Review: House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig

House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig cover shows what might have been the inside of a very overgrown greenhouse with poisonous-looking plants.

House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of Salt #2)
Erin A. Craig
Delacorte Press
Published July 25, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About House of Roots and Ruin

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her … Continue reading

Review: The Deadlands: Hunted by Skye Melki-Wegner

Deadlands: Hunted by Skye Melki Wegner cover shows the silhouette of a tyrannosaur head partly filled with a jungle of plants. The dinosaur's teeth hold the word hunted.

The Deadlands: Hunted (The Deadlands #1)
Skye Melki-Wegner
Henry Holt & Co.
Published April 4, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Deadlands: Hunted

Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park in this action-adventure middle grade debut series by Skye Melki-Wegner about five outcasts ― and former enemies ― who are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom.

“My favorite middle grade book of the year.” ― New York Times -bestselling author Amie Kaufman

Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea.

When the … Continue reading

Review: Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm by Kimberly Behre Kenna

Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm by Kimberly Behre Kenna

Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm
Kimberly Behre Kenna
Black Rose Writing
Published August 3, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm

Jett Jamison can’t catch a break. Her home in small town Wisteria is noisy as a zoo, and her mind buzzes with bits of a traumatic memory she’d rather forget. She’s filled a shoebox with one hundred thirty-three to-do lists, her roadmaps to peace, but they only lead to dead ends. Sister Gia, master gardener and cat-whisperer extraordinaire, suggests a book by an anonymous author, but it’s disappeared from all local libraries, and nobody wants to talk about … Continue reading

Review: Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato

Roll for Initiative by Jamie Formato cover shows a diverse group of girls sitting in a cluster around one girl with her arms crossed.

Roll for Initiative
Jaime Formato
Running Press Kids
Published September 27, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Roll for Initiative

Perfect for fans of Dungeons & Dragons, Raina Telgemeier, and Jessica Kim, a heartfelt coming-of-age middle grade novel about finding your voice and believing in your best geeky self.

Riley Henderson has never taken a bus to school in her entire life. Or made an afterschool snack, or finished her homework on her own, or—ewww—done her own laundry. That’s what her older brother Devin was for.

But now Devin’s gone. He’s off in California attending … Continue reading

Review: Sorceline Book 2 by Sylvia Douyé and Paola Antista

Sorceline 2 by Sylvia Douye, Paola Antista, and Tanya Gold

Sorceline Book 2 (Sorceline #2)
Sylvia Douyé
Illustrated by Paola Antista
Andrews McNeel Publishing
Published August 22, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Sorceline Book 2

Return to the Island of Vorn, where mythical creatures roam free and only the brightest students are invited to study them! Follow along as the kids (and creatures) of Professor Balzar’s famous school of cryptozoology unearth the long-hidden secret at the heart of their story.

Sorceline has proven herself a star student at Balzar’s prestigious academy—but her gifts might have gotten the best of her. As Sorceline fights for her life, her classmates must work to uncover … Continue reading

Review: Brick Dust and Bones by M. R. Fournet

Brick Dust and Bones by M. R. Fournet

Brick Dust and Bones
M. R. Fournet
Feiwel & Friends
Published July 18, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Brick Dust and Bones

A twelve-year-old cemetery boy and monster hunter–along with his flesh-eating mermaid friend–has to race against the clock to save the ghost of his dead mother in Brick Dust and Bones, M.R. Fournet’s magical middle grade debut.

Marius Grey hunts Monsters. He’s not supposed to. He’s only twelve and his job as a Cemetery Boy is to look after the ghosts in his family’s graveyard. He should be tending these ghosts and–of course–going to school to learn how to live between worlds without getting into … Continue reading