Two brother books are haunting me today. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley and Stick by Andrew Smith are each their own story and yet, having read them one after the other, they are getting kind of wrapped up in my head with each other. Each one is very much its own self [...]
Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category
He’s Not Heavy…
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged andrew smith, books for teen boys, brothers in fiction, John Corey Whaley, realistic fiction, Stick, Where Things Come Back, YA for guys on April 26, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Book Thoughts: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged Maggie Stiefvater, Printz Award, The Scorpio Races, YA on April 12, 2012 | 4 Comments »
I resisted reading The Scorpio Races. Despite the fact that many trusted readers recommended it, the Printz Award committee gave it an Honor Award, and I kept hearing buzz buzz buzz about it, I simply couldn’t get excited to read about races between water horses (whatever that meant) where some people were going to die. [...]
What Are You Reading?
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged Dodsworth, Doreen Cronin, E.D. Baker, The Trouble with Chickens, The Wide Awake Princess, Tim Egan on February 7, 2012 | 4 Comments »
I have been reading a whole host of fun books lately. These are books filled with fun characters or quirky plot twists. I thought I’d share a few of them with you: I was introduced to this series by Alyson at KidLitFrenzy.com. The Dodsworth Adventures series is written and illustrated by Tim Egan. Here is [...]
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged hound dog true, linda urban, middle grade fiction, tess hilmo, with a name like love on January 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »
I read a lot of YA novels these days. But stand-alone middle grade fiction was a my first love… I’ve recently read two middle grade novels that reminded me of that love: HOUND DOG TRUE by Linda Urban and WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE by Tess Hilmo. For the most part, my reaction to each [...]
Tell the Truth
Posted in Book Reviews, Writing information and tips, tagged Bull Rider, Danfung Dennis, Hell and Back Again, military families, non-fiction writing, support for military families, suzanne morgan williams on January 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Suzanne Morgan Williams spoke on Research Tips for Writers at the San Diego SCBWI meeting on Saturday. As the author of several non-fiction books and the tween novel, Bull Rider, she had a wealth of information to share. Entertaining and well-spoken, I found her tips on research and considerations for cross-cultural writing relevant and helpful, [...]
Book Thoughts: Second Sight by Cheryl Klein
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged cheryl klein, craft of writing, Jennifer Crusie, Second Sight By Cheryl Klein on January 5, 2012 | 8 Comments »
The full title explains more fully: Second Sight: An Editor’s Talks on Writing Revising and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults. An executive editor for Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Cheryl Klein hosts one of the most generous websites I’ve visited. She posts transcripts of her talks as well as tools [...]
Book Thoughts: The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged American Booksellers Association, Eilis O'Neal, The False Princess, YALSA on December 21, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I just finished reading the charming book The False Princess by debut author Eilis O’Neal. Here is the description: Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia’s led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it’s revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the [...]
Book Thoughts: The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged Book Thoughts, pete hautman, The Big Crunch on December 15, 2011 | 2 Comments »
When I think of books by Pete Hautman, I think edgy and surprising. The diabetic girl dabbling in chatrooms with vampire-wannabes in Sweetblood, the new religion created in Godless, the way things are not the way they seem in Invisible… And then there is The Big Crunch. This is a sweet old-fashioned love story. The [...]
In the Beginning, There was THE END
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged alternative format in literature, Amanda Grace, But I Love Him, But I Love Him by Amanda Grace, julie roberts, reverse order writing, unconventional format, unlove me on November 30, 2011 | 2 Comments »
The song, “Unlove Me,” by Julie Roberts starts like this: Unloose this hold you’ve got on me Unlock this heart that can’t get free Unlive the night you kissed and hugged me Undream the dreams that we both shared Unfeel the feelin’ that you cared Before you leave me, please unlove me Every time I [...]
Book Thoughts: The Princess and The Pig by Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene
Posted in Book Reviews, tagged Book Thoughts, Jonathan Emmett, Poly Bernatene, The Princess and The Pig, Walker and Company on November 21, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I love twisted fairy tales. There is something fun about taking a well known story and turning it on it’s ear. I also enjoy when an author adds a fun or quirky twist to their story, and on a recent trip to the book store I found a new book to add to my list [...]
