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Review: The New Norm by Matthew J. Gilbert

Posted on July 14, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

Norm is just a regular kid in middle school with a trusted group of long-time friends. He’d love to fit in more with the popular kids, but that’s not the kind of person he is. He lives with his dad, who’s a therapist, and the two of them counsel each other. Norm keeps his dad up to date on current kid terminology, and his dad helps him figure out how to deal with school and friends.

I’ve read two books in the series by Matthew J. Gilbert: #1, The New Norm, and #2, The New Norm: Pranks and Prejudice. In The New Norm, a video of him doing a crazy dance at his dentist’s office goes viral and suddenly everyone wants to be his friend. The trouble is, his old friends aren’t invited into the new circle. And every time he tries to include them, he usually messes things up. Ultimately, he must decide what’s more important, upping his status at school or sticking with the people who have always been there for him.

In Pranks and Prejudice, Meadowview Middle School is taken by a great prank challenge, with increasingly inventive pranks played on students. Norm encourages his friend Mia to put her science-brain to work and come up with the ultimate prank, saying he’ll help her carry it out. But when Mia comes up with something that disrupts the whole school, Norm is worried they will get in big trouble. He has to decide how to own up to the mischief without making things worse.

The series is great at identifying issues that kids deal with in middle school—friendship, popularity, following rules— and helping Norm figure out how to deal with them. I recommend The New Norm series for readers aged 9 to 12.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Review: Just One Oak by Maria Gianferrari

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

Oak trees are some of the most important sustainers of habitat. Its leaves and acorns provide shelter and food to so many animals. Maria Gianferrari’s picture book, Just One Oak, is a celebration of these majestic trees and the many ways they provide support. The book opens with the lines:

“Just one oak…from the tip of its crown down to the ground, with roots all around, sustains so very many creatures, from the teeny-tiny…to the big and mighty.”

Page by page, the author details how every part of an oak, in all seasons, nourishes its environment. Illustrations by Diana Sudyka are rich and dense, showing wildlife of all kinds with labels, so children can see the entire system and how it works together. One two-page layout, for instance, shows a red oak in snow with a white-tailed deer underneath and a saw-whet owl sheltering in its leaves. The other side depicts spring, with an Eastern bluebird singing in the branches and new leaves budding out.

The extra cool thing about Just One Oak is how it transitions from simple picture book for the very young to deeper nonfiction facts for school age kids. So parents can read the flowing text to their toddlers and the fact-filled text to older kids. The more detailed copy covers topics like how acorns provide food and shelter for all kinds of critters.

Material at the back give more information on all parts of the tree, such as the bark, the leaves, the acorns, and the oak life cycle. There’s also a whole list of things children and families can do to support oaks, which are considered a keystone species.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Review: Notre-Dame by Lynn Curlee

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

notre-dame the world's cathedral cover image

Notre-Dame is one of the world’s most famous cathedrals as well as one of the most recognizable landmarks in Paris, France. When it caught fire in 2019, the steeple toppled to the ground and much of the attic burned. People around the world waited to see if the nearly nine-century old church could be saved.

The story of Notre-Dame throughout history and its repair after the fire is told in a nonfiction picture book, Notre-Dame: The world’s Cathedral by Lynn Curlee. Filled with facts, it’s great for young readers who are drawn to stories about real-life places. Curlee covers events like the settling of Paris by a Celtic tribe called Parissii. He goes on to write about Roman history and what the church meant to the people who built it. Illustrations show architectural features as well as familiar pieces of Notre-Dame, like the sculptures of gargoyles.

Pages at the back give statistics and interesting facts as well as a glossary of terms and a bibliography for anyone who wants to read more. It’s dense material, but it should be fun for kids who like to read history and are interested in how this famous building was put back together.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Review: The Funniest Picture Book Ever by Derek Taylor Kent

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

Derek Taylor Kent knows how to write picture books that appeal to kids who love gross things. The Funniest Picture Book Ever, AKA, Fartnado! delivers plenty of humor along with the gross.

The story starts off with two children introducing us to their town of Ha! with a population that’s too lazy to count how many of them there are. Living in the town are a man with three butts, and a horse for a mayor among other eccentrics past and present. But Ha! is especially known for its museum of farts.

Lots of random things take place and they all come together in a surprising way at the end when townspeople rally to save their community from an outside threat. Illustrations by Filip Trajkovski are colorful and full of whimsy, matching the rhyming verses perfectly.

There’s lots to look at and laugh at, and parents can channel their own childhood love of gross things to have fun reading it with their kids.

The author provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Review: What Emma Wrote by Ann Diament Koffsky

Posted on June 2, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

I’m familiar with Emma Lazarus, the poet who wrote “The New Colossus” for the Statue of Liberty. The poem includes the well known lines: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” But I can’t say I knew much more about this fascinating woman until I read Ann Diament Koffsky’s picture book, What Emma Wrote: The Woman Behind the Words on the Statue of Liberty.

