Category: Children’s

The Fairy Atlas: Fairy Folk of the World by Anna Claybourne & Miren Asiain Lora

This is such a gorgeous volume for anyone of any age who has an interest in fairy folk the world over. I highly recommend getting it in hardback, as the paper quality is absolutely wonderful: luxuriously thick and offering a wonderful canvas for the art and information on offer inside. And what art and information! …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/04/the-fairy-atlas-fairy-folk-of-the-world-by-anna-claybourne-miren-asiain-lora/

The Loud House #16: Loud And Clear by The Loud House Creative Team

Y’know, I think this was the first Loud House anthology where I actually wasn’t clear on what the theme was, which is ironic given the title. That said, I really appreciated the editor’s afterword praising veteran comics letter Wilson Ramos Jr. His work graces the Loud House pages and ensures that it’s fully legible for …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/29/the-loud-house-16-loud-and-clear-by-the-loud-house-creative-team/

Ways to Share Joy (A Ryan Hart Story #3) by Renée Watson

with the most charming illustrations by Nina Mata. Ryan Hart is the one perpetually in the middle: between her prank-loving big brother Ray and her new baby sister Rose, and between her two best friends KiKi and Amanda. Fortunately, Rose is a little sweetheart, even if she does seem to take up almost all of …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/27/ways-to-share-joy-a-ryan-hart-story-3-by-renee-watson/

The Very Genius Notebooks #1: The Chronicles Of Deltovia by Olivia Jaimes

I’m genuinely starting to believe that some of the best under-the-radar writing out there nowadays is coming from middle grade authors. Not that Olivia Jaimes is primarily that (or even her real name.) Having gained acclaim for her reboot of the long-running Nancy comic strip, she’s now published her first middle-grade novel under this name, …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/23/the-very-genius-notebooks-1-the-chronicles-of-deltovia-by-olivia-jaimes/

The Tryout: A Graphic Novel by Christina Soontornvat & Joanna Cacao

Author Christina Soontornvat wasn’t sure whether anyone would care about her experiences with middle school, but was eventually persuaded to write about one of the most cringe episodes of her own pre-teen career in this wryly moving graphic novel. I’m so glad she did. It’s not easy being one of the few Thai people in …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/09/the-tryout-a-graphic-novel-by-christina-soontornvat-joanna-cacao/

Gustav & Henri Vol 1: Space Time Cake by Andy Matthews & Peader Thomas

Meet Gustav, a pig with a big imagination, and Henri Normal, his best friend who happens to be a dog (but like in a Goofy kind of way, as opposed to a Pluto.) The best friends enjoy spending time together, doing the usual things Australian kids do, including an old favorite of mine, playing badminton. …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/07/gustav-henri-vol-1-space-time-cake-by-andy-matthews-peader-thomas/

Trick Or Treat, Alistair Gray by Lindy Ryan & Tímea Gazdag

Welp, Labor Day is over, so ofc it’s time to turn the consumerist attention to Halloween! (I’m mostly kidding, but also resigned to the world we live in.) Halloween is such a weird holiday, IMO, less so in its origins than in the way it’s evolved over the years as an American (and associated) celebration. …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/06/trick-or-treat-alistair-gray-by-lindy-ryan-timea-gazdag/

How To Master Your SOCIAL POWER In Middle School: Kid Confident Book 1 by Bonnie Zucker & DeAndra Hodge

So my eldest child is now in middle school, and as someone who did not go through the American system for that span but who does have a husband who thinks it’s the most formative experience of a child’s life, it has been a bit nerve-wracking, to say the least, to watch my little fledgling …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/01/how-to-master-your-social-power-in-middle-school-kid-confident-book-1-by-bonnie-zucker-deandra-hodge/

Magical History Tour #10: The First Steps On The Moon by Fabrice Erre & Sylvain Savoia

I continue to be genuinely pleased and impressed by the consistently high quality of this children’s graphic novel series, that speaks just as meaningfully to any adult with an interest in popular (and sometimes not-so-popular) history as to any curious child. The tenth installment of the Magical History Tour has Annie and Nico discussing spaceflight, …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/08/30/magical-history-tour-10-the-first-steps-on-the-moon-by-fabrice-erre-sylvain-savoia/

Aven Green Music Machine by Dusti Bowling

with charming illustrations throughout by Gina Perry. I picked up this book at ALAAC and 100% did not notice that the titular heroine does not have arms, despite the many illustrations inside and out pertaining to it, till she actually mentions it herself in the course of the first-person narrative. To a large extent, that’s …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/08/25/aven-green-music-machine-by-dusti-bowling/