Book Reviews by Christina Matekel-Gibson
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Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock by Jesús Trejo
By the time this review is published, Summer Reading will have…
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BRIDGES by Marc Majewski and GOODNIGHT TO YOUR FANTASTIC ELASTIC BRAIN by JoAnn and Terrence Deak
At the start of the COVID lockdown, my then-four year old spent…
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THERE WAS A PARTY FOR LANGSTON, KING O’LETTERS by Jason Reynolds & Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey
Happy February! As we close out Black History Month, I would…
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Favorite Children’s Books of 2023
I am a lover of lists, so the end of the year is an exciting…
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Cherie Dimaline’s TIGER LILY AND THE SECRET TREASURE OF NEVERLAND
J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan has been told and retold many times…
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“The Night Before Freedom” by Glenda Armand and “Nic Blake and the Remarkables” by Angie Thomas
Summer is here! At the Joplin Public Library, that means the…
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“Elbert in the Air” and “Babble!”
I want to share about two of my favorite new titles in the Children’s…
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Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson and Standing in the Need of Prayer by Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison
Awards season is here — not the Grammys or the Oscars, but…
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Everything in its Place by Pauline David-Sax and Berry Song by Michaela Goade
A young girl discovers the connecting power of books in Pauline…
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Back to School Picture Books
For most area kids, school starts this week. In light of that,…
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Ocean Books for Summer Reading
It’s June, which means Summer Reading 2022 is in full effect…
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Donna Barba Higuera’s THE LAST CUENTISTA
I recently finished the Newbery Medal title, Donna Barba Higuera’s…
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Watercress by Andrea Wang & Jason Chin
Happy book awards season!
Every January, the American Library…
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WE ALL PLAY by Julie Flett & JOJO MAKOONS by Dawn Quigley
I love to set both small and larger reading challenges for myself…
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Beginning Reader Titles in the Children’s Department.
Summer Reading 2021 has come to a close at the Joplin Public…
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“All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team” by Christina Soontornvat
The library is always a great place to be, but it has been especially…
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FRONT DESK by Kelly Yang
If you have seen the movie “Elf,” you are familiar with the…
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WHEN YOU TRAP A TIGER by Tae Keller & WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS by Carole Lindstrom
I know the actual Super Bowl just happened, but I did not watch…
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My Favorite Picture Books and Middle Grade of 2020
The year 2020 was a great year for books. I reviewed many of…
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“A Polar Bear in the Snow” by Mac Barnett & “In the Half Room” by Carson Ellis
2020 has been a roller coaster of a year, but books have been…
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Mac B. Kid Spy by Mac Barnett and The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert
Sometimes you just want to read a good mystery. In fact, I would…
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“You Matter” by Christian Robinson and “Everyone’s Awake” by Colin Meloy
I am bursting with picture book recommendations! The last few…
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Priya Dreams of Marigolds and Masala by Meenal Patel
Did you know that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month?…
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BIG PAPA AND THE TIME MACHINE by Daniel Bernstrom
It’s been a while since I rounded up my favorite picture books…
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Never Caught, the story of Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar & Kathleen Van Cleve
In preparing for the library’s Black History Month celebration…
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Why? by Adam Rex and Claire Keane & Saturday by Oge Mora
The end of the year is always a scramble to chip away at my TBR…
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THEY CALL ME GUERO by David Bowles/DANCING HANDS by Margarita Engle
Twelve-year-old Guero (a lifelong nickname referring to his pale…
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MEET YASMIN by Saadia Faruqi & Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed
Youth activist Marley Dias was inspired to begin her #1000BlackGirlBooks…
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Mae Among the stars by Roda Ahmed & Look Up With Me: Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Life Among the Stars” by Jennifer Berne
The summer reading program is in full swing inside the library’s…
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The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
As I mentioned in my most recent review, I challenged myself…
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Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
This February, I challenged myself to read all of the Coretta…
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Diverse Picture Books
I started this week's review with another novel in mind, but…
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There, There by Tommy Orange
In "THERE, THERE" by TOMMY ORANGE, 12 strangers make plans to…
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Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
Writing about social justice issues can be difficult when the…
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Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz with Renee Watson
Before Betty Shabazz became an activist, educator, mother and…
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Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Aza Holmes is a little bit insufferable, but don't we all have…