Praire Lotus by Linda Sue Parks 2020

August 29, 2020

I feel lucky to have been guided to these books about the Asian American experience. Downstairs Girl, A Place to Belong, When you Trap A Tiger, and Prairie Lotus, all chronicle the abuse, prejudice, virtual . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Juvenile Books

When You Trap a Tiger

August 29, 2020

by Tae Keller 2020 A quick enchanting read that manages to tackle the pain of growing up in a another culture and the loss of the family matriarch. The Korean grandmother has told her granddaughters . . . read more »

Category: Reviews Juvenile Books

The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed 2019

August 29, 2020

The setting is the near future in a downtrodden small town suffering the effects of global warming and economic  disaster following the loss of the surrounding forests. It’s intentionally ugly and depressing with surreal fantasy . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Young Adult Books

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee 2019

July 29, 2020

Although it is written with a light touch, this book hit me hard.   I had not remembered that the southern suffragettes did not include formerly enslaved black women and certainly not Chinese women.They were not even . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Young Adult Books

With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo 2019

July 29, 2020

I loved this book about a feisty young woman who succeeds against so many odds. She is an Afro Latinx senior in high school, living in racially challenging Philadelphia with her  3 yr old daughter and . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Young Adult Books

JULY Reading

July 17, 2020

If you would like to put one of these books on hold, please visit the library website and browse the MINERVA catalog or call the library at 207-244-7065 and speak with one of us and . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu 2020

July 16, 2020

The book goes back and forth between reality and fantasy. The telling is inspired with crystalline images from the fantasy world and interesting historical details of Mozart’s time.  I was fascinated by the main characters, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Juvenile Books

CUB by Cynthia L Copeland, 2020

July 6, 2020

CUB by Cynthia L. Copeland 2020In a slightly fictionalized graphic novel memoir the author likens middle school to a jungle with predators (mean and popular kids) and prey (all the other kids). She (the main . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Graphic Novels, Reviews Juvenile Books

Enemy Child, by Andrea Warren 2019

June 27, 2020

We have other books for kids on the Japanese internment camps during WWII. I bought this one because it is told (through interviews) in the voice of a child. A real 10 year old child who loved baseball, . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Juvenile Books

Planet Omar Accidental Trouble Magnet

June 21, 2020

By Zanib Mian,  2019 Three cheers for this wonderful book! I had to read it all at once; taking it all in one big gulp. Omar is a totally wacky fantastic believable kid who navigates . . . read more »

Category: Book Reviews - Kids, Reviews Juvenile Books