Butler Bookshelf

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Pets teach us a lot about how to care for ourselves and others. Plus, they can be really cute! This week, we are featuring pet-related books, such as Your Pets’ Secret Lives: The Truth Behind Your Pets’ Wildest Behaviors. In this middle grade non-fiction, Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice dives into why our pets do what they do, highlighting dogs, cats, and even more obscure pets like tarantulas and lizards. Bringing in expertise from some other animal experts and researchers and some funny and adorable illustrations from Rob Wilson, Dr. Rice gives us peek into the wonderful, and weird, world of our pets.

Check out more of our pet-themed books from our collection below!

The Expets
Written and illustrated by Mark Tatulli
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers & Caitlyn Dlouhy
Available now

Hocus and Pocus and the Spell for Home
Written by A. R. Capetta
Illustrated by Charlene Chua
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now

Just Like Millie
Written by Lauren Castillo
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now

Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets
Written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins
Published by Disney Hyperion
Available now

Your Pets’ Secret Lives: The Truth Behind Your Pets’ Wildest Behaviors
Written by Eleanor Spicer Rice, PhD
Illustrated by Rob Wilson
Published by MIT Kids Press
Available now

A Tapestry of Family, Culture & Love: A Review of My Saree

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My Saree
Gita Varadarajan
Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan
Orchard Books
Ages 4-8
Available August 6, 2024

Young Divya admires her Amma’s exquisite sarees, and she cannot wait for the day she is old enough to wear one. Each saree is intricately designed with soft silky fabrics and some sparkle with gold and silver accents. “[I] think of the beautiful saree…I see it tumble like waves in the sea, and shimmer in the light, the green peeking out from behind the blue. I see golden peacocks spread their wings and dance along the border” (p. 20). She is ecstatic about the upcoming Heritage Night at her school when every student will share something from their culture. Divya hopes and dreams this will be her first opportunity to wear a saree, illuminating her Indian ancestry at her school’s cultural event.

Varadarajan expertly weaves the messages of self-discovery and embracing your identity through Divya’s story. The author’s melodic words are accompanied by vibrant fuchsia, dark turquoise, and shimmery gold illustrations. Both the words and the images evoke a sense of warmth, love, and appreciation for one’s family and heritage. “I see Amma in the audience, her face beaming with pride. I bring my hands together and smile. Namaste” (p. 29-30). Sreenivasan created the vivid illustrations for this picture book with pencil on paper and digital coloring. Backmatter includes author’s and illustrator’s notes, which explain that there are over 100 ways to fold a saree, and sarees celebrate connections between the generations.

Butler Bookshelf

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This month is National Ocean Month, a time when we can come together to celebrate and conserve our oceans. Readers who want to learn more about the ocean and the creatures and people who have populated it can check out this week’s ocean-themed Butler Bookshelf! Maggie Li’s Whale teaches young readers about the life cycle of a blue whale. Starting at birth and continuing until the baby whale has a baby of its own, this story follows a young whale through its life as it grows and learns how to swim, breathe, navigate busy waters, sing, and eat. With charming illustrations and a cutout that shows the baby whale through life’s phases, Li’s board book delights readers learning more about whales in the ocean.

Check out more books about the ocean for all ages below!

How to Survive in the Age of Pirates: A Handy Guide to Swashbuckling Adventures, Avoiding Deadly Diseases, and Escaping Ruthless Renegades of the High Seas
Written by Crispin Boyer, contributions by Dr. Rebecca Simon
Published by National Geographic Kids
Available June 18, 2024

Little Fish’s Opposites
Written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now

Whale
Written and illustrated by Maggie Li
Published by Templar Books
Available now

Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night?
Written by Steven J. Simmons and Clifford R. Simmons
Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper
Published by Charlesbridge
Available now

A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone
Written by Michelle Cusolito
Published by Charlesbridge
Available now

Hiding in Plain Sight: A Review of The Color of a Lie

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The Color of a Lie
Written by Kim Johnson
Random House Children’s Books
Ages 12-18
Available June 11th, 2024

Calvin and his family move from Chicago to the newly developed all-white Levittown, Pennsylvania after his older sister is killed in a house fire by a white mob. The family is Black, but their skin complexion is light enough that they can pass as white. But passing means Calvin can’t see his brother who works at an all-Black school, can’t talk about his love of jazz, and can’t be himself, noting it’s “hard to breathe when you’re hiding all day long” (p 57). Calvin quickly realizes Levittown has dark secrets, and he finds himself straddling a dangerous line between two worlds. When his new crush, Lily, becomes the first visibly Black student at his high school, Calvin decides to take action against the racist practices of Levittown, along with his two Black friends from his brother’s school. As racial tensions boil over into a mob threatening Lily’s life, Calvin races to save her from the fate of his sister.

