INTRODUCTION Today I'm happy to share my friend, Jolene Gutiérrez's picture book, Mamiachi & Me, which she wrote with her son, Dakota (Abrams, 2025). The book is beautifully illustrated by Mirelle Ortega. Jolene and Mirelle at the ALA conference in Philadelphia-- today! Jolene and I met at in 2016 at a Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop.… Continue reading Embracing Culture: ‘Mamiachi & Me’ Review and Giveaway
Same Page by Elly Swartz has been one of the most difficult books for me to review because it is about such a controversial topic: banning books in school libraries. SUMMARY Bess Stein is excited when she and her friend June win the election for the sixth grade class president and vice president, respectively. But their… Continue reading Friendship and Controversy in SAME PAGE Review + a Giveaway
INTRODUCTION Last week I featured a review of Isabelle Knight's new middle-grade fantasy, Enchantria: Guardian's Heir. Today, Isabelle returns as my guest blogger and ventures into new reading territory--nonfiction--and finds out she likes it! This review originally appeared on Isabelle's blog; she is kindly allowing me to republish it here. REVIEW This book review is… Continue reading A Terrific Review of The Mysterious Virginia Hall by Guest Blogger, Isabelle Knight
As some of you know, I love teaching and mentoring teens and tweens. One way I do that is by inviting them to review books on my blog. I provide feedback on their book reviews, they learn during the revision process, and I get wonderful content! Today I am happy to introduce two young fantasy… Continue reading Introducing Two New Young Authors
Two years ago I reviewed the first four books in the Jalen's Big City Life series by Dorothy H. Price. Since then, the series doubled! Today, a young reviewer gives her opinion of the books. REVIEW Jalen’s Big City Life is a series of amusing stories for K-second grade about a kid named Jalen (J.C.) and… Continue reading Jalen’s Big City Life: A Guest Review of a Chapter Book Series
I have a stack of picture books to review and give away. Today I'm going to start with an autographed copy of Dark on Light written by Dianne White and illustrated by Felicita Sala (Beech Lane Books, 2022). REVIEW This is a quiet story about three siblings who follow their dog out into the evening… Continue reading Enter to Win A Lyrical Nature Picture Book
Introduction Dorothy H. Price and I go way back. She was one of the first members of a SCBWI-Carolinas critique group I organized in Charlotte. Nine years ago I posted about her first picture book, Nana's Favorite Things and more recently about her chapter book series, Jalen's Big City Life which now includes eight books.… Continue reading Daddy Daughter Day: Win an Inspiring Picture Book by Dorothy Price
Introduction What happens when a little girl grows up near train tracks loving the sound of a train whistle? If you're picture book author extraordinaire, Marsha Diane Arnold, that means when you grow up you'll want to write a picture book about one of the legendary 600-ton locomatives who were called Big Boys. And that's… Continue reading BIG BOY 4014 And The STEAM TRAIN: Climb on Board for this Picture Book Review
Get ready for more epic adventures with Eli and Tirza Nesbit, also known as the Children of the Ancient Heroes. They’re the heroes of Book 2 of Russell Fellows' Lighted Lands series, entitled Hope and Despair. I gave rave reviews to the first novel in Fellow’s series, Children of the Ancient Heroes: Dreams and Nightmares, and this… Continue reading Children of The Ancient Heroes- HOPE AND DESPAIR: An Enthusiastic Book Review by Kate Lundeen
Congratulations to Gauri Dalvi Pandya (author) who won the Grand Prize Award from Sleeping Bear Press's "Own Voices, Own Stories Award" for this debut picturebook. Illustrator Avani Dweivedi vivid illustrations bring the story to life. Review A little girl has a problem. How can she leave her beloved Aaji and Ajoba--her grandmother and grandfather? Her… Continue reading Gauri Dalvi Pandya’s Picture Book: A Journey of Connection