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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Cupid War
October 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Cupid War is intended for a YA audience, so only tweens on the more mature end of the scale will probably appreciate it. On the surface, it has a lot in common with Heck in that it’s an irreverent story that takes place in the afterlife and therefore has young death at its core, […]
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 […]
