I’d seen this book on the list of Newberry honors (2003), so when I stumbled on it as a library Kindle download, I grabbed it to read over Christmas break. It’s a good one, in a relaxed, lazy day kind of way. I couldn’t help but feel for Hollis, a twelve-year-old orphan girl whose dream […]
The Collar and the Cavvarach, by Annie Douglass Lima
I read Annie Douglass Lima’s Anals of Alasia series on the recommendation of a friend and loved all three books. I’ve since “met” Annie online. When I heard she needed beta readers for a new teen action/adventure book, I jumped at the chance! And I was not disappointed. I also agreed to participate in her […]
Ella Wood: Distance and Speeds
This is the final post in a three-part series about writing and researching my upcoming young adult historical fiction novel, Ella Wood. (Part 1: Charleston, Here We Come!; Part 2: Grimke Sisters.) A central bit of research necessary for historical fiction is finding out just how long it takes to travel back in the day. […]
The Cay, by Theodore Taylor, 1969
“Dis be de mos’ outrageous good story, Phill-eep!” I can almost hear the words as they would sound spoken in Timothy’s Caribbean cadence. Timothy’s an old friend of mine. So are Phillip and Stew Cat, the trio of castaways in The Cay. This is a book I’ve treasured since my childhood. I shared it recently with my […]
The Declaration, by Lars Hedbor
As soon as I finished Ella Wood, I picked up a couple books by my favorite historical fiction indie author, Lars Hedbor. I actually had the privilege of beta reading this one a year ago. I wanted to reread it in its complete form. While Lars writes for an adult audience, his books are clean […]
Ella Wood: the Grimke Sisters
This is the second in a three-part series about writing and researching my upcoming young adult historical fiction novel, Ella Wood. (Part 1: Charleston, Here We Come!) I had created the character of Emily Preston as a slavery-questioning Charlestonian long before I heard of the Grimke sisters. I knew there had to be dissension in […]
The Fault in our Stars, by John Green
I’m going to tackle a major pop phenomenon by reviewing John Green’s story of star-crossed cancer patients almost a year after the movie came out. And my opinion will probably differ vastly from the scads of teens who flocked to theaters and as well as the confirmed “Nerdfighters” dedicated to the 2012 book. The Fault […]
Ella Wood: Charleston, Here We Come!
This is the first in a three-part series about writing and researching my upcoming young adult historical fiction novel, Ella Wood. Part of the fun of writing historical fiction is research, and this time I was able to combine it with pleasure. My husband agreed to celebrate our 18th anniversary in Charleston, South Carolina, the […]
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883
We tackled another classic as part of our homeschool reading curriculum, Treasure Island. I knew the antiquated language would prove plenty challenging for my tween boys, but I really wanted them to experience the original instead of an abridged version. So I read it to them. It was a good move. Treasure Island is classic adventure story. […]
The Stone of Valhalla, by Mikey Brooks
Wow! I’m afraid I might have to do a little gushing on this one. This is middle grade fiction at its best. An epic adventure I’d put side-by-side with names like Spiderwick and Fablehaven. I actually listened to this one as an audiobook from Audible.com to give myself a break during our read aloud time. […]