Review written by Jocelyn Koehler. In Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green, Madeline’s father Jim Wade is a famous ornithologist who is working at Lava Bird Volcano when he suddenly goes incommunicado. Disturbed by events, Madeline and Ruby (along with their mother) fly down to see if they can bring him back. When they arrive […]
Zack Jackson & The Cult of Athos
May 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Zack Jackson & The Cult of Athos tells the story of Zack as he leaves Earth for the first time with the Junior Rangers, an interstellar group kind of like the Boy Scouts (although apparently much more open in their membership since there are girls and non-Earthlings and creatures with no gender). He’s the youngest […]
Wintergirls
May 21, 2013 by 4 Comments
Trigger warning: This review contains spoilers which include discussions of severe eating disorders and self harm. I just finished reading Wintergirls and I’m feeling that relief that comes from no longer hitting yourself in the head with a hammer—and that’s actually a compliment to the power of the book. It’s a terrifying and very effective […]
Jacob Two-Two’s First Spy Case
May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jonathan Lavallee. In Jacob Two-Two’s First Spy Case, the title character lives his life by twos. He has two eyes, two ears, two lips, two hands, two feet, and two brothers and two sisters. Two of them are older siblings, and two of them are very much older siblings and Jacob is […]
Fiona Thorn and the Carapacem Spell
May 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Fiona Thorn and the Carapacem Spell is the story of a young girl who loves to blow things up. She’s (mostly) well trained with explosives and she’s on a quest to save her friend who has been wrongly accused of putting a boy in a catatonic state. Along the way, she needs to free herself […]
Uncommon Criminals
May 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jeff Dougan. I’m going to assume you’ve already read my review of Heist Society. If you haven’t, take a few minutes to look it over, because most of the same issues you may want to be aware of before recommending it crop again here. Uncommon Criminals opens about two months after Kat […]
Amelia Lost
May 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart is a nonfiction biography of Amelia Earhart. I rarely read nonfiction for fun, but my daughter—who also rarely reads nonfiction—enjoyed this and asked me to review it. It’s an interesting book that provides a nuanced picture of Earhart. She’s certainly not painted as a heroic saint, […]
Heist Society
April 30, 2013 by 3 Comments
Review written by Jeff Dougan. About two years ago, a book cover jumped out at me at my local supermarket. The cover was an extreme close-up of a girl’s face peering knowingly over a pair of slightly oversized sunglasses, with the words Heist Society. I have a hard time resisting a good pun, and I’ve […]
The Lacemaker and the Princess
April 24, 2013 by 1 Comment
The Lacemaker and the Princess is a historical novel set in France in 1788. It involves real characters, including the royal family. Our heroine, Isabelle, is made up, although the author explains that there could very well have been a girl like her in 1788 France. Isabelle has been making lace since she was 4 […]
Speak
April 22, 2013 by 2 Comments
There are a few reasons I decided it was time to reread and finally review Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention month, and Anderson is doing a fundraiser with RAINN. I also read an interesting interview with her. And I recently read about a fascinating study that looks at […]
