Congratulations to Jo Lyn Worden who won JUNK and to Dorothy Price who won BULLY. ***** The Hero Two Doors Down is perfectly titled. Written by Sharon Robinson, Jackie Robinson's daughter, this fictionalized account of eight-year-old Steven Satlo's friendship with his hero, is a book that elementary age boys and girls will enjoy. The year… Continue reading The Hero Two Doors Down: A Review and Audio Book Giveaway
Congratulations to Kathleen Burkinshaw who won the Audio CD, MADE YOU UP. ******** A very long time ago, a baby boy is born with a withered foot. His father, obeying the rules of his people, leaves him out in the open, presumably to die. A mother wolf adopts him and treats him like one of… Continue reading The Wolf's Boy: A Review and Autographed Giveaway
Cleopatra Edison Oliver is a fifth grade force to be reckoned with. Her superpower is the art of persuasion and she is convinced that she can not only create and market personalized hair clips ("Tell the world who you are!") to every girl in her grade, she's sure that her idol, talk show host, Fortune… Continue reading Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power: A Review and Giveaway
Reminiscent of the 2010 Newbery medal winner MOON OVER MANIFEST, Barbara O'Connor's latest middle grade novel, WISH (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016) is the story of a young girl who feels abandoned by her parents, is forced to live with strangers, and searches to understand her past. Like MOON, it tugs on the reader's heart strings and shows the… Continue reading Wish: A Review and Audio CD Giveaway
Congratulations to Connie Saunders and Karen White who won copies of AIM from last week's blog. Thanks to everyone who left comments. ****** In August I featured Susan Campbell Bartoletti, a faculty member at Highlights Foundation Summer Camp. Her keynote was so packed with information that it was impossible to give you everything she said. In… Continue reading Be Light Like a Bird: A Review and ARC Giveaway
Congratulations to Joyce Hostetter who won the autographed copy of "The Great Call of China" on last week's post. Trust me, her winning was independent of this post! A Bible Lesson The ancient Israelites had a problem. In a battle with their enemies the Amalekites, Moses and Aaron noticed that whenever Moses held up his hand,… Continue reading Aaron Moments: A Tribute to Friendship
Congratulations to Sheri Levy who won LIKE A RIVER on last week's blog. Thanks to many of you who entered this popular giveaway. Ironically, Sheri is the reason for this week's review. Read on! ********* As my faithful blog readers know, I generally read and review middle grade or young adult books, but every now and… Continue reading The Hanged Man's Noose: A Glass Dolphin Mystery– A Review and a Giveaway
I think I can honestly say that I've never read a Cynthia Lord book that I haven't enjoyed. From her picture books about a wild and wacky hamster, to her sensitive middle grade book Rules about an autistic boy and his family, Ms. Lord has a way of telling stories that entertain, teach, and delight readers of all… Continue reading A Handful of Stars: A Review and Audio Book Giveaway!
Sometimes titles of books are difficult to come up with. But when I consider, Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling (PenguinRandom, 2014) I think, Lucy Frank, this title is perfect. Written out of Ms. Frank's own battle with Crohn's disease, this novel-in-verse is simultaneously beautiful and earthy. The premise is simple and as alluded to by the… Continue reading Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling: A Review and a Giveaway!
In some ways books are like babies: conceiving them and bringing them into the world requires a lot of effort. The mother (writer) does most of the work, but there’s usually a team that assists with the delivery. As the critique coordinator for the SCBWI Carolinas Charlotte group for over twenty years, I had the… Continue reading Extraordinary: A Review and an ARC Giveaway!