Author: Alisha Helms

Folk Remedy: Book 1 / Jem Yoshioka

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Folk Remedy: Book 1
By: Jem Yoshioka
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 240
Published: September 23, 2025
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Dates Read: October 19, 2025 - October 21, 2025
Format: Library Book / eBook

Twelve-year-old Maple Akimura will become the apprentice at the family apothecary business according to her mother. But, Maple is more interested in spending time with her new friend, Kunio, a visitor from Taisho City. Her mother believes Maple’s old enough to read the family’s book detailing the Akimuras’ relationship to yokai (spirits and supernatural beings) over generations. To Maple, the stories in the book are just that – stories about traditional village life. Right now, amid 1920s Japan, technology is rapidly advancing and there’s so much glamour in modern urban life! But then Maple meets a mischievous yokai named Ember and the pair get swept into the spirit world with only Maple’s family stories as their guide.

Inspired by Japanese Folklore, this graphic novel is a fun read with beautiful, soft (but also dark) color schemed panels. We as readers do get a little insight with the art to stuff that Maple doesn’t seem to notice (at least not right away). A few of the funnier panels were always showing great emotions.

I did find Maple’s character a bit funny in the sense that she was so against believing in the yokai until she met Ember and then was like – nope, they’re real – and then goes on an adventure with them. Kind of makes you think she didn’t really not believe. 

Overall, a beautiful graphic novel dipped in Japanese Folklore that though aimed at Middle Grade readers, I think those of an older age range will also enjoy it – including adults! I’m quite excited for the next volume, this will definitely be a series I’ll keep track of going forward.

The Space Cat / Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford (Illustrator)

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The Space Cat
By: Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 176
Published: August 12, 2025
Publisher: First Second
Dates Read: October 20, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

By day, Periwinkle is adored by his two humans. By night, he’s a space cat who races through the cosmos on his custom-built spaceship. Between battles with his squeaky toys and working on ways to make his ship faster, Periwinkle is never bored. So, when his humans decide to move to the small Nigerian town of Kaleria, Periwinkle is excited to explore, even if many Nigerians hate cats… nothing will steer this adventurous cat away from adventure! But, not everything in Kaleria is as it seems and soon enough, Periwinkle finds himself on his craziest adventure yet!

This is such an amazingly cute graphic novel that any cat lover will enjoy. This story is inspired by Nnedi Okorafor’s real life cat, Periwinkle and crazy adventures he may get into when she and her daughter aren’t looking (who knew cats destroy the house when you’re gone because they’re defeating alien foes?!). Okorafor’s portrayal of Periwinkle comes from a loving heart as both his mannerisms and dialog are goofy, but in a fun way.

Tana Ford’s coloring is eye-catching and immersive. Cats are way more expressive than most people realize and some illustrators are better at capturing than others and Ford does a fantastic job! She totally has a cat, or has been around them enough to be able to capture Periwinkle’s expressions perfectly.

Overall, super cute, super funny, a great read for cat lovers and scifi readers.

*Thank you First Second and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn Witch Gets a Pet / Beth Ferry, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

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Evelyn Witch Gets a Pet
By: Beth Ferry, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Number of Pages: 32
Published: July 8, 2025
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Dates Read: October 20, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Evelyn Witch has everything a witch needs, except a pet! She can only afford the mystery pet, which opens to be a plain white egg. Now, she must wait for it to hatch!

As a librarian, I loved that Evelyn went to the library to research things she didn’t know. I also loved her ambition to help get her egg to hatch. She was doing everything she could think of to finally meet her pet!

The overall moral of this story is patience of course – Evelyn does everything she can think of to speed up the hatching, but once she realizes she just needs to wait, the egg finally hatches!

This story has eye-catching illustrations, fun, rhyming lines, and a spunky, eager child who just wants to meet her pet.

The Tiny Chef: and da mishing weshipee blook / Rachel Larsen, Adam Reid, Ozi Akturk

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The Tiny Chef: and da mishing weshipee blook
By: Rachel Larsen, Adam Reid, Ozi Akturk
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Number of Pages: 40
Published: September 15, 2020
Publisher: Razorbill
Dates Read: October 20, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

From The Tiny Chef Show comes a storytime adventure about Tiny Chef and his hunt to find his missing recipe book.

I didn’t become a fan of Tiny Chef until recent months, so I am a bit late getting my hands on a copy of this book to read from the library. I could hear Tiny Chef through the pages, so it was a fun read for me (because sometimes you do need to read it aloud to understand what Chef’s saying).

