Book Reviews

Author: Geoff Rodkey Publisher: Penguin Random House Reviewer: Amber Luna, Children’s Services Associate, Moore Public Library

Earth is uninhabitable and Mars is quickly running out of resources. Planet Choom, home to four other species, invites Earth’s refugees to join their planet.

After 20 years of travel, the humans awaken from stasis to discover they are no longer welcome and the planet is mysteriously now inhabited by only three species. With nowhere to go and fuel and supplies quickly depleting the humans beg for a chance to prove themselves. One trial family is granted access to see if our “violent” species can live in harmony but things on this planet are not as friendly as they seem.

“We’re Not From Here” is a true gem of children’s science fiction. It is filled with amazing characters, an exciting plot, and a main character who is so relatable they could be anyone! This book has a strong moral message of accepting others and touches on difficult modern day topics in a light-hearted manner. Being the new kid in school is hard enough, its even harder when you’re an alien.

“We’re Not From Here” received the 2020 Odyssey Award and Honors. The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production is an annual award conferred by the American Library Association upon the publisher of “the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.”

“We’re Not From Here” is geared toward children 3rd through 6th grade with an Accelerated Reader level of 5.0 and is worth 9 AR points. You may find “We’re Not From Here” and more science fiction titles in the Moore Public Library children’s department. Please feel free to visit the Children’s Desk or call us at 405-793-4347 with any questions.

Patron Saints of Nothing

Author: Randy Ribay Publisher: Penguin Random House Reviewer: A.J. Soliven, Moore Public Library

“Patron Saints of Nothing” explores the life of seventeen-year-old Jay Reguero and his balance between his life in America and his home country of the Philippines.

Readers will be immersed in Filipino culture as Jay travels from America to the Philippines to uncover the truth about his cousin Jun’s violent death. Jay is flooded with memories as the Philippines is his birthplace and early childhood.

What was once familiar, is now a place where the country’s President, Rodrigo Duterte, is waging a war on drugs. Under Duterte’s ruling, the killings of 20,000 drug addicts by police and vigilantes have been going on since 2016.

Suddenly, an unknown Instagram user convinces Jay his cousin was wrongly accused and executed. Determined to find the truth, Jay tries to convince his family cousin Jun is innocent.

Check your local library for physical and digital copies of this book!

Did you know the Moore Public Library has a book club? For more information, please call 405-793-4349.