Get the ReadSquared

Easily log your activity using the READsquared app. The app is free for both Android and iOS mobile devices.

Download the ReadSquared App:

Login
Don't have an account? Register now
Did you forget your password? Get it by email
Popular Books
book cover You’re my little Cookie Monster

book cover Night night my little cuddle bug
by: Natalie Marshall

book cover Goodnight Moon
by: Margaret Wise Brown
ISBN: 9780060275044

book cover That's Not My Dinosaur
by: Fiona Watt
ISBN: 9780746041918

book cover 101 Bible Stories for Toddlers
by: Carolyn Larsen
ISBN: 9781869209278
Book Reviews
Search All Book Reviews
Rad Girls Can Stories Of Bold, Brave, And Brilliant Young Women
by Kate Schatz
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Good read, short but lots of information. A nice mix of more and less well known ladies. I like their summaries of other women they wanted to include in the back, and that they do have a research and resources page, though I really wish it had a bibliography. (And better art, I really don't like the art style.)

Rescue And Jessica
by Jessica Kensky
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Torn on this one. It's very sweet, but despite being based on her life, I feel like it really shouldn't be in non-fiction. Even in kid's books I'm not big on non-fiction books putting specific thoughts in people's heads unless those people have written or spoken along those lines. So I'm suuuuper not big on non-fiction books showing animals thinking like people. I'm also iffy on how she turned herself into a tween/teen and glossed entirely over her injuries. It's lovely to have a thoughtful and positive portrayal, and first hand, view, I just wish it had emphasized more on the training and working together and less on an imaginary dog's POV and a quasi-fictional view on her. Two separate books-maybe a more real non-fiction and then a picture book might have been more appropriate here?

Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Really good, it flips quickly between funny and heartbreaking. Took me awhile to get used to the art, but then moved at an amazing pace. A glimpse at a history and point of view I know embarrassingly little about. (read for the graphic memoir component)

The Nameless City
by Faith Erin Hicks
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I guess it's a case of not bad but not much there? More of an opener than a complete story? Namesless city is a much cooler title than the city everyone calls something different... I do like the nod to names and how they work in terms of control. The visuals are great, as someone who always has issues with perspective no matter how much I sketch out vanishing points and angles, serious respect. That's a lot of tiles and bricks and shadowing to have on point. And the pacing of the racing scenes really does ramp up nicely. (I'm always iffy on the nabbing Eastern settings and clothing styles and naming conventions without plot tie in. Not sure where the line is on what's okay and what's not. Especially in a graphic novel that seems to be leading to questioning conquest and colonialism?)

Facts Vs. Opinions Vs. Robots
by Michael Rex
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I loved this book. It manages to be engaging while teaching the differences between facts and opinons. And tests and repeats the information without getting didactic. So even if it doesn't sink in right away, at least they're vaguely familiar concepts now. *Plus, he shows the whole sometimes we need to wait for additional information to make the call if something is fact or opinion.

Smash! Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe with the Large Hadron Collider
by Sara Latta
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Graphic format is good for this, but I think given how slim the story framework was I think a straight up comic with more visuals on the concepts and not bothering with the comic book inspiration parts might have worked better. (Also should I worry that I don't really get subatomic physics even when it's in a comic format and aimed at teens?)

Seashells More Than A Home
by Melissa Stewart
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Just finished the Seashells more than a Home book. I kind of wish she defined mollusk at the beginning of the book since she uses the word throughout, but it's a beautiful book. It gives solid and easy to understand examples, the main font is clearly differentiated from the notes, but both are large and legible. It's also always fun to get to learn new things from a picture book. I have an abalone shell, but never knew what the holes were for! Or why cockle shells are so fragile looking. And there's a partial bibliography both for the author and the illustrator, huzzah!

Lucky Stars Mr. Wolf's Class #3
by Aron Nels Steinke
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I'll have to chat with younger readers when I can, missing the appeal on this one. (And the whole mouths being in the wrong place drove me nuts to the point of interrupting the flow of the story.)

Indian-ish
by Priya Krishna
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Fun, snarky cookbook of "Indian-ish" recipes, with commentary from the author and her parents. A good gateway cookbook to the complexity and wonder of Indian cuisine, also highlighting how recipes and cooking morph and change over time because of circumstance, available ingredients, and other cultural influences.

Tough Mothers
by Jason Porath
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Another great introduction to a batch of badass women. Not a be all and end all, but an amazing starting place with a highly readable pace. Also greatly appreciate the broader approach to the use of mother and matriarch. (I feel like the casual style would do better in teen with the first book, but I think the use of mother in the title is why the few libraries that have it put it in adult...)
Copyright (c) 2013-2026    ReadSquared