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Cindy M
An accountant and CPA by profession, I found myself a book reviewer for Squeaky Clean Reads by happenstance. When the opportunity came to transform that website into Compass Book Ratings, I was excited to seize it and meld my business background with my love of books. As the mother of three teenage sons, I have read a large number of children and young adult books and I believe that there is great value in a content review service. As much as we would love to read everything our children read, there just isn’t enough time. I also appreciate being able to select books for myself that are really worth my precious and limited reading time. I believe there is a book out there for everyone–they just have to find it!
https://www.compassbookratings.com

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance

This award-winning book is contemporary fiction that feels completely grounded in reality. Everything the protagonist, Maizy, does seems completely plausible for her age and situation. Maizy has the…
Cindy M

Junkyard Dogs

Junkyard Dogs was an intense and deep look at a young life being lived on the margin. A 17-year-old boy, Josh, who should have adult support in his life basically gets abandoned by those adults who s…
Cindy M

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels

The Swifts is a mystery for young readers that is a cross between an Agatha Christie novel (think lots of suspects trapped in a creepy old house with a murderer on the loose) and The Mysterious Benedi…
Cindy M

Spice Road

Those looking for an epic fantasy in an exotic land need look no further! Spice Road is a young adult fantasy with an Arabian motif. There is a journey/quest across dangerous lands, magic, fighting,…
Cindy M

Heroes of Havensong: Dragonboy

Looking for your next great middle grade fantasy read? Look no further. While the elements may seem familiar--a group of diverse characters, magic, dragons--the author pulls them together in an unco…
Cindy M

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

So refreshingly delightful! I think I just found my next "favorite" book. The format of the book is really a journal that is being kept by Emily as she researches fairy folk for her definitive wor…
Cindy M

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night 

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is a sweeping, epic, Asian-inspired YA fantasy. Although the pages will fly by with action, the author artfully is still able to create two pillars that elevate this …
Cindy M

2022 Newbery Winner and Honor Books

Yes, still in catch-up mode here at Compass Book Ratings, but better late than never. If there was a theme to this year's Newbery line-up it would be family and storytelling. Regarding genre, it was…
Cindy M

Scythe

Wow. This was an amazingly compelling dystopian young adult novel that was disturbing and thought-provoking on so many levels. Set in a future where there is no natural death, there is a designated …
Cindy M

Too Bright to See

Eleven-year-old Bug, the protagonist, has a lot going on: the recent death of her beloved uncle, economic stress for the family, a new ghost in the house, middle school starting in the fall, and figu…
Cindy M

A Snake Falls to Earth

A Snake Falls to Earth is a mix--on so many levels. First it is a blend of contemporary fiction and a parallel world of animal people that isn't a fantasy so much as a folktale/legend/story inspired …
Cindy M

The Last Cuentista

This award-winning book is a sci-fi adventure that clips along while still managing to hit a wide-range of themes: the love and value of family, the worth of stories and storytellers, assimilation an…
Cindy M

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