#KidLitFaves: Recent Children's and YA Books that Bloggers Love: Feb. 23

As I travel about the kidlitosphere, encountering reviews by other bloggers (people I trust, and generally have been following for some time), I take note of those reviews in which it is clear that the reviewer really, really likes the book. I share links to those reviews on Twitter (with hashtag #KidLitFaves) and Facebook and round them up here. Hopefully over time this will become a useful resource. I welcome your feedback! 

Picture Books:

Rosemond Cates at Big Hair and Books is "crazy about Rodeo Red" by Maripat Perkins and Molly Idle. She says:

"This will absolutely be added to the permanent collection at my house, and I highly recommend getting a copy for your library as well!"  

Jeff Barger at NC Teacher Stuff says that Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen's Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold combines "exceptional poetry, interesting nonfiction text, and gorgeous illustrations". He adds:

"Joyce Sidman's poetry creates wonderful visuals and makes it a pleasure to read lines aloud. I'm especially drawn to the adjectives that she uses. The poems are impressive on their own, but then you get fascinating nonfiction with great wow! facts."

Early Readers/Early Chapter Books:

At Libros Latin@s, Ashley Hope Pérez reviews the Sofia Martinez series by Jacqueline Jules, three early readers available separately or in a single multi-story volume. Ashley says:

"The Sofia Martinez series is a lovely addition to the world of early chapter books....Suited well to the needs, interests, and sense of humor of early readers, the books will have broad appeal for the K-2 crowd."

Charlotte Taylor from Charlotte's Library adores Ursula Vernon's Dragonbreath series. Reviewing the 10th Dragonbreath installment, Knight-Napped!, she says: 

"If you want a book to offer a seven or eight-year old with a sense of humor, especially an eight-year old who is maybe a bit geeky and who appreciates the snarky absurd, a Dragonbreath book is the Right Answer!!!"  

Middle Grade:

Katie Fitzgerald at Story Time Secrets is undertaking a Children's Historical Fiction Reading project. She reviewed The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris in the interest of including a book about King Arthur. She says:

"This book is one of those rare gems that manages to be both literary and laugh-out-loud funny. Gerald Morris has a very understated sense of humor that might not appeal to every young reader, but kids that get his subtle jokes will be endlessly amused by them and eager for more." 

Sarah Stevenson is posting her Cybils shortlist reviews for Round 2 Graphic Novels at Finding Wonderland. Reviewing Elementary/Middle Grade category winner El Deafo by Cece Bell she says:

"I see it as having that critical combination of kid appeal and literary merit that will make it both a memorable and enjoyable read... This one was one of my favorites AND it scored the highest on my rating system for the E/MG graphic novel finalists."

Tasha Saecker from Waking Brain Cells calls Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan "simply exceptional." She concludes:

"This book is a delight to read.  It marries the magic of the harmonica with more realistic historical fiction components very successfully." 

Karen Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads features books that she especially likes for Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays. Last week she discussed Katie Friedman Gives Up Texting (And Lives to Tell About It), saying:

"'I've been a huge Charlie Joe Jackson fan for a long time, and this book is an excellent addition to the canon!... This can be enjoyed even if you haven't read CJJ, and I would bet that all of my boys will be eager readers of this one even though Katie is on the cover." 

Young Adult:

April at Good Books and Good Wine makes identifying her favorites easy for me by including a ranking from one to five stars on each review. She gave five stars to All the Rage by Courtney Summers, saying:

"If you are in the market for a book that is incredibly intelligent commentary on our culture and why we need feminism, you need to pick up All The Rage and rage right along with main character Remy at the unfairness of her situation as well as those of other victims. This book is well written. It’s a quick read. It is real and raw and painful. I absolutely recommend it."

Closing Thoughts:

Choosing books to include was exceptionally difficult this week, because so many of my blogging friends waxed enthusiastic about so many titles. I've tried to select books for a wide range of audiences (by age, genre, topic, etc.). I hope that all of youare able to find something of interest. 

Two other notes about these review excerpts:

1. If I have quoted from one of your reviews, and you prefer that I not do so in the future, just let me know. No worries.
2. The book covers that I have included beside each blurb include my personal Amazon affiliate ID. If you don't want your reviews to be included in future because of this, just let me know.

Please let me know what you think of this new feature!

© 2015 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).