Category Archives: News and Fun

If We Were Having Coffee: Fall 2020 Catch-Up

By | |
Comments Off on If We Were Having Coffee: Fall 2020 Catch-Up

If We Were Having Coffee

If We Were Having Coffee: Things I’d Tell You

It’s hard to believe that the last (also first) time I did a post like this was the end of April. It’s been more than SIX MONTHS, y’all! They went by in a blink.

Since it’s been a bit, let’s do another check-in. Grab yourself a hot (or cold!) drink and let’s do a bit of catching up, friends.

If we were having coffee I’d tell you that we just recently started school. My oldest is doing e-learning through her high school, and so far it’s been a mixed blessing. It’s not like homeschool– her teachers are doing live classes. She thrives on individual attention and a relationship with her teachers, though, and that’s not easy … Continue reading →

13 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Out Fall 2020

By | | , , ,
4 Comments

13 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Coming Fall 2020

Great Middle Grade Books Coming This Fall

It’s finally fall! A new season and new fantastic middle grade books coming out soon to usher in the spooky season and the cooler weather. (Well, thoughts of cooler weather, anyway. Here in Florida, we have a while yet before we get a real break from the heat.)

I’m not usually a big Halloween girl– I was raised not celebrating, so I guess I’ve never really gotten into the holiday as an adult. This year, though, there are some spooky books on my wish list that I think will be perfect for readers looking for a deliciously creepy crawly read.

There are also some great stories about relationships and celebrating the arts, like writing, ballet, and … Continue reading →

Review: Enchantment Lake by Margi Preus

By | | , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: Enchantment Lake by Margi Preus

Enchantment Lake by Margi Preus

Enchantment Lake (A Northwoods Mystery)
Margi Preus
University of Minnesota Press
Published March 11, 2015

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Enchantment Lake

A disturbing call from her great aunts Astrid and Jeannette sends seventeen-year-old Francie far from her new home in New York into a tangle of mysteries. Ditching an audition in a Manhattan theater, Francie travels to a remote lake in the northwoods where her aunts’ neighbors are “dropping like flies” from strange accidents. But are they accidents?

On the shores of Enchantment Lake in the woods of northern … Continue reading →

Review: Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

By | | , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Never Look Back
Lilliam Rivera
Bloomsbury YA
Published September 15, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Never Look Back

Eury comes to the Bronx as a girl haunted. Haunted by losing everything in Hurricane Maria–and by an evil spirit, Ato. She fully expects the tragedy that befell her and her family in Puerto Rico to catch up with her in New York. Yet, for a time, she can almost set this fear aside, because there’s this boy . . .

Pheus is a golden-voiced, bachata-singing charmer, ready to spend … Continue reading →

Review: You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People by Elizabeth Rusch

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People by Elizabeth Rusch

You Call This Democracy by Elizabeth Rusch

You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People
Elizabeth Rusch
HMH Books for Young Readers
Published March 31, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People

America is the greatest democracy in the world . . . isn’t it? Author Elizabeth … Continue reading →

Cover Reveal and #1001DiverseBooksCampaign: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi

By | | ,
2 Comments

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal and #1001DiverseBooksCampaign

Exciting news! Mango and Marigold Press is launching its eighteenth book and first middle grade novel ever. REA AND THE BLOOD OF THE NECTAR is written by debut #ownvoices author Payal Doshi. It tells the story of Rea Chettri, a 12-year-old girl living a simple, if boring, life on the tea plantations of Darjeeling, India. When her twin brother goes missing, Rea’s life gets turned on its head. Determined to save him, Rea embarks on a secret, thrilling adventure into the enchanted world of Astranthia. There, Rea will make new friends, grapple with dark truths, learn the meaning of family and friendship, and discover her true self.

REA AND THE BLOOD OF THE NECTAR is the first book … Continue reading →