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 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
Author Kay DiBianca takes her middle grade readers on a detective adventure around Manhattan in New York City with Knights in Manhattan. (This is the second in DiBianca's Reen and Joanie Detective Agency series). These are not really knights but a couple of brave friends who work to halt crime. REVIEW In this novel, Reen and… Continue reading Uncovering Clues in NYC: Knights in Manhattan Book Review
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
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
REVIEW Monarch Publishing welcomes a new middle grade novel to the reading repertoire called Angels in the Sand by Lori Keating. This novel is a touching story about a contemporary family choosing joy amid hard circumstances. Jess and her mother Darlene make the annual East Coast trek to Grandma’s house during the Christmas holidays. Jess and Grandma… Continue reading Angels in The Sand: A Great MG Review by Kate Lundeen
Check out an older teen thriller from Monarch Books: Heartsmith by Stephanie Cotta. Be prepared to lose track of time with this mystery which is the first in a series. Review Aaren Lockett is a 16-year-old in search of a new start after life in an orphanage. He travels to the city of Rexanberg and plans to… Continue reading HEARTSMITH: An Upper MG/YA Book Review by Kate Lundeen
New from Monarch Publishing! A middle grade fantasy novel entitled Children of The Ancient Heroes: Dreams and Nightmares by Russell Fellows. I grew up wishing that literary worlds like Narnia or Middle Earth were real places to explore. Fellows addresses this type of wanderlust. What if fantasy characters were social outcasts and had important roles to fulfill… Continue reading CHILDREN OF THE ANCIENT HEROES: A Remarkable Review by Kate Lundeen