Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund
Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman performed by Max Meyers, Jessica Almasy, and a full cast Listening Library, 2026. 7 hours, 33 minutes. Review written August 14, 2026, from a library eaudiobook. Starred review The audio production for this book is amazing. It’s to the level of a radio play. There’s even a music soundtrack […]
Me & the Magic Cube by Daniel Fehr illustrated by Golden Cosmos translated from German by Marshall Yarbrough NorthSouth Books, 2025. Originally published in Switzerland by NordSüd Verlag. 44 pages. Review written October 27, 2025, from a library book. Starred Review Like the book Ernö Rubik and His Magic Cube, written by Kerry Aradhya, illustrated […]
A Day Off School by Oliver Jeffers and Kevin Waldron Philomel, 2026. 44 pages. Review written August 12, 2026, from a library book. Starred Review Herbie has the sniffles. He gets a day off school! Before his dad even checks on him, he eats breakfast in a sofa fort, plays Space Blasters, races his cars, […]
The Yahoo Boys Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria’s Romance Scammers by Carlos Barragán Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026. 287 pages. Review written August 3, 2026, from a library book. Carlos Barragán traveled to Nigeria to see if he could find his mother’s scammer. He didn’t find that particular person, but he did […]
One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram Henry Holt and Company, 2026. 213 pages. Review written August 11, 2026, from a library book. Starred Review I’ve got a soft spot for Adib Khorram’s writing because his Morris-Award-winning debut novel, Darius the Great Is Not Okay, was published the year I was on the Newbery Committee. […]
Basket Ball The Story of the All-American Game by Kadir Nelson Little, Brown and Company, 2026. 104 pages. Review written August 10, 2026, from a library book. Starred Review Like Kadir Nelson’s stunning We Are the Ship from many years ago, his oversize paintings of players are the stars of this book. The book is […]
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna read by Samara MacLaren Penguin Audio, 2022. 9 hours, 59 minutes. Review written June 12, 2026, from a library eaudiobook. Starred Review I’m so glad that after I read A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, I looked for more books by the same author. This […]
Sabriel by Garth Nix read by Tim Curry Listening Library, 2002. 10 hours, 43 minutes. Review written October 21, 2025, from a library eaudiobook. Starred Review Original review posted January 20, 2004. 2004 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #3 Fantasy for Young Adults As part of #Sonderbooks25, celebrating 25 years of posting Sonderbooks, I’m rereading many of my […]
Busted by Dan Gemeinhart read by Mark Sanderlin Macmillan Audio, 2025. 8 hours, 44 minutes. Review written July 31, 2026, from a library book. Starred Review Busted is one of those intergenerational caper novels that are fabulous when done well, and this one is exquisitely pulled off, with plenty of adventure and crazy situations for […]
The Crooked Places Made Straight Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America by Raphael G. Warnock Penguin Press, 2026. 187 pages. Review written July 27, 2026, from a library book. Starred Review I’m going to list this book by the senator from Georgia who is also a pastor with Christian books, but I could just […]