Let’s jam to some musical reads this May!

image of half of brown acoustic guitar on right end and portion of digital piano and black headphones on top left corner. background behind them is of wooden floorboards and musical stave and notes in black. along edges orange borders.

Hi everyone, it’s May and winter has officially arrived in Auckland!! It’s not as cold as I expected in this new house but I need several layers for work. May is Music Month for us at the Auckland Libraries and I thought I should extend the celebrations to my blog with some musical themed tween reads for you. What’s that, you’re not a fan of music…no worries, you can stop scrolling and let the actual fans press the button below…

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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

Hi friends, here is my last post for April. Winter is not too far along now here in Auckland. I hope you enjoyed last week’s personal post about my life in Zambia during my childhood. This last post is a review about a book I had heard about but didn’t read until recently. This biographical junior read is about an actual young African teenager who was inspired to do more for his family and community.

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A taste of adventure in Africa…

image of girl with black hair and glasses in jean jacket giving thumbs up inside green circle. box underneath reads Miss Mahee's Booklist. light blue background around white. — Booklists for you

Hi everyone, how would you like to go on an adventure in Africa?? What about exploring ancient tombs, trekking through the jungle or getting lost in the Sahara? If you are one of the few who have done this, then please don’t read any further because that’s exactly what our young protagonists of these reads end up doing while having to save the world… oops!! I’ve said too much!! Press the button to find out more…if you dare…

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Tween Reads across Africa

Hi friends, I hope you all are having a fabulous April so far! Over here in Auckland, autumn is making her voice heard as the days get shorter and colder. This booklist post is one I curated with the quality of the stories in mind. Each of these titles speak of an issue that is quite current and immediate in the African continent today. To find out more, you’ll need to press the button below…

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Let’s travel to Africa this April

banner with light brown background. two images in top left and bottom right ends. top left image of two brown and gold dappled giraffes standing looking towards right in long dry grass and taller tree with bright blue sky behind them. bottom right image of lone dark-skinned elephant with tusks looking ahead with water and sunset sky behind it. cartoon image of green grass along bottom edge and yellow swirl of sun on top right corner.

Hi everyone, as the title of this post suggests, let’s travel to Africa with the reads I’ve selected for you!! Yes, I’m finally going to showcase what this magnificent continent has and what makes it all that special to me. So, friends, why not grab something to drink and settle in for a month of exciting books!!

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Let’s enjoy some Muslim teen reads!

Hi everyone, this week’s post is another short-ish booklist for your perusal. This list has a selection of teen reads featuring a selection of Muslim teenagers from several locations of the world who are much smarter and braver than you could imagine. Shall we delve in and find out more about them then?

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A selection of poignant reads

Tween 9/11 stories that moved me

Hi everyone, this week I’m featuring a short selection of tween reads that touch on an event that has shaped our world in the last few decades and its impact on the young people today, especially those who identify as Muslims. I’m talking about the events that transpired on that fateful day on September 11th, 2001. Some of the titles I have selected for this week talk about the lives of Muslim tweens during that time…

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Contemporary Muslim tween reads to enjoy

Hi everyone, this first week we’ll be dipping into a book list of seven reads celebrating Muslim tweens. The tweens in this book list are mostly young girls who showcase unique personalities along with a rich and diverse Muslim culture. I hope you enjoy this booklist as I had to do a bit of research to find stories that included tweens from different locations around the world. Enjoy your reading!!

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Celebrating Muslim stories this March

image of flowers yellow and white with orange globe of sun in top middle. small dark buds in between.

Hi everyone, this month of March I’m celebrating the many wonderful Muslim stories that are gaining popularity. Growing up I have had a few Muslim Sri Lankan friends and now living in New Zealand we meet so many who have migrated here just like we did. This month’s posts are celebrating their culture through stories by some exceptional writers. If you found this interesting, why not press the button to find out a bit more information…

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How to judge books based on their first chapter

light blue background with cartoon image of girl holding pencil and book sitting on top of check box with yes tick inside. piles of books and folders underneath with white background. black letters underneath read Miss Mahee's advice. — Bookish advice

Hi everyone, welcome to this year’s first bookish advice post. In this post I’ll be inviting you to a somewhat controversial topic among us librarians: judging books! If I recall, I’ve spent a post explaining how I judge on the covers, well, this post will elaborate how I judge based on their first chapters as well. So, if you want to find out what this librarian is going on about, you’re going to have to press the button below…

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