Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
Superiorland Book Reviews
Book reviews by Upper Michigan readers
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
ABDUL'S STORY by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. Illus. by Tiffany Rose. New York: Salaam Reads, 2022. 32p. ISBN 978-1534462984 hc. $17.99 Gr. 1-4 E PIC
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
This story really begins with IN A JAR (2020) that follows Llewellyn's passion for collecting interesting objects from nature and storing them in jars. The illustrations are simplistic at first glance, but full of pattern and detail. The same artistic style continues to the second story where Llewellyn began to store his feelings in jars, instead of dealing with his emotions. Soon he had jars full of fear, sadness, excitement, anger, joy, and disappointment. It was embarrassment that pushed Llewellyn over the edge. He didn't have any more room to store those bottled-up emotions and accidentally broke the jars. Llewellyn experienced all of the emotions at once, leading him to decide that it would be easier to experience and share emotions when they occur. By choosing a very literal way to talk about "bottled-up" feelings with the jar motif, Marcero has created an effective way to talk about emotions with children.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
KNIGHT OWL by Christopher Denise. New York: Christy Ottaviano Books, 2022. 32p. ISBN 978-031631-62-8 hc. $17.99 Gr. K-2 E PIC
Little owl had an unfaltering dream to be a knight. It was all he thought about. He applied to Knight School, studied hard, trained hard (even though he was smaller than most knights), and got a night job guarding the castle. He carried on until one night when a fire-breathing dragon visited the castle and proposed to eat the owl. After some tense moments, the clever and determined owl talked the dragon into sharing a pizza instead, as it would be much more delicious and make it easier to have conversation. The dragon, who started out as a bully, became a friend rather than an adversary - and that was also good for conversation. The illustration will hold a young readers attention, making this delightful story a great read-aloud option.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Neatly structured into three chapters, Breath One, Breath Two, and Breath Three, Reynolds and Griffin have tackled the feeling of having few options in a limited environment. Considering that they came up with the idea for this story during the stifling confines of being indoors during COVID, each chapter ends with the meditative phrase, "in through the nose, out through the mouth." It's a way to survive the uncertainty that overtook the mundane lifestyle during 2020. The well-chosen words of poetry could be about the immediate actions of the family on the pages or extended to encompass the political actions of the larger world. Reynold's writing is always thoughtful and thought-provoking. The wonderful surprise in this book is the impactful art of Jason Griffin. With the journal pages as a background, covered with collage and taped-on text, the images are unforgettable. Kudos to Reynolds and Griffin for one of the best books of the year!
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
MURDER AMONG FRIENDS: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime by Candace Fleming. New York: Anne Schwartz Books, 2022. 291p. ISBN 978593177426 hc. $19.99 Gr. 7-12 NF 364.1523
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Mallory Moss has settled into a comfortable middle school life with supportive family and friends, including her best friend Reagan. That doesn't mean that she always says the right thing in front of peers or agrees with her mom on every issue. She constantly works to maintain her social status and avoid Pete, the school bully. Mallory's life changes the day Jennifer Chan moves in across the street and their mothers arrange for them to get acquainted. Since Jennifer doesn't fit in with Mallory's circle of friends, and keeps a detailed diary of her search for aliens from other planetary cultures, is it possible to stay friends? As Mallory sorts out the issues of bullying and aliens, it turns out that Pete isn't the only bully around. Readers will turn pages faster and faster as the adventure reaches a crescendo. After mulling over a very thoughtful ending, read the Author's Note on page 269 about her own experience with bullying in middle school.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI