Help Wanted, Must Love Books by Janet Sumner Johnson tells the story of Shailey whose dad used to be her bedtime storyteller until he got a new job. Now she is on the hunt for a recruit. Shailey is a bright and determined young child who posts a job announcement and begins interviewing fairy tale characters. She has to revise her job advertisement each time a new character applies as they either fall asleep, leave dirty fingerprints on her books, or scare her. Help Wanted is

Farah Rocks Fifth Grade by Susan Muaddi Darraj is a cute story with enjoyable characters. I liked the addition of the illustrations. What was great about the book was the information about the different cultures, which is important for children to be exposed to and learn. Farah Rocks Fifth Grade is a very story-driven, character-rich book about family and friends that touches the heart. I especially loved the addition of the glossary and the glossary of Arabic terms. I also w

Desolate Shores is a great start to a new series by Daryl Wood Gerber. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, their stories, and the troubles they face or have faced in their lives, which makes for relatable characters and storyline. I liked the interactions with Aspen and Nick and the tension and snarkiness between them. The author does a good job with scene descriptions, and I can see myself in the settings. The characters were well developed and likable, and the setting

Everything Isn’t Terrible by Dr. Kathleen Smith couldn’t have come at a better time. I am experiencing significant life changes and have been looking for some guidance, and this book helped conquer some of my insecurities and provided concrete, easy-to-understand information and steps to find calmness and let go of anxiety. I might as well have highlighted the whole book as there were so many wonderful analogies and gems of wisdom on each page. I was able to get to a place wh