Category Archives: News and Fun

Review: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou cover shows a silhouette of a bird in flight against a sunset background.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Random House
Published April 21, 2009 (Orig. 1969)

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About I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.
 
Sent by … Continue reading →

Review: Why on Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology by Vania Stoyanova and Rosiee Thor

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Why On Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology by Vania Stoyanova and Rosiee Thor

Why on Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology
Edited by Vania Stoyanova and Rosiee Thor
Page Street YA
Published February 4, 2025

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About Why on Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology

With stories from NYT bestselling and debut authors, Why on Earth uses an accidental alien invasion to explore love and identity.

What starts as a simple rescue mission for a crew of teen aliens to recover one of their own soon becomes an interstellar encounter no one will forget.

Captain Iona is organizing an impromptu retrieval for her brother, … Continue reading →

Review: Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia and Brittney Williams

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Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia and Brittney Williams

Mixed-Up
Kami Garcia
Illustrated by Brittney Williams
Lettering by Comicraft’s Tyler Smith
First Second
Published January 21, 2025

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About Mixed-Up

New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia has returned with a middle grade graphic novel about the struggles of a game-loving girl who gets diagnosed with dyslexia and her loving support network that help her along in the journey.

When reading isn’t as easy as ABC…

Stella knows fifth grade will be the best year ever. Her closest friends, Emiko and Latasha, are in her class and they all got the teacher they wanted. Then their favorite television show, Witchlins, … Continue reading →

Review: The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan

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The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan

The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation
Rosemary Sullivan
Harper Perennial
Published January 17, 2023

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About The Betrayal of Anne Frank

Using new technology, recently discovered documents and sophisticated investigative techniques, an international team—led by an obsessed former FBI agent—has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?

More than thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal teen-aged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis … Continue reading →

2024 Goals Recap: Stats and Updates

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The Story Sanctuary 2024 Goals Recap with art that shows a cat climbing a stack of books behind a cat lying down and winking next to a girl with a newsboy cap and goggles waving. Art by @Sennydoesarty.

My December plans got swallowed up by holiday celebrations and time spent with visiting family, but I’m back at my laptop and reviewing my reading and blogging progress from last year for this 2024 goals recap.

I started 2024 with ambitious goals and plans to make blogging a little easier and more joyful. As I’m looking back, it’s nice to see the places where I made significant progress. I read more books (261) than my stated goal (200). I even knocked out quite a few … Continue reading →

Review: After Life by Gayle Forman

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After Life by Gayle Forman

After Life
Gayle Forman
Quill Tree Books
Published January 7, 2025

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About After Life

“After Life is a masterful tale about a family coping with loss, showing the way grief affects us and people we don’t even know in ways we don’t see. Once I met Amber and her family, I didn’t want to let them go.” -—Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of Carving Shadows into Stone

“Forman is a master at making her readers fall in love—with a girl whose life is over, with a community of people in a small town who are barely surviving her loss, … Continue reading →