Review: Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

By Chanel Miller

New York: Philomel Books, 2024. Fiction. 145 pages.

10-year-old Magnolia Wu is not looking forward to a summer spent helping her parents at their Manhattan laundromat while her classmates flee the city for the season. But when she makes a new friend, Iris Lam, the summer is looking up, especially when the girls decide to spend their days returning single lost socks to their owners. As they travel through the city, you'll meet a wide cast of characters who send their clothes to the laundromat for cleaning, including several of Magnolia's classmates.

This slim book is great for kids who don't want to commit to an overly long story, but still want a fun read. The black and white cartoonish illustrations interspersed throughout make this a great choice for kids who love the Dork Diaries series. Those looking for a true mystery may want to stay clear (as the mysteries behind each sock are easily and quickly resolved), but for anyone looking for a funny coming-of-age story, this book is a fabulous choice.

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog