Gigi crafts her Japanese American identity in this enchanting early reader. The cuteness, inclusivity, and cross-cultural problem-solving represented will have young readers coming back again and again. A must-buy.
The small print detracts from the uniqueness of this picture book about Delhi, and Fatima’s story is almost a footnote to the places she visits. An optional purchase, or where international representation is valued.
An essential purchase for libraries serving middle grade and YA readers. Kids will be captivated by Leif’s inner monologue as he makes life-and-death decisions and reflects on the lure of the north, and the power of the sea.
Though the work is at times weighty and narratively dense, confronting this history is the only way we can move forward to a just, antiracist future. Recommended.
Libraries need more titles featuring young people who care about climate change and live with undiagnosed mental illness, and this fresh novel in verse fits the bill.
While informative and ambitious, this awkward narrative bites off more than it can chew. One could imagine factual components in sidebars so that the narrative alone doesn’t have to carry the weight of this interesting slice of history.