National Poetry Month 2025

Photo by Cup of Couple via Pexels

Like a Kid

My nephew said I’m like a kid,

So it must be true.

It’s better than him calling me old.

That’s hullabaloo!

I chased him with a dinosaur.

Indoraptor roar!

He laughed and ran and chased me, too,

Fellow carnivore!

We learned about the beelzebufo,

A large, prehistoric frog.

It could eat small dinos

And was the size of a small dog.

He notices that I’m not tall,

Says he’ll be taller than me “soon,”

And with the way his feet grow,

I’ll be surpassed next afternoon.

We read a series of books

With Creepy in the title.

He laughed aloud and was unperturbed

By the glowing underwear recital!

I am older than his dad,

Which he already knows.

“Are you a kid or an adult?”

Technically an adult, I suppose.

Oh, my nephew, he makes me laugh.

To hear his laughter is a joy.

His imagination knows no limits,

And now there are monsters to destroy!

"The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin

The Bletchley Riddle (Nov. 29, 2024) by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin.

<This is a standalone novel.>

They’re both bound by the Official Secrets Act. It’s the summer of 1940, and 19-year-old Jakob Novis has already been working at Bletchley Park, Britain’s top secret, eccentric, WWII codebreaking hub. Jakob is there with top minds like Alan Turing, Gordon Welchman and Dilly Knox. Everyone at Bletchley Park is doing their part to break the Nazi’s Enigma cipher. Jakob’s so fixated on the task at hand and takes keeping secrets so seriously that he neglects his younger sister, 14-year-old Lizzie (only their American, maternal grandmother calls her Elizabeth). Lizzie’s supposed to be on a ship with Mr. Fleetwood to America (and Cleveland, Ohio), but never doubt the guile of a girl with a mission. They’ve been told that their mother is dead, but since there’s no proof, Lizzie doesn’t believe it. She’s determined to unravel that mystery and enlists the help of Colin Tilbury (his family runs the Shoulder of Mutton Inn & Pub) and Marion. Two brilliant siblings must overcome their quarrels while dodging a threatening investigator called [William James] Jarvis with the M15 (a.k.a. Security Service), as they try to break Enigma and find a possible connection to their mother through invisible messages before Hitler hits London.

            Two teens are making a big difference in a dangerous world in this spectacular, middle-grade historical fiction, mystery collaboration from Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. Part of the reason I wanted to read this is that I was able to visit Bletchley Park in September of 2023. I also read a fair number of historical fiction novels, and WWII is well-covered. This one impresses me for its middle-grade target audience, because it blends history and fiction seamlessly and contains funny moments in spite of the seriousness of the time. It’s a high-stakes adventure with heart and heroism, brilliance and cunning. The short chapters make for fast reading, and they alternate from the viewpoints of Lizzie and Jakob. It’s a gripping tale that should have broad appeal for those who enjoy mysteries, WWII stories, fiction, nonfiction or all of the above.

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 1

Here is my first adult fiction compilation for 2025 (I’m aiming for two). This variety includes a novel that features triplet sister serial killers, a novel that features stylishly decorated cookies and a novel that takes place in Seoul, South Korea.

How I’ll Kill You (Mar. 21, 2023) by Ren DeStefano.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Identical triplet serial killer sisters have descended upon a sleepy town in the Arizona heat. They all have names on birth certificates, but they do not go by those names. They were abandoned as newborns with their umbilical cords still visible and no names. They were shuffled through the foster care system and mostly not homed together. 25-year-old Sissy is treated like the youngest, and it’s her turn to find a man, then make him want her and love her, so she can make him dead. She’s always been the one cleaning up her sisters’ messes. Sissy introduces herself with her fake ID as Jade Johnson. Both Iris and Moody take turns playing the married twin sister who goes by Lisa Canter. When Sissy lays eyes on the man she later learns is Edison, she knows he’s the one. She often daydreams of how she might kill him. Edison is a widower, and Sissy’s caught off-guard when she realizes he has a stepdaughter (Sadie). Sissy doesn’t plan to kill her, but schemes to become a trusted adult in her life, which will be especially useful when Edison is dead. What really gets Sissy is when she realizes she’s in love with her mark. Considering anyone outside of her sisters to be a friend or found family is the ultimate betrayal. And if her sisters, who’ve killed thrice apiece, so much as suspect she’s fallen for Edison, will they merely push her to kill him quickly and leave before six months is up? Or might they plot her burial site, too?

