Barbarian Librarian Book Reviews

I absolutely adored this middle grade novel about anxiety and panic attacks. What a necessary read in a world that needs to talk more openly about mental health. Popcorn is about a seventh grade boy who is having the worst of worst days. It's his mom's first day at a new job, a job she really needs because they need the money to help put his grandmother in a safe facility (her Alzheimers is getting worse by the day). All she asks of him is to PLEASE take a nice photo (it's school picture day) and it seems as if the universe is out to get him. He already suffers from anxiety and he's nervous about his mom's first day, his grandma being watched by a friend, and staying clean and presentable for his photo. It's a lot! Throughout the day there is a bully who is out to get him, a science experiment gone wrong, juice box sneezes, and a basketball to the face. Andrew's anxiety keeps ratcheting up after each and every incident. He's never had a panic attack at school and he is determined that today won't be the day. But what if the universe is out to get him? Filled with amazing illustrations and comic frames; this middle grade novel is so important. Should be required reading for kids and adults!

This middle grade fantasy novel is perfect for kids who like folk and fairy tales. When Soledad hears her mother's awful visions, she is determined to not be a part of them. She steals her mother's magical flute and runs into the mountains. Over the course of a year, three plagues befall her village and she is helpless to assist them. All she knows is that she cannot fall into the hands of the Phoenix otherwise she will be used as his pawn to create further chaos. Even while isolated high in the mountains, Soledad has fallen victim to one of the plagues, she has a wound on her leg that will not heal. She can prevent it from spreading further only if she keeps bathing it in the healing waters by her former village. It's getting more and more dangerous though. The ruin dwellers and the Phoenix's men are down there and one of these days they are going to catch her. When she runs into an old friend, she thinks that everything might be ok, but that interaction sets off a chain of events that will end everything once and for all. Solid, but some of the events seem out of order or not needed. 

Short and sweet, this little self published novel for middle grade readers had good bones, but could definitely have used an editor. It was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, the formatting was weird, and the homemade drawings were very... amateur. That being said, I think it's an enjoyable story about a young girl and the magical Christmas she spent with her family in Key West. It's easy to read, sweet, and fun. Again, I think the story has potential, it just needs some more TLC. I do believe this is also part of a series. 

This was a quick read that will appeal to middle graders. Twelve year old, Neon overheard her parents whispering in their bedroom and to her utter dismay she finds out that she only has 28 days to live. They are trying to keep her healthy and happy; but they are hiding the truth from her. Neon decides to live her last 28 days to the fullest and doesn't let her parents know that she knows. She decides that she wants to do one good deed a day and if she's really good, maybe she'll be granted a miracle and can live. She decides she'll help everyone in town if that's what it will take to get a miracle. She helps her elderly neighbor, decides to sit with an autistic classmate at lunch, gives her sweater to someone who needs it and so on. The pressure to keep her secret though is weighing on her. She doesn't want people to start treating her any differently. Soon though she is having to make up lies and is inadvertently pushing her friends away. But could they handle the truth? Sweet and a little sad. With some more chapters and a better editor, I think this could be a big book. 

I am not much of a baseball fan. And by not much I mean I've been to less than five MLB games and a handful of minor league games. I never watch baseball on TV and I certainly don't listen to it. That being said, this book was interesting, although I don't think I'll ever re-read it or retain any of the knowledge I learned (other than Babe Ruth was a brothel man, who knew?!). Going into this book, I thought it would only be covering the Cardinals and the Yankees and their race for the pennant, but it really included a lot of other info about teams, management, owners, fans, training camps, and the Black leagues. It mostly focused on 1926 but sometimes it went really into depth about a player or owner and then there would be a pretty detailed backstory going back years or even decades. Well written and with a decent amount of photos, this book will appeal to fans of history and baseball. 

Charming and inspiring, this middle grade book introduces readers to Amina, an immigrant from Syria who has just arrived to Indianapolis. Desperate to fit and try to make American friends, Amina decides to write a formula to help her make friends. Back in Syria she loved science and STEM and she is convinced that with the right formula, she'll be able to fit in. Relatable and cute; this is a great chapter book for kids in elementary school to learn about fitting in, making friends, and being open to those from other cultures. The illustrations are a nice touch as well. I definitely plan on getting the rest of the series for my daughter to read some day!  

An absolutely inspiring read! This book blends personal experiences with actionable steps to help readers flip the script when life gets challenging. Andrea Gash is a speaker, facilitator, and career coach who helps people rebuild their lives after unexpected change or loss and I am lucky enough to call her my friend. In her debut book, Andrea discusses dealing with loss of both her biological and adopted parents, the loss of her in-laws, grief, infertility, and caregiving; and how she coped when the weight of it all caught up to her. Using her life experiences as examples, Andrea introduces the Momentum Method, a five-stage framework designed to help readers rebuild their identity, purpose, and direction after a major life change. Don’t Bounce Back — Rebuild Forward is perfect for readers who enjoy stories of reinvention and growth after loss. This book is full of tools that will help readers navigate grief, identity shifts, exhaustion, and burnout. It’s also a roadmap to rebuild confidence, clarity, and figure out what the next chapter has in store. I usually read self-help books in a day or two and then not do any of the action steps or really ingest what I've read. I took a good week to savor this book and really work on the steps and the guided questions at the end of each chapter. It made a big difference. This is definitely a book I plan to refer back to, to try and keep my life on track. Very inspiring and impactful!