Month: March 2026

Two books by Mac Barnett

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The Future Book by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, ages 4-8). This book comes from the future, and I’m here to tell you we have some goofiness to look forward to. In the future, an orange is called and blorange, a banana is called an apple, and there’s no word for an apple…because there are no apples in the future. When someone sneezes, you say, “Forgive me, Susan!” When someone leaves, you say, “You smell like a baby!” And when you want to thank someone, just gently place a fish on their head. There’s much, much more, and the book ends with an interaction at the supermarket (which is now called a bolly bolly hoo hoo) that shows how things work in the future.

The collaborators who brought you (and continue to bring you) The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza series have created a book so silly it is sure to have kids rolling on the floor and leaving the library repeating “bolly bolly hoo hoo” and “You smell like a baby!” Tons of silly fun for all ages.

Rumpelstiltskin retold by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Carson Ellis (Orchard Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). This version of the familiar tale of Rumpelstiltskin starts with a girl who loves playing in the woods until she’s forced into an impossible situation by her clueless father and a greedy king who demands that she spin straw into gold. A strange little man helps her out, but there are strings attached. The girl ends up a queen with a baby that’s promised to the little man unless she can guess his name. Her love of the woods helps her to discover that name, and she’s able to send Rumpelstiltskin away empty-handed and (perhaps) live happily ever after with her son.

As he did with The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Mac Barnett writes a charming retelling with plenty of humor. Although the queen doesn’t have a lot of autonomy, she’s spunky and resourceful and wins out in the end. Kids will get a good laugh at the long lists of names she puts together, and the Carson Ellis artwork add a mysterious Renaissance-tinged feel very different from Jon Klassen’s illustrations. This is one of my favorite fairy tales–I have so many questions about it!–and I can’t wait to share this version with kids.

Girl power

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Hattie Mae Begins Again by Sharon G. Flake (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 368 pages, grades 4-7). Hattie Mae is both excited and nervous to be traveling from her home in North Carolina to begin school at Miss Abigail’s School for Exceptional Young Ladies in Philadelphia. Over the course of her school year there, she learns to deal with a bully, make new friends, and to express her truest self. She and Miss Abigail share the secret that Miss Abigail is Hattie Mae’s cousin, and that Hattie Mae is at the school on a full scholarship. When the truth comes out, the school gets some bad publicity, and some of the students leave, a disaster as the school is trying to keep its doors open during the Great Depression. Hattie Mae must draw on her own strength, as well as her friends and family, to undo the damage and make the school a welcoming place for all.

The author draws on her family’s long history in Philadelphia to tell Hattie Mae’s story of discovering the wealthy Black community she finds herself in at Miss Abigail’s school, and how she finds her own way there. This novel in verse is a companion to 2023’s Once In a Blue Moon, the events of which are referenced near the end of the story.

Destiny of the Diamond Princess by Sherri Winston (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 240 pages, grades 4-7). Zahara-Grace Jones has always known she’s adopted, but growing up with a loving mother and grandfather (G-Pop), she’s never really wanted to know about her birth parents. But as she approaches her 12th birthday, she starts to feel some curiosity. On the big day, she receives two gifts: her mom tells her about her birth mom, who had sworn her to secrecy until Zahara-Grace turned 12, and G-Pop gives her a DNA test. The test not only reveals her connection to the (fictional) African nation of Maliwanda, but it also alerts the king of the country that his long-lost granddaughter has been found. Before long, Zahara-Grace’s life has completely changed, as she learns she is a princess and has to balance the demands of two very different families. Not only that, but she learns that she’s the key to breaking an ancient curse that may have lead to her mother’s death. Everything comes to a head the night of the grand opening of a museum G-Pop has been redesigning, when Zahara-Grace is introduced as the princess of Maliwanda…and learns her true strength when cursed beings rise from the dead.

This is a fun Princess Diaries-inspired story that does a good job creating a story of an adoptee who feels torn between her two families. The supernatural stuff at the end was fun, but felt a bit tacked-on and rushed. I was kind of hoping for a more realistic explanation of Zahara-Grace’s friend’s betrayal, but kids will undoubtedly enjoy reading about mummies rising from the dead.

Middle school: the endless inspiration for graphic memoirs

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Run Home: A Graphic Memoir by Alyssa Bermudez (Roaring Book Press, 304 pages, grades 5-8). In this follow-up to Big Apple Diaries, Alyssa Bermudez records her first couple years of high school in diary format: her first uncertain days, her joy at making new friends and discovering a love of running on the cross-country team, adjusting to a new step-family, and her worries about her dad’s health issues. When she experiences an overwhelming tragedy during the summer between her freshman and sophomore years, Alyssa must work her way through grief. She’s helped by family and friends, but ultimately she has to learn how to find her own way to a new normal. Includes an author’s note about this time of her life with four pages of photos of many of the people from the story.

This heartfelt graphic novel makes for compelling reading, and readers will recognize many of Alyssa’s problems, emotions, and triumphs as she navigates a new school, new friends, and family issues. Although this will likely appeal to fans of authors like Raina Telgemeier, Kayla Miller, and Lucy Knisley, the high school setting (the title of this post notwithstanding) and deep dive into grief make it a story that may be more appreciated by middle school kids.

A Kid Like Me by Norm Feuti (HarperAlley, 272 pages, grades 4-7). Ethan and his best friend Ricky navigate the early days of middle school with more than the usual number of bumps in the road, thanks to the fact that they live in poverty with their single moms in a trailer park. They worry that other kids look down on them for their old phones and off-brand clothing, and they’re not always wrong. Ricky makes friends with a couple of boys whose snarky comments and pranks get under Ethan’s skin. Ethan finds more compatible friends in the after-school Bio Battle game club, but his new friend Aiden seems to be avoiding coming over to his house. Eventually, both boys learn a few lessons about what true friendship looks like, and the story ends with Ethan, Ricky, and Aiden trying out a new game at Ethan’s house. Includes an author’s note with photos of him as a kid, telling about the prejudices and microaggressions he experienced as a poor kid growing up in a middle-class community.

I’ve said it before, but there are not enough middle grade books that explore what it’s like to grow up in poverty, especially considering what a common experience that is in America. Norm Feuti does a great job of showing the impacts of this experience on everyday middle school life: adults looking with suspicion at kids from “the wrong side of town,” having to navigate the pressure to have the right phone or sneakers, and insecurities about having friends over to your house. I liked how Ethan learned to speak up for himself and figure out who his true friends were.

Wrong Friend by Charise Mericle Harper, illustrated by Rory Lucey (First Second, 256 pages, grades 3-7). Charise and Casey have had a great friendship for many years. It’s easy to get together since they’re neighbors, and they both enjoy art and adventures. But Casey is two years older than Charise, and when she starts high school, she suddenly starts ignoring Charise, acting like Charise is invisible when they see each other in the neighborhood. Charise is devastated, but eventually realizes that she needs a new best friend and begins reaching out to girls in her grade. Each one has some of the qualities she wants in a best friend (chapter titles list those qualities: “A Best Friend Likes Made-Up Games,” “A Best Friend Keeps Trying,” etc.), but no one has them all. Eventually, Charise realizes that she’s happiest with a bunch of friends, with each one bringing her own special personality traits to the group.

Charise’s graphic memoir will appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier’s and Shannon Hale’s books about the ups and downs of middle school friendships. Readers will relate to Charise’s gradual realization that no friend is perfect, but that many friendships are still worth pursuing. Pair this with Charise’s first memoir, Bad Sister, also illustrated by Rory Lucey.