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Butler Bookshelf

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Books are a great way to learn about new things. Whether it’s fiction that shows us a new culture, a chapter book that helps us understand new emotions, or nonfiction that shares interesting facts about nature, there’s always something new to learn in every book we pick up! This week’s Butler Bookshelf is a list of new books we’ve received that all have something to teach us about, like What’s the Actually Factually Difference?: How to Tell the Difference Between Over 150 Things That Are Similar But Different! by Jane Wilsher and illustrated by Liz Kay. This fun book is rich with knowldge and full of facts about all kinds of things that seem the same, but are actually different. Wilsher divides the book into many different chapters. including “Transportation,” “Jobs and hobbies,” and “History,” so readers have a wide range of topics to learn about. Kay’s illustrations accompany the text well and engage readers by helping to visualize every topic. A useful resource that can be read alone, What’s the Actually Factually Difference? can also be used to play fun trivia and quiz games with friends by taking turns reading and guessing the differences between things like a crocodile and an alligator or a black hole and a wormhole.

Check out more books below!

A Burning in the Bones (Waxways 3)
Written by Scott Reintgen
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available now

Charlie Hernandez and the Phantom of Time (Charlie Hernandez 4)
Written by Ryan Calejo
Published by Aladdin
Available now

Nature School: Planet Earth: Lessons and Activities to Inspire Children’s Fascination with Our Planet
Written by Lauren Giordano and Laura Stroup
Illustrated by Staphanie Hathaway
Published by Quarry Books
Available now

Sona Sharma, Wish Me Luck (Hardcover Edition)
Written by Chitra Soundar
Illustrated by Jen Khatun
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now

What’s the Actually Factually Difference? How to Tell the Difference Between Over 150 Things That Are Similar But Different!
Written by Jane Wilsher
Illustrated by Liz Kay
Published by words & pictures
Available now

Where She Started: A Review of Janie Writes a Play 

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Janie Writes a Play: Jane Yolen’s First Great Story 
Written by Heidi E. Y. Stemple 
Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight 
Published by Charlesbridge 
Ages 5-8 
Available February 11, 2025 

Janie loves great stories of all forms. Constantly creating stories in her head, she loves writing down her ideas. With rehearsals about to start for her class play, Janie can’t wait to learn the story and get her part. Unfortunately, when she reads the script, she’s disappointed by its lack of a “rising plot or big moment” (p. 21), and she finds the ending unsatisfying. Later, in ballet class, Janie is disheartened by the lackluster story, but the satisfying ending of her class’s dance routine inspires her to write her own script. After a long night of writing and rewriting, Janie turns in her story to her teacher, Mrs. Jiler. She agrees to use the new play and hands out new roles. In the end, the success of her play inspires Janie to keep writing and ultimately become the beloved children’s author, Jane Yolen. 

In this imaginative picture book, Heidi E. Y. Stemple, Jane Yolen’s daughter, pays loving tribute to the story of her mother’s first story. Writing about young Janie’s constantly soaring imagination, Stemple shows an appreciation for Yolen’s artistry in a manner that encourages readers to foster their own creativity. Stemple shares some insight into Yolen’s creative process, like how she would learn new words by reading books that were above her reading level. At the end, Stemple includes a brief passage about her mother’s life and work, as well as photographs of Yolen and her family growing up. Madelyn Goodnight’s bright, full-color illustrations bring whimsy to Janie’s world by showcasing her strong imagination. One side of a spread shows a regular scene at the park, with people picnicking and flying kites. On the opposite side, Goodnight illustrates what Janie sees: swashbuckling pirates and tutu-clad dinosaurs throwing tantrums. Many of the illustrations are touching references to Yolen’s large body of work. Janie Writes a Play is a delightfully fun story that encourages creativity and curiosity and serves as an amusing resource for information on a beloved children’s author that can aid in a lesson about storytelling or a program featuring Yolen’s books. 

To Hug or Not to Hug: A review of Hugs Are (Not) for Everybody!

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Hugs Are (Not) for Everybody!
Ella Russell
Illustrated by Udayana Lugo
Owlkids Books
March 18, 2025
Age 3-7

At a magic birthday party full of both cuddlers and the squeeze-averse, an enthusiastic young guest learns that not everyone is comfortable with hugs in the same way. Hugs are for hello and goodbye. Hugs are for celebrations and congratulations. Though hugs are not always welcome. Some prefer a wave, a high five, or a bum-shaking secret handshake. As the party continues, she learns that all she has to do is ask to make everyone feel safe.

