When Eric, a timid mallard, hears a fellow duck suggest the group of four duck friends go down to the lake, he is alarmed. After all, a monster lives under the water, and it will pull them under. The others laugh at him. They say only fish and frogs live underwater, but Eric is convinced … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Monster in the Lake
Baron Lamberto, 93 years old and in failing health, lives in a mansion on an island in the middle of Lake Orta, in northern Italy. Living from the proceeds of his 24 banks around the world, he is waited on by his butler, Anselmo, and an army of cooks, servants, and, strangely, six people in … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto
Review by Emma Tueller Stone “Once, there was a little girl who prayed for heroes… But that little girl is long gone… I am a monster. I am one of them” (Falaye, p. 362). If anyone finds out who or what Sloane is, she will die. She is a Scion, the descendent of powerful Orisha … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Blood Scion
Review by Alice Penfold “I had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen…” Liur is dominated by the fear of “something terrible” happening to her or her father. After her mother dies suddenly, her father disappears to America; although he originally goes there to study, he soon abandons this plan and goes travelling, … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: The Ventriloquist’s Daughter
At the risk of repeating myself yet again, picture books are for everyone. They are most certainly appropriate for young adults, especially when they are bold, daring, and splashed with a bit of danger. Published by Enchanted Lion Books' new picture book imprint Unruly, You Can't Kill Snow White is both a new interpretation and … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: You Can’t Kill Snow White
A quiet hero’s journey for YA readers, The Cat Who Saved Books tells the story of high-schooler Rintaro Natsuki, a shy hikikomori (shut-in). When the story begins, Rintaro’s beloved grandfather and guardian has just died, leaving him the owner of his grandfather’s secondhand bookstore. The description of Rintaro’s feelings about his grandfather’s death are poignant, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Cat Who Saved Books
Looking for a summertime middle grade adventure tale? Curious to learn about faraway places? Then Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup* will be just the ticket for you! Set in Kazakhstan, Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup is the opening book in a coming-of-age fantasy series set in today’s world but … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup
Originally published in 2018 as part of a Kickstarter campaign and forthcoming to a more global audience this August from Catalyst Press, Kariba is an adventurous fantasy middle grades graphic novel. As the South African-based creators note in an afterword, Kariba "draws heavily upon historical fact," taking its name from the real life Kariba Dam … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Kariba
Frog and Toad meet Encylopedia Brown with a dash of The Wind in the Willows in the award-winning Detective Gordon series, a charming, whimsical set of five chapter books for ages 6-10. The final book in the series, A Case with a Bang starts off with young mouse Detective Buffy investigating a case of “night … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: A Case with a Bang:
As an early literacy advocate, I am a huge proponent of graphic novels and comic books. Graphic novels can help hook reluctant readers, build visual literacy, and challenge students to read analytically. Do not let the presence of pictures fool you; as in picture books, there is often more to them that meets the eye. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Hunt is On (Seekers of the Aweto Book 1)
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 