Category Archives: review

Worm-Tastic: A Review of Night Chef

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Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship With a Side of Deliciousness!
Mika Song
Random House Children’s Books/RH Graphic
Ages 7-10
Available October 28. 2025

Night Chef lives in the walls of a human kitchen, only coming out at night to cook. But when an egg hatches into a baby crow, it becomes necessary to venture out past the safety of her kitchen to return it to its family. Along the way, she meets a wide cast of characters and starts to build a family of her own.

Song captures Night Chef’s journey in watercolors, giving the book a unique style that allows it to stand out among scores of graphic novels. Pages contain minimal dialogue, with characters often speaking in only one or two sentences, allowing focus to be pulled to the action and scenery on the pages. As Night Chef travels, she meets a variety of creatures, each of which teaches her a lesson about family and allows her to expand her chef training outside of the kitchen. The culmination, an epic face-off with the fate of an animal restaurant with a worm-heavy menu, finds Night Chef viewing family in a new light.

With gorgeous pictures and digestible dialogue, Night Chef has the ability to entice seasoned and reluctant readers alike. The heartwarming story, combined with humor and moments of action, gives this graphic novel a wide appeal.

This Book’s The Real Peel: A Review of This is Orange

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This is Orange: A Field Trip Through Color
Rachel Poliquin
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Candlewick Press
Ages 5-9
Available October 21st, 2025

Whether it’s that first juicy bite of a mandarin, the fur of your feisty tabby cat, or even the Guianan cock-of-the-rock’s flamboyant, lady-wooing crest, the color orange is everywhere… but who exactly was the first to call it “orange?” This exploration of color begins over six hundred years ago, when Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous book The Canterbury Tales describes a fox whose “colour was betwixe yelow and reed.” Although the word itself stems from the Tamil word for fragrant: naru, one of the English language’s first written accounts of the color orange comes from a description of the Queen of Scotland’s dress with “slevys of orenge colour.”This is Orange traces the color’s presence around our world, from the holidays we celebrate to the fruits we eat, even to the garb of astronauts and monks alike.  

Author Rachel Poliquin draws inspiration from her Renaissance woman background—part museum curator, part humanities scholar, part literature PhD. She pairs simpler sentences for younger readers with fascinating fun facts for those who are a bit older, like how “the feet of mallard ducks turn bright orange when they are trying to find a mate, yet puffins’ feet are always orange” (22). The brisk pace and jumps from topic to topic—from color theory all the way to vexillology—keep This is Orange feeling bright and engaging rather than overwhelming, although the text may have benefited from the inclusion of a glossary for more curious readers.

A “field trip” might be one way to describe it, but in combination with Julie Morstad’s vibrant watercolor & pastel illustrations, where shades of apricot and calendula feel like they’ve been taken fresh from the paint palette, an “adventure” through color feels more like it. 

New Shoes, Old Traditions: A Review of Charlotte’s New Moccasins

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Charlotte’s New Moccasins
Jenn Moudahi
Illustrated by Rhael McGregor
Charlesbridge
Ages 3-8
Available October 14th, 2025

Charlotte loves her moccasins, but she’s finally outgrown them. At first, she mourns her favorite shoes, until Mommy announces that it’s time for a trip to see Grandma! Together, Charlotte and her grandma pick out their materials, decide on a beaded design, and sew together a brand new pair of moccasins to fit Charlotte’s growing feet. What started out as a disappointment turns into an exciting adventure, as Charlotte decides that she can’t wait to outgrow her new moccasins and start the whole process all over again.

Moudahi’s prose captures all of the big emotions Charlotte is feeling, from deep sadness to profound joy. There is a deep sense of familiarity throughout the story — Charlotte knows everything in her grandmother’s workshop, even if the reader does not, and comments on each item with an ease that brings us into her world. McGregor’s full color, full page illustrations bring the story to life, capturing Charlotte’s joy through constant motion. A repeated motif of orange-yellow swirls follows her throughout the book as her love and excitement grow.

Growing out of a beloved item of clothing is something every child can relate to. Some may be familiar with moccasins and see themselves reflected in the story, while for others it will be an introduction to new cultures and traditions. For children who want to know more about moccasins and their importance to various Indigenous cultures, back matter provides a more in-depth explanation.

Weaving Together the Past and Present: A Review of Braided Roots 

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Braided Roots: The Interweaving of History, Family, and a Father’s Love 
Written by Pasha Westbrook 
Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight 
Published by Scholastic/Orchard Books 
Ages 4-8 
Available November 4, 2025 

A young girl sits still for her father so he can braid her hair before school. As he braids, he tells her all about their mixed family history and culture. Their ancestors were Freedmen and Native Americans who walked along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma, and her father impresses upon her that their hair is their history. This prompts the young girl to look at photographs of her relatives, reflecting on how she is connected to past generations through her braided hair. When her father finishes her braid, they celebrate their heritage with a twirl, leaving the young girl feeling like she can change the world. 

