An above-normal student and an all-around good kid, Eric can’t figure out his recent string of bad luck. The missing homework. The sudden problem with bullies. The strange noises only he can hear. Objects appearing out of thin air. This must involve something more than luck. But what? Here Comes Mr. Trouble starts off suspenseful […]
Seranfyll, by Christina Daley, Book Review – Bargain eBooks
Seranfyll, a brand new novel by Christina Delay, will take readers to a wonderful place where horses fly and houses sneeze, where mops and pails bark like dogs and clean of their own accord, where trees walk and butlers are created – willy-nilly – out of chickens. It’s a delightful place. A place of animation […]
The Magnificent 12: The Call, by Michael Grant, Book Review
I have just finished reading The Magnificent 12: The Call, the first in a brand new fantasy series by Michael Grant. With twenty-one phobias and counting–including a fear of phobias–twelve-year-old David MacAvoy (Mack) seems an unlikely hero. But through the pipes in the boys’ bathroom, Mack receives word from a 3,000-year-old man that the Pale […]
Newbery Honor Books, 2000-2010
Here’s where to find Newbery Honor books and my reviews. Asterics indicate the books I’ve read for my ongoing Newbery challenge but not reviewed. 2010 Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly. The Mostly True Adventures Of Homer P. Figg, by Rodman Philbrick. Where the Mountain […]
Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, Book Review
***Spoiler alert! Catching Fire is book two in the Hunger Games Trilogy. If you have not read the first one yet, do not continue reading this. Instead, skip to my Hunger Games review then go out and get your hands on that book as quickly as you can! Though I loved The Hunger Games, I […]
It's Like This, Cat, by Emily Neville, Book Review by Emily, age 11
The title of this book is It’s Like This, Cat. The author is Emily Neville. This book won the Newbery Award. It is fiction. The story begins in New York with the main character, Dave Mitchell, arguing with his dad. He gets in all sorts of arguments with his dad. He goes to an apartment […]
Newbery Medal Winners and Where to Find Them
The Newbery Medal is the highest honor given to an American children’s novel. I’ve set myself a challenge to read them all, as well as the Newbery Honor books (yearly runners-up). The first award dates back to 1922. Here’s a list of the winners, starting with the most recent. Links include all available Amazon versions (paperback, […]
Anna of Byzantium, by Tracy Barrett, Book Review
If you enjoy historical fiction, pick up a copy of Tracy Barrett’s Anna of Byzantium. Ms. Barrett is primarily a writer of non-fiction, but she delivers a solid, fictionalized account of Anna Comnena, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor. Her writing is smooth, logical, and easy to follow. Set in the time of the Crusades, young […]
The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare, Book Review
How have I missed this book for so many years? I’m familiar with Elizabeth George Speare. Her Newberry-winning story, The Witch of Blackbird Pond was one of my very first lasting favorites as an adolescent, and I later fell in love with The Sign of the Beaver. How did I miss The Bronze Bow? I stumbled […]
Night of the Full Moon, by Gloria Whelan, Book Review
If you haven’t become acquainted with the work of Gloria Whelan, you are missing out on a rare treat. She writes with a gentle beauty that makes reading feel effortless. Truly, every sentence is crafted so carefully, so vividly, that I float right through them. And she applies imagery as an artist applies color, adding depth and fullness to every […]