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
Teen reviewer, Pearl Burningham, reviews Katy Hammel's MG book, Meg Goes to America.
REVIEW If you like a ghost/scary story told in a verse format and you're in 4th - 7th grade then the book The Haunting of Lake Lucy is perfect for you. This book was a very well-written horror story for people who like a little spook. The book is about Jayce and Evie who are… Continue reading Ghost Writers: The Haunting of Lake Lucy- A Review by Guest Blogger, Helen Wheeler, and a Giveaway!
Last week my friend and fellow NC blogger, Joan Edwards, interviewed me on her blog. She asked questions about writing Half-Truths including how my blog has helped me develop my writing skills. This is what told her:My blog has helped me in two ways. I read and reviewed lots of mentor texts. Each review has taught… Continue reading A Benefit to Blogging and How a Book is Born
When I first started thinking about my WIP, Nightmare in Nuremberg, I envisioned it as historical fiction. After a recent trip to Europe, where centuries of hidden inside churches, city streets, bridges, and town walls, I started imagining something different. It began like this. I walked by a stone ramp in Belfast, Ireland (not far from where… Continue reading Three Mentor Middle-Grade Graphic Novels
Long-time readers of my blog may remember that I am one of Nikki Grimes' many fans. In the past, I reviewed Ordinary Hazards, Between the Lines, and Words with Wings. Nikki's poetry sings and she captures the conflicts and emotions of adolescents beautifully.Garvey's Choice (WordSong, 2016) is no different. Except...it is different. Each of the 100+ poems which… Continue reading GARVEY'S CHOICE: A Middle-Grade Verse Novel and a Giveaway
My teen blogger Elliott Kurta is now busy being a freshman in high school and doing his volunteer job at the library. So, we'll enjoy his book reviews whenever he has time to get them to me. ****REVIEW Young Elle is constantly shamed for being overweight;… Continue reading STARFISH: A Teen Review of a Middle-Grade Book
REVIEWIt’s summer, and eleven-year-old Laura Newman, “Noodle” to her friends, is excited to arrive at Camp Hillside, where she’ll stay for four weeks. Unfortunately, the trip goes awry before it even begins. Noodle’s sister, Jill, can’t come to summer camp with her, which means Noodle is going to be left by herself for an entire… Continue reading HURRICAMP A MG Book Review by Guest Blogger, Elliott Kurta
A front-seat view of America during the Great Depression, Picturing a Nation by Martin Sandler (Candlewick Press, 2021) presents over one hundred and thirty photographs that give life to our past in a way that appeals to anyone, age notwithstanding . Using photos taken by the Historical Records department of the Farm Security Association, this photographical memoir… Continue reading PICTURING A NATION: A Book Review by Guest Blogger, Elliott Kurta
I Escaped the California Camp Fire, by Scott Peters and S.D. Brown, is historical fiction, part of the I Escaped Series that is aimed towards 8–13 year-old readers. However, with its clever descriptions, relatable characters, and pop culture references, it can easily appeal to all ages. For instance, on page 8, the book mentions a character “doing… Continue reading I ESCAPED THE CALIFORNIA CAMP FIRE: A Middle Grade Review by Guest Blogger, Blake Kurta