Audiobook Review: The Hurricane Girls by Kimberly Willis Holt

About the Book

A coming-of-age middle grade novel about three best friends born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina who must confront storms of their own 12 years later, from a National Book Award winning author.

Born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Greer, Joya Mia, and Kiki are seventh graders and the best of friends. After an accident leaves Greer's little sister paralyzed, Greer is forever changed by the experience and blames herself. Kiki and Joya Mia will do anything to help Greer let go of this emotional burden, and a plan is hatched to compete in a triathlon. Each girl will participate: Kiki will swim, Joya Mia will cycle, and Greer, if they can persuade her, will run—something she once loved to do.

Set on the Westbank of New Orleans, this contemporary coming-of-age novel is a journey of growth, healing, and difficult transitions as the girls navigate their many life challenges: family trauma, body insecurity, and the conflict between ambition and responsibility. It's a powerful and enlightening exploration of how to surmount personal tragedy through friendship and forgiveness.

Review

This was one of the books that the narrator made the experience worth listening to. You got to know the girls, their journey and families. Each represented different households, lifestyles and experiences. This story is special because these girls were born in the midst of one of the country's most debilitating natural disasters.The strength and determination especially coming out of that tragedy is inspiring.

Watching them navigate through that transitional period in life, their early teenage years, facing challenges and insecurities, learning how to be responsible and find their voice was an interesting story to follow along to.

Overall, it was a wonderful book to listen to and the narration was an enjoyable experience. I’m not sure whether this will be a singular book but the characters would make an interesting series to follow. It would be fun to see their experiences in high school and beyond.

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Review: Travel Rangers: Mission to Ireland by Erika Bud and Remesh Ram, Illustrator

The Travel Rangers are back for their second mission in the second book of the Travel Rangers series and their heading to Ireland!

In this mission, the gang heads to Ireland and explores the Emerald Isle, checking out various historical sites, including castles, learning about new food, seeing where they built the Titanic and more.

Overall, this was another wonderful book in the series that blends a wonderful adventure of a fun group of kids who travel the world while learning a new culture. I even learned a couple of new things considering one of my favorite places on the wish list is Ireland. If you haven’t checked out the first book, make sure you check out their adventure exploring Australia. I can’t wait to find out where the Travel Rangers go next.

The book is suggested for kids 4-8 years old.

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Review: Yes Means Yes: A Kid's Book about Consent, Boundaries, & Listening to Your Body by Elaine Tai and Kai Kwong, Illustrator

Times have changed, especially when it comes to communication about boundaries. Yes Means Yes, is a wonderful book that gives great examples about boundaries, communicating consent and respecting each other’s personal space. Through colorful illustrations and engaging examples, this book would be a great way to inspire conversation on the subject.

Overall, a wonderful book but what makes it even better is how beautiful the illustrations are. I love how there is representation of all types of kids which by the way are so adorable. The message is presented in a way that is relatable to the kids and teaches them with a tender touch.

Reading Age: 4 - 8

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Review: Don't Be Mean to 13 by Douglas Harris

Don’t Be Mean to 13 is a wonderful book complemented with engaging, colorful illustrations to help children understand and not be afraid of superstitions. Beginning with a wonderful forward to the book, it gives some background roots to the number 13 and the infamous Friday the 13th.

The number 13 and Friday the 13th, has been branded in our minds as something bad but how many of us know why? As the book gives some root info and through the adorable 13 and Friday characters, these superstitions get tested and show how the number isn’t so scary.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found the information presented was interesting. Something that stands out is the character 13. As the character may appear scary looking, I love how they are embraced and as the book tries to take the negative out of the superstitions, we see who they really are. That’s a wonderful takeaway lesson. People judge based on things they don’t know. When they take the time to learn more about them, they grow to see they aren’t that bad.

Reading Age 3-10

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Review: Nona's Nerves by Modello Brown

About the Book

Nona was excited! She’d been practicing, you know. Tomorrow was the annual Littlewood Talent Show! But when Nona’s turn came… Just before she went to sing… Something stopped her in her tracks…Her chest began to sting!

Nona had been feeling super-duper great about her singing all week. But then she saw all the amazing things the rest of the Hip Hop Littles were doing... She watched Wan share incredible photos…She watched Zoey model fantastic outfits. She watched Rain DJ, Alison dance, and Jordan paint graffiti. They were all so wonderful that she suddenly felt very anxious. She didn’t want to sing anymore. What on Earth was she going to do?

Review

Nona’s Nerves is part of a new children’s book series, featuring the cute pact of friends called The Hip Hop Littles. Beautifully illustrated, complemented with a wonderful supportive story, we see how this team comes together to support their friend dealing with her anxiety before a big show.

With everyone anticipating their annual talent show, Nona had practiced all week and couldn’t wait to perform. She didn’t have anything to worry about because she was very talented. After her friends showed their talent and it was her turn to perform, anxiety and nervousness overcame her leaving her uncertain of what to do. With the help and support of her friends, they gave her the self confidence boost she needed to overcome her fears.

Overall, this was a wonderful book in the series. I loved how her friends supported each other and shared their experiences. It showed her how this was part of life and normal as everyone goes through this but can be conquered. This is going to be a good series that children can feel good about and relate to the experiences on their level. I loved the positivity and value that it will bring to their lives.

This book is recommended for kids ages 3-8.

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Review: The Kid with Big, Big Ideas by Britney Winn Lee and Jacob Souva (Illustrator)

"There once was a kid with glittery nails who always wore colorful socks,

and all around town, this child was known for thinking outside of the box."

Following the bestselling The Boy with Big, Big Feelings and The Girl with Big, Big Questions comes a new story about a nonbinary kid with ideas so big and wild that grown-ups often dismiss them. What if we could be mermaids and swim to school? What if we could teach pets to talk? What if we could make the world safe and inclusive for everyone?

This innovative kid doesn't stop there, and with the help of their supportive Gran, they come up with the biggest idea yet. In a world that so often dismisses and excludes kids from decision-making, this book boldly suggests that not only should kids have a voice, but that their ideas just might be the ticket to making progress.

Download the free The Kid with Big, Big Ideas Educator's Guide to continue the discussion about world-changing ideas!

Pages: 32

Ages: Preschool (3-5 years); Early Grades (5-8 years)

Review

The Kid with Big, Big Ideas is the third book in the The Big, Big series. As I’m not familiar with the series and this being the first book I read, I thought this was a wonderful book. I will definitely check out the other two books in the series.

This beautifully illustrated book is complemented with such a positive message for kids, inspiring them to use their voice to make a difference. Kids today, being exposed to so much more than previous generations, have big ideas that sometimes don’t get heard because of their age. All it takes is one person to believe in them and help cultivate them with help may lead to something great.

What I loved is how this awesome kid shared their ideas with their Gran who took them seriously and helped make a plan to work with the community. By allowing this, it gave them a voice to be part of the solution involving matters that related to them and allow their big ideas to be put to good use.

What a wonderful takeaway message that all it takes is one adult to believe and help take those big ideas and voices to use to inspire something great. You never know how those ideas can impact the community.

Overall, a wonderful book with a positive message.

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