As we head into winter break, the HVLA Board is here to help you fill your days with our favorite recent reads! Read on for a handful of titles for all ages and our thoughts on why they deserve a spot in your TBR pile. Wishing the entire HVLA community some restful and joyful time away from school.
Picture Books
“I can’t be the only person who pre-ordered this months in advance. Like the others in this series, Creepy Crayon really invites the reader to break out their best suspenseful, creepy voices. In addition, this one invites some discussion about academic integrity…. but in a fun way.”
– Gwen
“Gibberish had me at every page turn! I admire everything about this picture book, from the plot, to the illustrations rendered in pencil sketches and watercolor, to the overall book’s design—this title is a gem! Vo masterfully uses the illustrations, nontext imagery and eventually the printed word, to depict the experience of a young immigrant child named Dat, who is learning English for the first time. Gibberish works on so many levels, and I’m most excited to share it with the pre-readers, whom I suspect will be able to relate with Dat, when he says, “Gibberish was in the books and in the air.” (Recommended for Ages 5-10)”
– Angela
“Though a few years old now, this beautiful poem/biography/love letter to A Snowy Day delights me each time I revisit it, whether with children or on my own! “Snow is nature’s we-all blanket.” Read this and feel all the feelings about the power of stories, representation, and poetry.”
– Megan
Chapter Books
“Surprising no one, Kate DiCamillo has done it again! While I will admit I was not impressed by the description, DiCamillo had me hooked from the very first page.”
– Christine
“This book is a couple of years old now, but I’ve already read it several times this fall. It makes a great class read aloud for K-1 (especially if one is willing to make up tunes for the crocodile’s silly songs), and is a favorite bedtime story in my household (read in a couple installments).”
– Gwen
Graphic Novels
“A graphic novel so wild and beloved it has its own merch! Dynamic duo Mac Barnett and Shawn Harriss have created such a silly fun story that will have readers of any age laughing out loud. Also includes tons of supplemental material online, like “live cartoons” complete with animation and sound effects by the authors themselves.”
– Christine
“I really enjoyed this feel-good fantasy graphic novel, and quickly found each of the characters appealing. As much as any character, though, I am fascinated by the witches’ basement, and wish I could spend a few afternoons there.”
– Gwen
Young Adult
“This is a sweet, fast-paced novel told from the perspective of high school Junior Yamilet. Yami and her brother Cesar are starting over at Slayton, the local Catholic school, to get away from the drama in their (former) friend groups. At Slayton, Yami and Cesar are bonded by their experience as the new, Brown kids. Over the course of the school year, they’ll find out that they share a closely guarded secret, too. This is a sensitive story told with compassion and empathy for misfits and the systems they live in, full of funny social media and pop culture references that bring the characters to life. ”
– Elaine
“Probably my favorite new realistic young adult read in years, We Deserve Monuments is a story of love and community packed with so much heart. The story navigates generational trauma, coming out, and the weighted history of small town life in the south. I read the ARC way back in March and have talked about it at least once a week since!”
– Megan
Adult
“This is a book about mothers. Maybe yours or theirs, maybe you know one— maybe it’s about you. Amid the chaos of modern life, the characters in the stories of Look How Happy I’m Making You are observant and empathetic, offering a knowing glance to the reader when one might be feeling a little less than stellar about one’s life choices. The stories feature people mothering each other, mothers of infants, motherless adults, and those who poet and scholar Maggie Nelson might call “the many gendered mothers of [their] heart.” Each one imperfect, complex, and reflective.”
– Elaine
“This speculative wonder of an adult debut reimagines US history in the wake of the Mass Dragoning of 1955 – an event in which thousands of women spontaneously turned into dragons and flew away from their lives. It is weird, smart, and all about freedom of information and freedom of identity. It also features some very, very good librarians. <3”
– Megan