Russell gently explores boundaries and respect in this sweet and simple picture book for pre-school to early elementary years that reunites the cast from Pink is For Everybody! She centers themes of consent and body autonomy in a comfortably familiar setting, with characters in non-threatening scenarios, like arriving at a friend’s home and wishing happy birthday. Lugo amplifies the theme of individual preferences with a cast of diverse backgrounds and personalities, and a variety of layout styles showcasing different types of engagement. Her engaging watercolors, candy-hued palette, and expressive faces capture both the joy of the party and the anxiety of some partygoers. Instances of onomatopoeia and clearly delineated dialog lend themselves to exuberant storytime inclusion and will make the shiest kids feel seen.

A wholesome tale of consent that makes introducing this often sensitive topic a piece of (birthday) cake.

Be Careful What You Bargain For: A Review of The Rose Bargain

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The Rose Bargain 
Written by Sasha Peyton Smith 
Published by Harper/HarperCollins Publishers 
Ages 15-18 (Publisher recommends ages 13 and up) 
Available February 4, 2025 

The time has come for Lady Ivy Benton to make her debut into high society and her bargain with England’s immortal faerie Queen Moryen, who has ruled for the last 400 years. Ivy has been dreading her debut since her family fell from grace when her older sister’s debut season went wrong after she bargained away her memory to experience something new and escape the confines of high society. However, when the queen announces a competition to marry her fae son, Prince Bram, Ivy sees an opportunity to repair her family’s social status. Facing the queen’s cruel tests and the animosity of the five other girls in the competition, the stakes rise when Bram’s human stepbrother, Prince Emmett, proposes a risky plot to unseat the Queen. Soon, Ivy’s plan to save her family from social ruin develops into a mission to free all of England from the queen’s cruel reign, made only more complicated by her growing feelings for the wrong prince. 

Smith expertly crafts a compelling plot full of intrigue, romance, and danger in this historical fantasy. Ivy’s friendship with the other girls develops fully over the course of the plot, starting as adversaries and eventually becoming each other’s confidantes as they face the grueling competition together. Ivy and Emmett’s developing romantic feelings, which culminate in a sexually explicit intimate scene, add a layer of emotional tension and skew this novel toward the older end of the young adult range. The cast of characters is diverse without feeling tokenized, including characters of Japanese and Ghanian descent, and a lesbian romance subplot. Although Ivy’s perspective dominates the book, Smith includes vignettes of other characters’ points of view, including the other competitors, Emmett, and Ivy’s sister, Lydia. These additions add depth to the story and worldbuilding without distracting from the central plot. A thrilling fantasy adventure, The Rose Bargain will keep readers hooked from page one and counting down the days until the next installment. 

Determine Your Own Destiny: A review of Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo

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Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo
Philippa Leathley
Illustrated by Brie Schmida
Clarion Books/HarperCollinsChildrens
January 28, 2025
Age 8-12

Born to a family of magical bent and eccentric names, Meticulous “Metty” Jones yearns for her tenth birthday and the receipt of a hand tattoo that will tell her fate—as a magical murderer. Hidden away for a year because of it, 11-year-old Metty finds her stoic father (Captain Moral Jones) missing and her unconventional Aunt Mag (Magnificent Jones) whisking her off to the magical, ink-fueled city of New London just ahead of the mysterious Black Moths that are searching for her. Along with a motley crew of friends, brave and curious Metty is determined to find her father, evade the dreaded Moths that pursue her, and change the fate she does not accept. Learning she is meant to bring life, instead of death, sets her on a path in opposition to the Black Moths, who would use her gifts for their own questionable purposes.

Leathley skillfully blends dark humor and mystery, with prose reminiscent of classic children’s literature in this first in a new series. Metty’s will to fight her fate is a journey of self-determination within a larger story of ethics—of our choices, of government power, and of how citizens choose to respond. Each in the diverse cast of characters is well-developed, sympathetic, and realistically flawed, so while Metty is clearly the protagonist, strong secondary characters ground these big questions in thoughtful dialog. When Aunt Mag tells her, “You are whatever you decide to be. Nobody controls your actions. Nobody but you.” (p 161), she is both encouraging Metty’s choices and attempting to protect her from her self-doubt.

Full of complex and creative world-building, a propulsive plot, and fierce friendships, it promises to draw readers looking for a Harry Potter-like combination of magic, adventure, danger, and community.

*Review based on ARC with no art included.

Survival of the Bravest: Wolf Girl: Into the Wild

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Wolf Girl: Into the Wild
Anh Do
Illustration by Jeremy Ley and Annie Ji
HarperCollins
March 18, 2025
Age 8-12

Pulled from bed and forced to escape home in a war zone, Gwen and her family flee to the mountains where they’re separated during an attack. When she finds herself alone in the forest, she sets off to find her parents and discovers that everyone—all humans—seem to be gone. A fall into a raging river, and rescue by a ragtag pack of dogs, sets her on a path to discover her survival skills and inner strength as she learns to live in the wilderness with a found family. Sighting an aircraft, a first indicator that she’s not alone, sparks harrowing a journey to find her family and other survivors.