This well-researched historical suspense novel weaves in moments of Black history that evoke a powerful solemn tone, such as illegal redlining policies, the Green Book, and even an appearance by Thurgood Marshall. At times the redlining plotline becomes overly detailed, but Johnson pairs these intricacies with suspenseful covert operations that give this novel its thriller sub-genre, such as when Calvin narrowly passes as Thurgood Marshall’s white driver after a secret meeting. This novel is not just historical fiction—Johnson focuses on themes of trust and bravery, centers a gay character, and includes a young love plotline that will appeal to a wide variety of teenagers. Johnson masterfully brings a modern voice to the realities of living as a young Black boy in the 1950s that culminates in a celebration of Black people, culture, and history.

Butler Bookshelf

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It’s the beginning of June, which means it’s the beginning of Pride Month! For those who want to accompany their Pride Month celebration with a book, this week’s Butler Bookshelf features some of our new teen fiction with queer and non-binary characters and/or written by queer and non-binary authors! Matthew Hubbard’s The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge follows three teenage friends—Ezra, Lucas, and Finley—who find that they all share a deep desire to get revenge on their ex-boyfriends. Their master plan involves entering and then sabotaging the school’s Drag Show Competition to make sure their exes don’t win. But when the school starts censoring queer voices, Ezra, Lucas, and Finley’s original plan morphs into a much larger student rebellion to fight for their right to be themselves and for their fellow queer classmates to do the same.

Check out more teen fiction novels centering queer characters and authors below!

Ariel Crashes a Train
Written by Olivia A. Cole
Published by Labyrinth Road
Available now

The Brightness Between Us
Written by Eliot Schrefer
Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books
Available October 1st, 2024

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge
Written by Matthew Hubbard
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now

Malicia
Written by Steven dos Santos
Published by Page Street YA
Available now

The No-Girlfriend Rule
Written by Christen Randall
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now

The Big Score: A Review of Faker

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Faker
Gordon Korman
Scholastic
Age 8-12
July 2, 2024


Is Trey really defined by what his family does? Confidence man, liar, criminal… Faker? Living a high-end life funded by his father’s career as a con artist, Trey and his little sister are in on the game, to reel in families in a series of prep schools and wealthy communities. Settling into what could be their biggest score yet—the big kahuna—a fictional electric car start-up looking for investors, he begins to question it all. An influential middle school ethics teacher and his activist daughter open Trey’s eyes to the morality of the “family business” and a growing disillusionment with how it affects those around him.

In the authentically conflicted voice of an adolescent boy, Korman gives this realistic fiction tale a twist. What if this boy was a con trying to go straight? Then he adds all the middle school conflict that comes with friendships, family drama, and questioning parental authority. Is Dad right that no one is hurt when you take from the rich? Brisk plotting and snappy dialog mirror the pace of Trey’s quickly developing conscience. “I can’t believe I ever thought it was anything more than stealing” (p. 170). Trey matures throughout the narrative, getting involved to rehab a local park and discovering that a new friend is also part of a con artist family, efficiently driving the final action. In a conveniently tidy conclusion, he makes a dramatic decision—they all go straight, return the money, and build the stable home life Trey always wanted. A funny and fast-paced coming of age story for middle schooler readers that want a side of crime with their family drama.

Butler Bookshelf

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Thinking about taking up a new hobby over the summer? Maybe some of these books on cooking, baking, and food will inspire you to try to make a new or beloved recipe. In What’s Eating Jackie Oh?, Park explores what happens when identity, expectations, and passion intersect. Jackie feels most comfortable when she is cooking, freeing her from the expectations of her Korean American parents and from the violence and hate towards the Asian American community. She usually just cooks in her grandparents’ deli, but one day, she is invited to be a teen contestant on her favorite cooking show, Burn Off. As she cooks her way through each grueling and yummy challenge, she also starts to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. This funny yet thoughtful novel serves up an engaging, modern coming-of-age story that anyone a fan of cooking shows will love.

