When you look at the cover of Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends, you can imagine the tie-in dolls (and they look about as you’d imagine). Normally neither my daughter nor I would be intrigued by a book whose copyright is held by Mattel. But then I noticed that it was written by Shannon […]
The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z
December 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I read The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. several months ago, and now that my own daughter is in seventh grade and spent the first few months of the school year pulling together her own leaf project, this book has frequently been on my mind. It’s a slice of life type story about Gianna, who […]
The Last Dragonslayer
December 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I’m a huge fan of the Thursday Next series, so I was excited when Jasper Fforde wrote his first book for younger readers. The Last Dragonslayer has much in common with Fforde’s other books. It features a competent female character calmly solving problems in the center of a collection of bizarre characters and situations. It […]
Star Wars: Jedi Academy
December 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Joining the quickly growing genre of “books that are part journal, part graphic novel, and aimed primarily at middle school boys” is Star Wars: Jedi Academy. It’s a cute quick read, but not my favorite entry in this competitive field. Aside from a veneer of Star Wars, it’s pretty much par for the course. Roan […]
Harry Potter, Books 1 & 2
November 22, 2013 by 2 Comments
Review written by Clark Valentine. (This review focuses on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s / Philosopher’s Stone, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This review is full of spoilers, but I can’t imagine that’s super relevant to most people at this point.) You almost certainly know the story. 11 year old Harry Potter […]
The Runaway King
November 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
If you read the review of The False Prince, you know I loved it. Its sequel, The Runaway King, doesn’t disappoint (which is rare in sequels, particularly in middle books of trilogies, but that’s probably a post for another time). If you haven’t read The False Prince yet, I suggest you do that before you […]
The Cheshire Cheese Cat
November 6, 2013 by 2 Comments
Another book recommendation from my daughter and her school library! The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale is an amusing story about unlikely friendships and overcoming assumptions. Charles Dickens has a supporting role, with details that will keep fans of Dickens engaged (admittedly, that will mostly be adults—but that’s part of why this […]
I Am Malala
October 30, 2013 by 3 Comments
Malala Yousafzai is a young activist for education and girls’ rights in Pakistan who was shot by the Taliban about a year ago. Her story captured the attention of people all over the world—as the mother of a young girl who feels strongly about injustice, I was definitely drawn in. Malala’s autobiography, I Am Malala: […]
Wild Orchid
October 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Another fairy tale retelling from Cameron Dokey! This one is Wild Orchid, based on the ballad of Mulan. (Yes, we could get into a discussion about whether this truly qualifies as a fairy tale. Let’s not—I’ll happily have that conversation with you over coffee someday.) In this version, Mulan has mostly grown up without her […]
The False Prince
October 24, 2013 by 3 Comments
I was enthralled by The False Prince, the story of an orphan caught in a dangerous plan to place a false prince on the throne. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, The Runaway King. Sage, our hero, and three other orphan boys have been purchased by a nobleman, Conner, who intends […]
