Carolyn Crimi

This is a sweet, fast read about two girls trying to navigate middle school and friendship and their own inner selves. The girls are sciencey and awkward, more interested in their hobbies than most other people, and their friendship is heartfelt and well illustrated, including the realities of social pressure, mistakes, forgiveness, and just being different. I felt every conflict in the pit of my stomach, and I was incredibly invested in the outcome of the girls' friendship and their story.

Opposites clash, and then attract, in this humorously monstrous picture-book, which follows neighbors Bella Lagrossi and Boris Kleanitoff - who, as their names suggest, are disgustingly messy and obsessively neat - as they both attempt to throw a Halloween party (without inviting the other). But when all the residents of Booville elect to attend Henry Beastie's party instead, the two rivals reluctantly find themselves going along, and discovering that they have a few things in common, after show more all...

Recommended by a friend (thanks, Chandra!), and chosen as one of six selections for the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, Boris and Bella is one of those unexpectedly entertaining titles I might never have picked up, were it not for the prompting of others. I'm glad I did, as I found myself chuckling, while reading it, recognizing some of the classic horror film tributes, and appreciating the suitably "nasty" way in which Boris and Bella bond (they both feel superior to the other partyers at Henry Beastie's). With such a monstrously fun narrative, and thrillingly creepy watercolor and ink illustrations by Gris Grimly, it has everything needed for the ideal Halloween title! show less

Weird Little Robots is a wonderful novel for young readers. It is about girls who are interested in science and who don't fit in. The story and illustrations are charming, and will show young readers that sometimes it's OK to be different.

Penny Rose is an eleven-year-old who has just moved to a new town. As the novel begins, she is sitting in her workshop, working on her robots, made from bits and pieces of old calculators and cell phones. As she works, she wishes for a friend. When she show more meets a neighbor girl, Lark, who is interested in birds and who also has trouble fitting in, Penny Rose thinks she has found a friend. She soon learns, however, that she must learn how to be a friend as well. show less

Funny author Crimi teams up with Molk's gentler watercolors for a sweet and hilarious tale of getting over your fears.

Sukie, a pudgy little brown and white puppy, is worried about going to the beach. Eleanor, her person, leaps into the waves with unbridled enthusiasm, but Sukie prefers to stay safely at the top of the stairs with Chunka Monka. There are just too many things she's worried about! "and, besides, there might be lobsters."

Eleanor manages to coax Sukie down to the beach (ok, she show more actually carries her...) but it's not until Chunka Munka is in danger, swept out to sea, that Sukie overcomes her fears to save her friend. Happy to have saved her friend and proved she can be brave, Sukie spends the rest of the day safely away from the water, watching for lobsters.

Molk's soft watercolors still capture the humor of the story while being sympathetic to nervous little Sukie. Eleanor is an exuberant companion, from her curly hair to her flying feet, while Sukie cuddles up in a little ball with her precious Chunka Munka. The ocean isn't particularly dark or scary, but readers and listeners who have their own fears to battle will relate to Sukie's nervousness about the unknown expanse of water. There's also a background of humorous antics by the seagulls!

Verdict: Sweet, funny, and with a light touch of diversity in the people seen on the beach - not only racially but also in age and body type - this is sure to be a favorite summer read for many families.

ISBN: 9780763675424; Published 2017 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less