45 Starred Reviews of 2021
This year, LQ racked up 45 STARRED REVIEWS, including SIX (6) stars for The Sea-Ringed World, FIVE (5) stars for Red & Green & Blue & White, a TRIO (3) of stars for The Shape of Home, The Last Cuentista and Neverforgotten, and a PAIR (2) of stars forThe Stolen Prince of Cloudburst and Osnat And Her Dove.
PICTURE BOOKS
ALIEN NATION
Kirkus’ Best Books of the Year
BookShop’s Most Astonishingly Unconventional Books of the Year
★ “A clever, enigmatic glimpse at first-world alienation.”—Kirkus (starred)
RED AND GREEN AND BLUE AND WHITE
Association of Jewish Libraries’ Best of the Year
“We come together in strength. It's a message the world can use, throughout the year.”— New York Times
“Affecting. This moving tribute to religious pluralism will uplift children.” — Wall Street Journal
★ “A moving historical tale that encourages taking a stand.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “A strong addition to holiday stories, one that can be reread and rediscovered many times and whose theme of community support and friendship is appropriate year-round.” —School Library Connection (starred)
★ “Captures the celebratory joys of the season.” — Horn Book (starred)
★ “A powerful and inspiring example of community, friendship, respect, and love.”—School Library Journal (starred)
★ “Vibrant and compassionate. [A] spirited picture book that models allyship.” —Shelf-Awareness (starred)
SHY WILLOW
Amazon’s Best Books of the Month
BookPage’s Best Books of the Year
“Evokes a richly mysterious night; a night in which dreams could come true.” —The New York Times
“A memorable and moving read. A lovely mix of realistic and fantastical.” —BookPage
★ “A dreamlike adventure…A warm and wondrous adventure for armchair, or high chair, travelers.”—Booklist (starred)
THE SHAPE OF HOME
“A joyful, wildly imaginative book” —New York Times Book Review
★ “A creative, child-centered picture book about finding a new home after immigration. Ebulliently illustrated.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
★ “It’s hard to find a more joyful take on the first day of school in a new country than that found in Kheiriyeh’s new work.”—School Library Journal (starred)
★ “Exuberant...A warm and welcoming story about a group of children who may have come from other places but have found a classroom that is ‘shaped like a home.’”—Booklist (starred)
OSNAT AND HER DOVE
Canadian Jewish Literary Award Winner
Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids
School Library Journal’s Best Books of the Year
Tablet’s Best Jewish Children’s Books of the Year
★ “A vibrant life story, with imagined conversations and brilliant illustrations, that will find a home in every collection”—School Library Journal (starred)
★ “This dynamic and respectful picture book envisions the life of a prominent 17th-century Jewish leader who defied gender norms.”—Shelf-Awareness (starred)
SHEEP COUNT FLOWERS
★ “Dreamlike, and utterly beguiling. Shared at bedtime, this richly imaginative story may launch children into vivid dreamscapes of their own.”—Kirkus (starred)
THE BIG HOUSE AND THE LITTLE HOUSE ›
Kirkus’ Best of the Year
★ “Tender and companionable.”—Kirkus (starred)
WHAT OLLIE SAW
★ “Ideal for shelves about outsiders and those who march to that different beat, this encourages all children to view the world with wonder.” —School Library Journal (starred)
MIDDLE GRADE
DAWN RAID
Kirkus’ Best of the Year
★ “Well-crafted and wonderfully fresh.” —Kirkus (starred)
★ “Smith’s timely novel encourages empathy and understanding while spotlighting underrepresented history, and providing an example of how young people can take action. Highly recommended.” —School Library Journal (starred)
MIGHTY INSIDE
★ “A well-constructed and movingly told story of a thoughtful Black boy making his place in his family and in 1950s America.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “This powerful novel weaves strong characters into the tapestry of civil rights, treatment of people with disabilities, fallout fear from the war, and ever-changing cultural shifts that defined the 1950s.”—School Library Journal (starred)
“One of those rare books I found myself reading more slowly as I got to the final pages. I didn’t want it to end.”—Newbery Award winner, Christopher Paul Curtis
I’LL KEEP YOU CLOSE
Kirkus’ Most Anticipated for Fall
★ “In its specificity, it finds the universal. Multigenerational trauma artfully revealed from a child’s point of view.”—Kirkus (starred)
NEVERFORGOTTEN
2021 Kids’ Indie Next List
A Fall 2021 Indies Introduce Selection
New York Times Best of the Year
New York Public Library’s Best of the Year
“A transformative, noteworthy debut. A philosophical read, begging discussion and interpretation.”—Pam Muñoz Ryan, The New York Times
★ “Algorta’s narrative glides with skillful pacing and poetic yet accessible language; Rickenmann’s soft, detail-rich illustrations tonally match the refined internal rhythm of the prose.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “Poetic...lyrical and moving novel with a melancholic ode to coming of age.” —Foreword Reviews (starred)
★ “An unmissable tale about loss and reclamation.”—Kirkus (starred)
THE LAST CUENTISTA
TIME’s Best of the Year
Wall Street Journal’s Best of the Year
Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Best of the Year
Boston Globe’s Best of the Year
BookPage’s Best of the Year
