Snow Foal by Susanna Bailey
I would have enjoyed Susanna Bailey’s Snow Foal a lot when I was about ages 10 to 14. I would have liked the free spirit of the main character, how she struggles to be independent, how she needs to go home, and how she learns home can be where the heart is, even if it does not always include all the people you love. As an adult, I still appreciated most things, but sometimes Addie’s attitude left little something to be desired. The other characters […]
Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston
I had seen the cover of Cruel Illusions as an online reader copy ages back. I saved the link but never got around to reading it, and then the link expired. No big deal, I’d get to it eventually, and recently I requested it via an interlibrary loan. Well, I almost wish I hadn’t. The cover lied. To a point. It would have (at the end) the roses and the main character dressed like that, but that romanticism was pushed all until the end (except […]
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
As of this writing/posting of the review for The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill I am only halfway through. I published before finishing as I had some ideas I wanted to put down as I was/am not completely sure why this book has critics excited. It is terribly slow, and the real action does not start to take place until the middle of the book. And then, when things are about to finally happen, the orphan that meets the Ogress is asleep with […]
Anne's School Days: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by Kallie George
Anne’s School Days: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by Kallie George and Abigail Halpin is a sweet snapshot in the life of Anne Shirley of Green Gables. We follow Anne (Anne with an E) and her friends as the new boy comes to school. The teasing, the teachers bias against Anne, and the fiery temper of our gal is all there, even the rescue of our gal when she gets in over her head. If you know the longer novel format of Anne of […]
Under the Broken Sky by Markio Nagai
I was taught that if writers have a negative comment about what they are reviewing, they should start with a positive comment. However, I am going to be a rebel and start with the negative: If I have one complaint about Under the Broken Sky by Markio Nagai it is that the language is too modern. The contemporary voice of the narrator occasionally took me out of the (historical) moment, making me backtrack to get back to Manchuria mid-1940s. Now that is over, the good […]
Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo is my #CBR10bingo on a list book. It is on the Publishers Weekly The Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of Fall 2018 While I give this book a five there were a few plot holes for me. (Spoiler) Louisiana never sees it is wrong to steal from the vending machine (or worse to get her friend to do it for her). She might be about 10 years old in the late 1970’s and her Granny might not be […]
