Completely Full Bookshelf

Hi everyone! I'm very excited to be reviewing an excellent graphic novel (and Printz Honor book): Dragon Hoops  by Gene Luen Yang. Add it on Goodreads  or preview the illustrations Let's start off with the publisher's description  of this book: ********** In his latest graphic novel, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches. Gene understands stories—comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Once Gene gets to k...

Hi everyone! Wow, do I have a lot of reviews for you today. First off, I have my second batch of reviews from participating in #MGReadathon —I reviewed 7 picture books last week , and I'm reviewing 7 more picture books this week (and leaving another 15 unreviewed, just because it was a lot  of books to read at once!). Interestingly, quite a few of today's books (the first, third, fourth, and sixth) are nonfiction! Also, I had some extra free time and crammed in a delightful graphic novel called Cat's Café , and because its unusual format meant I wouldn't be able to write a crazy-long review of it anyway, I figured I'd just tack it on to this post and talk about ALL THE BOOKS! So let's dive in! Picture Book Pandemonium! What book is it?   Stacey's Extraordinary Words , written by Stacey Abrams and illustrated by Kitt Thomas Add it on Goodreads  or preview the illustrations! Who recommended it?   Cheriee Weichel at Library Matters , Crystal Brunelle at Reading...

I had a wonderful time this weekend participating in the 48 Hour #MGReadathon hosted by Karen Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads !  I decided to cram in as many picture books as I could manage, and here are my final stats: Total time:  5 hours Total books: 29 picture books You can learn more about everything I read by visiting my main #MGReadathon post or viewing the graphic at the end of this post. Now I'd like to share a few of the books that stood out to me from my reading! I'm going to share 7 today and 7 next week, which means another 15 won't get reviewed, but many of them were wonderful too, it bears noting! Now let's look at some books: What book is it?   Our Little Kitchen  by Jillian Tamaki Who recommended it?   Cheriee Weichel at Library Matters , Linda Browne , and more! What does the publisher say?  " Tie on your apron! Roll up your sleeves! Pans are out, oven is hot, the kitchen’s all ready! Where do we start? In this lively, rousing pictur...

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to be participating in the 48 Hour #MGReadathon  hosted by Karen Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads ! This reading challenge is pretty much all we've been hoping for—an excuse to try and read for as many hours straight as we can in a 48-hour period! My plan is to use this time to cram in a bunch of picture books that have been filling up my reading list. I may review some of these books later, but for now, I will just be listing them throughout the day. I was going to use a Goodreads gadget, but it wasn't working, so just click the link below to see what I've been reading throughout the day—and make sure to check out the challenge and consider participating! Click here to see what I've been reading for #MGReadathon on Goodreads! Update in the evening of July 16, 2022:  I've officially read 15 picture books in about 2 hours, 45 minutes, which I am happy with—although I kind of wonder where all the other hours in the day went! I probably w...

Hello everyone! I haven't had much time to read or blog the last few days, so I'll keep it short. Today I'm posting an accelerated set of reviews for four picture books, most that have been waiting on my shelves for a while! What book is it?   A Blue Kind of Day , written by Rachel Tomlinson and illustrated by Tori-Jay Mordey Who recommended it?   Cheriee Weichel at Library Matters , Kellee Moye and Ricki Ginsberg at Unleashing Readers , and others! What does the publisher say?  " Coen is having a sniffling, sighing, sobbing kind of day.  His family thinks they know how to cheer him up. His dad wants to go outside and play, Mom tells her funniest joke, and his little sister shares her favorite teddy. Nothing helps. But one by one, they get quiet and begin to listen. After some time, space, and reassurance, Coen is able to show them what he needs. With poignant text and stunning illustrations, A Blue Kind of Day explores how depression might feel in the body and sho...

Hello everyone! I skipped last week's post in part because I didn't want to pick up another book to review when I was making such good progress on this amazing one—and now that I'm finished with it, I can't wait to talk about it with you all! Today's book is Yolk  by Mary H.K. Choi. This book is a young adult (YA) novel that skews toward the adult end of the spectrum (our protagonist is in college), so it definitely contains mature content. Also, I will quote the content warning  from the beginning of the book for "disordered eating, dysmorphia, and bulimia," and I will also add in a mention of unwanted sexual advances (I promise, this book isn't as depressing as it sounds from all of that). Add it on Goodreads Let's start off with the publisher's description  of this book: ********** Jayne and June Baek are nothing alike. June’s three years older, a classic first-born, know-it-all narc with a problematic finance job and an equally soulless apa...