On my continuing read through the Newberry Medal winners and honor books, I picked up this one. It won the medal in 2018. I’m not sure why. I disliked it a great deal. Eleven-year-old Virgil Salinas is shy and reticent, a complete misfit in his Filipino family. This earns Virgil the nickname Turtle, which he […]
The Swift, by Alex Banks
I mentioned this release a few weeks ago and told you I was putting it to the top of my reading list. That’s because I read Alex Banks’ first MG book, Jump Boys, and was so impressed with the quality of the writing, editing, and formatting that I jumped at the chance to read this […]
The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia), 1955
I published this post on my self-hosted blog last spring. Since the first five Narnia books are on this blog, I wanted to put this one here, too. I’m nearly done working my way through the Chronicles of Narnia with my son. This is the sixth and second-to-last book in the series. Oddly enough, it tells of […]
A Measure of Disorder (Mother Earth Series, book 1), by Alan Tucker
Who knew a simple science field trip could turn into such a whale of an adventure? Jenni Kershaw and her classmates can’t seem to find the bus for the return trip to school. Then they notice the landscape has changed, the vegetation is unfamiliar, not to mention the peculiar talking wildlife. They’ve been brought to […]
Heirloom (Seed Savers, book 3), by S. Smith, 2013
I was thrilled to be invited as a participant in the Heirloom book tour. In fact, I was thrilled to find the series for my tween son, who loves nothing better than to help me in our large garden on a warm summer morning. It’s sufficiently scary for tweens without being overwhelmingly so. It’s definitely middle grade, […]
Magian High, by Lia London, 2012
I have about a dozen posts from my self-hosted site (now closed down) that I’d like to save on this one. I’ll be adding them on Fridays. If you were subscribed to that site, you can just ignore them. All three high schools in Kincaid Riley’s town are being desegregated, which means the Mages will […]
The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis, book review
The Silver Chair is my least favorite book in the Narnia series, but that by no means makes it junk. Eustace returns and brings with him a new character, a schoolmate by the name of Jill Pole. Immediately Aslan sets them a task: locate and rescue Prince Rilian, son of King Caspian, who was kidnapped ten […]
Sir Nathan and the Quest for Queen Gobbledeegook, by Mark Simon Smith, 2012, Book Review
MMGM is a weekly meme hosted by middle grade author, Shannon Messenger. My sons both enjoyed this book. The humor is droll, the plot straightforward, and the details random enough to engage young readers. Consider Jubb Jubb Trees that fall into piles of lumber with a precise kick, Hootentoot leaves that scream with fright when they […]
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, book one), by C.S. Lewis, 1950
This spring I’m making my, golly, eighth or ninth journey through Narnia, but this time I’m taking along my son. We’re going to end the homeschool year by reading the entire series. He’s watched the movie before, but he’d never experienced the written version. It was a hit. We finished The Lion, the Witch and the […]
Horton Halfpott or the Feindish Mystery of Smugwick Manor or The Loosening of M’Lady Luggertuck’s Corset, by Tom Angleberger, 2011, Book Review
If I might add yet another subheading to the title of this most unusual book, it would be “or Whimsical Wit and Lyrical Nonsense,” because those happen to be the two most notable assets of this particular scrap of literature. The story is sort of a whodunit with very stylized characters and a not entirely […]