            In DeStefano’s adult fiction debut, readers delve into the mind of disturbed sisters. Told from Sissy’s perspective, hers is a struggle of sisterly loyalty vs. betrayal, dispassionate actions trying to hide loneliness and a desire for love. It’s easy for someone who’s grown up well to think, Pull yourself together! This is a psychological thriller and a dark romance, but it’s also something of a bildungsroman, with Sissy discovering what type of person she truly isn’t and the type she wants to be. This novel is clever and malicious, filled with sinister scenarios and messy clean-ups, self-sacrifice and the emotional pain of wanting what one cannot have. “How I’ll Kill You” isn’t for the faint of heart, giving readers twisted love that has them rooting for a psychopath.

            Notable lines: “His hands have built and carried and created. Mine have dismembered and buried and destroyed.” (Sissy, p. 87)

            P.S. I checked this one out from the library as my Blind Date with a Book back in February 2024.

How the Murder Crumbles (June 20, 2023) by Deb Sennefelder.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

“Put that in your icing bag and pipe it.” Those are some of Mallory Monroe’s famous last words to Beatrice ‘Queen Bea’ Wright, food blogger and town menace, before she’s found dead on her kitchen floor, flour around her body and a bloodied marble rolling pin nearby. Because multiple people witnessed Beatrice accusing Mallory and Mallory’s late Aunt Glenna of stealing a cookie recipe, including Detective William Hannigan, Mallory has become suspect number one. This affects her sales, her two employees continue to butt heads, she catches her (now ex-) boyfriend with another woman, and that woman, Aspen Leigh, has suddenly relocated to Wingate, Connecticut, is living in the apartment over Mal’s bakery (which is owned by Mal’s cousin Darlene), and has apparently decided Mal’s her one friend in town. That doesn’t make sense to her, either, but what does make sense is initiating her own investigation in order to clear her name. The deeper she delves, the more obvious it is that the killer may be whipping up another murder.

            In the realm of cozy, adult fiction mysteries, this is a solid entry. There are a few cookie recipes included at the story’s end, and Sennefelder bakes up a whodunit that’s tasteful and tastefully decorated with dashes of humor throughout. I would absolutely want to visit Mal, Kip and even Claudia at The Cookie Shop, though no Almond Meltaways for me, please. I much prefer chocolate! It’s not a highly remarkable story, but it has well-rounded characters and a steadily-moving plot. Mal should definitely leave investigating to the professionals, and, while I know she’s desperate to clear her name, the way she demands answers from whichever hapless person she’s decided is her next murder suspect is really off-putting. I don’t expect to continue this series.

            P.S. This library checkout was my Blind Date with a Book this month.

If I Had Your Face (Apr. 21, 2020) by Frances Cha.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Told from four viewpoints, this novel follows five young women making their lives in Seoul. Ara is a mute hairstylist; she’s been mute ever since she was the victim of a violent attack. Kyuri is the kind of beautiful that money can buy, working at a “10 percent” room salon (“a salon that supposedly employs the prettiest 10 percent of girls in the industry”), critical of herself, and utterly judgmental of anyone she deems ugly (which is most other women). Sujin, Ara’s roommate, is fixated on making her face beautiful so that she can work in a room salon like Kyuri. Kyuri’s roommate, Miho, is a talented artist who grew up in an orphanage, is the only one of them to venture to America (on a scholarship) and has a chaebol boyfriend who’s definitely unfaithful. Wonna, a floor below the other four, is the only one who’s married and is preoccupied with becoming pregnant, expecting that her child will love her like her physically abusive grandmother did not. All struggle financially, even Kyuri, who hides it well. Miho, whose current life Kyuri’s envious of, states, “… but I was the first to come to America. Without being adopted, I mean.” Each young woman is navigating an uneasy life in an expensive city, but friendship knits them together.

