I’ve heard good things about this series of easy graphic novels from several sources. And I admit book one was engaging. Fone Bone is a cute little white critter that reminds me a bit of Casper the ghost. He’s even-tempered, reasonable and likeable. But he, along with his cousins Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, are […]
I've reviewed lots of books and written 20 of my own.
The Island Stallion, by Walter Farley, 1948, Book Review
After rereading The Black Stallion a few weeks ago (read my review), I had to revisit my second favorite book by Mr. Farley. This is the first of a companion series, one I put off reading as a child because after cruising through a dozen books featuring the Black, my loyalties were firmly entrenched. I […]
The Girl Who Came Home, by Hazel Gaynor, 2012, Book Review
Today I would like to discuss some things self-published authors should NOT do. Unfortunately, this book will be my shining example. I happened to stumble upon this novel on a blog I admire. It was a guest post by the author promoting her work. I’ve always had a morbid fascination for the Titanic disaster, especially […]
The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster, 1961, Book Review
This book gets the highest rating I’ve ever given a book I didn’t finish. What I mean is the writing was phenomenal, but the story was boring. Did you get that? Let me explain: Mr. Juster is a master of language. Every sentence is a work of art. He has a quirky roundabout style that […]
Gathering Blue (The Giver Trilogy, book two), by Louis Lowry, 2000, Book Review
Ms. Lowry wrote The Giver in 1993 (Newbery winner), Gathering Blue in 2000, and finally Messenger in 2004. It is a series of loosely related dystopian novels. A very depressing series, if truth be told, but engaging and well written. Though I’ve read the first one several times (long before my blog), I’ve never reviewed it–yet. Last year […]
The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet (The Secrets of Droon, book one), by Tony Abbott, 1999, Book Review
Early chapter books aren’t my specialty. I don’t read them often, but my son was in need of a new series, so I read The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, the first book of The Secrets of Droon. I was impressed. The story was very simplistic, of course, but what takes me twenty minutes to […]
Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles, book two), by Rick Riordan, 2011, Book Review
Like most of his books, Mr. Riordan’s second installment in his Kane Chronicles has positive and negative elements. I won’t object to my kids (12+) reading them, but I don’t push them, either. The books are exciting, imaginative and funny, a combination that has made them wildly popular with middle school kids. But they also […]
How do You Measure Success?
The publishing industry has limits on how many books it can produce each year, which has always made published authors part of an exclusive club. But not anymore. Digital publishing has swung open the door of opportunity to anyone willing to undertake (or hire out) the legwork involved in producing a book. It’s an exciting […]
The House with a Clock in its Walls, by John Bellairs, 1973, Book Review
This book was odd. Recommended to me by a friend, I had high expectations that simply weren’t met. It starts out with ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt on his way to his uncle’s house after his parents’ deaths. Uncle Jonathan is a minor magician, and he lives in an old mansion formerly inhabited by an evil wizard. […]
The Mighty Miss Malone, by Christopher Paul Curtis, 2012, Book Review
I loved this one! The Mighty Miss Malone has everything in it that I appreciate about children’s literature: style, humor, beauty, depth—even history! I have absolutely no complaints about the story. It does have some incorrect grammar and spellings, but that’s because it’s written from the firsthand perspective of twelve-year-old Deza Malone. I don’t like such […]