Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers - from the trusted experts at the American Library Association

Lynn: I love this job!  I get paid to read and right now you should see the books on the top of my to-read stack.  I am in sequel heaven!  There are so many awesome books that I couldn’t chose between them so I closed my eyes, mixed them up, made a stack and am [...]

Lynn: I love books where I learn new things especially in subjects that I thought I knew something about. I REALLY love books that make me say, “Wait a minute! What makes you say THAT?” Marc Aronson is really good at that and his new book with Marina Budhos, Sugar Changed the World: A Story [...]

Lynn: I’ll start this post by reminding readers that my 7-year-old twin grandsons stay with me before and after school and during the summer. Like most 7-year-old boys they love bugs and books about bugs. Cindy saw this book at ALA and I ordered Bug Zoo (DK 2010) sight unseen. Bugs: how to catch them [...]

Lynn: I’m giving you all fair warning. Kids will LOVE Yes Day! (Harper 2009) and they will also LOVE the idea behind the story. Our focus group started asking for a Yes Day before we even finished the book! Bright cartoon-style illustrations describe one action after another that are a kid’s idea of heaven–from pizza [...]

Lynn: Remember a few weeks ago when Cindy demanded more estrogen in the picture books we blog? I have JUST the book that should please her and keep our focus group happy too. Brontorina (Candlewick 2010) is about a ballet dancer AND a dinosaur. In fact it is about a dinosaur who wants to be [...]

Cindy: Want to hook young readers on the genre of biography? Give them All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine (Tundra, 2010). The opening scene shows a 6 year-old Elijah happily running to fix his father’s broken horse-drawn mower. His talent and love of working on machines started early. In 1866 Elijah returned to his ex-slave [...]

Lynn: Ahoy me hearties! Here’s a whale of a tale perfect for the young buccaneers heading to back to school. A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade (Feiwel 2010) chronicles a small boy’s first day at school accompanied by his invisible pirate crew. Every step from “shining his snappers” to meeting “the new cap’n Silver – [...]

Lynn: Cindy is always chiding me for hyperbolic praise for books so brace yourselves for her section because I’m probably going to be in for a scold. I love this book! The focus group loves this book! Picture us jumping up and down waving our arms and shouting at you to get Chalk (Marshall Cavendish [...]

Cindy: Jack tales have to be among my favorite folktales and when you have one written by a special author and combine that with a tribute to storytelling and feature dessert, you know up front how I will feel about this book! Clever Jack Takes the Cake (Random House/Schwarz & Wade, 2010) is an original [...]

Lynn: Here is a book that is going to take very little work to promote. Just set Pika: Life in the Rocks (Boyds Mills 2010) on display and stand back. The eye-catching cover will guarantee that this book will be checked out immediately. I am always excited to find excellent nonfiction books for our youngest [...]