In previous novels I’ve read, it’s a glittering, shiny Seoul, but this Seoul is unflinchingly hard and sometimes downright brutal. It’s still a world with disturbing, impossible beauty standards (and the plastic surgery debt to go along with it), ruthless social hierarchies and K-pop obsession. The characters can barely afford to live for today, much less plan for tomorrow. This is an insightful, contemporary story of sisterhood and female friendship, provocative and biting, powerful and gripping. I did not expect to be swept up in the compelling realism of the story. Cha’s writing doesn’t only shine light on economic inequity, but the effects of classism and patriarchy on these young women. These aren’t women from chaebol families. Like most of us, they are working-class women, trying to succeed in a harsh world. Physical beauty will fade, but novels showcasing universal human challenges like this will not.

"The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England" by Brandon Sanderson

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (June 27, 2023) by Brandon Sanderson.

   Steve Argyle, illustrator.

<This is a standalone novel.>

A man awakens in what appears to be medieval England with no inkling of who he is, where he came from or why he’s there. Experiences and people he encounters along the way trigger his hidden memories. While he isn’t the person Ulric Stromfin (cartel leader) is chasing, Runian (Sefawynn’s name for him; she’s a skop a.k.a. poet) has become a person of interest just by being in this particular dimension. As he gains his missing memories, Runian makes allies amongst the locals. Along with Sefawynn, there’s Ealston, the Little Father of Stenford (lesser than an earldom), and Thokk, a spry woman who looks to be 80. Gaining his memories and finding allies will be necessary for him to survive in this Anglo-Saxon-England-type dimension. This dimension also supposedly has some magic, not like the expensive augments Runian has (like plating in his forearms to ward off, say, a knife attack) or his medical nanites (which require him to eat carbon to keep them replenished), but actual magic. Skops have their boasts, and there are wights. Superstition has it that if a skop sees one directly, either the wight will die or the skop will. They can be helpful or mischievous and usually alone aren’t powerful. But together, can they do more? Like overcome invading Hordamen (Vikings with long, enviously well-groomed hair) and the god Woden?

            In the case of this novel, I didn’t judge it by its cover, but by its title. This adult fiction novel is part sci-fi and epic fantasy involving traveling to a different dimension from a futuristic Seattle. When Runian fully recalls his name and who he is, he remembers that he’s not a person who’s made great choices. In this dimension, he can be the hero. It’s eye-opening for him and entertaining for the readers. It’s not without fear of constantly having to defend your territory and those you care about and the hardship of living life without basic amenities, but Sanderson writes it as a constant adventure with high stakes, brilliant world-building, a fast-paced plot and defined characters. Prior to this story, I’d only read one of his middle-grade stories in advanced reader copy (ARC) form, but in reading this novel, I can see why Sanderson’s a prolific author. When reading this story, you might ask yourself, “All Right, WHY Can’t I Have a Dimension Full of Talking Bananas?” Five out of five stars.

The Positive Page-turner's Challenge: Take 20

The Positive Page-turner’s Challenge: Take 20
This should’ve been a post in December, but I had church offering that needed to go to other causes (e.g. Toys for Tots donations) and so pushed this off into the new year. On the plus side, I feel confident that I will achieve one more Positive Page-turner’s Challenge this year.
            As I’ve done for awhile now, I will be donating $5/book in this picture. 17 books seems to be my magic number. I will be donating $85 to my home church’s Sunday School Fund. It will go in as a gift by The Reading Rutabaga in February.
            Especially after the holidays, most of our financial belts feel stretched thin, but I still encourage any readers to contribute what you can. If not with money, then volunteer time. If time is stretched thin, too, consider saying a kind word at the checkout or help someone reach something on a shelf if you’re able. For instance, I’m no help getting things off the top shelf (unless I climb it), but if you need someone to squat down and grab that can off the bottom shelf, I’m your person! Let’s make humanity look good in ways big and small. Be kind to one another! <3

"Wrath of the Triple Goddess" by Rick Riordan

Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Sept. 24, 2024) by Rick Riordan.

