In an era of information overload, Mary Winn Heider is the author who will lead us through the pandemonium into the light. Hand this to the kid that wants something smart and funny with a side order of turmoil for spice.
Review of the Day: Wink by Rob Harrell
May 28, 2020 by
They say, write what you know. And if what you know is how to lie on a steel table, your head screwed into place, a laser pointed at your face, that might be a good place to start. We live in dark times. How dark are they? SO dark that a book about a kid with a potentially deadly eye cancer is the bit of lighthearted levity we all need and crave.
Review of the Day: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
May 7, 2020 by
Not every 12-year-old is going to be ready for the abuse and pain addressed in Bradley’s latest. But for those kids that want a book can be honest with them about the world, written at their age-level, with funny parts and a happy ending where things get better, this is that book. It ain’t easy but it’s there for you.
Review of the Day: The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus
October 5, 2019 by
You know why you haven’t heard more people talking about this book? Because nobody knows how to sell it. Well, sorry folks, but the secret is out now. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read for kids, and maybe the best school rated children’s novel I’ve encountered period. This, right here, is the book of our times.
Review of the Day: A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
July 5, 2019 by
Lisa Moore Ramée has taken the complexity of the real world, with all its police shootings and racism and destructive tendencies and made it personal for young readers. I don’t care what kid you hand this book to. Every single one of them will understand what’s going on here and, maybe, what’s going on in the wider world. The new required reading.
Review of the Day: The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss
November 2, 2018 by
The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle By Christina Uss Margaret Ferguson Books (an imprint of Holiday House) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8234-4007-8 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. The term “quirky” has gotten a bad rap recently. I blamed forced quirk. Have you ever read or watched something where the book or movie is just trying too […]
Review of the Day: The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish
May 29, 2017 by
The Ethan I Was Before By Ali Standish Harper (an imprint of Harper Collins) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-243340-4 Ages 9-12 On shelves now Southern Gothic children’s literature. Sounds crazy, no? But as weird as it might sound it’s a legitimate genre. You may think it’s all Flannery and Faulkner but kids have a delightful range to […]
Review of the Day: Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
March 19, 2015 by
Goodbye Stranger By Rebecca Stead Wendy Lamb Books (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-385-74317-4 Ages 10-14 On shelves August 4th After much consideration, I think I’m going to begin this review with what has to be the hoity toity-est opening I have ever come up with. Gird thy loins, mes amies. […]
Review of the Day: Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
July 8, 2014 by
Absolutely Almost By Lisa Graff Philomel (an imprint of Penguin) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-399-16405-7 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. In the stage musical of Matilda, lyricist Tim Minchin begins the show with the following lines about the state of children today: “Specialness is de rigueur. / Above average is average. Go fig-ueur! / Is it some […]
My First Re-Review: The Qwikpick Papers – Poop Fountain by Tom Angleberger
June 4, 2014 by
Here’s something I’ve never done before. For years I’ve been waiting for the moment when a book I loved and reviewed dipped out of print only to come back again. Since I’ve only been doing this gig since 2006 I wasn’t sure what that first book would be. Then, this year, I got my answer. […]
Review of the Day: I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora
February 18, 2014 by
I Kill the Mockingbird By Paul Acampora Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-742-5 Ages 10 and up On shelves May 20th It’s probably fair to say that there is no American classic written with an adult audience in mind that is quite as beloved of children’s book authors as To Kill […]
Review of the Day: The Center of Everything by Linda Urban
July 26, 2013 by
The Center of Everything By Linda Urban Harcourt Children’s Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-547-76348-4 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. There are only two things I require from life: Donuts and good books. Obviously that statement is false, but it sure sounds good. I like donuts. I like good books. And […]
Review of the Day: The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
July 13, 2013 by
The Year of Billy Miller By Kevin Henkes Greenwillow (an imprint of Harper Collins) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-226812-9 Ages 6-10 On shelves September 17th I don’t readily compare books to Ramona (now THERE’S a sentence opener, ladies and gentlemen). To compare any children’s book to Beverly Cleary’s classic series just leaves one wide open to ridicule. […]
Review of the Day: A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar
July 2, 2013 by
A Song for Bijou By Josh Farrar Walker Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Bloomsbury) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8027-3394-8 Ages 9-12 On shelves now Now let us discuss the middle school book. It is, arguably, the most forgotten book of its kind on a library and/or bookstore shelf. The book written for your average everyday […]
Review of the Day: Freaky Fast Frankie Joe by Lutricia Clifton
August 7, 2012 by
Freaky Fast Frankie Joe By Lutricia Clifton Holiday House $16.95 ISBN: 978-0-8234-2367-5 Ages 9-12 On shelves now Realistic fiction for kids has more baggage than other fictional genres for that age group. Fantasies and comedies and science fiction get to rely on the extraordinary to weave their tales. Historical fiction, meanwhile, has the nice veil […]
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