Elise carries a notebook full of tallies, each page marking a day spent at her new public school, each stroke of her pencil marking a word spoken. A word that can't be taken back. Five tally marks isn't so bad. Two is pretty good. But zero? Zero is perfect. Zero means no wrong answers called … Continue reading AFTER ZERO, by Christina Collins, Sourcebooks/Sourcebooks jabberwocky
My Recommendations
THE MERMAID AND MRS. HANCOCK, by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Harper/Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah’s ship for what appears to be a mermaid. As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock’s … Continue reading THE MERMAID AND MRS. HANCOCK, by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Harper/Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
THE LADY OF TARPON SPRINGS, by Judith Miller, Bethany House Publishers
Much to the dismay of her Greek family, Zanna Krykos makes a living as a lawyer in Tarpon Springs, Florida. When her friend Lucy needs legal advice about the business she inherited upon her father's passing, she ends up asking Zanna to run the business instead so she can focus on her medical career. Nico … Continue reading THE LADY OF TARPON SPRINGS, by Judith Miller, Bethany House Publishers
DISNEY, THE NUTCRACKER, AND THE FOUR REALMS – MOVIE REVIEW
Synopsis All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel … Continue reading DISNEY, THE NUTCRACKER, AND THE FOUR REALMS – MOVIE REVIEW
ANNA AT THE ART MUSEUM, by Hazel Hutchins & Gail Herbert, Illustrated by Lil Crump, Annick Press
Art is for everyone—even a bored little girl. Going to the Art Museum with her mom is no fun at all for Anna. Everything is old and boring and there are so many rules: Don’t Touch! Do Not Enter! Quiet! A vigilant guard keeps a close eye on the energetic little girl, but even so, … Continue reading ANNA AT THE ART MUSEUM, by Hazel Hutchins & Gail Herbert, Illustrated by Lil Crump, Annick Press
THAT’S NOT HOCKEY, by Andree Poulin, Art by Felix Girard, Annick Press
The legendary goalie who revolutionized the game of hockey. Young Jacques Plante’s way of playing hockey may look different from everyone else’s. Instead of a puck, he uses a tennis ball, and his shin pads are made out of potato sacks and wooden slats. But that’s not going to stop him. He loves the game. … Continue reading THAT’S NOT HOCKEY, by Andree Poulin, Art by Felix Girard, Annick Press
MONSTERS, by David A Robertson, Highwater Press
Cole Harper is struggling to settle into life in Wounded Sky First Nation. He may have stopped a serial killer but the trouble is far from over. A creature lurks in the shadows of Blackwood Forest, the health clinic is on lockdown by a mysterious organization, and long-held secrets threaten to bubble to the surface. … Continue reading MONSTERS, by David A Robertson, Highwater Press
BEGONE THE RAGGEDY WITCHES, by Celine Kiernan, Candlewick Press
When witches kidnap her dad, Mup is swept up in a wild tide of magic that carries her to another world. Can she reunite her family and find her way back? On the night that Aunty dies, the raggedy witches come for Mup's family. Pale, cold, and relentless, the witches will do anything for the … Continue reading BEGONE THE RAGGEDY WITCHES, by Celine Kiernan, Candlewick Press
MIRAGE, by Somaiya Daud, Flatiron Books
In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond … Continue reading MIRAGE, by Somaiya Daud, Flatiron Books
THE DAY WAR CAME, by Nicola Davies, Illustrated By Rebecca Cobb, Candlewick Press
A moving, poetic narrative and child-friendly illustrations follow the heartbreaking, ultimately hopeful journey of a little girl who is forced to become a refugee. "The day war came there were flowers on the windowsill and my father sang my baby brother back to sleep." Imagine if, on an ordinary day, after a morning … Continue reading THE DAY WAR CAME, by Nicola Davies, Illustrated By Rebecca Cobb, Candlewick Press
