Introduction Sometimes history has a habit of blurring the lines between enemy and friend. This is true in Dana Vanderlugt’s WWII novel in verse, Enemies in the Orchard. Can a teenage Nazi and a farm girl learn to treat each other decently and allow a friendship to blossom? Review Claire De Boer is the hardworking daughter… Continue reading Exploring Kindness Amidst War: ‘Enemies in the Orchard’ Review
INTRODUCTION Island of Spies is a charming novel, perfect for middle grade readers looking for a coastal take on WWII. The author, Sheila Turnage, artfully captures the life of an average island family entwined in the realities of a brewing war. Her precise words paint vivid pictures in the minds of eager young readers. From the… Continue reading Unraveling Mysteries: The Dime Novel Kids in Island of Spies
INTRODUCTION Many years ago I read and enjoyed my fellow North Carolinian's book, The Ballad of Jesse Pearl. I was delighted to hear that the author, Shannon Hitchcock, had written a book that included Jesse as a character. Here is what Kate Lundeen had to say about Shannon's latest middle grade novel. REVIEW Head to… Continue reading Exploring Healing in Wild Mountain Ivy
INTRODUCTION There is an old saying, “Home is where the heart is”. The novel in poetic verse by VT Bidania, A Year Without Home, deals with the emotional toll of homesickness but also the positive power of learning to make the best of things no matter your home’s location. REVIEW Preteen Laos native, Gao Sheng, has special affection… Continue reading Finding Home: A Review of _A Year Without Home_
Introduction Havelah McLat pens a story of defeating the odds, courage, and the American immigrant dream in The Silent Journey. In 1932, Anika, a Ukrainian deaf youth, lives in a silent world. She can read lips and communicate via speech, but her deafness makes her speech awkward, and she feels lonely and misunderstood. Her Papa,… Continue reading The Silent Journey: A Deaf Immigrant’s Tale
Introduction Author Jenny Mattern writes a touching middle grade novel about adoption and the value of family. In her author’s note at the end of Where the Light Shines In, Mattern explains the title of her debut novel. “I wrote this story to help [adoptees] feel seen, and to hopefully start conversations within adoptive families.… Continue reading Exploring Adoption: A Review of ‘Where the Light Shines In’
Introduction I'm the last author in the world who knows how to incorporate humor into her stories. (Hey, my readers tell me that Josie, the goat in Half-Truths, provides comic relief and I didn't even know I was doing that!). Thankfully, there are writers who know how to write clever, funny stories that kids of… Continue reading Unlock Humor: Writing for Kids and Teens
INTRODUCTION Many of you appreciated the last middle grade book that Kate Lundeen reviewed on my blog, LOON COVE. Today she is back with her analysis of an historical novel, ONE FINE VOICE by Rebecca Langston-George. REVIEW Historium Press proudly presents the middle-grade novel One Fine Voice by Rebecca Langston- George. As the new preacher’s kid in… Continue reading ‘One Fine Voice’: A Story of Courage and Compassion
INTRODUCTION Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Coleman is a suspenseful and seminal novel centered around the dust storms of the 1930s in Oklahoma. This historic story showcases the perspectives of two adolescent twins, Joanna and Howe Stanton. Throughout a six year journey, they overcame family turbulence, natural disasters, grief, and financial insecurity. REVIEW During the… Continue reading Alyssa Coleman’s Where Only Storms Grow: A Review
A Glimpse Into My WIP Now that I've successfully published my first novel, (Time out. True confession! That is an amazing sentence to write!), I know that readers want to know how I found my topic and why I chose to write about it. So, as I begin my next book, Out of the Flame,… Continue reading Behind the Scenes of Writing “Out of the Flame”