Emma began writing as a child, and her parents made the stories she wrote about kings, and goddesses, and biblical heroes into a book they shared with family and friends. She longed to write about more important issues, though, and when she overheard people she knew talking about the poor, ragged immigrants who had recently come to New York from other countries, she decided to find out more.

Emma’s family had arrived in New York as immigrants from Brazil, where the king made it against the law to be Jewish. They arrived in America with almost nothing. She visited a place where many immigrants lived and found out their stories. Many had come from Russia, and they also had been persecuted for being Jewish and had almost nothing.

Emma visited many times, and she helped the families get food and clothing. She also established a school to teach skills that would help the men get jobs. And she wrote about their situation. She helped others see that the immigrants were people who needed help to improve their situation.

And when Emma Lazarus was invited to write a poem about the Statue of Liberty, she imagined what the statue would say to people arriving in New York to make a new home in the United States.

It’s an inspiring story about how one person can make a difference for so many others simply by caring and deciding to do something. The back of the book includes a note from the author about the reasons people leave their home and travel to make a new home in another country. Among those who have come to the U.S. in the past are her grandparents, who came through Ellis Island in New York Harbor. There’s also a list of facts about the Statue of Liberty and a brief bio of Emma Lazarus along with the full poem, “The New Colossus.”

It’s an interesting book that should appeal to children and their parents. Illustrations by N. Tarcan are evocative of the times in the 1800s when Emma was growing up and during her adult life.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Review: Underwearwolf by Gideon Sterer

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

The birthday note from Uncle Larry to the boy was unusual. I know you appreciate underwear, he wrote, so I sent you the coolest ones I could find. That sets the stage for The Underwearwolf, a picture book written by Gideon Sterer and illustrated by Charles Santoso.

The note came with a caution. Do not under any circumstances or for any reason wear these underwear under the full moon. But how could the boy resist? Made from wool, the underwear is strange and different. Of course he’s going to wear them. Of course he’s going to transform into a werewolf and run with a pack. That’s why the picture book is so fun. Even young children can see what’s going to happen and want to see how the story plays out.

There are lots of funny moments, and much to be found in the details of the illustrations. For instance, the curtains in the boy’s bedroom are patterned with underwear. And there’s a younger sibling who acts as a silent witness as the boy transforms back to normal at the end of the night.

Also, the concept of a boy who loves underwear is great incentive for young children who may be transitioning from diapers. The book is cute and fun and easy for parents to read in an animated voice. Perfect for bedtime, snuggle time, or anytime.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Review: Don’t Look in the Freezer by Patti Eddington

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

As the wife of a veterinarian in Michigan, Patti Eddington has seen closely how crucial vets are to those of us with pets. Particularly when they are in a small town, vets’ offices may play a large role in the welfare of the whole community. Eddington’s memoir, Don’t Look in the Freezer: The Very Strange Life of a Veterinarian’s Wife, gives readers a glimpse beyond the front desk and exam rooms that most people see when they bring pets in.

Eddington’s straightforward style is warm and inviting. She could be sitting down with a friend over a cup of coffee telling the stories behind the animals. In some cases that includes how clinic pets came to live there, or how a rescued pup ended up with only three legs. Some tales are not for the squeamish, but they’re also not graphic. Instead, they deal tenderly with the tough decisions and hard cases that vets deal with on a regular basis.

Eddington also sprinkles humor throughout. And it’s easy to see the personalities of the animals her family adopts through the years. Readers will certainly find comparisons to their own furry friends as well as gain an appreciation for the long hours and dedication to animal welfare that typically defines a veterinarian and the family effort that goes into supporting that.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Review: Through the Garden Gate by Sharon Rose

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Cindy Hudson

Miles is bored, with nothing to do on a nice summer day. His mom encourages him to help their neighbor, who has a broken ankle, by pulling weeds from her garden. Weeding sounds even more boring to Miles, but his mom promises cherry pie and the opportunity to play with the neighbor’s dog, so he goes anyway.

Once he’s at Miss Mary’s house, Miles gets to work on pulling crabgrass. He notices a garden gate and wonders what’s behind it. Miss Mary tells him he can investigate once he’s done weeding. When Miles steps through the gate he finds a magical land, with fairies and amazing flowers and lush greenery. But he also finds a problem. A bog is growing and taking over the land. Miles must investigate, and when he finds the source of the trouble, his fairy friends help him make things right.

Through the Garden Gate by Sharon Rose is a picture book that combines the natural world with a magical one, where fairies fly and trees communicate if you listen closely and gophers work as a team. Illustrations by Erin Brown depict an environment that’s lush and bursting with life and the perfect cool place to hang out on a hot summer day. At the end there’s a description of the plants and animals found in the book; perfect for budding nature lovers to learn about the world around them.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.