I am always eager to learn more about the people of Afghanistan and other war-torn third-world countries--how they live and survive circumstances that appear to be intolerable to me. I always come awa…
Chu Ju is a sweet character who displays a strong sense of familial duty. Her story takes place in present-day rural China, giving readers a sense of how removed from the modern world those remote are…
These are a few of my favorite things: dystopian fiction, fairy tale retellings, cyborgs, and aliens. Scarlet has them all! This exciting second installment in The Lunar Chronicles starts up…
Award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone details the inspiring story of America's first black paratroopers in Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles. Readers of all ages will enjoy thi…
Eleanor & Park is a brilliant, believable study in opposites. Simultaneously innocent and edgy, their story is told in a way that evokes conflicting emotions--often at the same time. These sw…
Outstanding job by author Barbara O'Connor in creating an intimate and personal look at the crisis of homelessness through the eyes of a young person! The voice of the protagonist, Georgina, is reali…
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin was not what I expected. Billed as "a revelatory portrait of Benjamin Franklin's youngest sister", I anticipated a stirring and informative biograp…
Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell is a delightful middle grade fantasy with some refreshing elements. Although a fantasy, the setting is in Europe, in the vicinity of the Rhine, which is …
More than a story within a story, this book tells a tale of a family struggling to live in a town that has been invaded by foreigners. The Burgess family has endured a lot of grief, although the reade…
On January 27, 2014 the ALA announced the 2014 John Newbery Medal and Honor Books. Sadly, our nomination was not named. Joyfully, we can say that we have no major complaints about the books that did…
In Paperboy, the protagonist is 11 year old Victor. Victor keeps to himself, but he has a lot of deep thoughts that he can't articulate because he has a severe stutter. Eleven going o…
One Came Home is a beautiful, lyrical, poignant novel, told in the stark simple language of the American Frontier. Amy Timberlake channels True Grit, while delivering a fresh new story with unique cha…
