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In: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Reviews, Multicultural
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 I was drawn to this book because it has CHOCOLATE in the title and on the cover. How could I resist that? At first it just seemed like an innocent, sweet story (no pun intended) about a Jewish girl, in fifth grade, living in Chicago right after WWII. The adults in the family discuss missing relatives in Europe while Dorrie looks forward to the end of the school year when she must bring in a dessert for a competition called “Sweet Semester.” I particularly enjoyed the end of the book when Victor, a 16-year-old relative, is brought to America to live with Dorrie and her family. HeRead More →

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This book is a gold mine for parents or teachers working with children! I love the word play and the great life lessons in Zen Ties, including helping others and respecting elders. It would be interesting to discuss the relationship between the children and the elderly neighbor, and how they can apply those lessons to their own friendships. I would also use this book to “tie” into lessons on haiku poetry and spelling practice. It would be fun to give out plastic cups to children so that they will also have a special cup, just like Koo. Posted by MichelleRead More →

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In: Middle Grade Reviews, Sci Fi & Fantasy, Young Adult Book Reviews
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I could not stop reading this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dashti selflessly goes with “her lady” to be imprisoned in a tower. The book is her journal account of the years spent trapped in the tower, and then her adventures after they escape. It reminded me a bit of one of my favorite books, Catherine Called Birdy, because both are journal entries by a teenage girl during similar time periods. And both involve arranged marriage and love and a young girl’s struggle to find herself. I would recommend Book of a Thousand Days for fifth graders to adults. Posted by MichelleRead More →

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In: Middle Grade Reviews, Supernatural & Horror, Supernatural & Horror (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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The Graveyard Book is very satisfying! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was intrigued by the unique idea of a boy being raised in a graveyard. How would one write a book about that? Neil Gaiman did an amazing job. I think that kids will really enjoy it. The book begins with a sad murder that leaves the main character an orphan. The toddler is protected and raised by the inhabitants of a graveyard. It has ghosts, ghouls, a vampire, a werewolf, bad guys, action, and a kind and brave main character. Recommended for ages ten and up, but not for sensitive readers. Posted by MichelleRead More →

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In: Romance (YA), Supernatural & Horror (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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Another great book by Melissa Marr! Ink Exchange is cleverly more of a continuation than a sequel. In Wicked Lovely the story revolved around Aislynn, Seth & Keenan. They appear throughout Ink Exchange but it focuses instead on Aislynn’s mortal friend Leslie and the faeries Niall and Irial. I am already looking forward to another book! There are so many other characters with interesting stories to tell. Will the third book be about Ani, Rabbit, Gabriel, Bananach, or the Winter Queen? It gets me thinking about other books and wondering how many other stories could come from minor characters that you usually pay little attentionRead More →

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Miles, a smart but socially awkward teen, is tired of his friendless, dull life in Florida, so Looking For Alaska by John Green begins after has convinced his parents to send him away to boarding school in Alabama so that he can seek “the Great Perhaps.” There he meets his roommate and soon-to-be best friend, Chip, called the Colonel, and Alaska Young, the moody, gorgeous, wild girl who instantly becomes the object of his lust and his curiosity. Miles is quickly enlisted in their group of friends and they bond over elaborate pranks, studying, and assorted rule-breaking. About halfway through the book a tragedy occurs, and those left spendRead More →

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In G.P. Taylor’s Mariah Mundi: The Midas Box, Mariah Mundi has ended his time at the Colonial School without a family to go home to. His parents are missing, presumed dead, somewhere in the Sudan. So Mariah is sent to take up employment at the Prince Regent Hotel, a fabulous place filled with inventions and luxury.  Mariah is to be apprenticed to the Great Bizmillah, the magician at the hotel’s theatre. It doesn’t take long for Mariah and his new-found friend Sasha to discover some unwelcome secrets about the Prince Regent. Previous boys sent there from the Colonial School have all disappeared and to where,Read More →

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In: Action & Adventure, Middle Grade Reviews, Mystery & Suspense
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Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant is a whirlwind adventure into the depths of a secret world of magic, ancient evil, and mystery.  I picked it up expecting a book targeted to boys (based on the cover art alone) and instead was pleasantly surprised to find the book perfect for girls who like action! 12 year old Stephanie Edgley inherits her eccentric uncle’s estate and fortune, and on her first night alone at the house is attacked and almost killed. She is saved by a man who was both at the funeral and the reading of the will, and who turns out not to be a manRead More →

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I haven’t laughed out loud when reading a book in a long time – last time was Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.  This time the laughs sprang from the smart, funny, wise-cracking voice of Scott Hudson, the main character in David Lubar’s Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie. Scott tries to tell himself a lie “nothing’s going to change” a whole lot in this book.  But, starting high school, losing and gaining friends, figuring out who he is and what is important to him, as well as coming to terms with the fact that his mom is pregnant, eventually bring him to the realization that “flux rox.”  To copeRead More →