REVIEW The Little Red Chair written by Cathy Stefanec Ogren and illustrated by Alexandra Thompson (Sleeping Bear Press: 2024) revolves around a worn-out chair yearning for love. Displayed in a vintage store window, the chair longs for a home where it will be cherished and loved by a family. At home, Mia and her mother work together to breathe new… Continue reading The Little Red Chair: A Picture Book Review by Lori Keating and a Giveaway
TRUCKER KID (Capstone, June 2023) From Amazon:"Although Athena misses her truck-driving daddy when he's on the road, she thinks he has the most amazing job in the world. She loves showing off her love of all things trucking. But her classmates don't quite get her or why she calls herself Trucker Kid. Can Athena change their… Continue reading TRUCKER KID: A Picture Book Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway!
REVIEW by Mara ScudderAs an avid reader who has no interest in baseball (and sports in general), I fell far from Steve Carman's upper middle-grade audience range. But Southpaw Sully’s characters are irresistible in any genre, and Sully and the rest of the cast pulled me in from the very first page. The author didn’t… Continue reading SOUTHPAW SALLY: A Guest Blogger Review and Giveaway
Today I have the pleasure of introducing a new tween blogger, Olivia A. She's a granddaughter of a friend of mine, and a bibliophile. (When her family moved from North Carolina to Texas she brought along her 1000-book library!). Let's help her celebrate her book-reviewing career with her thoughts on EVERY MISSING PIECE by Melanie Conklin.Maddy has trouble… Continue reading EVERY MISSING PIECE: A Middle-Grade Review by Debut Tween Blogger, Olivia A.
Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won the autographed copy of JUST BETWEEN SAM AND ME from last week's blog.With the holidays coming up, I'm going to review and give away a few more books than usual. I know that many of you give these books to your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. I enjoy passing… Continue reading FLY, FIREFLY! A Review and Picture Book Giveaway
Congratulations to Danielle Hammelef who won The Voice that Won the Vote from last week's blog.Memoirs of a Tortoise (Sleeping Bear Press, 2020) is a clever and heart-warming book written by Devin Scillian and beautifully illustrated by Tim Bowers. Young readers will follow a year in the life of Oliver, an 80-year-old tortoise, whose "pet" is his… Continue reading Memoirs of a Tortoise: Picture Book Review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Danielle Hammelef who won BREAD FOR WORDS from last week's blog. A word to all of those who also want to win books. Sometimes I run "specials." If you share my post on social media, you'll earn extra chances. That's why Danielle's library is growing. Look for these specials so yours can too!… Continue reading American Road Trip: A YA Audio Book Review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Gretchen Griffith who won the audio CD of The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill on last week's blog. After twenty-eight years, next week my husband Creighton and I will be loading a truck and moving to the eastern part of North Carolina to be closer to children and grandchildren. This post is full of nostalgia,… Continue reading Book Metaphors, Life Changes, and of course, a Giveaway!
In the last blog of this series, Essie Mae Washington reveals what happened when she finally divulged her secrets. In the late 60's Thurmond surprised Essie Mae by calling to say he was coming to Los Angeles and wanted to see her children. She was thrilled, but first had to break the news that their… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #17: Dear Senator- Part VIII