Welcome to my Blog!
This is where I put my musings that don’t make it into my paper journal. I try to write about things that might interest other writers and readers, including reviews of MG books I’ve been reading.
Story Web Reflects Weakening Connections, Current Times
Crows, Bears and Moose, Oh My! Because I’m a sucker for a story with a close father/daughter relationship, I really enjoyed The Story Web, by Megan Frazer Blakemore. But it is not the only reason. I...
Chase Gets a Mulligan
It’s not often you get a “do over” or mulligan in life, but that’s exactly what happens to Chase Ambrose in Gordon Korman’s novel Restart (2017, Scholastic Press). The first scene opens with Chase...
Caterpillar Summer … since summer is just around the corner
Caterpillar Summer, a debut novel by Gillian McDunn, is a perfect summer read, in large part because of the setting. The reader is transported to a small island in North Carolina, and a lovely house...
I Made a Video…
I made a video. In a newsletter this past summer I talked about the need to get my book into the hands of young (and young-at-heart) readers. One critical way of doing that is school visits. That...
Starfish: Take Up the Space You Deserve
“Starfish” is a novel in verse about a young girl, Ellie, who is bullied about her weight. The story, by Lisa Fipps, shows Ellie’s journey as she learns both that she deserves to be treated with...
Invite Me to Your School!!
Max and the Midknights
It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a funny, goofy book and so this week I went on a quest to find one worth sharing. My hunt took me many places, but Max and the Midknights, by Lincoln Peirce,...
“The Lemon Tree-The Young Readers Edition”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a happy story. It is a complicated tale, with no clear hero, no clear resolution. It spans decades, involves political machinations, shifting boundaries, hard...
What Does Creativity Look Like? Ask the Beatles.
Tapping into Creativity.... I love this Albert Einstein quote! I’ve never seen creativity in action like I did while watching the Beatles documentary recently. The episodes were really long and...
A Novel to Help Young Readers Process Grief
One of the reasons I found “Sorry for Your Loss,” by Joanne Levy, such a compelling read is that it talks forthrightly about the loss and grief one feels when someone we love dies. This is the first...
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