One of the fun things I like about Tiny Chef is that he is so relatable and even though he’s tiny, he’s still got big emotions. We can all learn from Tiny Chef.

Overall, any lover of Tiny Chef will love this book and anyone who hasn’t met Tiny Chef, this is a good little place to start.

Spooky / Sally Anne Garland

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Spooky
By: Sally Anne Garland
Genre: Children's, Picture Book
Number of Pages: 40
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Sunbird Books
Dates Read: October 20, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

When a family moves into a new house, they quickly realize they’re not alone. With patience and care maybe their new housemate will come out of the shadows.

What an adorable children’s book about not only moving into a new house and the adjustments that come with that, but also the adjustment that comes with a new furry member of the family.

This is adorable artwork, but also – the cat carrying around its little toy mouse in its mouth was the most adorable thing.

I know this is a children’s book, so maybe I am thinking too much into this for a children’s book, but I want to know what Spooky was doing before the family moved in, because it mentions the house had been empty for a while. It only really takes the family a day to figure out that there’s a cat in their house and to start leaving it food and water, but that still means they were all alone for a bit!

Overall, this is adorable and any cat lover will love this but this is also a good story about adjustment and patience for children.

Mona’s Eyes / Thomas Schlesser, Hildegarde Serle (Translator)

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Mona’s Eyes
By: Thomas Schlesser, Hildegarde Serle (Translator)
Genre: Fiction, Art
Number of Pages: 432
Published: August 26, 2025 (1st Published January 31, 2024)
Publisher: Europa Editions
Dates Read: September 11, 2025 - October 18, 2025
Format: ARC / Audiobook / Hardcover

Mona may not have her eyesight for much longer, so her grandfather wants her to learn about beauty while she still can. So, every Wednesday for the next year, her grandfather takes her to see a new masterpiece. Only one, and they discuss it in detail, giving Mona the opportunity to learn the meaning of generosity, doubt, melancholy, loss, and revolt.

I started listening to this as an audiobook and then quickly went out and purchased a copy of it because I loved how the author would describe the works of art – and then to find out the artwork was in the inside of the book’s dust jacket! It did take me looking up the author to make the connection he’s an art historian, which is why he was able to write about the artwork the way he was.

I’m not the biggest art museum lover. I can absolutely appreciate artwork and look at pieces, but not to the extent Mona and her Dadé did on their visits. They would break down the technique used and Henry would give Mona historical context for the pieces as well.

As much as I enjoyed the visits to the museums, you also get a glimpse of Mona and her homelife as well as her school life – both of which I wish we dug more into. 

Overall, a beautiful book art lovers are sure to enjoy but I also think this is a book where those who may not have a deep connection with art, would still enjoy and maybe begin to appreciate art.

*Thank you Europa Editions and Edelweiss+ for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brume (Volume 1): The Dragon Awakens / Jérôme Pélissier, Carine Hinder (Illustrator)

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Brume (Volume 1): The Dragon Awakens
By: Jérôme Pélissier, Carine Hinder (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Children’s
Number of Pages: 64
Published: September 20, 2025 (1st Published January 1, 2023)
Publisher: Hippo Park
Dates Read: September 10, 2025
Format: Hardcover

Brume is convinced she’s the village’s next witch after Naïa vanished years ago. After she briefly believed she turned a local village woman into a pig, she adopted a new pet she named Hubert and took him home. Once she fed him some chocolate croissants, the pet was happy to tag along on Brume’s adventures. When her adoptive father gives her a book of spells he found with her when he found her in the woods years ago, Brume opens her own shop and tries to use the spells in the book.

After trying to stop her friend Hugo’s glasses from fogging up, Brume accidentally casts the whole village into a dense fog. On the adventure to undo her work, Brume, Hugo, and Hubert go off into the forest where only witches are allowed.

This was such a cute and adorable graphic novel! I immediately knew I wanted to read this by just seeing the cover alone! A little girl (Brume) with a wand and a small pig tugging on her dress with a dragon in the background is so eye-catching! I may also be a slight sucker for familiars and animal sidekicks because I wish I had one.

The artwork of this graphic novel is colorful, expressive, and easily digestible. Each page catches your eye and keeps your attention – I would always make sure to relook at each page after reading the dialogue to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

I did think Brume was a bit mean and disrespectful to those around her. I know some of it was her confidence in herself as well as her ignorance of her abilities, and sure, you could chop it up to just being an ornery child, but it all just comes across as rude. I hope in the next volume she grows up a bit in those areas.

