What I loved about A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation was how deeply it resonated with me. The road trip setting wasn’t just a backdrop—it felt like a mirror to my own life. Every year, my family takes a long road trip, and those hours in the car are some of my favorite moments. No distractions, just laughter, stories, and quiet togetherness. So when Gonzalo and his grandfather Alberto hit the road, I was instantly hooked.
I liked the part of the sandcastle. I liked how he splashed the baby. It’s special because he really wanted to do something. It had all our favorite things in it like the baby, swimming, summer, floaties. The pictures were funny and cool.
“Louder Than Hunger” is a novel in verse following thirteen-year-old Jake, whose struggles with bullying and loneliness lead to life-threatening anorexia. During his stay at a residential treatment facility, Jake re-examines his relationships with friends and family as he journeys toward self-acceptance and recovery.
In “Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School,” the author Tiffany Jewel discusses heavy topics such as separation of students through prejudice disguised as ‘educational differences’. She touches on how people outside of the school system would never be able to recognize how racially separated schools are.
As a senior at the Bronx High School of Science and a passionate advocate for literature, Vimala brings a unique perspective to her role as both a Bank Street Children’s Book Committee Young Reviewer and Young Ambassador. In this blog post, she shares some of her favorite books and why they deserve a spot on your reading list.
Katherine Rundell has crafted a breathtaking story, one which interweaves a unique magical world with carefully rounded characters, and a beautifully paced storyline equally moving and light-hearted at the right moments. What sets this children’s fantasy apart from others is perhaps the concepts and creatures in the stories, the messages delivered, and the ending, which is sure to break your heart.
“Everything We Never Had” by Randy Ribay was a touching novel about the Filipino-American experience. It tracked four generations of a Filipino family and their experiences living as Filipinos in the US.
Renée Watson has achieved something unique through this collection of semi-autobiographical poetry. With strong characterization, Watson has written a powerful ‘herstory.’ Reflecting on the journey of a young person on the margins at the crossroads of gender, class, and race, Watson delivers a powerful piece of American literature.
For those born outside societal norms, the consequences can be severe. I love how synaesthesia is explained, likening it to seeing breathing in winters as steam or while swimming as bubbles. People with synaesthesia, like Rosie, can see sound in the form of color.
There are many things I liked about this book. One was the addition of antihero (Alex) as the co-protagonist, or an atypical hero who insults people and lashes out but eventually learns to be kind as the story goes on. Another was the compare-and-contrast between Alex and Josey. Both of them have had hard lives.
I liked how this book portrays the story in a poem-like format. I loved how friendship and peace were the important themes in this book. This book is special because it reminds us how war continues to break apart lives. It shows how peace can mend family and relationships.
The book was told entirely by illustrations, which I enjoyed because of the thought the artist/author put into each picture. The characters’ expressions, the wonderful colors, and the details in the background (and foreground!) of each illustration were intriguing.
BookFest @ Bank Street 2024 keynote speaker is Lois Lowry. The author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. Lowry has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver.
Bright Red Fruit is a young adult coming-of-age novel that will hook you from the very beginning. The story is told through multiple poems, which is a unique format that may take some getting used to, but is ultimately well executed and interesting.
I liked that it was a graphic novel. It was about somebody who likes to draw and I like to draw too. It was special because it was told about a boy that some people were mean to, but through his drawings he was able to make friends and he got through it very well.