The next time I write to you, school will have already started! So kick back and cherish the last days of summer vacation with some great new books. Remember to put these on hold, so we can place them in your hands as soon as we get them!
Picture Books
“Three Little Vikings” by Bethan Woollvin
What do you do when no one is listening to you? Three little Viking girls are playing together when they hear a loud noise outside. They tell the chieftan there might be a monster outside, and he reassures them it was just a thunderstorm. Trees are uprooted, houses destroyed and the village’s treasure hoard stolen — all while the chieftan insists it’s just birds or wind or maybe foxes. Finally, the girls decide to take matters into their own hands. With bold illustrations and an empowering message about questioning authority, this is a fun, updated fairy tale.
“A Synagogue Just Like Home” written by Alice Blumenthal McGinty and illustrated by Laurel Molk
Rabbi Ruben loves his synagogue and wants it to feel “just like home” for his community. When he realizes the floorboards creak, the sink leaks and the windows are drafty, he comes up with solutions despite his lack of handyman skills and experience. When the leaky sink he tried to fix with a wad of challah dough almost ruins the Friday night Shabbat service, his congregants step up to help. After all, if the synagogue truly is to be like a home, that means everyone should pitch in to help care for it! This is a lovely and warm tale of community, with plenty of chuckles at Rabbi Ruben’s DIY solutions.
Chapter Books
“Alliana, Girl of Dragons” written by Julie Abe and illustrated by Shan Jiang
Alliana’s father and beloved grandmother have died, leaving her to be cared for by her stepmother. Instead, her stepmother forces Alliana to cook and clean for their inn and sew ball gowns for her stepsister. Alliana longs to run away to the capital city, to escape the drudgery and loneliness. When she discovers a baby dragon living in the wilderness near the inn, and meets a young witch studying the magical animals that live there, Alliana seizes the chance to join them in their travels. So basically this is a Cinderella retelling but with more magic and more dragons! It’s set in the same Japanese inspired world as the author’s Eva Evergreen books, so if you like this one definitely check those books out too.
“Tumble” by Celia C. Pérez
Adela Ramírez loves her mom, who is remarried and pregnant, and her stepdad who has asked Addie if she’d like to be formally adopted. But she’s always wondered about her biological father that her mother refuses to discuss. When Addie discovers an old photo, she realizes that her father is a famous luchador, Manny “The Mountain” Bravo. Determined to meet him, Addie travels to the Bravo family’s New Mexico ranch and is warmly welcomed by the family of luchadores, though her father remains distant. Her family has grown larger than she ever thought it would, but Addie gets to decide what role her new and old family will play in her life together. I love that this book shows the importance of both found family and biological family, and the professional wrestling makes it extra fun!
