Are you a fan of Il Mare? How about The Lake House? This is the book for you! Present day Clementine finds herself back in New York to pack up her deceased aunt’s apartment. Only instead of a place filled with ghosts and memories, she finds a bright and cheerful man who makes her feel closer to her aunt, and more alive, once more. Only, this version of her aunt’s apartment lives seven years in the past. Packed with the tastes of sweetly decadent lemon pies, salty kisses, and bittersweet regret, this book asks the question of what happens when your future comes to collect on the mistakes and promises made in your past.
In the tiny ramen aisle of the grocery store, a ramen packet stands surrounded by spaghetti and spaghetti related propaganda. Poor ramen, they don’t understand how much they are loved and adored, they only see the love for spaghetti. Follow their journey home from the supermarket, and with the help of chashu, egg, narutomaki, and seaweed, ramen learns they are perfect as themselves. And delicious.
This sweet, rhyming book is the most delicious board book around. Inclusive of all the ways around the world that different countries and cultures make dumplings, it ends with a list of all the types of dumplings illustrated in the book, along with their country of origin. I dare you to read it and not immediately hunger for some delicious dumplings!
What does the perfect mother look like? Does she meticulously buckle her child’s shoes the correct way? Does she sway like a metronome whenever she holds a baby? Does she still exist, even after she disappears? Vera lives Elsewhere, a mountain town set somewhere in present day, where a curious thing happens to mothers. They literally disappear. After the physical vanishing, the town comes in and wipes away all traces of the mothers’ existence, houses scoured, personal items sold, until there is no trace left. Vera’s mother was one of the Afflicted, and Vera grows up in the shadow of fear, uncertainty, and curious silence that such a disappearance impressed upon her. This book is all speculative fiction, part horror, part mystery, and asks the questions, what does it mean to be a woman? A female? A mother?
Shy Mole has been invited to a party at Rabbit’s house. As Mole makes their way to the party, they worry about not knowing anyone there, about being too shy to talk to anyone, and about the party being too rowdy. By the time they reach Rabbit’s home, Mole sees that Skunk is also standing outside the party. Both decide that the party looks too much for them, and Rabbit thanks them for coming. This is such a sweet story of understanding of shyness, and giving space, instead of judgment, to shy friends.
In this gorgeous picture book of childrens’ poetry, each room in the Wonder House welcomes the reader with beautiful words and dreamy, watercolor like illustrations. There is a room of wishes, a room of imagination, a room of time, a room of ordinary things. This book is a stellar way to introduce children to the whimsy, and the wonder, of poetry. All the stars for recommendation!
At first blush, this seems like a Romeo and Juliet, enemies to lovers, YA fantasy. Everline, of the Wardens, stands guard against Ravel and the bloodthirsty Vespertines, while living and fighting in a magic-infused, gothic wasteland. Delving deeper, you find forbidden secrets, betrayal, romance, and the question of who, or what, makes up a family? With decadent prose, I could almost taste the decay and honey rising off the pages. Great read for October spookiness!
At its heart, this is a book about the bond of sisterhood, how deeply we can love, and how far we will go to protect those we cherish.
Channi and Vanna are sisters, and the only ones in their family who love each other unconditionally. Vanna was born with a great light and beauty, whereas Channi was offered as a sacrifice by their own father, and escaped but wears the monstrous visage of a snake. When Vanna is to be auctioned off by their parents to be married to the highest bidder, Channi is the only one who can compete and save her sister from the cruelty of both their parents and Vanna's suitors.
Imagine if Elsa and Anna from Frozen were thrown into the world of Beauty and the Beast, with a dash of the trials from the Hunger Games. I am obsessed with this book and highly recommend everyone read it.
This book thwarted all my expectations of your typical fractured fairy tale retelling. Bitsy is not your typical princess, unsure of her place and chafing by the restraints of her royal duties. There is a spindle, a fall deep down to a mysterious world that trips everything she knows upside down. There are princes who turn into frogs, a Prince Charming, a kingdom to save, and most of all, Bitsy learns what it means to be herself.
At first blush, this collection of SF stories seem to run the gambit - from a time traveling gate that could easily fit into a tale from 1001 nights, to a warning of predictive AI future, to stories of parenting. All share the question though of how do we, as humans, grapple with both big and small questions in an ever changing universe.
In a land where the only path for a girl is to marry well, Maia dreams of becoming a great tailor like her father. She fights for her chance when she takes her father's place when he is called to the summer palace to compete for the Imperial Tailor position. Part Mulan, part Project runway, will Maia win, keep her identity secret, and attain her dream?
Kids are fast. Childhood is faster. Treasure the small moments when your kid isn't a blur. **great alternative to Dr. Seuss "The Places You'll Go"
What does a monkey king, a new kid at school, the only Chinese kid at school, and a random character all have in common? They are all searching for a place to belong.
What if The Great Tasby was set in a magical, alternate American Jazz age? Where magic reigns supreme in the upper echelons, deals are made with literal devils, and relationships are still dramatic. Told through the eyes of Jordan, Daisy's best friend, a Vietnamese adoptee who has a magic and a love story to find of her own.
This is a story of finding. Of wanting. Of belonging. Of family, both found and chosen. Most of all, it is a funny, endearing, and touching. With a background of literary nods, and a skater punk "who gives a damn" aesthetic, I , a 40 something year old women, still found myself in these pages.
As a kid, every moment seems so big. As an adult, we rush past the small events. This book, with its lyrical prose and lush images, reminds us to take the time to slow down, speed up, and share in all the moments inbetween.
A little kid celebrates how her eyes are like her mother's, her grandmother's, and her baby sister's. A beautiful book of belonging.
Can a book be a hug? This book is a hug, a book about familiar expectations, a life plan, sibling love, and a sweet love side story. Follow Mina as she navigates through following her dreams, and enjoy her discovery of how she finds her happiness.
Lucky is a Kpop princess. Everything from her looks, to her food, to her downtown is controlled by her music label. Jack is a Korean American looking for his break into photography, away from his parents' dream of him going into banking. A chance meeting has them spending 24 hours together. Will it be enough for them to find success for their dreams?
Nicole Chung's second memoir deals with how her blue color, middle class background failed both her parents during the pandemic and herself after their deaths. With her sharp wit she paints her anger, sorry, and grief over how the US healthcare system failed first her father, and then her mother, in this intense breakdown of health, grief, and rage. **read with tissues
George Takei was a child when Executive Order 9066 was issued and his family was forced, along with 70,000 other American citizens into incarceration camps. Haunting, beautiful, and factual, this graphic novel memoir highlights a time period often left in the dark by history.
