Set in the late 1800s, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker is about two characters: Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Chava and Ahmad end up in New York City and try to fit in with their […]
Review | Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
2015-03-09 · by ·
I was drawn to Station Eleven because I saw it on a several 2014 best books lists: It was nominated for the both the National Book Award and the Goodreads Choice for Best Fiction. Station Eleven is dystopian fiction. The story starts pre-end of civilization as we know it due to a pandemic, but flashes back and forth […]
Review | Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
2015-03-06 · by ·
Brown Girl Dreaming won the 2015 Newbery Honor award as well as the National Book Award. It’s a biographical story about the author, Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood. This book had a big impact on me. I was so touched during some parts, that I got a little teary while listening to it. It helped me to […]
Review | The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan
2015-02-21 · by ·
The Blood of Olympus is the concluding book to The Heroes of Olympus series. In it, readers follow the seven heroes of Olympus as they fight monsters and the rising of the Earth Goddess Gaea. I applaud Riordan for the way that he writes stories that work for both girl and boy readers. I love […]
Review | The Naturals (The Naturals #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
2015-02-20 · by ·
Seventeen-year-old Cassie has a natural ability of being able to read people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. It’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously until an FBI agent approaches her and invites her to become a part of a unique program; a […]
Review | The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
2015-02-18 · by ·
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander was the winner of the 2015 Newbery Award. The story is a quick read about a junior high school basketball player named Josh. Josh’s father was a famous basketball player in Europe and has taught Josh and his brother JB how to play the game; that combined with a lot […]
Review | All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2015-02-03 · by ·
At first glance, All the Light We Cannot See seems to be the poster child for book groups and best read lists, but the hype is well-deserved. With a subject that has already been so well covered, you’d think there wasn’t much more to be gained from another book about World War II. But Doerr’s story is fresh, […]
The ALA’s Caldecott Winners for 2015
2015-02-02 · by ·
This morning the American Library Association announced their coveted youth media award winners (Caldecott, Newberry, etc) for books for young people. In addition to the Caldecott Award winner, surprisingly, seven other picture books walked away with the Caldecott Honors. Unfortunately, you probably have never heard of most of these books and if you’ve tried to find them […]
Review | The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2) by Rick Yancey
2015-01-30 · by ·
The Infinite Sea is the second book in The Fifth Wave series by Rick Yancey. I loved book one, The Fifth Wave and was incredibly excited to read it. The story picks up right where book one left off. In contrast, however, The Infinite Sea spends more time focusing on the character of Ringer. Readers get […]
Author Profile: Marissa Meyer, Writer of the Lunar Chronicles
2015-01-29 · by ·
Last night I had the opportunity to hear Marissa Meyer discuss her science fiction/fantasy series, The Lunar Chronicles at The King’s English book store in Salt Lake City, Utah. My time was well spent as Meyer is very charming and funny. Meyer warned that after reading Fairest: Levana’s Story, Meyer’s latest in The Lunar Chronicles series, readers may start to have […]
