Interview with Kathi Appelt: Author of The True Blue Scouts of Sugarman Swamp
Kathi Appelt’s book, The True Blue Scouts of Sugarman Swamp encourages you to curl up and get cozy with the characters and the story. (See my review in a previous blog post.) Appelt writes characters...
View ArticleBook Review: I Wish I May by David Stahler Jr.
Thurston Pickering could certainly wish for a better life. Nobody notices him at school except for the bullies, who delight in making him miserable. His parents fight so much they stopped noticing him...
View ArticleBook Review: The Princess in the Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist
Abandoned as an infant, Elara has been raised in the countryside by the Ogden family, who has tolerated and used her as a servant in exchange for the money they receive from the Royal Orphanage for her...
View ArticleBook Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A man named Jack murders Bod’s family when Bod is just a toddler. Bod toddled to escape unaware he was escaping or that he was toddling into a graveyard, where the permanent occupants decide to raise...
View ArticleBook Review: What the Moon Said by Gayle Rosengren
Esther’s Ma pays attention to a lot of signs to keep her family safe. Frequent occurrences, like seeing a ring around the moon or a spider before breakfast, have to be analyzed to determine whether...
View ArticleBook Review: The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz
Thirteen-year-old Nina has the whole summer stretching before her, but instead of being excited she can only feel dread. Her beloved grandma died a year ago, her parents—both divorce lawyers—are...
View ArticleRead Lois Lowry’s The Giver; See the Movie and Compare
The Giver by Lois Lowry has long been of favorite of middle-school teachers and readers. I remember reading it, discussing it with my daughter’s sixth-grade book club, then attending a local stage...
View ArticleGoing Over by Beth Kephart
Before the Berlin wall came down, people in East Berlin were separated from family and friends in West Berlin. Although visits were allowed, moving from East to West was nearly impossible. Under those...
View ArticleBook Review: The Time of the Fireflies by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Larissa Renaud knows her family is unusual—they live above the antique store they operate in a small Louisiana town. She also stays to herself after nearly drowning while being taunted by local kids....
View ArticleBook Giveaway & Review: Friendship Over by Julie Sternberg, Illustrated by...
Today I’m part of a blog tour to introduce a new series for young readers: The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine and its first book, Friendship Over. As part of the tour, I have one copy to give away...
View ArticleBook Review: The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee by Barry Jonsberg
Candice knows she sees things a little differently than most people. She also knows she’s a truth teller—she says what needs to be said whether it’s polite or not. When she gets an assignment to write...
View ArticleAuthor Stacy DeKeyser Talks About What Makes a Good Story and a Book Giveaway
Today I’m taking part in a blog tour for Stacy DeKeyser and her book, One Witch at a Time, the sequel to The Brixen Witch, which received two starred reviews and was a Chicago Public Library Best of...
View ArticleBook Review: Cast Off by Eve Yohalem
To escape her abusive father, a wealthy Amsterdam merchant, Petra de Winter seeks refuge on a ship setting sail to the East Indies. She fears dire consequences when Bram Broen, the ship’s carpenter’s...
View ArticleBook Review: What the Moon Said by Gayle Rosengren
Esther’s Ma pays attention to a lot of signs to keep her family safe. Frequent occurrences, like seeing a ring around the moon or a spider before breakfast, have to be analyzed to determine whether...
View ArticleBook Review: The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz
Thirteen-year-old Nina has the whole summer stretching before her, but instead of being excited she can only feel dread. Her beloved grandma died a year ago, her parents—both divorce lawyers—are...
View ArticleRead Lois Lowry’s The Giver; See the Movie and Compare
The Giver by Lois Lowry has long been of favorite of middle-school teachers and readers. I remember reading it, discussing it with my daughter’s sixth-grade book club, then attending a local stage...
View ArticleBook Review: Going Over by Beth Kephart
Before the Berlin wall came down, people in East Berlin were separated from family and friends in West Berlin. Although visits were allowed, moving from East to West was nearly impossible. Under those...
View ArticleBook Review: The Time of the Fireflies by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Larissa Renaud knows her family is unusual—they live above the antique store they operate in a small Louisiana town. She also stays to herself after nearly drowning while being taunted by local kids....
View ArticleBook Giveaway & Review: Friendship Over by Julie Sternberg, Illustrated by...
Today I’m part of a blog tour to introduce a new series for young readers: The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine and its first book, Friendship Over. As part of the tour, I have one copy to give away...
View ArticleBook Review: The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee by Barry Jonsberg
Candice knows she sees things a little differently than most people. She also knows she’s a truth teller—she says what needs to be said whether it’s polite or not. When she gets an assignment to write...
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More Pages to Explore .....