Curtsies & Conspiracies is the second book in the Finishing School series. The novel assumes you’ve already read Etiquette & Espionage, and I will also assume you’ve read my review of that book. If you enjoyed the first book, there’s no reason you won’t enjoy this one. Sophronia’s adventures continue, although it’s becoming clearer that […]
Reached
December 20, 2013 by 1 Comment
Reached brings the Matched trilogy to its conclusion. The revolution starts, fueled by a plague that puts victims into a coma. The Society can’t pretend everything is just fine anymore, and the Rising provides a cure and starts to take over. But then the plague mutates, and the cure and immunizations don’t work. Everything spirals […]
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 […]
Prospero’s Children
December 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Although it’s not written explicitly for a younger audience, Prospero’s Children is a good transition for older tweens/young teens ready for more involved novels. In fact, if it were published today instead of 14 years ago, it would probably be considered YA. Fern, our 16 year old protagonist, is very logical and scientific, used to controlling […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
Nicola and the Viscount
October 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Nicola and the Viscount is the first book I’ve read by Meg Cabot (author of The Princess Diaries). It’s a pretty typical romance novel for the younger set, which basically means the heroine is younger (16 in this case) and the raciest it gets is some mentions of kissing. It’s a Regency romance (think Jane […]
A Hidden Magic
October 11, 2013 by 1 Comment
Review written by Jocelyn Koehler. In A Hidden Magic, when ordinary Princess Jennifer and handsome Prince Alexander wander into the Enchanted Forest, things quickly get messy. Alexander, who doesn’t believe in magic, angers a magic mirror and falls into an enchanted slumber. Jennifer does believe in magic, so she finds out how to break the […]
Stargirl
October 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
My son is reading Stargirl with his class in school, so I figured I’d move it up my To Read list since I’ve been meaning to read it for about a year now! The story is told from the point of view of Leo, a junior in high school in Mica, Arizona. He, like most […]
