Book Reviews

Children’s Art Books for Summer Reading 2025

Summer reading is well under way at Joplin Public Library. In…

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

January 28, 1986, was the day NASA's carefully cultivated image…

Finlay is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

The fifth Finlay Donovan book is out and reminded me how much…
cover of the book being reviewed

Culture: the story of us from cave art to K-pop by Martin Puchner

It can be easy to dismiss popular culture as trite and inconsequential.…
Cover image of Great Big Beautiful Life book by Emily Henry

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Journalist Alice Scott longs to move from writing features and…

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Louise never thought her family was weird, really. She’s always…
Illustration of girl in red beret painting a mix of colors on the floor

OH, OLIVE! by Lian Cho

Next Tuesday kicks off the most exciting time of year: Summer…

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne

One not-small benefit of working at a library trucks with it…
Sipsworth by Simon Van Body

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

​Helen Cartwright was born in a small English village but lived…
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11pm tonight. But our narrator…
A walk in the park by Kevin Fedarko

A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko

Each year, over six million people visit Grand Canyon National…
Fable by Andrienne Young

Fable by Adrienne Young

This book is for any reader that has pretended to be a diver,…
Will we always hold hands by Christopher Cheng and Stephen Michael King

WILL WE ALWAYS HOLD HANDS by Christopher Cheng and Stephen Michael King

After I read a good book with my son, he’ll often say, “you…
Lazarus Man by Richard Price

Lazarus Man by Richard Price

If you’ve watched HBO’s The Wire, then you’re familiar…
A Dream Death by Connie Berry

A Dream of Death by Connie Berry

Connie Berry’s debut novel, A Dream of Death, finds Kate Hamilton…