BookDragon

The Gap of Time [Hogarth Shakespeare] by Jeanette Winterson [in Library Journal]

10 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Black/African American, British, Fiction, Repost

Jeanette Winterson inaugurates “The Hogarth Shakespeare” series – “a major international project [that] will see Shakespeare’s plays reimagined by some of today’s bestselling and most celebrated writers” – with a contemporary reinvention of The Winter’s Tale. In Winterson’s version, the setting moves between post-2008 market-crashed London and a...

Ask Me by Bernard Waber, illustrated by Suzy Lee

08 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Korean, Nonethnic-specific

Although Bernard Waber passed away in 2013 (at 91!), he's left quite the literary legacy – most especially his beloved, readily recognized Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile! series with almost a dozen titles. This, his latest, pubbed posthumously, invoking his signature gentle, emotive style, starring a young girl and her...

The Owner’s Manual to Terrible Parenting by Guy Delisle, translated by Helge Dascher

04 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Canadian, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Translation

Just look at that cover! Clearly, the emergency room beckons! Even as you already know what not to do as a parent, these things ...

The Story I’ll Tell by Nancy Tupper Ling, illustrated by Jessica Lanan

03 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific

A mother and her toddler son, cuddled together in a cushy chair, are surrounded by soft summer breezes and warm fading light. Together, they read their bedtime book, as the boy is about to drift off to slumberland. While the mother reads aloud, her heart promises...

Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather by Grace Lin

02 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers

Grace Lin’s 'not exactly the same’-twins debuted in 2010, then 'shared a birthday’ a couple of years later, and had 'twice as silly’ adventures together. Five years since they arrived on bookshelves everywhere, they're still Together in All Weather – and yes, they're as whimsically captivating as...

Today Is the Day by Eric Walters, Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

26 Nov, by SIBookDragon in African, Canadian, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction

Today is the third title by Canadians Eric Walters and Eugenie Fernandes that captures real-life events from Walters' The Creation of Hope complex in Kenya. Together, Walters and Fernandes have become quite the dynamic duo in developing an effective series showcasing the inspiring, courageous stories of resilient, caring children...

The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Marion Arbona

24 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Canadian, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Hapa/Mixed-race

Winter is quickly settling around us ...

Moon Bear by Gill Lewis, illustrated by Alessandro Gottardo

23 Nov, by SIBookDragon in British, Fiction, Laotian, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

I'm warning you right up front: get the tissues ready. A tweenage boy forced to live away from his family just after his father's death, a baby bear who has lost his mother, evil-doers bent on suffering and destruction, complicit everyday people made desperate by circumstances – yes, Moon...

You Look Yummy! [Tyrannosaurus series 1] by Tatsuya Miyanishi, translated by Mariko Shii Gharbi

19 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Japanese, Translation

I admit it: I'm not much of a dinosaur fan – on the page, anyway. Far too many books starring these behemoth beings seem to loom over my desk. That said, every once in a (long) while, I discover an irresistible prehistoric beast with a story that...

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart [in Booklist]

18 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Chinese American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Native American/First Nations/Indigenous Peoples, Nonethnic-specific, Repost, Young Adult Readers

*STARRED REVIEW Says a grateful admirer to Joseph and his unlikely traveling companion, “You boys. You got some kind of courage.” In the Wild West of 1890 Washington State, Joseph, not yet 13, has lost his mother and sister to typhoid and his father to a...

Library Day by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell [in Booklist]

17 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Repost

One fine Saturday a father and son visit a new library together for the first time. While his father explores “the grown-up shelves,” the boy enjoys story hour, makes a new friend, and discovers today’s library is even more than a treasure trove of books....

Stars Between the Sun and Moon: One Woman’s Life in North Korea and Escape to Freedom by Lucia Jang with Susan McClelland [in Library Journal]

16 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Canadian, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Korean, Memoir, Nonfiction, North Korean, Repost

Within mere months, four memoirs – including Stars – by North Korean women hit U.S. shelves: Hyeonseo Lee’s The Girl with Seven Names and Eunsun Kim’s A Thousand Miles to Freedom debuted in July; Yeonmi Park’s In Order to Live hit in September; and Stars...

Last Night’s Reading: Illustrated Encounters with Extraordinary Authors by Kate Gavino

13 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Filipina/o American, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

New Yorker-by-way-of-Texas Kate Gavino goes to a lot of book readings in and around NYC's boroughs, "and even [in] New Jersey." While some might go seeking "an autograph ...

BOOK: My Autobiography transcribed by John Agard, illustrated by Neil Parker

12 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Adult Readers, Biography, British, Caribbean, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

Oh, oh, oh. What a perceptive, thoughtful, gorgeous gift are these pages. Yes, if books have a soul, this would be it – not to mention history, context, and universal appeal bound in as well. Guyanese British poet/playwright/children's writer John Agard 'transcribes' the story of Book over the centuries and...

Roger Is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen, translated by Laura Watkinson

11 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Translation

"SHHHH! Quiet." Because Roger is not only reading, he's reading a book. A book. Oh, for the love of books, this is the perfect book for book lovers of all ages. Yes, Roger is reading. Or trying to, anyway. He's got a spotlight illuminating the pages just so,...

The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz (based on the characters by Stieg Larsson), translated by George Goulding

10 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, European, Fiction, Swedish, Translation

Sweden's Stieg Larsson died of a heart attack in 2004, but his internationally famed, mismatched hacker/journalist duo are proving to be immortal. Yes, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are back in a fourth installment of what is now the Millennium series (a 'trilogy' no more) with a new writer, Swedish journalist and...

There Is No Right Way to Meditate and Other Lessons by Yumi Sakugawa

06 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Adult Readers, Japanese American, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

Google "meditation health benefits" pretty much any time and you'll always get news articles just a few hours old touting improved mind/body results. We've all seen the headlines, heard about the latest reports, and yet SOME of us remain stubbornly resistant, especially those concerned about...

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin [in School Library Journal]

05 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Repost, Young Adult Readers

*STARRED REVIEW Suzy and Franny met in a pool back when "making a friend, and having one, seem[ed] like the easiest thing in the world." But just before seventh grade, Franny – who could already swim underwater at age 5 – is dead by drowning. Smart, logical, full-of-facts...

Husky by Justin Sayre [in School Library Journal]

04 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Repost, Young Adult Readers

Davis knows that every kid will "get boiled down to only one adjective…. It's decided. There. Permanent." Among his closest friends, Ellen is Mean, while Sophie is Pretty. Davis is "the Fat one, but everyone calls [him] husky." He hopes to escape his adjective, but being...

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy [in School Library Journal]

03 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Repost, Young Adult Readers

*STARRED REVIEW "The word fat makes some people uncomfortable," Willowdean Dickson remarks. Called Dumplin’ by her mother, Will insists that fat is "not an insult." She's comfortably self-aware, buoyed by her late aunt, whom she still deeply mourns, and her picture-perfect best friend. When she introduces herself...

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