Introduction Donna Galanti takes her middle school audience on a coming-of-age adventure in her new book Loon Cove Summer (Wild Trail Press, 2025). This book also has the neat distinction of taking place on a loon lake and chapter headings contain cool facts about this special bird. Review Thirteen-year-old Sarah Richardson runs a lakeside campground with… Continue reading Loon Cove: A Touching Middle Grade Book Reviewed by Kate Lundeen
INTRODUCTION Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a bucket list item for many hikers. The Trail, by Meika Hashimoto, details one boy’s mission to conquer the Trail and accept the coming of age pains that he encounters as he matures. REVIEW Tony and his friend Lucas make a summer bucket list. The last item on the list… Continue reading Kate Lundeen Gives a Thumbs-Up to A Middle Grade Adventure: The Trail
Version 1.0.0 INTRODUCTION Monarch Press proudly presents a new out-of-this world science fiction adventure called So, My Mom’s from Outer Space. As a mom of all boys, author Tennille Marie’s novel has middle school boy written all over it! The star of the story is a relatable young man on the cusp of the teen years… Continue reading So, My Mom’s from Outer Space–A Sparkling Review from Guest Blogger, Katie Lundeen
SUMMARY The Peach Thief, by Linda Joan Smith, is historical fiction about a young orphan girl named Scilla who lived in the woods. She would steal food to survive. One day Scilla climbed the Earl’s kitchen garden wall to steal a peach, and was caught by Mr. Layton, the head gardener. She was mistaken for… Continue reading The Peach Thief: A Middle Grade Book Gets a Thumbs Up from A New Guest Reviewer
How do you tackle something as complicated as gravity in a picture book? Author Henry Herz (author of I am Smoke) and Illustrator Mercè López did just that in another impressive picture book published by Sleeping Bear Press. Because it tackles an advanced scientific concept, I recommend this book for middle-grade classrooms as well as… Continue reading I AM GRAVITY- How’s That For An Intriguing Picture Book Title? A STEM Review and Giveaway
In the last few weeks I've been delighted to share reviews by two precocious writers, Journey Bloomfield and Isabelle Knight. I first introduced them to you when Journey reviewed Isabelle's first book, Guardian's Heir, in her Enchantria series. Today, Journey and I celebrate Isabelle's completion of this series with the publication of The Last Hope.… Continue reading Author to Author: A Conversation Between Journey Bloomfield and Isabelle Knight
INTRODUCTION The King of Montréal by Daniela I. Norris, is a young adult historical adventure featuring Louis-Charles, the lost prince of France in the year 1800. REVIEW I have to admit, I had decidedly mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, there was a lot to like. However, it also had some problems,… Continue reading Exploring ‘The King of Montréal’: A Mixed Review
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