Review written by Jennifer Lewis. The Gray Wolf Throne is the third book in the Seven Realms series (here are the reviews for the first and second books). It begins with Raisa fleeing Micah Bayar and his cronies who had kidnapped her from Oden’s Ford. Raisa makes the perilous journey back to her home with […]
A Mango-Shaped Space
September 12, 2013 by 3 Comments
There are a lot of issues dealt with in A Mango-Shaped Space. It won the ALA Schneider Family Book Award which honors “artistic expression of the disability experience.” Mia has synesthesia, which means that she sees sounds, numbers, and letters in colors. The novel covers the several months during Mia’s 8th grade year when she’s […]
The Ruins of Gorlan
September 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jeff Dougan. I’m not sure if there’s a good category description for something that’s a quasi-medieval setting with no magic outside the “Scooby Doo” variety, but The Ranger’s Apprentice series belongs in it. Since the Munchkin was born, I’ve read a higher proportion of middle-grades fiction & young adult material than ever […]
Matched
September 3, 2013 by 1 Comment
One of the review blurbs for Matched reads “If you like a ton of romance with your totalitarian government, this novel is for you!” Out of context, I’m not sure if that’s from a positive or negative review, but it’s certainly appropriate to this book.
The Exiled Queen
August 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The second book in the Seven Realms series follows both Han and Raisa through their time at Oden’s Ford as they find each other again after having parted ways in Fellsmarch and confront their own unique challenges both with and without the other’s aid.
Hope Defined
August 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Hope Defined follows the intertwined stories of girls from two different worlds. In this case, really really different worlds. The two girls have to learn to come to terms with themselves and figure out what they value, and somehow the fate of the world rests in the balance.
The Demon King
July 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jennifer Lewis. The Demon King is the first of four books in the Seven Realms series. Raisa is heir to the Gray Wolf Throne of the Fells. After returning from 3 years with her father’s family in Demonai Camp, Raisa discovers that Queen Marianna has become something of a pawn in the […]
The Sea of Monsters
July 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jeff Dougan. The Sea of Monsters is the second book in the first pentad of books featuring Percy Jackson. You’ll want to read these in order—I reviewed the first one here, and for purposes of introduction will just note that I like the series a LOT. The second book opens up roughly […]
Etiquette & Espionage
June 26, 2013 by 4 Comments
Etiquette & Espionage is a novel for younger readers that takes place in the world of Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series (I highly recommend that series to teens and adults who wish Jane Austen had a more supernatural and steampunk flair). It’s a Victorian setting in which vampires and werewolves live, more or less peacefully, […]
The Lightning Thief
June 24, 2013 by 3 Comments
Review written by Jeff Dougan. The Lightning Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. In the roughly 15 years since the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, there have been several books or book series that have been called “the next Harry Potter.” Of the ones I’ve […]
