I was reading some new Net Galley titles tonight, and I came across Chris Barton’s upcoming, All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing (due February 2020). I felt compelled to write, since the Oklahoma City bombing happened while I was in labor with my second daughter. I rememberContinue reading “Book PREview: All of a Sudden and Forever by Chris Barton”
Tag Archives: Book Reviews
Book Review: Stargazing by Jen Wang
“Moon is everything Christine isn’t.” The back cover describes this new middle grade graphic novel to a tee. When you’re young, you naturally compare yourself to the people around you, and that’s exactly what happens in this book. Christine is reluctant to meet Moon, the new girl across the street. Their parents get along andContinue reading “Book Review: Stargazing by Jen Wang”
Book Review: Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me (Due April, 2020)
Gae Polisner’s new novel, Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me, is due in April 2020 from Wednesday Books, but you should pre-order this now. JL Markham’s teen years seem typical, and yet this main character grabs the reader’s attention and holds on for dear life. In Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me, JL’s stories surroundContinue reading “Book Review: Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me (Due April, 2020)”
Book Review: Give and Take, by Elly Swartz
I was honored to receive an advanced reader copy of Give and Take by Elly Swartz (thank you, #booksojourn and Macmillan Publishers) and I was inspired! If you haven’t yet, pre-order this phenomenal middle grade novel. You won’t be disappointed. About Give and Take: Maggie is a caring 12-year-old who loves her family and friends.Continue reading “Book Review: Give and Take, by Elly Swartz”
Book Review: Astro-Nuts, by Jon Scieszka
Recommended for ages 8-12, Astro-Nuts is the newest creation by Jon Scieszka , illustrated by Steven Weinberg. In this first book in a planned trilogy, Mission One: The Plant Planet, NNASA (Not-NASA) charges four mutant animals hiding in Mt. Rushmore to travel to outer space and find other planets to support human life, since theContinue reading “Book Review: Astro-Nuts, by Jon Scieszka”
Book Review: Ordinary Hazards, by Nikki Grimes
Nikki Grimes is one of my favorite writers, gathering beautiful words in her notebooks over the years, which are now mixed with memories in Ordinary Hazards (coming 10/08/19 — thank you for providing ARCs, WordSong/Highlights). The content is dark, yet hopeful. The words are tragic, yet inspirational. Some poems made me laugh (“Math Madness”) andContinue reading “Book Review: Ordinary Hazards, by Nikki Grimes”
Book Review: The Tornado, by Jake Burt
What does it take to avoid the school bully? Fifth grader and innovative thinker, Bell Kirby, has an elaborate plan that works, until the day Daelynn Gower, the new student with rainbow hair and crazy attire, arrives. Back in 4th grade, former friends, Bell and Parker Hellickson (the principal’s son), had aContinue reading “Book Review: The Tornado, by Jake Burt”
Happy Fourth of July! Book Review of Grace Goes to Washington
I’m so happy to live in a country where I am able to read and write. I’m celebrating the 4th with some books and my computer. Today I read the upcoming Grace Goes to Washington, by Kelly DiPucchio. This title is due out September 3, 2019 from Disney-Hyperion and is another friendly and fun bookContinue reading “Happy Fourth of July! Book Review of Grace Goes to Washington”
IMWAYR: Summer Reading Begins!
It’s FINALLY summertime, and while I only have a little time off, I’m ready to read and write much more. Here are the two best reads of my first week of summer: The Bridge Home, by Padma Venkatraman – Viji and her little sister, Rukku, live a hard-knock life (literally) in India. Appa drinks andContinue reading “IMWAYR: Summer Reading Begins!”
IMWAYR: Thrilling & Beautiful Books
The weather hasn’t been nice lately – rain most of the time – which gives me lots of inside time to read. This week I share an upcoming YA thriller and a new picture book. Every Stolen Breath, by Kimberly Gabriel Set in modern-day Chicago, Every Stolen Breath is a fast-paced, YA thriller that readersContinue reading “IMWAYR: Thrilling & Beautiful Books”
Reading Teacher Writes 