By:
On:
In: Middle Grade Reviews
With: 0 Comments

In this lyrical novel, Karlijn Stoffels weaves together separate stories about the many forms love can take and how it shapes every human heart. First we meet Mee, a child born to deaf parents whose beautiful singing voice goes unheard and ultimately rejected by his mother. Broken hearted from her rejection and loss, Mee wanders the countryside singing mournful songs at funerals. He gains fame as the “singer of sorrows” as through his music the true life and emotions of the deceased are brought to life for all the listeners to share. We also meet Mitou, a child of despair, who focuses instead on the joys of life and wanders the country bringingRead More →

By:
On:
In: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Reviews
With: 0 Comments

Rodman Philbrick’s newest novel for children, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg is an adventure story set in the thick of the Civil War, full of danger, humor, scrapes & escapes, and scoundrels and kind-hearted characters. Homer’s older brother has been tricked and sold illegally into the Union Army by their ruthless guardian.  Homer runs away from their home in Maine to find his brother and save him from the war.  Along the way, Homer, who has a knack for stretching the truth, meets some period characters: swindlers, a Quaker, slave catchers & a conductor on the Underground railroad, a snake-oil salesman with aRead More →