<This is the second novel in a sub-series.>

<This is the seventh novel in a series.>

To earn his next letter of recommendation for New Rome University, all Percy Jackson has to do is pet-sit Hecate’s babies. (She’s the Greek goddess of magic, crossroads and necromancy and also ghosts, nighttime and manipulating the Mist.) Those not-actual-babies include a hellhound called Hecuba, a gassy polecat named Gale and four mischievous eels dubbed Larry, Fortunato, Bigwig and Janet. Percy, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood get to know the terrifying animals and set themselves up at The Manse, Gramercy Park West. There are bathrooms that don’t make sense (one’s toilet is on the ceiling, but the shower works normally, and in another, the shower sprays sideways at the toilet), conflicting door knockers (“Wait! We work fine! PORK RINDS!”) and a strawberry-flavored potion in Hecate’s lab that Grover can’t resist despite its being off-limits. Chaos ensues. The mansion is in shambles, Hecuba and Gale are missing, and they’ve forgotten to cancel the Halloween party that they invited their Camp Half-Blood friends to (they’re in a mansion, after all, how could they not throw a massive Halloween party?). They must retrieve Hecate’s fur babies and restore the mansion by Saturday, lest they be incinerated by the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone). They’re going to need all of their demigod craftiness, luck, friends and reluctant ghosts to set things to rights.

            Chaos tornado. That is so often Percy Jackson’s life. All he needs are two more recommendation letters. Surely Hermes would help him out? (He would’ve, actually.) This newest from Riordan is full of rip-roaring adventure, glass-always-full action and the over-the-top drama that we so readily expect from gods, goddesses and anything associated with them. The seventh novel in the Percy Jackson series and the second in The Senior Year Adventures sub-series will have readers laughing aloud with its humor and cheering for our heroes.  Like all of Riordan’s stories, this one is highly entertaining and is an excellent reminder of the importance of friendship.

            Percy Jackson: Books 1-5

            Book 6 / The Senior Year Adventures Book 1: The Chalice of the Gods

"Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Impossible Creatures (Sept. 10, 2024/US edition) by Katherine Rundell.

<This is the first novel in a trilogy.>

The day that Christopher Forrester saves a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lochan (lake) near his grandfather’s property changes his life forever. That his grandfather doesn’t bat an eye when Christopher rushes in with a baby griffin is telling. Christopher learns of the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands (though there is a map and a bestiary of magical creatures in the book) where magical, mythological creatures live, sometimes on their own islands and sometimes amongst other humans. Christopher is from the Otherworld (actually, the UK), his grandfather is a guardian and Malum (Mal) Arvorian is not. Christopher’s about to be attacked by a kludde (it has fire for ears) and would be eaten face-first if not for Mal’s shout. She’s just come through the waybetween (like a portal) and needs Christopher’s help. They meet Fidens Nighthand (“You may call me Nighthand: I don’t answer to Fidens.”) the Berserker, Ratwin the ratatoska and Irian Guinne, a marine scientist stationed at the University of Alquon in the west of Antiok, who’s part-nereid (though she doesn’t advertise this fact). They consult sphinxes, negotiate with a small dragon and battle krakens, karkadanns and manticores. Mal is desperate to save the Archipelago. The magical creatures are dying. Gelifen, the baby griffin, is thought to be the last griffin. The glimourie (or magic) is fading. The truth is dark, and somewhere in the Archipelago is an Immortal who has no idea he or she is the Immortal.

            I first saw the UK version advertised one-and-a-half years ago when I was in the UK and knew it’d be a book I’d love. Fast-forward a year later when the US edition was planned to release, and I was first on the list to read my local library’s copy. As soon as I read the first page, I ordered my own personal copy and returned the library copy, so it could move onto the next patron!

            And I was right, I DO LOVE this story where there is a portal into fantasy, magic and mythology. Rundell’s middle-grade trilogy starter is wildly imaginative, the writing fresh, and the characters are well-developed, showcasing courage, hope and strength, but vulnerability, too. For the most sensitive of readers, a beloved character does die, and it caught me so off guard that I teared up. The story sizzles with energy, roars with adventure and blazes with fireworks of creativity. It is thoughtful and takes kids seriously. It is unforgettable and epic; it is easily a new classic.

            P.S. Gelifen is my favorite. Jacques the jaculus (the smallest dragon) is my spirit animal: small, extremely fierce and breathes fire enough to overcome a giant manticore!

            P.P.S. I could really use the tooth of a sphinx.

Happy 2025!

