January Recommendations

Novels:

SAUCY, by Cynthia Kadohata, is the story of eleven-year-old Becca, a quadruplet with three brothers who are all very good at something. Becca doesn’t know what her own something is yet, until the day she finds a tiny, barely-alive pig in the bushes. But when the vet says the pig—now named Saucy—will someday weigh six hundred pounds, Becca’s mom has a thing or two to say about keeping her in their backyard. This is a well written, accessible story about a girl on a mission by a Newbery-winning author. (MG)

WINTERKEEP, by Kristin Cashore, takes up five years after Queen Bitterblue of Monsea took up her crown. When Bitterblue learns that merchants from nearby Winterkeep have been stealing from her, she’s determined to investigate. But she’s swept overboard before her ship arrives. Devoted advisor Giddon and half sister Hava are brokenhearted, as her rescuers let the world think she’s dead. Lovisa Cavenda, daughter of two prominent politicians in Winterkeep, begins to dig into the mystery of the missing Queen. This is a wonderful addition to the Graceling series, full of intrigue and romance. (YA)

Picture Books:

Please do not miss IF YOU COME TO EARTH, by two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall! This lovely ode to our planet (written in the form of a letter to a potential visitor from outer space) talks about all the things we know—and a few that we don’t—about the “greeny-blue” world we all share. From different kinds of homes and families to the different kinds of stories we tell, Blackall has written a wondrous, inclusive picture book about life on our beautiful planet, illustrating it with her brilliant Chinese ink and watercolor art.

Another feast for the eyes is driven by mixed media art. THE BEAR AND THE MOON, written by Matthew Burgess and illustrated by Cátia Chien, tells a heartfelt story of a friend found and lost and found again. When a red balloon floats into the bear’s life, he’s delighted by its company. But, sadly, a little too much squishing and hugging turns his balloon into a “red tatter dangling on [a] silver string.” Luckily, the moon can help.

In TEN BEAUTIFUL THINGS, written by Molly Beth Griffin, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga, when Lily needs to move to Iowa to live with her grandmother, all she sees is an X marked “on an empty patch of land.” But Gram suggests that they find “ten beautiful things” as they drive, and Lily opens her eyes to the beauty around her. The digital illustrations are colorful and expressive.

Another book about moving, BIRDSONG, by Julie Flett, features a young girl named Katherena who must leave her “little home in the city by the sea.” She knows she’ll miss her “friends and cousins and aunties and uncles,” as well as her “bedroom window and the tree outside.” But as spring turns to summer turns to fall and winter, Katherena grows a friendship with the older woman next door, who loves nature and “making things,” just like Katherena does. The gorgeous pastel, pencil, and digital illustrations set the mood perfectly.

--Lynn