Bite by Bite: American History through Feasts, Foods, and Side Dishes
Written by Marc Aronson and Paul Freedman, contributions by Frederick Douglass Opie, Amanda Palacios, Tatum Willis, and David Zheng
Illustrated by Toni D. Chambers
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now

Cooking with the Sneetches
Written by Astrid Holm
Illustrated by Erik Doescher
Published by Random House Children’s Books
Available now

Isabel in Bloom
Written by Mae Respicio
Published by Wendy Lamb Books
Available now

The Mochi Makers
Written and illustrated by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
Published by Beach Lane Books
Available now

The Spice Box
Written by Meera Sriram
Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now

What’s Eating Jackie Oh?
Written by Patricia Park
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now

Superhero Volcanologists: A Review of Volcanoes

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Volcanoes

Nell Cross Beckerman
Illustrated by Kalen Chock
Scholastic Inc.
August 6, 2024
Grades PreK-3

“A rumble. A tremble. A grumble. Growing, growling, getting hot. When will it . . . pop?!” (p. 3-5). Beckerman uses intriguing storytelling to guide children on an adventure exploring wondrous volcanoes. Readers are led from the depths of the ocean floor to the Ring of Fire and all the way to volcanoes in deep space with Beckerman’s dynamic lyrical language. Volcano lava is destructive, but even more damaging are the tsunamis caused by burning rock rain falling from the sky. However, scientists discovered that underwater volcanoes seep mineral rich water allowing a world of life to exist deep in the ocean. Did life on Earth begin around underwater volcanoes? Nonfiction text on each page takes a deeper dive into the science of volcanoes and volcanologists.

The importance of science exploration is an apparent theme when volcanologists risk their safety taking samples trying to predict when volcanoes will erupt. Beckerman calls these risk-takers “superheroes.” Poetic language such as “an avalanche of ash,” “a plume of doom,” and “a cinder shotput” (p. 23) paint a vivid picture of nature’s wonders for the audience. Concept artist, Chock, paints gorgeous illustrations with subdued blues, purples, browns, and bright oranges, enticing the reader to read more about nature’s spectacular marvels. Each page contains exciting volcano dramatics to keep the reader turning the pages. Substantial back matter includes both author’s and illustrator’s notes, further reading, types of volcanic eruptions, more facts about volcanoes, and questions volcanologists are still trying to answer. 

Butler Bookshelf

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Now that school is almost out and assigned reading for the year is done, graphic novels are great options for those who want a bit more artwork in their books. This week, we are featuring some of our collections new graphic novels, like Next Stop by Debbie Fong. In Fong’s debut novel, middle schooler Pia faces some hardships at home—after her brother recently passed away, her family decides to move to a new town and try to start fresh. To get her mind off of her troubles, Pia goes on a bus tour with a family friend that stops at different, and wacky, roadside attractions along the way. This mix of a self-discovery road trip adventure, middle school humor, and difficult emotional journeys is a touching take on the tough yet wonderous middle grade years.

Check out more of our graphic novels below!

Curveball
Written by Pablo Cartaya
Illustrated by Miguel Díaz Rivas
Published by Disney Hyperion
Available now

Monti and Leo: A Newcomer in Pocketville
Written and illustrated by Sylvia Kantorovitz
Published by Walker Books
Available now

Next Stop
Written and illustrated by Debbie Fong
Published by RH Graphic
Available now

Hilo: Rise of the Cat
Written and illustrated by Judd Winick
Published by Random House Children’s Books
Available now

Sweet Valley Twins: The Haunted House
Written by Nicole Andelfinger
Illustrated by Knack Whittle
Published by RH Graphic
Available now

Bloom Where You’re Planted: A review of Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden

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Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden
Christy Mandin
Scholastic/Orchard Books
July 2, 2024
Age 4-8

Garden Glen is basic: the homes look the same, the adults look the same, the gardens look the same. And they want to keep it that way. But when Millie Fleur La Fae and her family move to the Addams Family-esque house on the edge of town, things are bound to change. To make Garden Glen feel like home, she plants a truly peculiar garden—full of fanged fairy moss and grumpy gilliflower—and draws the ire of her neighbors who want to “mow it down!” With determination, creativity, an inclusive spirit, and some encouragement from Mom, she invites her young classmates to experience something a little different, but wonderfully weird. And little by little, builds a culture of acceptance in her new home.

In this sweet, silly, yet layered homage to individuality, Mandin proves that a lot of flare and a little bravery can make a big impact. Millie Fleur’s persistence and Mom’s wisdom about fear disguised as resistance offer an unambiguous message on what it takes to effect change. Met with everything from disdain to threats by adults, Millie Fleur finds her peers more open to something new. The full-color, sepia toned illustrations lend a retro feel that’s both appropriate to 1950s feel of the very proper town and the straight-laced character costuming. The “hand-drawn” style of the digital illustrations is deceptively simple, with expressive faces and moments of architectural precision that complement the layers of meaning in the story. An author’s note introduces some unique (though sadly un-fanged) plants that young gardeners can add to their own yard and background on the true poison garden that helped inspired the tale.

A charming, yet inspiring tale for the young change agents in your library.