Publishers Weekly’s Best of the Year
School Library Journal’s Best of the Year
Kirkus Reviews’ Best of the Year
Bank Street’s Best of the Year
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best
New York Public Library Best of the Year
“Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes — truly a beautiful cuento.”—New York Times
“Clever and compelling … wonderfully subversive.” — The Wall Street Journal
“A beautifully told story of what makes us human.”—Star Tribune
“A thrilling and hopeful work of science fiction.”—Boston Globe
“This science-fiction story teaches young readers about the danger of dogma and the power of storytelling.”—TIME
★ “Higuera spins a tale that crosses the depths of space, interweaving Mexican folklore with a mystical strand of science fiction. An overall slow burner, this tale packs a wallop. Exquisite.”—Kirkus (review)
★ “Suspenseful. This is the work of a true cuentista: gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic.—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “A strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others.”—School Library Journal ( starred)
★ “Deftly blends Mexican folklore with science fiction in this thrilling and emotional post-apocalyptic novel.” — Shelf-Awareness (starred)
THE STOLEN PRINCE OF CLOUDBURST
★ “A delightfully quirky story with nuance, depth, and a colorful cast of characters, this book begs for multiple readings.”—School Library Journal (starred)
★ “Like a middle-grade version of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld—fantasy adventure steeped in humor, with a touch of satire, and set in a whimsical secondary world of the highest order”—Booklist (starred)
THE SEA-RINGED WORLD: SACRED STORIES OF THE AMERICAS
School Library Journal’s Best of the Year
Kirkus Reviews' Best of the Year
Booklist Editors’ Choice
Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best
“Hypnotizing...Provocative...Disarming” —The New York Times
“Evocative and stirring...mesmerizing to read aloud.” —The Wall Street Journal
★ “Visually striking...full of vivid language.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “A rich anthology to understand and delight in Native traditions.” —Booklist (starred)
★ “Begs to be read aloud.” —Kirkus (starred)
★ “Impressive, handsome, and universally appealing.” —Horn Book (starred)
★ “Breathtaking and simply beautiful.”—School Library Journal (starred)
★ “The language sparkles and the tales beg to be read aloud.” —School Library Connection (starred)
YOUNG ADULT
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT INDIANS BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK (YOUNG READERS EDITION)
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best
Kirkus’ Best of the Year
“A wide-ranging compendium of provocative questions and satisfying answers. Perfect for browsing or a deep dive.”—San Francisco Chronicle
★ “Wise, well-researched, and not to be missed. This collection of short essays about Native Americans is comprehensive, equitable, and generous.” —Kirkus (starred)
★ “Reading this book is like enjoying a talk with a close relative who wants you to learn, grow, and continue to ask questions.”—School Library Journal (starred)
THE IMMORTAL BOY: EL INMORTAL ›
★ “An unforgettable and tragic story, with many entry points for deep discussions.” —School Library Journal (starred)
A SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH
National Book Award Longlist
Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews' Best Books the Year
Apple’s Best Books of the Year
“Little Badger’s new genre-bending narrative draws on her heritage and the tradition of story-telling that has informed her worldview.”—TIME
“Draws on her scientific training and tribal storytelling to weave a spellbinding tale.” —Texas Monthly
“Undeniably charming.”—Tor.com
★ “Evokes the timeless feeling of listening to traditional oral storytelling. A coming-of-age story that beautifully combines tradition and technology for modern audiences.”—Kirkus (starred)
★ “Fun, imaginative, and deeply immersive, this story will be long in the minds of readers.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “Magical, stunning, and wholly original.”—Booklist (starred)
MIDDLETOWN
New England Book Awards Finalist
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best
★ “This journey is a rewarding one…[Middletown’s] representation of sibling-hood is equally nuanced, portraying a bond that rings true.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)
GRAPHIC NOVELS
OKSI
Kirkus Most Anticipated for Fall
Booklist Editors’ Choice
“It’s a fairytale nightmare of the highest quality, a heartfelt history lesson written in flames, a poem.”—Comics Beat
★ "A must for libraries with folklore and world culture collections."—School Library Connection (starred)
★ “Fluidly rendered in inky b&w washes; accents of color leap off the page as the translation by Aronpuro flows smoothly.”— Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “Painful yet unforgettable… [this] Finnish fairy tale sees the damage that gods, mothers, and daughters are willing to inflict upon one another, all under the guise of love.”—Booklist (starred)
★ “Rich. Radiant. Arresting. A breathtaking exploration of generational connection and the ways that damage can pass down from mother to daughter as easily as love.”— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)