Michelle Isenhoff

Ages 14 +

Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate

I haven’t written much since Covid interrupted our family dynamics, but I recently found an exceptionally well-written and poignant book and have to share it. This one is excellent–historical fiction set against the infamous Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. While the orphanage often did provide loving homes for needy kids, it’s also well established that […]

Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, 2009

I have terrible timing. After three consecutive posts about the research that went into my upcoming novel, this was supposed to be the grand finale, the big announcement that Ebb Tide has released!!!! But it hasn’t. It’s coming soon. I promise. In ten days, in fact. It’s undergone final revisions and is currently out to my last […]

Mara, Daughter of the Nile, by Eloise Jarvis McGrath

You may have heard of Ms. McGrath’s 1962 Newbery-winning title, The Golden Goblet, a wonderful middle grade story of ancient Egypt. (My review.) Well, this is another fabulous tale of that intriguing and little-known land, but this one is for a teen audience and far more involved. It was written in 1953, but don’t let […]

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, 2014

Continuing my Top Four Historical Fiction Pics of 2016… This one falls squarely in the young adult category, though it is quite appealing to older readers. Obviously. Look at the litany of awards it won: Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction 2015 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction Winner of the Australian International […]

Zion Covenant Series, by Bodie Thoene

The bulk of my reading tends to be middle grade, supplemented by a hearty dose of young adult, but this year found me picking up more volumes of higher-level historical fiction. To cap off the year and carry me through the holiday season, I’m going to introduce you to my top four historical picks for […]

The Break (Tales of a Revolution), by Lars D. Hedbor

  As you know by now, I’m a history addict and a fan of Lars Hedbor’s historical fiction series, Tales of a Revolution. Over spring break, I had the honor of reading two of his latest releases. The first, The Wind, posted right after I read it. This is the second. It’s sort of fitting that it’s posting on […]

The Wind, by Lars D. Hedbor

Before I start a four-post series about the research of Blood Moon next week, I’m sneaking in a review of my favorite book I’ve read since finishing the manuscript. And I’m reading a LOT of them right now. I’ve become a dedicated Lars Hedbor fan. In his Tales of a Revolution series, he takes little-known stories of […]

Bone by Bone by Bone, by Tony Johnston

First let me give you fair warning. This one has excessive language. Often very offensive language. Obscenities, profanities. So why on earth am I featuring it? Because for mature readers, it offers a very honest, hard look at prejudice. Bone by Bone by Bone takes place in Tennessee in the 1950’s. David Church is the […]

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