Overall, the story and the panels were fantastic and I can’t wait to share it with others when it’s officially out in English in late September. Those who love a spunky little witch who will stop at nothing to show she’s a true witch, this graphic novel would be for you (even though of all ages!)

*Thank you Hippo Park and Publishers Weekly for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Automatic Noodle / Annalee Newitz

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Automatic Noodle
By: Annalee Newitz
Genre: Science Fiction, Novella
Number of Pages: 163
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Tordotcom
Dates Read: September 5, 2025 - September 7, 2025
Format: Hardcover

While San Francisco rebuilds from war, a group of abandoned food service bots take over their own delivery app account and rebrand as the best hand-pulled noodle shop in the neighborhood. There’s just one little snag – someone-or something- is negative-review bombing their restaurant’s page and plummeting their ratings! Can the bots figure out who’s doing it and put a stop to the review bombing before it’s too late for the restaurant?

One of my supervisors sent me the link to this when it was first announced and I immediately put it on my TBR. Why?

  1. Look at this cover and tell me you’re not intrigued!
  2. Robots who start a noodle shop?!
  3. It’s a novella (and novella just hit different)

So, after reading it, what are my thoughts?

Did I know there was such a thing as a cozy sci-fi? Sure – but I hadn’t read one yet! Also add in some found family and challenge the norms and you’ve got yourself this novella!

It was an amazing read filled with an alternative America, commentary on identity, fear, and challenging biases. Though it was about robots, they were definitely stand-ins for how we as people can treat others based on gender, sexuality, and immigration status.

Overall, a wonderful novel, perfect for those who love sci-fi and want a cozy little read about a hand-pulled noodle shop run by robots.

Now excuse me while I go find a hand-pulled noodle shop to go try!

*Thank you Tordotcom and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Mur, the Kitty-Knight / Igor Shnayder, Roman Dubina (Illustrator)

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Mur, the Kitty-Knight
By: Igor Shnayder, Roman Dubina (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 110
Published: August 8, 2025 (1st Published July 3, 2023)
Publisher: Independently Published
Dates Read: September 3, 2025
Format: eBook

Meet Mur, a brave young kitten who becomes a knight in the magical world of animals. He protects others and tries to make the world a better place as he solves mysteries and learns lessons along the way.

As soon as I saw what this book was about, I wanted to read it. A little courageous kitty-knight who fights for good? Sounds adorable. On top of that, the illustrations from Roman Dubina were beautiful and fantastic – I always looked forward to seeing what I was reading.

This is a great chapter story book, meaning each chapter is its own story, and perfect for a read along with the littles, or simply helping young readers to read smaller chunks (though I have a feeling they’ll be dialed in way past one chapter at a time!). Each of the stories tended to have a small lesson of core values that could be talked about after.

Overall, this is a wonderful read for children, especially those who like cats and adventures! But, I could also see adults enjoying these fable tales too!

*Thank you so much for the author for reaching out to me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Pocket Bear / Katherine Applegate, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

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Pocket Bear
By: Katherine Applegate, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Magical Realism
Number of Pages: 272
Published: September 9, 2025
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Dates Read: September 2, 2025
Format: ARC / eBook

Zephyrina is a trash-diving, chaos-loving cat, who has been deemed “The Cat Burglar” by the neighborhood due the treasures she brings back home. Some of those treasures are stuffed toys and when they’re brought back, the daughter of the home will clean them up, make any repairs needed, and then put them up for “adoption” at her Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured. Pocket, the unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home is Zephyrina’s best friend and he’s who both welcomes and looks after the stuffies during the night while the humans sleep.

When Zephyrina brings back a teddy bear a local collector has her eye on, things turn interesting at home.

I already knew when I saw Katherine Applegate had a new book coming out that I was going to want to read it – I also knew I would probably get at least a little teary eyed because that’s what she does to me in all her books. The concept of this book being about a little pocket bear – a tiny teddy bear born during WWI that was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket with their eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that they’re always looking up – was already getting me emotional because, as a young girl, I would get emotionally attached to stuffed animals, and you’re telling me soldiers would take these little teddy bears with them into battle?! Secondly, his best friend is a cat, so I was already obsessed!

If you mix together some historical fiction, current events, and Toy Story you’ve got yourself Pocket Bear. Though this book is aimed at younger audiences, I’m 33 and absolutely loved it. I think anyone who ever had any connection to a stuffed animal would adore this book. Also, anyone who loves cats would enjoy this as well since Zephyrina is the narrator.

Overall, this is an adorable book that readers of all ages would enjoy and appreciate, especially those who wish magic upon their stuffed animals.

*Thank you Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review