Review written by Jocelyn Koehler The Grand Tour is a real-world-with-magic novel set in the Regency period during the Napoleonic Wars. There are two main protagonists, Cecily and Kate, who are fashionable young English ladies each about 18 years old who have just been married. Cecily is married to James, and Kate is married to […]
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter
September 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
A friend of mine got me a copy of The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss and the sequel European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman because she thought that I would love them. I’ve finished the first one, and she was so right! I feel like this book was written for me. The […]
The Adventurers Guild
October 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Disclosure: Disney-Hyperion sent me a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Adventurers Guild is the first book in a new series about a group of teenagers who—not necessarily by choice—end up in the guild that protects their town from the Dangers that threaten to destroy it. Walled and […]
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers
October 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers looks like a children’s easy reader book, but it’s definitely not one! Written, illustrated, and bound in the style of Dr. Seuss, it tells the basics of the Cthulhu mythos. I wouldn’t use it as bedtime reading for your 5 year old, but my teenagers and […]
The Sleeper and the Spindle
March 19, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The Sleeper and the Spindle, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Chris Riddell, is a picture book inspired by Sleeping Beauty and some other fairy tales. But don’t let the picture book format make you think this isn’t a wonderful book for older readers. In fact, I think it’s probably best for older readers, including […]
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
September 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jennifer Lewis. Everyone knows that Grandpa Portman’s stories about the peculiar children are just that, stories. There’s no such thing as children with special powers—a levitating girl, a boy with bees living in his body, a girl who can conjure fire, or a boy who can animate toy soldiers. And there’s definitely […]
When You Reach Me
September 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jonathan Lavallee. “The trip is a difficult one, I will not be myself when I reach you.” In When You Reach Me, Miranda is the daughter of a single mom who got an invitation to be on the $20,000 Dollar Pyramid. She’s dealing with the strain of helping her mom train, as […]
Lumberjanes
January 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Lumberjanes is a comic book series about a summer camp for “hardcore lady-types.” Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy is a collection of the first 4 issues, which introduces the characters and gets them started on their adventures—it certainly doesn’t bring a story arc to a close, so expect your young reader to start asking for […]
Don’t Look Back
January 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jennifer Lewis. Don’t Look Back begins with Samantha not knowing where she is, how she got there, or why she is in such a disheveled state. This confusion is due to a traumatic event that resulted in the loss of all of Samantha’s personal memories. To make matters worse, her best friend […]
Manners & Mutiny
November 11, 2015 by 1 Comment
It’s always nice when the highly anticipated ending to a series is satisfying. (I still haven’t forgiven you, Mockingjay!) Manners & Mutiny, the final book in the Finishing School series, delivers on that front. The book assumes you’ve read the other three novels, and likewise I will assume you’ve read my other three reviews (Etiquette […]
