Category Archives: By Age Range

Review: Rise of the Chosen by Anna Kopp

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Review: Rise of the Chosen by Anna Kopp

Rise of the Chosen by Anna KoppRise of the Chosen
Anna Kopp
Blue Moon Publishers
Available October 4, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Rise of the Chosen

In Sam’s world there are two rules. Rule #1: Nobody dies. Protect the living at all costs. Rule #2: Everybody dies. At least once.

The Waking was a global event in which a force called the Lifeblood invaded all humans who died. The few strong enough to control it came back as powerful immortals. The rest let the bloodlust take over and awoke with one goal – to kill.

Newly appointed Watch Guard Samantha Shields has a legacy to uphold. Her father died a hero defending their city … Continue reading →

Review: Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

By | | , , , ,
2 Comments

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamilloFlora and Ulysses
Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When Flora saves a squirrel from a powerful vacuum cleaner, she discovers that he has super powers. She names him Ulysses and brings him home to teach him what it means to be a hero, and she watches and waits for his true superpowers to emerge. Ulysses’ powers do emerge: a deep love for Flora and the gift of poetry. Her desire to protect him and his power to communicate changes Flora’s life in unexpected ways.

My family and I listened to this as an audiobook on our vacation. I loved the comics that Flora reads and how they were a bond between her and … Continue reading →

Monthly Wrap-Up for September 2016

By | |
6 Comments

September is my favorite month– it’s also my birthday month– and I had the opportunity to review some excellent books. I also received my first OwlCrate shipment, which was incredible! My husband ordered me a six month subscription for my birthday. Here’s what my first box looked like:

20160919_194443

I also received one of my new favorite things ever as a gift from a super awesome friend. It’s a stamp that embosses a book page with my blog name. So from now on, if you enter a giveaway that I’m hosting (not ones hosted as part of a blog tour) and you win, your book will have this fancy stamp inside! Exciting. And so thoughtful and clever! I never would … Continue reading →

Review: The Second Season by Heather Chapman

By | | , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: The Second Season by Heather Chapman

second-season-blog-toursecondseasoncoverThe Second Season
Heather Chapman
Cedar Fort
Available September 1, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Second Season

Eleanor Hopkins has lived in disappointment for far too long believing that her husband only married her for fortune, and she determines to protect her own daughters from such misery by scheming to secure offers for both Lucy and Caroline based on mutual rank and reputation. When Caroline finds that the handsome and reputable Lord Searly desires her as his wife, she finds that no amount of planning or pretending can convince her to accept … Continue reading →

Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

one-and-only-ivanThe One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
HarperCollins

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Ivan has a small life within the glass walls of his domain in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He watches TV and spends time with Bob, a stray dog, and Stella, an elephant. He makes art using crayons and paper given to him by his owner, Mack. He doesn’t think of his early life or his far away home in the jungle. And then Ruby, a baby elephant comes to the Big Top Mall, and everything changes. The mall is the wrong place for Ruby, and it’s up to Ivan to make everyone see that. He must find a way to show the humans where … Continue reading →

Review: Irena’s Children by Tilar J. Mazzeo

By | | , , , , ,
6 Comments

Irena's Children by Tilar J. MazzeoIrena’s Children: Young Readers Edition
Tilar J Mazzeo
Translated by Mary Cronk Farrell
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available September 27, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

During World War II, Irena Sendler worked with an underground network to rescue 2,500 Jewish children from Nazi occupied Poland. Her unwavering commitment to human rights began long before the war, and endured through her own incarceration and torture. She worked tirelessly to save as many as she could, and through it all insisted that she was not a hero. She’d only done what any ordinary human would do.

Though it’s nonfiction, I could not put this book down. I was so captured by the life of … Continue reading →