Happy New Year! Whether the previous year ended on a high note, a low note or somewhere in-between, 2024 is done. You got through it. Box it all up, brush your hands off and store it away, because you’ve got to make room for new memories. 2025, here we are! What does the top of the new year look like to you? What are your plans/goals/dreams? I wish for you a prosperous, safe and healthy new year. Knowledge is power, so keep learning every day. Do something outside of your comfort zone; you only live once. Take care of yourself, because you are worth it!!

Sending love and sparkles,

Lisa

Rutabaga's Reads 2024: Part 14

I’m back with more middle-grade novels in this third compilation of 2024. In here, you’ll find Wonderland, Korean mythology and mischievous magpies.

Beyond the Isle of the Lost (May 7, 2024) by Melissa de la Cruz.

<This is the fifth novel in a series.>

You are unwelcome to Wonderland, where the Queen of Hearts hosts the un-parties of the year, and despite the scrumptious-looking sweets, no one can ever eat them. Treats are discouraged, especially cupcakes, and having fun is unacceptable. Birthdays remain illegal. There are so many ridiculous rules, and Red of Hearts, the Queen’s daughter, loathes the idea of following in her mom’s red-heeled footsteps. She’s heard that, in faraway Auradon, they get to do things like sing and laugh and run “around willy-nilly like little white rabbits.” Red is ready to perform the ultimate rebellion: throw an actual party! She’s gained two new friends in Chester and Ace, and they’re on-board with planning this rebellious party. What Red doesn’t know is that this party will set off a chain of un-events that will have unforeseen consequences.

            Falling down the rabbit hole to the land of Wonderland is madcap and enchanting in thrilling, equal measure. It has the fun, adventure, heart and humor that readers recognize throughout the entire Disney’s Descendants series with a new protagonist, new friendships and a familiar antagonist (“Off with their heads!”). It’s been five years since we’ve had a Descendants novel, and it’s an entertaining treat to read. It’s sweet fuel for my soul, as stylish as any dessert from Amorette’s Patisserie at Disney Springs, with the tastefully dark vibes of Gideon’s Bakehouse.

            Book One: Isle of the Lost

            Book Two: Return to the Isle of the Lost

            Book Three: Rise of the Isle of the Lost

            Book Four: Escape from the Isle of the Lost

Fox Snare (Oct. 17, 2023) by Yoon Ha Lee.

<This is the final novel in a trilogy.>

Being the bearer of the Dragon Pearl carries duty and weight, which is how Min the fox spirit finds herself involved in a mission to cement peace between the Thousand Worlds (of which she’s a part of, growing up on Jinju) and the Sun Clans with her ghost brother, Jun, Sebin the tiger spirit and Haneul the dragon spirit. Min is surprised to meet Yang Miho, the Thousand Worlds assistant minister, as she is a fox spirit with a high-ranking title in a realm that doesn’t think highly of fox spirits. Despite wanting to feel a natural camaraderie with another fox spirit (and a nine-tailed one, at that!), she withholds her own fox heritage. After an explosion finds Min, Jun, Sebin and Haneul in an escape pod, they crash-land on Jasujeong, a planet claimed by both the Thousand Worlds and the Sun Clans. It’s also said to be the resting place of the Sejong-Dehwang, a dreadnought with superweapon capabilities that doesn’t exist on any current or recent battle cruisers, guarded by its ghosts. The planet is home to plants and creatures unfamiliar to the group, and Min carries the power to terraform Jasujeong with the Pearl. But journeying across Jasujeong is tricky, especially when Haneul falls ill. Someone else has landed on the planet, too, but the character’s goals might not actually align with Min’s, and that could prove dangerous, not just for her and the others stranded with her, but for the two nations.

            It turns out that Korean mythology melded with space opera science fiction is a brew that I never knew I’d enjoy until I read it, and I’ve now read the full trilogy. Lee’s world-building contains rich detail, dynamic characters and high-octane adventure that leads to a satisfying conclusion. The story alternates between Min’s and Sebin’s perspectives. The centuries-long conflict between the Thousand Worlds and the Sun Clans references the historical struggle between Korea and Japan in a boldly subtle way. It’s in the smart way that Lee blends science fiction with Korean culture and folklore that gives this cohesive trilogy complexity and, I hope, wide appeal amongst teens and sci-fi-loving adults.

