This is the tale of two otters, both sea captains, both strong and self-assured, both masters of their own crew. Marshall, son of the famous (and missing) relic hunter, is the darling of the Secoran navy, master of weaponry, loyal, honest, and stalwart. McKinley the Marauder, infamous pirate, quick on his feet, adaptable, brash, and […]
The Gypsy Pearl: Tye (Gypsy Pearl, 3), by Lia London
This has been one of my favorite recent series. And it just so happens to be written by a friend of mine, Lia London. (But she became a friend after I’d been introduced to her fabulous writing.) Today, I’m featuring the newly released third and final book in her Gypsy Pearl series, which I had […]
El Deafo, by Cece Bell
This year’s Newbery was announced not long ago, so I rushed to grab a copy of the new winner. I was rather disappointed. In fact, I haven’t really liked a Newbery winner since 2011, Clare VanderPool’s Moon Over Manifest. Perhaps all the edgier, more experimental types of literature like graphic novels and verse I’ve been seeing lately […]
Pictures of Hollis Woods, Patricia Reilly Giff
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 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 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. […]
brown girl dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson
Today the 2015 Newbery Award is scheduled to be announced. I’ve heard on good authority, from a fellow in tight with the School Library Journal, that brown girl dreaming is high on the list. In his opinion, it is the most deserving book of the year. I have not read all the entries, but I have […]
The Midwife's Apprentice, by Karen Cushman
I’d read this book many years ago. I happened across it in the library and picked it up for some Christmas break reading. Winner of the 1996 Newberry, it is a story of failure, courage, and finding that everybody is somebody, no matter how low their beginnings. Brat had no name. Cold and hungry, she […]
Annals of Alasia Series, by Annie Douglass Lima
Over the summer, I started this series by reading the last book. I didn’t do it intentionally; I just didn’t research very well when the title was recommended to me. After I read it (and loved it–my review is here), I realized that the three books in the series stand alone. They can be read […]
The Adventures of Robin Hood, by Roger Lancelyn Green, 1956
Roger Lancelyn Green has put together a fabulous retelling of Robin Hood. Drawing on old folk tales and ballads, he’s compiled the sometimes disjointed pieces and created a single comprehensive narrative. It’s a rousing tale of chivalry, adventure, and courage. Robin lives in the days of Richard the Lionheart, Norman king of England during the […]