Category Archives: By Genre

Review: Unenchanted, an Unfortunate Fairy Tale by Chanda Hahn

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unenchantedUnenchanted
Chanda Hahn
Published by Chanda Hahn

Mina Grime has the worst luck ever. Just about everywhere she goes, bizarre misfortunes follow her: a bakery harpy, a stampede of nursery rhyme animals in the street. Mina soon finds out this isn’t a simple matter of luck, however. Her family has lived under a curse for generations. Now the curse has come after her, and if she doesn’t defeat it, her younger brother will have to face it. Mina sets out to complete all the fairy tales penned by the Grimm brothers.

The best thing about this book is its clever premise. The way Hahn recreates the familiar fairy tales in a contemporary setting is smart and cute. Those made for the best parts of the story, though in … Continue reading →

Fairy Enchanting: The Ever After High Series (Books 1-3)

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As a parent with a budding reader, I’m always on the lookout for those magical stories that capture my daughter’s imagination. I count it as a huge win when she sneaks off to read a book. There have been some great stories that have captured her heart. The first time we read Charlotte’s Web together, as I finished the last page, she took the book from me, flipped back to the first page and said, “Again.”

We read the Chronicles of Narnia together. She then read them on her own. There have been other hits since then. She LOVED the book series by Jean Ferris that begins with Once Upon a Marigold, but she sort of began this quiet retreat from reading. She enjoyed me reading to her, but only read independently if I gave her no other alternatives.

So, like a totally reasonable parent with a perfectly rational, capable … Continue reading →

When Wings Don’t Mean Freedom: Review of Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

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night-birdNightbird
Alice Hoffman
Random House Children’s

Twig Fowler and her family return to her mother’s hometown after a childhood spent in the city. Her mother insists that she keep no friends and remains alone, holed up on an apple orchard baking pies and other goods to be sold in town. Twig’s brother James also chafes at the isolation. He only comes out at night, when no one will see the long wings sprouting from his back.

When rumors of a monster stir up the townsfolk, Twig begins to panic. If a search is called for, her brother might be discovered. It might be easy to stay hidden if it weren’t for Twig’s new neighbors, a family with two girls near her age. One late night Twig spots James and … Continue reading →

Review: Silverwood by Betsy Streeter

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silverwoodSilverwood
Betsy Streeter
Light Messages Publishing

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

To say fourteen year-old Helen Silverwood has an odd family would be an understatement. Her brother draws the future. Nightmares of rescuing strange creatures plague Helen’s dreams. Her mother works nights at a job she won’t discuss with her children, and her father is missing.

As the family picks up to move again, Helen begins to unravel the thread of mystery surrounding her mother’s work, her father’s disappearance, and her place in all of it. The shape-shifting Tromindox prey on humanity and Helen may have the key to stopping them.

Silverwood is an imaginative story with enjoyable … Continue reading →

A Wow-worthy Sequel: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

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shadow-scaleShadow Scale
Rachel Hartman
Random House Children’s
Pubished March 10, 2015

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

With war between dragons and humans exploding across Seraphina’s once-peaceful home, she vows to find the other gifted half-dragons and use their power to end the conflict. One of Seraphina’s would-be allies seems to have other loyalties. And unstoppable power.

Seraphina works to bring the isolated and fearful half-dragons out of hiding and teach them to operate as a team. Time is running out, however, as an army of dragons threatens to rain destruction down on Seraphina’s homeland. Alliances begin to unravel. A new, unpredictable saint dazzles the people, distracting them from the conflict at hand. … Continue reading →

Review: A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes

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a-time-to-dieA Time to Die
Nadine Brandes
Enclave Publishing

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Seventeen year-old Parvin Blackwater has less than one year left to live. Her Clock started counting down the moment she was born. Until now, Parvin has hidden from that fact, burying herself in sewing projects and sleeping late. Now, with only months left to live, she wants her life to count for something. She wants to be remembered.

As Parvin pursues a noteworthy life saving Radicals and writing her story, she becomes tangled in a political web that reaches much farther than her small town. As an outcast … Continue reading →