Seymour Finney was a Detroit innkeeper and a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. He hid runaways in his barn, pictured at left and below–often while housing the slavecatchers in his hotel! The barn stood on the NE corner of State and Griswold Streets. There is a historical marker placed at that site that reads: “Seymour […]
I've reviewed lots of books and written 20 of my own.
Holes, by Louis Sachar, 1998
Want a nicely wrapped package with a few twists and turns? Try Holes, by Louis Sachar. This one won the Newberry back in 1999, and for good reason. Why haven’t I read this one before now?? Stanley Yelnats (love that!) isn’t very lucky. He was arrested for something he didn’t do and sent to Camp Green […]
The Dreamkeeper, by Mikey Brooks, 2013
Never fear to dream… Parker just wants to master his video games and maintain a degree of coolness at school. He never asked to be sucked into Dreams. He didn’t want to be paired with a “loser” or discover a plot with the potential to destroy both the world of Dreams and the world of […]
Heirloom (Seed Savers, book 3), by S. Smith, 2013
I was thrilled to be invited as a participant in the Heirloom book tour. In fact, I was thrilled to find the series for my tween son, who loves nothing better than to help me in our large garden on a warm summer morning. It’s sufficiently scary for tweens without being overwhelmingly so. It’s definitely middle grade, […]
Princess Kandake, by Stephanie Jefferson, 2012
Historical fiction is still one of my favorite genres, and Princess Kandake is a real treat. Stephanie Jefferson has created a strong teen female lead and set her within ancient Nubia. Kandake knows exactly what she wants, and she’s determined to go after it. Then life throws her a curve. How can she meet her obligations and […]
Magian High, by Lia London, 2012
I have about a dozen posts from my self-hosted site (now closed down) that I’d like to save on this one. I’ll be adding them on Fridays. If you were subscribed to that site, you can just ignore them. All three high schools in Kincaid Riley’s town are being desegregated, which means the Mages will […]
Gangsterland, by Ansha Kotyk, 2013
What if you got sucked into a story? I mean sucked out of your chair and into the pages? Jonathan’s life stinks. He has to move in with his dad, from sunny Phoenix to snow covered New England. His dad is never around. The school bully has it in for him. And he’s already managed […]
So, You Want to Book a Blog Tour
Tween the Weekends is a hosted by Emblazon. Check out all the other tween posts, then join us the fourth Wednesday of each month. You’ve written a book and you’re ready to get it before the eyes of millions of ebook readers. You just know it’s going to be an instant best-seller. You’re on fire. You’re […]
Spaces, by Lois D. Brown
I believe it was late 2011 or early 2012 when I received a request to review a new indie novel called Cycles. I hesitated at the word “indie.” Even though I wanted to support independent authors–I am one–as a book blogger I received an awful lot of unprofessional junk being passed off as indie novels. But this blurb really […]
The Light (Tales of a Revolution Series), by Lars D. Hedbor, 2013
Lars D. Hedbor, author of The Prize, which details Revolutionary War activities on and around Lake Champlain (see my review), has just come out with a second novel in his Tales from a Revolution series. The Light features Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. While that particular event may be well known to every American, the details surrounding it are less […]