YA Librarian

Abe Lincoln Award

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  The Lincoln Award is an Illinois award given to an outstanding book for high school students. Twenty nominees are selected by a panel of librarians, teachers, and students. Each year the Lincoln Award is given to the book on that year’s list of nominees which receives the most student votes. The award is sponsored by ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association).   Lincoln Award Nominees 2021/list Lincoln Award Nominees 2020/list Lincoln Award Nominees 2019/list … Read more

East of Eden – Read It and Rate It

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East of Eden by John Steinbeck Classic Historical Fiction Review #1 * * Stars (Just ok) Set in the Salinas Valley, California, Steinbeck tells in immense detail the story of two families and how their stories intertwine. The Hamilton family is based off of Steinbeck’s family. This book is hard to read because the details are sometimes “too descriptive,” and it becomes hard to follow.

Brain on Fire – Read It and Rate It

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Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan Non-fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) At 24 years old, Susannah Cahalan is an ambitious dedicated reporter for the New York Post. She is seemingly healthy until little things start to go awry and her health starts to deteriorate. Doctors are perplexed at what is wrong and suggest she has mono, but later her seizures prove otherwise. She starts having hallucinations and is admitted to … Read more

School for Good and Evil – Read It and Rate It

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The School for Good and Evil book #1 by Soman Chainani Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “The School for Good and Evil” tells the story of Sofie and Agatha. Sofie wishes to be a princess and Agatha wishes to live alone, but when they find themselves at the School for Good and Evil, there seems to be a mistake. Sofie finds herself in the school for Evil and Agatha … Read more

Friendship According to Humphrey – Read It and Rate It

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Friendship According to Humphrey According to Humphrey series #2 by Betty G. Birney Fantasy Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “Friendship According to Humphrey” is a must read. The book starts out with Humphrey going back to school and Mrs. Brisbane hinting at a surprise. The surprise turns out to be Og the frog. Humphrey tries to be friendly, but Og is silent. The class in room 26 is writing poems, and … Read more

Trouble According to Humphrey – Read It and Rate It

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Trouble According to Humphrey According to Humphrey series #3 by Betty G. Birney Fantasy Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “Trouble According to Humprey” is an enjoyable book. In Room 26, a town called “Humpreyville” is invented and there are also ‘jobs.’ When Humphrey gets out of his cage, he gets Miranda in trouble, and she is ‘fired.’ Humphrey feels awful, because he can get out of his cage and it wasn’t … Read more

House of Sixty Fathers – Read It and Rate It

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The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “The House of Sixty Fathers” is a book by Meindert DeJong about a Chinese boy. Tien Pao and his family have to escape from Japanese soldiers who are attacking his village. They are staying in Hengyang, and then Tien Pao meets a ‘Yellow River God.’ He takes him across the river and then loses … Read more

Born a Crime – book review

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Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Autobiography Biography Non-fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Trevor Noah, comedian and current host (as of 2020) of The Daily Show, was born and raised in South Africa under apartheid. He was literally “born a crime,” as his mother was black and his father was white, and their relationship was deemed illegal, as was Trevor, the result of it. Still, there were … Read more

Ostriches – book review

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Ostriches The Superpower Field Guide written by Rachel Poliquin illustrated by Nicholas John Frith Juvenile Non-fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Ostriches really are remarkable animals, and this energetic and engaging field guide is sure to excite and educate readers about all of their “superpowers.” Tall, fast, fierce, powerful, ostriches have evolved to survive in the African savannah, which can be hot, dry, and unforgiving (as well as being the home to a number … Read more

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