Inspired by the author’s own traumatic family flight from post-war Vietnam, this tale of perseverance reads as an adventure with some powerful undercurrents of fear and loneliness, in a departure from his usual comedic work. Flashbacks to earlier childhood act as reminders of Gwen’s emotional strength and intelligence—connection to family, hunting lessons, and her father’s advice to “follow [her] instincts” (p. 8). Time jumps in the narrative have this quick read covering three years and the dual maturation of both Gwen and her “puppy” into a brave and resilient girl and a full-grown wolf. Do’s simple yet descriptive language, comfort derived from her animal family, and the inclusion of slightly anime-like illustrations position the text for a younger MG audience. Themes of war, survival, and isolation skew older, and might require caution for more sensitive young readers. The dramatic cliffhanger of an ending sets the stage for more adventures to come. Do’s new-to-the-US series for middle grade readers already has 12 installments published in Australia. A thrilling, yet warm tale of survival and the importance of family, both the one you’re born to and the companions we find when we need them most. 

“Grow Towards the Light”: A Review of Beyond Mulberry Glen 

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Beyond Mulberry Glen 
Written by Millie Florence 
Illustrated by Astrid Sheckels 
Published by Waxwing Books 
Ages 8-12
Available January 7, 2025 

Lydia loves her life in Mulberry Glen, and she wouldn’t change a thing about it, even though change looms over her as she gets closer to the time when she will need to leave for an apprenticeship. Her inner turmoil only grows when she learns about a mysterious force, called the Darkness. Troubled by the effects she feels from the Darkness, Lydia asks her fairy guardian, Pit, about it. The next morning, she discovers Zale and Zamilla, the mischievous twins that live with her in Mulberry Glen, have left to go defeat the Darkness. Lydia sneaks off to rescue them. Along the way, she learns about the inevitability of change and the importance of using the Light within yourself to fight the Darkness. 

Beyond Mulberry Glen is a delightfully cozy story about a young girl overcoming her fear of change and learning to accept that life is still beautiful, even when it has dark moments. Florence fully develops Lydia’s character arc as she overcomes her fears of change and discovers that, while life can have dark moments, she has the power within herself to overcome them. Florence uses Lydia’s resistance to an apprenticeship to illustrate her anxiety over her life changing, effectively making this fantasy setting relatable to all readers. While the overall tone of the story is light, there is an undercurrent of apprehension as Lydia searches for the twins that brings gravity to the story about the life changes that accompany growing up. Sheckels’s illustrations at the beginning of each chapter add an element of charm to the story by giving readers a glimpse into Lydia’s world. A great Lord of the Rings read-alike, Florence weaves together a story that is both whimsical and suspenseful in its portrayal of the anxieties of growing up. 

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we are sharing some dinosaur books in our collection that could make wonderful gifts for any dinosaur-loving reader! From nonfiction to a reverse heist at the Natural History Museum, these books will take readers on all kinds of adventures with dinosaurs. In this week’s feature, Dinosaurs in Space by Todd Sturgell, travel to space with dinosaurs to learn how pieces of dinosaur fossils could have made it to outer space. Sturgell introduces a few quirky dinosaur characters to tell readers the tale of the asteroid that made all dinosaurs (except birds!) go extinct. Mixing humour and fact, Sturgell talks about different dinosaurs that existed, how birds are dinosaurs, and the impact of the deadly asteroid that hit Planet Earth. The force of the impact caused huge earthquakes, devastating tsunamis, and even sent pieces of dinosaurs into space. Sturgell’s lively pen and ink illustrations animate the story, and he includes extensive backmatter, instances when humans took dinosaur fossils to space and a glossary of terms used in the book. Simultaneously informative and entertaining, Dinosaurs in Space is perfect for those who love dinosaurs, space, or both!

Check out more dinosaur books below!

A Dinosaur a Day: 365 Incredible Dinosaurs to Take You Through the Year
Written by Miranda Smith
Illustrated by Jenny Wren, Juan Calle, Xuan Le, Max Rambaldi, and Olga Baumert
Published by Bright Matter Books
Available now!

Dinosaurs: A Pop-Up Book
Written and illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Dinosaurs In Space
Written and illustrated by Todd Sturgell
Published by Sourcebooks eXplore
Available now!

Madame Badobedah and the Old Bones
Written by Sophie Dahl
Illustrated by Lauren O’Hara
Published by Walker Books
Available now!

Stomp, Soar, Dino Roar
Written and illustrated by Max Amato and McAuliffe
Published by Sourcebooks eXplore
Available now!