Skip to main content

Display: Starred Children's Fiction 2016


All the books in this display received starred reviews in 4 or 5 different national review sources during 2016.

5 stars: 
The Girl Who Drank the Moon 
By Kelly Barnhill
Algonquin Young Readers, 2016. Fiction. 388 p.
An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Together they must unlock the powerful magic buried deep within themselves.

The Inquisitor’s Tale, or, the Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog 
By Adam Gidwitz
Dutton Children’s Books, 2016. Fiction, 363 p.
Crossing paths at an inn, thirteenth-century travelers tell the tale of a junior monk, a Jewish refugee boy, a psychic peasant girl and a loyal greyhound who join forces on a chase through France to escape persecution.

Garvey’s Choice 
By Nikki Grimes
Wordsong, 2016. Fiction 108 p.
Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading--anything but sports. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. Through chorus Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father.

When the Sea Turned to Silver 
By Grace Lin
Little, Brown and Co. 2016. Fiction, 370 p.
Pinmei, a storyteller's granddaughter, must find the Luminous Stone that Lights the Night to rescue her grandmother, who has been kidnapped by the Tiger Emperor.

Wolf Hollow
By Lauren Wolk
Dutton Children’s Book, 2016. Fiction. 291 p.
Twelve-year-old Annabelle must learn to stand up for what's right in the face of a manipulative and violent new bully who targets people Annabelle cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran.

4 Stars:

The Wild Robot
By Peter Brown
Little, Brown and Company, 2016. Fiction. 279 p.
Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there. Her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's animal inhabitants.

Raymie Nightingale 
By Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press, 2016, Fiction, 272 p.
Raymie Clarke decides that if she can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days before with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home.

Full of Beans
By Jennifer Holm
Random House, 2016, Fiction, 195 p.
In the 1930’s ten-year-old Beans Curry, a member of the Keepsies, the best marble playing gang in Key West, Florida, engages in various schemes to earn money while "New Dealers" from Washington D.C. arrive to turn Key West into a tourist resort.

The Best Man 
By Richard Peck
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2016. Fiction. 232 p.
Archer has four important role models in his life--his dad, his grandfather, his uncle Paul, and his favorite teacher, Mr. McLeod. When Uncle Paul and Mr. McLeod start dating, Archer's sixth-grade year becomes one he'll never forget.

Pax 
By Sara Pennypacker
Harper Collins, 2016. Fiction. 276 p.
After being forced to give up his pet fox, Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to set out on a quest to get his best friend back.

Ghosts 
By Raina Telgemeier
Scholastic, 2016. Comics. 239 p.
Catrina and her family have moved to the coast of Northern California for the sake of her little sister, Maya, who has cystic fibrosis. Cat’s life becomes complicated when she is told that her new town is inhabited by ghosts, and Maya sets her heart on meeting one.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Review: Fresh Start

Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...

Listicle: New Picture Books about Love

Romantic love, familial love, the love between friends...it all makes the world a more loving place!  Spread some love with these adorable pictures books! Heartfelt Written by Elaine Vickers Illustrated by Samantha Cotterill New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book. A child gifts paper hearts to members throughout their home and community.  The hearts accompany loving acts of service. The child feels, sees, smells, hears, and tastes love all around them in this joyful ode to the power of one person to make the world a more loving place. If you run out of words By Felicita Sala New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. In a book that might hit very close to home for some parents, a young child sees their father thoroughly distracted by his smartphone.  The father regretfully stops his typing when his child asks what will happen if their dad runs out of words and has none left for them.  The dad and child then go b...