After finishing The Chronicles of Narnia, the first three Harry Potter books and starting “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”, only to discover we couldn’t renew at the library due to the waiting list, my 8 year old daughter wanted new fantasy to read. I handed her “The Book of Three”, first volume in the Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander and off she went to be completely absorbed in the story and declare she would use it for her oral book presentation. The Prydain Chronicles […]
“Nothing about her pain is remotely original —and yet it still hurts”
This book broke my heart, and I could not put it down. I completely understand why it’s been so well-reviewed — the hype is 100% deserved. “I am sixteen years old. I am a human being.” That’s what Sarah knows for certain — everything else is not quite clear. She thought she knew what her family was: a hard-working mom, an asshole dad, and a brother that abandoned them all six years ago. But after an incident at school, which Sarah quits attending, secrets begin to […]
A nominee for Best Book of 2016
If you’ve never read Jewell Parker Rhodes, you absolutely must. Her prose is light and crisp at once, and she tells a story like no other. You inhabit her characters fully, and they are strong, sensitive young women. I’ve read Ninth Ward and Bayou Magic, both of which tackle current issues and also include an intriguing thread of magical realism that’s friendly to young readers. I’ve taught excerpts from Ninth Ward to my college Composition I course, and if I was to theme a course […]
Another longer-than-anticipated reviewing hiatus ended!
Hey, crew! I’m back again. Hopefully, I can keep up with my reviews. Like I said, Goodreads is a better bet at this point, because almost all of my reading now takes place at bedtime, thanks to my three adjunct jobs (SO MUCH GRADING). I’ve got some major catching up to do. Let’s start with some children’s lit: I’m a huge fan of Thanha Lai’s novel in verse, Inside Out and Back Again, so I was eager to hear about her new novel that was […]
Harry Potter Fanfiction
If someone had told me to read some Harry Potter fan fiction, I would have politely declined. It goes to show how much I like Rainbow Rowell that as soon as I learned ofCarry On (2015), I put it on my to-read list. I will give anything by Rainbow Rowell a chance. I’ve never heard of Rowell specifically stating that Carry On is based on Harry Potter, but the similarities are undeniable. Simon Snow is an orphan who grew up in various group homes and foster homes […]
Re-imagined Fairy Tales Are My Catnip
This is a review of all four Lunar Chronicles books: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter. When I saw Cinder, the first book in the Lunar Chronicles, I was turned off by the cover and description. I hadn’t yet delved into fantasy YA and so I didn’t buy the series. I had a “what the heck was I thinking” moment about a month ago and bought the book. And I inhaled it, and then bought the next book and so forth until I had rapidly inhaled […]
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