This year I read (in some cases, reread) through The Giver trilogy. Patricia Tilton, of Children’s Books Heal, read one of my reviews and decided to take on the trilogy herself. She discovered that Ms. Lowry had just published a fourth book this year. I located it right away. Thanks for the heads up, Pat! Son […]
I've reviewed lots of books and written 20 of my own.
Three Times Lucky, by Sheila Turnage, 2012, Book Review
Meet Mo LoBeau, eleven-year-old spitfire from the town of Tupelo Landing, NC and her best friend, Dale Earnhart Johnson III. (The three is for the immortal legend’s race car number, of course.) Yup, you’ve just landed in a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business–which is a good thing, according to Miss Lana, because […]
Papa’s Latkes, by Michelle Edwards, illustrated by Stacey Schuett, 2004, book review
Happy Hanukkah, everyone! No, we’re not Jewish, but my family likes to celebrate Hanukkah. And this is one of the picture books I like to read every year. It doesn’t really explain the meaning behind the holiday, so it’s not a great teaching tool, but it’s flavored with hope and family, two of the holiday’s […]
The Secret School, by Avi, 2001, Book Review
Avi is one of my favorite children’s authors. This isn’t one of his more celebrated works, but it’s still a cute read, well-written, and it illustrates the difficult life of farmers in Colorado in the 1920’s. Most especially, it highlights the one room schoolhouse. Ida Bidson is in eighth grade. Next year she’s looking forward […]
Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse, 1997, Book Review
I’ve been slowly picking away at the list of Newbery winners. The medal is a sign of skill and quality, the best book of the year, and usually I enjoy them. But not always. I didn’t care for Out of the Dust simply because it doesn’t follow a traditional story format; it’s a collection of […]
A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park, 2001, Book Review
I had the vague feeling that I read this book before. I remembered bits and pieces, and some settings I recalled quite strongly. The characters were sort of like those familiar faces you run into now and then and know you should place them but they elude you till you stop and ask. I guess […]
The Lemonade War, by Jacqueline Davies, 2007
This was a short, easy read, and it just so happens I read it over Labor Day weekend, which is when this book takes place. Evan Treski is about to start fourth grade. Then the week before the year begins a letter comes in the mail. His summer is ruined! His school year is ruined! […]
The Bloody Jack Adventures, by L. A. Meyer, Series Review
I’m doing something a little different today. Instead of reviewing a single book, I’m going to highlight an entire series. This is because I started the series well before I started my blog and I just read book six. Since I never reviewed one through five, and I have no intention of rereading them right […]
The Accidental Hero (A Jack Blank Adventure, book one), by Matt Myklousch, 2010, Book Review
This book was recommended to me by Erik, from ThisKidReviewsBooks. In fact, he reviewed it in a guest post here on my blog. This summer, when he reviewed the sequel on his blog, I decided book one might be a great read-aloud to start out my son’s homeschool year. Erik assured me he would love […]
The Twilight Saga, by Stephanie Meyer, 2005-2008, Series Review
I read this entire saga while I was couchbound a few weeks ago. Then I watched the first four movies. Four books, four movies, all in the same week. Okay, I got a little hooked. It’s not my usual fare, but since the final movie is due out next week, I thought I’d post a […]