My blog’s been a little shy on sweetness lately, but this book fits the bill nicely. It was a wonderful surprise. First, I have to comment on how gorgeous the cover art is. I made it really big because I love it. Not only did it draw me to the story, it reflects it perfectly. […]
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911, Book Review
This is an oldie but goodie. Within, young Mary Lennox has been raised in India, but her socialite parents had little to do with her. When they die in a cholera epidemic, she’s sent to live with her uncle in England. Unfortunately, Mary has become a sickly, ugly, and a nasty little tyrant. And misfortune […]
Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, 2011, Book Review
I’d like to say I liked this book. It has beautiful a flow, beautiful images, beautiful prose. Ms. Ursu has an amazing skill with the written word. Her subject has substance, her characters are many-faceted. Every thought is well-developed and wrapped up tight. She draws from no less than eleven well-known children’s stories and delivers […]
The Fires Beneath the Sea, by Lydia Millet, 2011, Book Review
The jury’s still out on how much I liked this one. It has some beautiful moments. It also has some awkward moments. The story is entertaining, but I’m really not compelled to find out when the next book of the series comes out. The characters are all likeable, but I didn’t fall in love with […]
Child of the Mountains, by Marilyn Sue Shank, 2012, Book Review
I loved this book. I sank into it immediately, like an overstuffed couch, and only came out for chores. It’s a beautiful, gentle story of strength despite injustice with a good dose of picturesque Appalachian culture. A wonderful combination. Eleven-year-old Lydia finds herself unexpectedly living with her Aunt Ethel Mae and Uncle William after a […]
The Floating Islands, by Rachel Neumeier, 2011, Book Review
I found this book on a library list of notable middle grade books for 2011, and I loved the cover, so I picked it up. I’m glad I did. It turned out to be one of my favorite adventures of this year. The book opens with Trei on his way to the Floating Islands. His […]
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (Starcatchers Series), Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, 2007, Book Review
Peter’s back. So is George, Molly, the Lost Boys, and the Evil Lord Ombra. Thought he was destroyed at the conclusion of book two? I thought so too. But he regathers his strength and returns to Rundoon where the forces of darkness have come up with the most farfetched plan yet: capture Peter, use his […]
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, by John Boyne, 2006, Book Review
This is a startling look at the holocaust through the eyes of a nine-year-old German boy. Bruno is the son of a Nazi Commandant. As a result of a promotion, Bruno and his whole family leave their lovely home in Berlin and follow Father to his new assignment—head of Auschwitz concentration camp. Bruno can see […]
Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, book two), by Brandon Mull, 2012, Book Review
I’ve been waiting exactly a year for the second Beyonders book. I read the A World Without Heroes at family camp last year. This year I checked out Seeds of Rebellion to read at camp once again. We leave today but, ahem, I finished the book last night. Drat! (Note: This was written three weeks ago.) […]
Sea Cutter, by Timothy L. Davis, 2011, Book Review
MMGM is a weekly meme hosted by middle grade author, Shannon Messenger. (Finally! A meme that fits perfectly with my content!) I’m going to postpone the book review I had planned for today and feature instead a super novel by Tim Davis. I reviewed the book a year ago, but seeing as it was such a fun […]