            Book One: Dragon Pearl

            Book Two: Tiger Honor

Winston Chu vs. the Wingmeisters (Feb. 6, 2024) by Stacey Lee.

<This is the second novel in a duology.>

Thanks to Winston Chu, his older sister Philippa and his friends (Mav, Cassa, Bijal and Monroe), San Francisco has been saved from magpie-turned-human Mr. Pang. They should brush off their hands and enjoy teenager-hood. Right? Wrong. Now they’ve got to face an even bigger problem and not only because he’s the front-runner to be San Francisco’s next mayor. He’s magpie-turned-human Mr. Gu, and he’s Mr. Pang’s brother. Behind Mr. Gu’s sunny laugh and loudly-colored tropical shirts, he’s hiding something in the eerily-timed fog around Treasure Island, an island long-abandoned ... or so everyone thinks. There’s a mysterious flocking of exotic birds to San Fran that has no obvious explanation. It might have something to do with the CHUs (Community Hi-tech Units), but could they really be taking humans and turning them into Birdbrains? There is definitely something fowl going on. The mischievous mustache is back (when it wants to be), Philippa convinces Sir Huxbury, the suit of armor, to talk, there are magical Kaleido Beans, a Destiny Racket, a Mirth Ball and a Banana Mike (yes, that’s correct), and it turns out that they’re going to need Mr. Pang’s help to best his own brother.

            Lee wraps up her debut middle-grade duology with an action-packed novel that is part bildungsroman, part chaos-adventure, part magic, and all entertaining, inspired by Chinese mythology and featuring a racially diverse cast. Winston’s got a lot of big feelings – pride, anger and jealousy – and he needs to determine what type of son/brother/friend he wants to be, as the group tries to save San Francisco again. Those sorcerous magpies sure are troublemakers! This duology-closer is fun and fantastical, but readers will want to be familiar with the events of the Whimsies before diving into the Wingmeisters.

            Book One: Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies

Rutabaga's Reads 2024: Part 13

Here comes the next compilation of picture books! I thought I’d have more than two picture book compilations this year, but alas, no.

The Bakery Dragon (Oct. 1, 2024) by Devin Elle Kurtz.

As a dragon, Ember wants to bring home spoils and hoard gold like the other dragons do, but he’s little and only produces a very small flame. Ember flies into a nearby town and gets caught in a fierce storm. A nice baker allows Ember to ride out the rainstorm in her bakery and teaches him to help her bake. “Ember watched, full of wonder, as the gooey blobs of dough transformed like magic into ... shining gold.” She gives him a tray of “baker’s gold.” It’s the most glorious thing he’s tasted, and when he returns home, its delectable aroma draws the other dragons. The baker isn’t thrilled when Ember returns with the other dragons, because they’ve done “an awful lot of stealing.” But, as they all learn, “...baking gold is better than taking it. And sharing it is best of all.”

            This story is *chef’s kiss* with its sweet storyline and warm illustrations that are so engaging that readers can smell the wafting deliciousness of fresh-baked bread and feel the decadent warmth of bread straight from the oven. The author-illustrator’s stunning pictures are as golden as the gold dragons want to hoard. This cheerful picture book is friendly and has a good message about sharing and generosity. I absolutely ate up this radiant picture book!

The Barnabus Project (Sept. 1, 2020) by Terry Fan, Eric Fan and Devin Fan (The Fan Brothers).

In a world created for Perfect Pets, half mouse, half elephant Barnabus is a Failed Project. His friend, Pip the cockroach, tells him stories about things like a sparkling silver lake and “mountains that reached all the way to the sky, lit with their own stars.” Barnabus believes that nothing is impossible, and on the day that the Failed Projects receive a “strange red stamp” (it says FAIL), Barnabus decides they all need to escape. Barnabus doesn’t want to be “recycled” and come out fluffier and cuter. He likes himself just the way he is. But how can Barnabus and his fellow Failed Project friends escape their confines in the hidden lab deep underground and avoid the Green Rubber Suits?