In this charming picture book, Pasha Westbrook creates a charming tale that celebrates fatherly love and blended cultural traditions. Her poetic prose artfully conveys the deep connection the young narrator and her father have with their family, comparing their braids to DNA that links them to their ancestors. Westbrook also takes care to show how close the father and daughter are; in the afterword, she writes that she modeled their relationship after her relationship with her own father, creating a heartwarming and personal element. Madelyn Goodnight’s digital illustrations are in full color, utilizing a warm-toned palette and her signature realistic style to portray the sweet, thoughtful mood of the story. Goodnight shows the main character’s passion for her history, and her illustrations incorporate Westbrook’s DNA metaphor into many pages. A touching story about familial connection going back generations, this touching scene between a father and daughter is a wonderful way for young readers to learn about Native American history, culture, and connection.  

Not So Lonely: A Review of Chris Makes a Friend

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Chris Makes a Friend
Alex Gino
Scholastic/Scholastic Press
Ages 8-12
Available November 4th, 2025

Chris knows exactly what she’s going to do with her summer: the Great Summer 72 Book Challenge. She and her best friend Vicky are going to read 72 books each, one for every day of the summer. But their plans come crashing down Chris finds out that she and her sister Becca will be spending the summer with their grandparents while their mom recovers from surgery. It’s not so bad — at least Chris can still message Vicky about their progress on the GS72BC. Except Vicky is spending all her time with her new friends from theater camp, and barely messaging Chris at all. When Chris meets Mia, a fellow bookish 11-year-old, while reading in the woods, it seems like she’s finally found someone who understands her. But there’s more to Mia than meets the eye.

Chris Makes a Friend, like Gino’s other titles, focuses on the realities of being a kid with a heavy focus on diverse and authentic characters. Chris faces challenges that will be relatable to many young readers: loneliness, friend troubles, parental illness, and difficult younger siblings. As she explores the world around her and the way she (and Mia) exist in it, Chris is met with kindness, understanding, and just enough pushback to allow her to learn and grow. At the crux of the book is a question anyone can relate to — what can we do when we feel lonely?

Chris’ ever-present love for reading (and complete list of 70 book recommendations) will make hungry young readers feel at home in Chris Makes a Friend. Themes of chronic illness and disability will be familiar to some readers, while providing a window of insight for others.

Search for the Truth: A Review of Through Our Teeth 

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Through Our Teeth 
Written by Pamela N. Harris 
Published by Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins Publishers 
Ages 16-18 
Available September 16, 2025 

High school senior Liv Porter has been numbly floating through life since her best friend, Hope Jackson, died six months ago. The police ruled her death as a suicide, but Liv suspects that she was murdered by her boyfriend, Brendan. Struggling with anxiety since Hope’s death, Liv is determined to find out what really happened to her. One night, she lures Brendan to one of her mom’s empty properties to exact revenge and uncover the truth. But the plan goes awry when two of his friends show up—and then utter disaster strikes when people in their group start dying, one by one. Determined to survive the night and get justice for Hope, Liv exposes the lies of those she was closest to. 

Pamela N. Harris creates a twisty page-turner that explores themes of mental health, domestic violence, and cyberbullying. The action in this locked-room thriller starts immediately, gripping readers until the last page. Harris also utilizes flashback scenes every few chapters to provide more context to Liv’s relationships and slowly reveal what happened the night Hope died. The combination of past and present scenes results in each characters’ secrets being revealed in a dramatic way that hearkens back to Pretty Little Liars, mounting suspense as the reader gets closer to the truth. Mental illness is an important theme, and the novel explores anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder through multiple characters. The conversations surrounding mental illness and its treatment in the Black community can be used as a good starting point for deeper conversations with teens. Both suspenseful and insightful, Through Our Teeth allows readers the chance to explore important topics within a thrilling mystery. 

Below the Surface: A Review of Dive 

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Dive 
Written by John David Anderson 
Published by Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins Publishers 
Ages 9-13 
Available August 19, 2025 

Thirteen-year-old Kass feels frustrated with her life. She and her best friend are drifting apart, and her parents’ marriage is strained by money problems. Even Kass’s safe space in the pool as a competitive diver causes her stress as she struggles to master a dive that her teammate, Amber, could perform in her sleep. Disheartened, Kass’s life changes when she finds Miles, a seventeen-year-old high school dropout, dumpster diving near her bus stop. Intrigued, Kass starts taking “lessons” from him on how to scavenge, looking for the value in discarded objects. Along the way, Kass learns the importance of looking past her assumptions to find the deeper story. 

