by Carolyn | Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Newbery, Older Elementary
You Go First is an endearing story of friendship from Erin Entrada Kelly, author of the Newbery Medal winning book Hello, Universe (which I haven’t read yet). What appears to be a story about online friends ends up showing real-life friends are the most...
by Carolyn | For fun, Middle School, Middle-grade, Older Elementary, Poetry
When I finished reading I’m Just No Good at Rhyming (And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups) by Chris Harris, illustrated by Lane Smith, to my kids, my older two begged for their own copy of this hilarious book. We laughed together and...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Fantasy, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School
I wrote this review a while back, but this year’s Newbery awards reminded me that I never posted this review of last year’s winner, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. The Story The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill is the story of Luna,...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, Highschool, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Young Adult
I almost didn’t read Beyonders by Brandon Mull. After I had read several recommendations for his book Fablehaven and found I didn’t care for it, I hadn’t planned to pick up another book by the same author. However, one of my readers encouraged me to...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories
Do you get super excited when one of your favorite authors comes out with a new book? Me too! (I’m assuming you said yes, right?) I loved Cassie Beasly’s debut middle-grade novel, Circus Mirandus, so when her new novel, Tumble & Blue, arrived in the...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Fantasy, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Parenting
Orphan Island is a beautiful, poignant story for kids on the verge of leaving childhood. My older two kids are about the same age my brother and I were when we started sharing book recommendations back and forth (which we still do to this day). So it’s no...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Character Training, Fantasy, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories
Sometimes, when you have been anticipating a new book in a series, it won’t measure up. Well, I’m happy to say that’s not the case with The Door Before. It was stunning. The Door Before surprised me in multiple ways. First of all, it’s not just...
by Carolyn | Cultural Diversity, Education, Girls, Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Recommendations
I loved Esperanza Rising. I love being surprised by a book, and this one surprised me. I know I had heard some good reviews, but I had also read some critical ones. I’m not sure what I expected, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did (I finished...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Cultural Diversity, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade
Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi is one of the most fascinatingly beautiful books I have read in recent memory. I finished it (the audiobook version) in less than a day. The Story In a fantastical land where color and magic are intimately connected, Alice is born...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Cultural Diversity, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade
Rarely have a been more conflicted about a book. There is so much to love about The Inquisitor’s Tale. In fact, it just won the 2016 Newberry Honor Book as well as the Cybil audiobook of 2016. But I have a few concerns about it, particularly for Christian...
