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 […]
The Shifter
December 31, 2013 by 2 Comments
In the world of The Shifter, magical healers can draw pain out of victims and into the healer—the injuries are typically healed as well, although only the pain is passed on to the healer. The pain is then transferred into a piece of pynvium, a metal that can store pain. Things made out of this […]
Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends
December 17, 2013 by 1 Comment
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
My Sister the Vampire 12 & 13
October 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In the name of efficiency, here are the twelfth and thirteenth My Sister the Vampire books, Read It and Creep and Fangs for the Memories—called Stake Out! and Double Disaster! in the UK—in one convenient review! The adventures of Olivia and Ivy continue, and I’m going to assume that you’ve read at least the reviews for […]