            The Fan brothers create an epic adventure of escape, rebellion and suspense that is moving and magical with detailed worldbuilding (the two-page illustration of the lab is fairly meticulous). It’s easy to root for Barnabus and his friends who want freedom and who accept each other just as they are. This picture book is stunning as it showcases bravery and diversity in a unique way. Fun and tender with beautiful imagination and glorious illustrations besides. The adventure is ambitious, it is perilous, and it has such heart.

Cozy in Love (Nov. 8, 2022) by Jan Brett.

In this second story featuring Cozy the musk ox, Cozy is downhearted after losing a test of strength with another in his herd. He wonders how he’ll gain the admiration of lovely Lofti, but he doesn’t wonder long, because one of his puffin friends alerts him to an emergency. Bella, their young beluga whale friend has played too long in Teardrop Inlet, and its entrance to the Bering Sea has frozen. If the entire inlet freezes over, she’ll lose access to air. Cozy devises a plan to use “simple science” and his own ox strength to help Bella over the ice wall. Little does Cozy know that someone is witnessing the entire scene and is admiring his strong, smart, bighearted self.

            With her signature storytelling, gorgeous illustrations and artwork vignettes, which also accompany the storytelling, Brett gives readers another quintessential Jan Brett picture book. The kindness and quick-thinking at the book’s heart reminds us that it’s always in-style to help friends in need. Brett’s rich artwork lends stunning beauty to a frigid Alaska backdrop and reminds us to care for all of the creatures of the world. This book is essential for any Brett fans and all libraries who carry her stories. It is a sweet, enchanting story.

The Goblin Twins (Sept. 5, 2023) by Frances Cha.

   Jaime Kim, illustrator.

Meet the goblin twins (Korean: dokkaebi). Doki likes conjuring gifts of gold or silver with his magic club (bangmangi) instead of scaring people. He also loves reading one of his three abandoned books. Kebi likes scaring people too much and gets in trouble for it with the elder dokkaebi. He loves exploring. The twins are young, only 601 years old! When they have to move out of their abandoned house, most move to a graveyard, but Doki and Kebi move from Seoul to a strange land called New York City. Trying to find the perfect place to live, they spot houses that are too cheerful or too new or already occupied by “New York monsters” (people) who aren’t very friendly. When they find the perfect house, what will they think of trick-or-treaters?

            As soon as I read the goblins’ names, my mind automatically thought of dokkaebi. This not-so-scary Halloween picture book is an entertaining treat. In other versions of Korean mythology, dokkaebi are to be avoided at all costs, for they cause dreamers to dream their worst fears, and then the dokkaebi feed on those fears. Yeah, not so nice. But even with Kebi being the mischievous of the two and the darkly bold, yet colorful, illustrations, this is overall a friendly tale. It’s not a fright, but a delight. It’s mythology, but cartoonish. It is adorable, and my nephew enjoyed it, too. I’d totally want to adopt book-loving Doki, but I’d watch out for Kebi’s shenanigans!

We Are Definitely Human (Aug. 6, 2024) by X. Fang.

It’s midnight when three strangers (aliens) crash-land outside Mr. and Mrs. Li’s house. The strangers’ “shape was very hard to describe,” and “their skin was very blue,” but they inform Mr. Li (Mrs. Li’s a very sound sleeper) that, “We are DEFINITELY human.” They are “…from…Europe.” Their “car” (UFO) has broken down and needs repair, but with the stores being closed for the night, Mr. Li, being a kind human, invites them into their home for the night and offers to help them repair their car. While Mrs. Li is surprised to see houseguests the following morning, she takes it all in stride, and asks what they do in Europe. They “make business,” “play sportsball” and “wear hat.” Fixing their car becomes a community event, and when they leave, Mr. Li declares, “Yep, they are DEFINITELY not from Europe.”

            While this story is fantastical with its not-remotely-human-looking aliens, their vehicle a.k.a. UFO and interplanetary interactions, it’s a story of kindness. Kindness radiates through the story, first with Mr. Li and then with the townsfolk, who, like Mr. and Mrs. Li “were all kind humans.” It’s a sweet, feel-good story with a message of kindness, yes, but of acceptance, too. The author/illustrator’s illustrations are fun but not over-the-top. It is pleasantly wise, pleasingly diverse (the Lis cue as Asian, the townsfolk vary in skin tone, and the visitors vary in size and height) and perfect for earthlings of any age.