In Keeper of the Grail, Michigan native (yay!) Michael P. Spradlin offers the first installment of what promises to be a fabulous trilogy. I love epic stories, and the Middle Ages is one of my favorite periods of history. Throw in a little mystery, a hint of Robin Hood, a knight and a Crusade and […]
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney, 2007, Book Review
Somehow this book flew under my radar. Since it came out, it has prompted a whole Wimpy Kid series and even a movie, but it just made its way into my hands today. It’s an easy read, I finished the whole thing in an hour, but I now understand the rage. It’s hilarious in a […]
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Rick Riordan, 2008, Book Review
This fourth book in Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series is vastly entertaining, as always. Within, Percy and his friends must enter the huge labyrinth that is under the surface of the earth, just beneath the mortal world. Grover goes in search of Pan, whom he is convinced is hiding out, to substantiate his claim […]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by JK Rowling, 2000, Book Review
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is perhaps the lightest book in the Harry Potter series, with no Voldemort appearances or the intense darkness that surrounds him. This one’s mostly illusion, and it happens to be my favorite one, the one that REALLY makes me wish I could attend Hogwarts. Hogsmeade, the town just outside […]
A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray, by Ann M. Martin, 2005, Book Review
I’m a huge dog-lover and a sucker for any story featuring man’s best friend. Buck, Lad, Kitty, Marley, Lassie, I’ve read them all. Add to that list Squirrel, a loveable stray who tells her story in the first person. Born in a deserted shed, Squirrel was content to live and play with brother, Bone, and […]
The Door in the Forest, by Roderick Townley, 2011, Book Review
The best words I can think of to describe The Door in the Forest, by Roderick Townley, are “unique” and “vague.” Unique because Townley takes everyday themes like death, war and rebellion and weaves around them a tale unlike anything I’ve ever read before. With a little magic, the focus suddenly leaves the commonplace and […]
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 […]
Frindle, by Andrew Clements, Book Review
Nick wasn’t a bad kid. He just got these ideas. Bright ideas. Fun ideas. Ideas that sometimes got out of hand. So when Nick decided to call a pen a frindle, he should have known that all of Westfield wouldn’t be able to contain the after effects. Frindle, by Andrew Clements, is a delightful, quick […]