by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Graphic Novel, Middle-grade, Scary Stories
100 Cupboards: The Graphic Novel provides a new portal into a beloved story. I’m always excited to see a book I love adapted into a movie, game, picture book, or graphic novel, but rarely does the new format hold up to the original. In this case, though, 100...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | 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 Leiloglou | 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 Leiloglou | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, For fun, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Scary Stories
I have three words for you: Mysterious Benedict Society. If I made a list of my top ten read-alouds, this would be on it. We listened to the audio book recently, and although we’d read the book to my older kids before, it was fun to see my six-year-old...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories, Sci-fi
Have you ever wished you could have a do-over? That’s exactly what Sam Miracle in N.D. Wilson’s Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle gets, but with much higher stakes: life or death for himself, his sister, and possibly millions of other people. And...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Boys, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories
I just re-read one of my favorite juvenile fiction series so I could share it with you. It was just as good the second time around (maybe better). The 100 Cupboards Series by N.D. Wilson (100 Cupboards, Dandelion Fire, and The Chestnut King) is the story of Henry, an...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Character Training, Girls, Historical Fiction, Imagination, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Read Alouds, Scary Stories
How do you feel about scary stories for kids? When I was a kid, Goosebumps was a popular series, but, honestly, Nancy Drew was too suspenseful for me! On the other hand, my daughter loves “scary” books (at the same age that I couldn’t handle them)....
