes through to train for a big wrestling match. The illustrations are great too.

Tag Team (El Toro & Friends), written by Raul the Third, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: It is the tag team championship at El Coliseo and El Toro and La Oink Oink are against Danny Dollars and the Bald Aguila. The next day El Coliseo was a mess and the two workers who were supposed to come in to clean the mess left El Toro in the lurch! El Toro, once again, calls on his tag team partner La Oink Oink to help him deal with the messy situation. The illustrations by Elaine Bay are fun, colorful, big and bold and presented in an almost comic book or graphic novel format. The illustrations of El Toro and La Oink Oink cleaning El Coliseo are exciting and make the stars of story look like superheros. The story is about friendship, collaboration, commitment and accomplishing a goal. Young children will enjoy the colorful antics of these bold characters and will get a good dose of what it means to work together. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A fun book with unique characters. This story is about working together to accomplish, in this case, a huge task.

I'm A Hare, So There! written by Julie Rowan-Zoch, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This is a great book for young children interested in critters. The story begins with a conversation between a hare and a squirrel. The squirrel mistakes the hare for a rabbit and the hare mistakes the squirrel for a chipmunk. After some back and forth between the hare and the squirrel some comparisons are made between other animals such as sheep and goats are not the same! The hare has a lot to say about what a hare can do like outrun a turtle and jump very far. Children will find the hare's observation, which are often incorrect, funny and they will learn something at the same time. The wise squirrel educates the hare with lines like, "I think you mean tortoise. Turtles don't live anywhere near here." It is a cute, fun and educational book and in the back there is a page of critters who are "similar but not the same." Children will learn and have fun! 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This is a cute book for young children and they will learn that animals, and perhaps people, are not the same even if they are similar.

How to Wear a Sari, written by Darshana Khiani, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This is the fun and lively story of a little girl who wants to grow up so she comes up with a great idea... wear a sari! Since saris are worn by adults the girl knows that her family will take notice. She imagines how wearing a sari will impact everyone around her but first she must find a sari. The story is engaging and so much fun! As she tries to fit into a sari she knows the mechanics but has trouble fitting into it by herself. The illustrations by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff are wonderful. Children will, not only, learn about saris but also that families of different cultures will have similar situations. The girl wears her sari and has a bit of a disaster. Her parents are annoyed but her grandparents are not and enjoy her confidence and see the fun in her eagerness to grow up. The girl's eagerness, along with her confidence, are a winning combination and will engage young children in her story. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book features a confident girl who wants to grow up and tries to do something about it! I like the girl as the lead, the diversity in the characters and the way the author features the children, parents and grandparents. A great look at family.

Tow Truck Joe Makes A Splash, written by June Sobel, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This cute book by June Sobel with great illustrations by Patrick Corrigan is a lot of fun for children. The rhyming text adds to the fun: "A camper's tire has a flat. Joe can fix it just like that!" The bold, vibrant illustrations are humorous and will be a hit with children who like anything truck, car or bus. The anthropomorphic vehicles and animals driving the vehicles are very cute. The text and illustrations convey so much fun and information that the book will surely be a hit. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A very cute book for young children. Any child who has watched a Cars movie will love it.