John David Anderson delivers a heartwarming story about looking past appearances to find deeper connections with the people and places around you. Through Kass’s character arc, Anderson explores what it means to test boundaries and make mistakes as a way toward self-discovery. Miles and Amber further propel Kass’s development as they teach her that her assumptions of others aren’t always true. Anderson utilizes cheeky teenage humor to bring levity to the emotional, serious situations that Kass finds herself in, like the effects of her parents’ struggling marriage. The novel is fast-paced, covering only a couple of weeks of Kass’s life, but its impression is long-lasting. Both moving and thought-provoking, Dive by John David Anderson is a mirror for many tweens and young teens trying to figure out where they land in the world. 

Celebrating Our Differences: A Review of We’re Different and it’s Totally Cool!

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We’re Different and it’s Totally Cool!
Camey Yeh
Random House Children’s Books/Crown Books for Young Readers
Ages 3-6
Available July 22nd, 2025

We’re Different and it’s Totally Cool! is a celebration of all of the things that make us different and unique from one another. Yeh points out the ways that everyone is special, on the outside and within, and the things we have in common with each other. In the end, being different is what makes each person interesting!

Yeh’s book is packed full of color and visual interest. The striking illustrations are bold and bright, and made to draw attention. There’s lots to hunt for on each page, including a variety of human and animal characters who reoccur throughout the book. Simple phrases and repetition build a story that’s easy to follow along with, leaving the pictures as the star of the show.

Yeh’s message of diversity and individuality will be a good introduction to the concept of differences for young readers as they begin to enter daycare or school and begin to meet and interact with a wide variety of people. Exciting visuals mean the potential for re-reads is high, and the book may be enjoyed over and over again.

Portrait of a Portraitist: A Review of Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

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Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun 
Written by Jordana Pomeroy 
Published by Getty Publications 
Ages 12-14 
Available July 29, 2025 

Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was destined to become an artist. Born in France on April 16, 1755, her father saw her artistic potential and encouraged her to create art. Before she turned 20, she gained admittance to a prestigious union of painters called the Academy of Saint-Luc, building her reputation as a talented portraitist. She was forced to flee France during the revolution because of her loyalty to the monarchy. Elisabeth traveled through Europe with her daughter and her daughter’s governess, supporting them with her portraits of prominent figures, like Catherine the Great. After 12 years, Elisabeth was able to safely return to France, though she continued to love travelling throughout Europe and painting portraits. Elisabeth died at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazing woman in Europe’s aristocratic art world. 

Pomeroy’s extensive knowledge of art and history, gained from her years of experience as a curator of many art museums, shines through in this biography. Pomeroy creates a detailed portrait of the artist and her work by drawing heavily on Elisabeth’s own memoir. She includes personal details about Elisabeth and her relationships while carefully reminding readers that Elisabeth’s perspective is just one side of the story. Pomeroy also masterfully incorporates other important historical people, events, and practices, such as information on wet nursing. This helps develop Elisabeth’s world and allows readers to better understand the society that she lived in. Images of Elisabeth’s famous paintings are included, as well as other work from other artists, showing readers both Elisabeth’s beautiful work and the work of her contemporaries and influences. Pomeroy includes notes, an index, and selected sources for further reading, as well as a brief “cast of characters” for quick reference at the beginning of the book. Overflowing with fascinating art history, this inspirational biography is great for highlighting the impact of women in the arts.  

Working Harder and Smarter: A Review of Tenacious Won’t Give Up

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Tenacious Won’t Give Up
Pam Vaughan
Illustrated by Leanne Hatch
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Ages 3-7
Available June 24th, 2025

All of the kids in Tenacious’ neighborhood are having a Wheel Parade, and Tenacious wants to lead the charge on her bicycle. Once she sets her mind on something, she never backs down, and this is no different. But riding her bike is different than any challenge she’s ever faced before – even trying her hardest, she can’t seem to stop herself from crashing. When her sister, Sage, encourages her to work her “smartest” instead, Tenacious discovers that hard work and problem solving can go hand in hand.

The tale of Tenacious’ tenacity shows that trying a new approach can be just what we need to get past a hurdle. Vaughan’s story is fast-paced and engaging with a core message about perseverance and flexibility, with plenty of alliteration and onomatopoeia that make the story an exciting read aloud. Hatch’s illustrations are full of movement, capturing Tenacious’ bike rides in heavily textured full-page pictures.

Tenacious Won’t Give Up could be a wonderful motivator for readers facing a tough challenge, especially those who are learning to ride a bike.