Kids’ book reviews

“Spooky Sleuths: The Ghost Tree,”

by Natasha Deen

If you are a big fan of spooky, here is a new series for those younger readers wanting a little more scare to their stories. Asim has just moved to a new town and it begins to alarm him! He hears weird noises at night, sees strange lights and now a tree is growing faster than it should, making people sick. Asim’s new friends can explain it scientifically, but then things take a turn. Now the friends must figure out how to save the town and themselves! Asim’s adventures are based on Guyanese folklore. Look for the second eerie book in the series on shelves now Beware the Moonlight! For ages 7 and up.

“Isla of Adventure: Welcome to the Island,”

by Dela Costa

A new series has landed on the shelves at the library for those younger readers who are ready for small chapters. The series, Isla of Adventure, features our main character, Isla Verde, who lives on the Island of Sol. Isla is surrounded by island animals, plants and yummy food, however Isla has a big secret. Isla can talk to animals and they can talk back. Isla loves adventures and especially adventures with her animal friends. When a new family moves in next door with a girl her age, can Isla keep the secret or if she is found out will she lose a new friend? For ages 6 and up.

Books for teens

“Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling,” by Elise Bryant

New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day; through a series of chance holiday meetings shy-except-when-she’s-on-stage Delilah and self-proclaimed Blerd Reggie meet and fall in love. Delilah gets talked into performing with her friend’s punk band and finds freedom being on stage, but it doesn’t feel like her true self. Reggie loves D&D and he creates a confident player to cover for his real-life awkwardness. Have they fallen in love with the real version of their crush, or the made up one? The romance is supported by weightier topics: Reggie’s disapproving family where his interests are concerned, and contending with his dyslexia; Delilah is concerned that she’s a novelty to her bandmates: being the sole Black girl in a punk band.

“As Long as Lemon Trees Grow,”

by Zoulfa Katouh

War-torn Syria is brought center stage in this tale of a young pharmacy student’s evolution from normal teenage life, to the horror of volunteering at her hometown hospital in Homs. Salama hopes to find room on a refugee boat for herself and her pregnant sister-in-law, but must survive the war until she can escape. She is joined by a PTSD-driven imaginary companion, Khawf, who desperately tries to keep her safe. Salama finds her values changing, her loyalty to her country at odds with her survival instincts, and a budding friendship in conflict with her desire to flee. As she begins to understand that she is not just surviving a war, but supporting a revolution, she will have to decide which path to take.

Adult book reviews

“Yerba Buena,”

by Nina LaCour

In Nina LaCour’s adult novel debut, ”Yerba Buena,” coming May 31, two women find each other along their individual paths to personal acceptance. Sara is a popular and sought-after bartender in Los Angeles grieving the loss of her mother, the loss of her former lover, the knowledge of her father’s failures and the lack of communication with her younger brother. Will her trauma keep her from being able to have the life she is worthy of? In the same city, Emilie is struggling to find out who she is. She has changed her college major several times and hasn’t held a steady job. Eventually, she finds her passion in building a community, remodeling homes and lifting up her Creole background. Emilie and Sara meet and start a sweet, complicated relationship tested by their histories and futures. LaCour’s novel highlights the meaning of home and what it means to invite someone to create one with you. Readers of “Normal People,” “Writers & Lovers” and “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” will find familiarity and a celebration of love in these pages.

“We Hereby Refuse,”

by Frank Abe, Tamiko Nimura, Ross Ishikawa and Matt Sasaki

Abe et. al’s graphic novel tells the stories of three people held in American concentration camps in World War II. These individuals, Jim Akutsu, Hiroshi Kashiwagi and Mitsuye Endo, all of Japanese American descent, were defiant in their imprisonment. These true stories show the camps as they haven’t been seen by most Americans. The stories of resistance aren’t ones of hope or to be uplifting. They remind us of the horrors our own citizens faced by their own government, and they connect this history to present-day American society. The art in “We Hereby Refuse,” created by Ishikawa and Sasaki, is stark with minimal color. While the style varies with each story, the overall theme reflects the darkness in the stories told by the authors. This is not a book to make you feel better — it is one to educate on the atrocities enacted by our government in the past and today.