Wow, loved S.J. Kincaid‘s THE DIABOLIC so much. I strongly recommend this standalone action-adventure thriller, especially if you’re a fan of Erin Bow’s THE SCORPION RULES. Fantastic world-building and character relationships. What I especially enjoyed about THE DIABOLIC: – Wonderful world-building, as mentioned above. I’m a big sf nerd and come across lots of . . .
Just finished FIFTEEN LANES by S.J. Laidlaw (a.k.a. Susan Laidlaw), which comes out from Tundra Books/Penguin Random House on April 5th, 2016. An intense and compelling read, FIFTEEN LANES follows the lives of two teenage girls from very different backgrounds. I found parts of the book difficult to get through because I . . .
As you can tell from the photo, I had fun going undercover with CLAYTON STONE, AT YOUR SERVICE (Holiday House Books for Young People), a debut novel from my Curtis Brown, Ltd. agency sister, Ena Jones. Looking forward to Clayton’s second adventure in CLAYTON STONE, FACING OFF, coming fall 2016. You can find . . .
I was excited to receive a copy of TELL ME A TATTOO STORY, a new picture book written by Alison McGhee and illustrated by my friend Eliza Wheeler (Chronicle Books, April/2016). What a deeply moving, tender story, and soooo much for young and not-so-young picture book readers to appreciate. I teared up over many of . . .
Love the utterly *gorgeous* art in THE NIGHT GARDENER, a debut picture book by Eric Fan and Terry Fan (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers). Every time I read through it, I notice something new. Beautiful details (just noticed the lovely illustrations on the cover beneath the paper jacket!), stunning . . .
Just finished THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, loved it. This historical fiction novel for middle grade is such a satisfying read, full of adventure and heartbreak and compassion. I loved the characters in this book SO MUCH, and desperately want a sequel. I confess that . . .
Thanks to all who responded to my most recent poll, which asked “While you’re reading a book, have you EVER skipped ahead to read the ending?“ Out of 126 respondents, 60% (or rather 59.52, rounded up) of you replied YES, with the remaining 40% saying NO. Why did you skip . . .
A quickie anonymou survey: Have you ever skipped ahead in a book to read the ending? If you’d like your answers including in the final tally, please answer Yes/No in this survey link.
At the Ontario Library Association Super Conference, the OLA Best Bets Committee said that Kevin Sylvester‘s middle grade non-fiction book BASEBALLOGY: SUPERCOOL FACTS YOU NEVER KNEW (Annick Press) was a fascinating read, whether or not you’re a fan of baseball. “…This book pulls you in as it shares a wealth of historical facts, scientific explanations, and . . .
(Edited July 17, 2017: I have removed the links to her blog since it looks as if someone else has bought the domain and is using it for advertising. 🙁 ) Deeply saddened to hear that teacher/librarian Debbie Alvarez has died. Though we never had the chance to hang out in person, . . .