The novel, set in the year 2045 in a dystopian world, focuses on Wade Watts who enjoys his time in the virtual world of OASIS more than his reality, and he is not alone in this opinion. After the sudden death of OASIS’ creator who leaves behind puzzles on popular culture of the past, people […]
The adventure and comedy movie, belonging to the subcategory of buddy films, is set in the Outerbanks of North Carolina, where Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, has a dream- a dream bigger than living peacefully in a care home with the authorities watching over him. The young boy’s goal is to attend his […]
Chuck Mullin’s Bird Brain: Comics About Mental Health, Starring Pigeons, as the title already suggests, is a collection of several smaller comics depicting independent situations where pigeons discuss mental health issues. The individual comics range from one to four panels in colour. The book aims to reach a variety of audiences as, on one side, […]
Marshall’s Walkabout is a survival novel following two young siblings, Mary and Peter, from America, who, after a plane crash, are stranded in the Australian Outback. Plagued by starvation and exhaustion, their chances of survival in these unknown and strange lands seem to be low until they meet an Aboriginal boy who takes the role […]
This intriguing whodunit follows a group of five students in their investigation concerning the murder of Simon, Bayview High’s resident gossiper. He dies just 24 hours before posting the students’ deepest secrets on his gossip app ‘About That’. But who is the culprit and what were they trying to hide? From resident jock to star […]
This animated short film will tug at your heart strings, no dialogue needed. When a Chinese-Canadian mother’s son leaves the nest, she is heartbroken and lonely. Her heartache is only soothed when she finds an adorable little steamed bun has come alive on her plate. Having something to take care of gives her a new […]
This novella addresses present-day themes and issues wrapped up in a far from realistic scenario. When Esther and her friends are approached by a billionaire, the challenge they were confronted with was not one they expected. In return for a thousand dollars each, they have to give up their smartphones for six weeks. But what […]
The series Little People, Big Dreams offers a wonderful introduction to various historical figures for young readers. And there are so many to choose from! Whatever the child’s field of interest is, there is a role model out there just waiting to be discovered. The beautiful illustrations accompany the accessible text written specifically with young […]
When Donovan tells his mom about the adventure novel they’re reading at school, her reaction comes as a surprise. So what if the two boys in the story talk about loving each other? However, this kickstarts an attempt to ban the assigned book The Adventurers due to “mature” and “inappropriate” content. This storyline is intertwined […]
This young-adult book focuses on child abuse, parental neglect, social stratification, and friendship and is structured as diary entries of the two girls Treasure and India.Young Treasure lives with her mother and her abusive stepfather Terry who one day hits her with his belt and scars her forehead. Upon this incident, Treasure’s grandmother takes her […]
This children’s book is about special educational needs and understanding and raising awareness of different types of intelligence.Chester is the new kid at school and has to sit next to the sloppy, chaotic, and seemingly dumb Joe. Joe is incredibly messy, cannot write properly, and does not understand the ways in which things are explained. […]
This wonderfully illustrated book is all about the beauty of helping others. George the giant just got a brand new outfit that finally makes him feel good about himself again. But what makes him feel even better is helping out others. So when he gives all of his new clothes away to different animals, he […]
Katie loves her family, weird quirks included. However, she can’t help but feel misunderstood by her parents and longs for a fresh start at Art School in California. Her Dad insists on one last road trip to bond as a family. And so, the Mitchells embark on a trip across the country to drop Katie […]
This is a small children’s book with three short stories concerning daily situations worth thinking about more deeply. The first is about William who is teased by his classmates with the nickname ‘darling’ his father likes to call him. When he has to move on to the next school, he is worried his father will […]
Robots is an animated science fiction comedy about material values, consumerism, and perseverance. Young robot Rodney Copperbotton follows his dream to become an inventor and leaves his home for the big city to meet his idol Bigweld whose company hires inventors and provides robots with spare parts. Upon arriving, however, Rodney learns that Bigweld has […]
This beautiful story follows the multigenerational Colombian family Madrigal. Similar to the magical house they live in, the children and grandchildren of this family possess magical gifts that they use to help their community. However, granddaughter Mirabel has no magical powers of her own, making her feel inadequate and out of place. When their magical […]
When Ari and Dante meet at the local pool, they appear to have virtually nothing in common. Dante is a mystery to Ari with his love for poetry and eloquent expressions. As the pair spends the summer together, they grow closer and closer. But sometimes, defining an emotional bond is more difficult than it would […]
This Black Mirror episode is about (digital) memory records, privacy rights, surveillance, holding grudges, and the importance to let the past go. A world in which an implant allows people to replay their memories for themselves but also on screens for others. During the episode, Liam becomes more and more obsessed with his wife’s relationship […]