Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

 

   Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illustrated by Jeffrey Middleton. Three Rivers Press, 2005.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was one of the most creative people I ever met. She loved her family and she loved life. Unfortunately, she died of ovarian cancer in March 2017. Her children's books are still beloved. When you see photos of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's toddlers, they were usually photographed with Amy's books. Ophrah put Amy's books on her list of books to buy as new baby gifts. I was lucky enough to have dinner with Amy and a publisher rep at Atria in Houston many years ago. Amy pulled a tiny wind-up music box from her bag and enchanted us with her umbrella stories. It was such a delightful and memorable evening. Check out her New York  Times column published just days before she died. She was planning for her husband's second wife!  A quirky soul, gone far too soon!

This memoir has entries about small things in Amy's life all put into the form of an encyclopedia. It's funny. It's interesting. It will make readers think about their own lives and look for the small treasures in daily life. With honesty and grace, Amy chronicles her life. We are all sad that there is not a Volume 2.

The Art Thieves by Andrea L Rogers

 

 The Art Thieves by Andrea L. Rogers. Levine Querida (Chronicle Books), 2024. YA futuristic fiction.

Stevie Henry is a young Cherokee woman whose tight nuclear family includes Mom, Dad, and little brother Levi. They live in a Teas city, but return to the reservation on weekends and see extended family. Her best friends, Jess and Loren, are a couple and the three hope to attend college together soon. Stevie works in the gift shop at the local museum and it is here that she meets Adam, a handsome young artist. Adam says he is from Costa Rica, but that soon is proved false.  

When Levi gets seriously ill, the family is desperate to help him.  When Adam  tells Stevie that he is really from the future and that our world is about to have major problems, how will Stevie react? Can they save major art works? Can they save themselves? Can anyone save Levi?

The references to Levi's allergies ring true and the little family is incredibly careful with his food choices. The art museum is a place of learning and safety for Stevie. The words she speaks in Cherokee and her links to her heritage fit into the narrative. Details about Jess and Loren and their relationship and reactions to Jess's strict parents are carefully woven into the story, too. So much of the coming apocalypse makes the characters search for what's really important to them. This is a book that makes readers THINK!

The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar

 

 The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar. Ace, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2025. Adult fantasy.

When the king and queen of the fictional country of Esquaveta try to arrange the marriage of their daughter Princess Tullia, the court magician, Anatole, is charged with making a potion to make possible a wedding with an odious prince. For, alas, Tullia has already fallen in love with Pito, a lowly scribe.

In this twisty adult fairy tale, Anatole and the young people go on adventures, face trouble,  and find themselves ever closer as they travel and search for safety and new lives. Anatole is a hero for the ages with his baldness and medicines and care for Tullia and Pito. Readers may not know where the story is going, but, trust me, just keep reading as it all comes together in the end, Amidst the struggles of modern life and its political fighting, I found this tale to be just the right antidote!