Happy Laughing Margaret; Frog Paints Scraps; School Tentacles

My Happy Life and My Heart Is Laughing, by Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson
I really appreciated how this author gave her very young (early elementary school aged) protagonist a fairly complicated emotional life, while keeping the story both light-hearted and also appropriate for kids that age to read. And the illustrations are brilliant, they carry about half the story.
(148, 161)

The Best of Margaret St. Clair, by Margaret St. Clair
A collection of her SF short stories, most from the 50s and 60s. Some of them were genius, and will stick with me - others not so much. I love discovering new-to-me sf writers from back in the day (ie before I was born).
(149)

The Scraps Book, by Lois Ehlert
A vibrant, charming memoir by a major illustrator of kids' books. If you like picture books, and haven't read this, you should.
(150)

Edward Hopper Paints His World, by Robert Burleigh
This picture book had luminescent Hopperesque pictures. The text was sensitive and appealing. If I knew a kid that loved Hopper, but was too young to get much out of standard adult biographies, I would give them this book. (I was once such a kid.)
(152)

Beware of the Frog, by William Bee
Funny, compelling, and in its own odd way, beautiful.
(153)

Rat Queens, vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth, by Kurtis J. Wiebe et al
I was so glad to have another book in this graphic novel series. Still offering up a masterfully executed mix of adventure, drama, and satire. <3.
(154, O41)

Old School Tie, by Paul Thomas
An odd crime novel whose main appeal for me was its Auckland setting ("ooh! I can PICTURE that street!"). Good enough that I'll try the next couple, but spiky enough that I can't precisely claim to have *liked* it.
(156)

Beware SuperMutant Nikolski; Oh, Tacky!

Giants Beware!, by Jorge Aguirre et al
One of my favorite single-volume graphic novels EVER. Derring-do! Cuteness! Non-obnoxious life lessons! Complex but loveable characters! Also there is backstory! And probably anyone from ages 8 to 99 could enjoy it.
(157, O43)

Nikolski, by Nicolas Dickner
Another "how did I never read this" Quebecois novel (read in French, so I don't know if the translation to English is any good). I loved many parts of it. Occasionally it dragged or didn't make enough sense or felt too fractured, but for the most part it was human and warm and introspective and imaginative and altogether lovely. Also, occasionally, hilarious.
(158)

SuperMutant Magic Academy, by Jillian Tamaki
Really bizarre, surreal, sometimes vulgar, and ultimately deeply affecting comic strips.
(159, O44)

Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester
Adorably illustrated and frequently amusing story about the value of nonconformity. The sort of didacticism I dig.
(162)

Oh, No!, by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
The story for this one was just okay, but the pictures were SO pretty that I went out and found a bunch more picture books with the same illustrator to read.
(163)