• Reviews

    Liar & Spy

    Written by Newbery Award Winning writer, Rebecca Stead, Liar & Spy is a tale of mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.  When Georges (the s is silent) moves into an apartment building in Brooklyn, he meets Safer a kid his own age and a self-appointed spy…

  • Reviews

    The Unforgotten Coat

    Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions and Cosmic, has created a short novel called The Unforgotten Coat written about two Mongolian brothers who appear in Julie’s playground at school.  Chingis, the older brother declares Julie their “Good Guide” a nomadic tradition of welcoming strangers, and Julie takes her job seriously teaching the…

  • Reviews

    Enchanted

    Enchanted (not the Disney movie, but a YA novel) written by Alethea Kontis combines a number of fairy tales into one complete story which is magical in its own right.  This is the story of Sunday Woodcutter who is born to be (as written in the childhood rhyme) “but the child born on…

  • Reviews

    The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True

    The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True written by Gerald Morris was such a fun read and something that I think both boys and girls in elementary school would enjoy!  Morris combines humor and Arthurian legend seamlessly in a way that is easily accessible to children – especially those who want…

  • Reviews

    The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    I absolutely loved this story!  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane was written by Kate DiCamillo, the same author who wrote Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Desperaux, among many others.   You take the journey of a china rabbit named Edward Tulane, from his quiet existence with his little girl Abilene,…

  • Reviews

    Ghost Knight

    Ghost Knight written by Cornelia Funke is an entertaining read for children in grades 3 – 6.  The story is about an 11-year-old boy named Jon Whitcroft who is sent away to boarding school where he encounters a vengeful ghost wishing for his head.  A classmate by the name of…

  • Reviews

    Boys Without Names

    Boys Without Names written by Kashmira Sheth is a much more serious book than I have been reading of late, but it is an eye-opening fictional story about a real-life issue that still plagues the world.  The story is about an eleven-year-old boy named Gopal who moves from his rural…

  • Reviews

    Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to NOT Reading

    I must have been in a pretty specific mood late last week when I picked my books to read for the weekend.  Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to NOT Reading written by Tommy Greenwald has a similar feel to yesterday’s post about the book Middle School – The Worst Years of…

  • Reviews

    Middle School – The Worst Years of My Life

    Middle School – The Worst Years of My Life written by James Patterson (yes, that James Patterson… the one that wrote the Witch & Wizard series for YA, the Maximum Ride series, as well as the Alex Cross detective series for adults) is a fun read – especially for middle…

  • Reviews

    Book Review: Zombie Tag

    If you’re looking for a new spin on zombies… this is the book for you.  Written by Hannah Moskowitz (a young adult novelist) Zombie Tag is at times a heart-wrenching, hysterical, and scary middle grade story about a 12-year-old boy named Wil. As the story progresses you find out that…