Last week, I met Mychal the super librarian who spoke about library joy. And it got me thinking of early library memories. When I was five, we lived in a different place for a year. I remember getting my library card there, tickled that my last name was the name of the library. It was no relation to me, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever.  I also remember loving this one book and taking it out over and over again. I have no recollection of the book itself. I think it might have been sad. I just remember how important I felt having the same last name.  I'll be sh ..read more

Book 4 in the Monsterious books  Simon and Jade are visiting their grandfather in Maine during the summer. Their grandfather runs a curiosity museum. The tourist town is having a bit of trouble with rumors of break-ins. Simon and Jade are curious about them, but their grandfather is being strangle tight lipped.  Simon and Jade hear strange sounds at night. But their grandfather dismisses their fears. He warns them to stay upstairs rather than wander the museum at night. Simon and Jade feel betrayed, but they are also determined to get to the bottom it this mystery. They go sear ..read more

A yellow bus winds it's way through town carrying important cargo. The cargo makes the bus happy. But things change and times moves on and the bus changes along with the times. This is not a school story - but a fascinating history of one yellow bus and what makes her happy. This book is beautifully illustrated - I love the bright colors against the black and white illustrations. There's an author's note at the end of the book that explains the inspiration behind the story.  Take a look at the making of this book: * This book was sent for review ..read more

 This week's topic is all about May Flowers - this after the rain post in April (April showers bring May flowers). Here are some books with flowers that I'm excited to read.  Just a few flowers here on the curtain ..read more

Frank and Stanley are best friends, growing up on Pearl Harbor. They love superheroes and work together to create comic books. Frank writes the stories and Stanley draws them. They were meeting with a family friend on the USS Utah for a tour.  The tour has barely started when Japanese planes flew overhead dropping bombs. From that moment on, Frank and Stanley's lives were in danger. They fight to make their way back home.  Frank is white and Stanley is Japanese American. While the boys get back home, Stanley's mother recognizes that things have changed. She's burying their Ja ..read more

  If you're a taco person (and really who isn't?), this is the book for you! This book shares the history of tacos and how it's changed over the years. The big boom in tacos came after WWII and the start (maybe stolen start?) of the Taco Bell empire. There are so many variations on tacos - what's your favorite? There's a recipe in the back of the book. There's more taco facts and a timeline of the history of tacos. It's fun to think about the history of the food. This book is part of a series. There's one on pizza and mac and cheese that I'm excited to read.  ..read more

  @yabooknerdlibrarian I love Lauren Castillo’s new picture book - perfect for anyone who needs helping coming out of their shell like I did and perfect for dog lovers! #booktok #kidlit #picturebooks #dogs #introvert @Candlewick Press ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd ..read more

 Earlier this week, the annual Connecticut Librarian Conference took place.  The keynote was none other than Librarian Superstar Mychal. He is amazing.  The first question he answered was: What’s your library story? He also spoke about the seeing the whole community come together, how everyone needs the library, and that the library is the place where everyone belongs.  He spoke about Library Joy and it got me thinking about my own stories.  I'll start sharing them next week.  It was nice to see so many familiar faces and getting to chat with other librari ..read more

 This week's topic is one I'm changing up. I don't like sharing negative things about books, so I'm talking about my latest five-star reads. I haven't talked about picture books and board books in a while, so here are some recently read favorites.  What was your last 5 star read?  ..read more

Sarah and her two best friends love escape rooms. When Sarah spots a foreclosure notice on her front door, she knows everything will change. Her father has a chronic health condition and her mother's working as much as she can, but it's not enough. West, Hannah, and Sarah remember hearing about a treasure in an old, abandoned funhouse. They decide to risk the danger and see if the treasure is real. It could be the answer to Sarah's problems. She really doesn't want to have to move and lose her friends. Together, they find the hidden passageway inside. The first room leads them to anoth ..read more