Finding Family

The theme of finding family is dear to me—

Piper’s Merry Band finds family in each other.

 

Today’s recommended book: Confusion is Nothing New by Paul Acampora takes a more direct path on finding family.

 

Summary (from book jacket):

Ellie Magari just learned […]

Excellent Fairy Tale

Hans Christian wasn’t the only Anderson who could write an excellent fairy tale!

 

John David Anderson has done terrific work with “Granted.”

 

You might think you’ve seen everything possible in fairy tales. I promise, you don’t want to miss this one.

 

Summary:

No […]

Heartseeker

Wow.

 

Heartseeker, by Melinda Beatty, is one of those “Wow” books.

 

By “wow book,” I mean one that seems so familiar and comfortable it fits your story-loving brain like a comfortable glove. At the same time, the characters cling days after you’re done, so you think, “Did I […]

Clara Voyant

A “punny” title—it has to be a good book!

 

In fact, Clara Voyant, by Rachelle Delaney, is a colorful and entertaining life-like story.

Summary:

 

Clara is in middle school—a new school for her—making life twice as hard. Her no-nonsense grandmother has just up and moved to Florida, leaving Clara’s […]

Girl Hero

You know I love a girl hero!

 

My Piper Pan and Her Merry Band books have not only one girl hero, but eight of them.

 

Today’s recommended book: Ranger’s Apprentice: The Royal Ranger, The Red Fox Clan by John Flanagan, has a terrific girl hero.

I’ve read only a […]

Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms

There are certain authors who send me into a “Halleluiah Chorus!” when I find a yet unread book by them on the library shelf. Katherine Rundell is one of those special authors. Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms is one of those books.

 

I’ve written about two of Katherine Rundell’s books already: Rooftoppers and The Wolf […]

Modern-Day Little Women

I found a modern-day Little Women!

 

You know the beloved stories by Louisa May Alcott: the series begins with Little Women… Yes, I read and loved them as a young person, too.

 

I stumbled onto a modern-day version in The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall.

 

 

The summary:

July 17th, 2018 | Tags: , , , , | Category: Recommended Books | Comments are closed

City of Orphans

I saw the musical “Newsies” within the past month. As stories do, this powerful performance brought the late 1800’s to life for me—through the eyes of the young (mostly) boys who worked hawking newspapers in New York City.

Click to find it on Amazon

As fortune would have it, when I visited […]

New Spin On Christmas

Christmas! In June? Yes.

 

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig offers a new spin on Christmas you won’t want to miss.

 

Here’s the summary:

Nikolas, the boy who would one day be known as Santa Claus, goes on a life-changing quest to the North Pole.

That summary […]

Book Discovery

There is no discovery more wonderful than a Book Discovery!

 

Being “middle-aged,” I simultaneously cheer and sigh when I discover young, talented authors. This week I found Jaleigh Johnson.

The Mark of the Dragonfly is Jaleigh Johnson’s fine, fantasy adventure debut novel.

[…]