Antiracism, Biography, Book Review, Children, Fiction, Middle Grade, Non Fiction, Review, Thriller, Young Adult

Book Review Round-Up: November 2022

It was a bit of a slow reading month, disappointingly enough.  We got sick so many times that I found myself running after all the essentials that I had to do.  If you are reading this in December 2022, I hope that the tripledemic hasn’t affected you and that if it has affected you or… Read More Book Review Round-Up: November 2022

Book Review, Fiction, Middle Grade, Review, Thriller

Book Review Round-Up: September 2022

Review of ‘The Woman Under the Water’, by Penny Goetjen The premise of this book is quite interesting: A man disappears under mysterious circumstances and a woman is left, seven years later, still dealing with the aftermath.  But I think what bothered me is that the book was marketing to me as a thriller.  I… Read More Book Review Round-Up: September 2022

Book Review, Fiction, Middle Grade, Review, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Book Review Round-Up: February and March 2021, Part 1 of 2

Review of ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’, by Eric Walters I have to admit that I am still a little in shock it has been a year since this pandemic has been declared, and quite annoyed at the way we didn’t manage, as a whole, to come together and fight this thing as efficiently… Read More Book Review Round-Up: February and March 2021, Part 1 of 2

Book Review, Fiction, Middle Grade, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: ‘Free Pizza’, by GC McRae

About the Author: GC McRae is the bestselling author of two young adult novels, three illustrated children’s books and a collection of original fairy tales. His writing is fall-down funny, even when the theme is darker than a coal-miner’s cough. GC McRae reads to anybody at any time, in person or online, for free, which… Read More Book Review: ‘Free Pizza’, by GC McRae

Book Review, Fiction, Middle Grade, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: ‘Trish’s Team’, by Dawn Brotherton

About the author: Dawn (Parker) Brotherton began as a Missile Launch Officer in the US Air Force and continues to serve at the Pentagon in Washington DC.  Her 26+ years of service have given her a variety of experiences to pull from.  She has been stationed at many stateside bases as well as the Republic… Read More Book Review: ‘Trish’s Team’, by Dawn Brotherton

Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: ‘Fairy Tale Reform School: Charmed’, by Jen Calonita

About the author: It’s no secret how Jen Calonita knows the inside scoop on Hollywood. A former entertainment editor at a teen magazine, Jen started out her career chronicling backstage life at concerts with Justin Timberlake and interviewing Zac Efron on film sets. It was her work in the entertainment world that inspired her first… Read More Book Review: ‘Fairy Tale Reform School: Charmed’, by Jen Calonita

Book Review, Fiction, Middle Grade, Review, Young Adult

Holiday Reading: Tween and Teen Book Review Round-Up

A writer is often an avid reader; sometimes I pick books that I want to read, sometimes I pick books that I should read. These are often books in the genre that I am myself working on at the moment. It will come as no surprise then that, as I work on the second volume… Read More Holiday Reading: Tween and Teen Book Review Round-Up

Book Review, Fiction, Middle Grade

Book Review: ‘I’m With Cupid’ by Anna Staniszewski

The use of the supernatural in storytelling is at its best with it serves to highlight concepts important to both advance the plot as well as deepen our understanding of the characters. In I’m With Cupid, Anna Staniszewski does exactly that. Thirteen year-olds Marcus and Lena seem to be your stereotypical North American middle schoolers,… Read More Book Review: ‘I’m With Cupid’ by Anna Staniszewski

Book Review, Drama, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult

Book Review: ‘Don’t Vote for Me’ by Krista Van Dolzer

We all know appearances can be deceiving and that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we still do it a lot more than any of us would like to admit. In this both funny and touching page-turner, Sourcebooks’ author Krista Van Dolzer shares how twelve year-old David learns this lesson. Veronica is… Read More Book Review: ‘Don’t Vote for Me’ by Krista Van Dolzer

Book Review, Fiction, Middle Grade

Book Review: ‘The Fashion Academy’ by Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk

I like a book with depth. Most often than not, a book with depth is also packed and long. The Fashion Academy, by Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk, combines depth with a light, spry, and short narrative, leaving a lot of room for the reader to build their own understanding of the lessons learned by… Read More Book Review: ‘The Fashion Academy’ by Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk