marywahlmeierbracciano's reviews
829 reviews

Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

With Spanish thoughtfully sprinkled throughout, Alebrijes is set in a post-apocalyptic North American dystopia in which Indigenous survivors live amongst white settlers, whose regime wishes to erase their language, culture, and people.  The Cascabeles have been forced into slavery, with never enough to eat.  Orphans Leandro and Gabi make ends meet by stealing from the rich, but when Gabi gets caught, Leandro takes the fall.  He is not banished to the outlands to be eaten by giant worms like many before him—instead, a renegade physician places his mind inside a metal hummingbird drone, and he’ll never see Gabi again unless he completes a special mission.  I was stunned by Donna Barba Higuera’s imagination, especially regarding the Cascabel music and dance.  Fans of The Last Cuentista will love this book, especially the epilogue!
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Olivetti by Allie Millington

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Much like an antique typewriter, Olivetti isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty darn special.  Ernest is a quiet, sensitive kid who counts words from dictionaries as his friends, but when his mom disappears soon after selling her beloved typewriter to a pawn shop, he’s determined to bring her home.  Never would he have guessed that the typewriter could communicate, and, through its countless stories, help him find his mom.  With the help of a new friend, and Olivetti, of course, Ernest learns to confront the past and put his feelings into words.  It turns out, the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.
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The Book That Can Read Your Mind by Marianna Coppo

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4.75

Abracadabra!  This interactive story is like a “pick a card” magic trick in book form!  It’s filled with adorable, charming illustrations, and the undeniably fun “choose your own adventure” style makes for a new experience every time—perfect for parents who can’t bear to read the same book over and over.  Prepare to be amazed!
Day and Night by Roger Duvoisin

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4.5

Originally published in 1960, Day and Night follows a dog called Day and an owl called Night who become friends despite their opposite schedules—it is thusly ripe with wordplay.  Its wordiness makes for a great readaloud while entertaining younger readers with vibrant illustrations.  This stylish, charming book is perfect for seekers of lesser-known classics.
Snail by Minu Kim

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4.5

Snail is a touching story, colored and worded sparsely, with great care and intention.  I’m sure any younger sibling can relate to not being able to keep up with older kids but wanting, desperately, to be just like them.  Big feelings are had, but nature helps the little brother in this book to experience the bravery and joy of going at his own pace.
Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten by Michelle Knudsen

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4.5

I love Luigi with my whole heart!  I was afraid of spiders for many years, only recently having quelled my fear as an adult.  This story shows that we miss out on a lot of fun when we judge a book by its cover and that everyone is special in their own way.  What’s so different about spiders and kittens, anyway?
Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This multigenerational saga of an ordinary Catholic family plays out in unexpected ways.  Inspired by a shocking revelation from within the author’s own family, Wolf at the Table meditates upon guilt, duty, and inheritance.  The character of the wolf is both obvious, and it isn’t—in many ways, the wolf is all of them.  Readers get to know Alec, in particular, in such a way that allows for empathy and sorrow alongside the knowledge of his eventually horrendous actions.  Monsters aren’t made up—they’re real, complex human beings.  I’ll be thinking about this stunning novel for a long time. 
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Winter Solstice: An Essay by Nina MacLaughlin

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4.0

Are You Enjoying? by Mira Sethi

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challenging medium-paced

3.5

Mira Sethi’s debut—read by the author herself, who is also an actress, as evidenced by her effortless narration—is a tapestry of secret relationships and performance of all kinds.  In a few connected stories, the wife of a wealthy politician hopes to run for office following her husband’s retirement, her campaign a contradictory performance of working-class advocacy, Pakistani womanhood, and self-preservation.  Amid whirlwind trysts, drug dependency defies generation, as does misogyny.  These stories are colored by Pakistan’s complex political environment, and they all seem to ask, When must we perform?
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Soulswift by Megan Bannen

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Two young people from warring religious factions meet in a tense encounter that explodes in violence and ends in them joining forces to make an arduous journey across the land. Both loyal to a fault, the born enemies become tentative friends as they face grief and betrayal, and the foundations of their religious identities crumble around them. Eventually, their devotion turns toward each other in a beautiful, tragic love story that remains in bloom long after the final page.  A crying book for sure. 
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