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The Real Dada Mother Goose by Jon Scieszka
In The Real Dada Mother Goose, popular humorist Jon Scieszka subjects familiar nursery rhymes to every possible variation. The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Julia Rothman. Candlewick, 72 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-14 “Dada is creating art with humor and absurdity to challenge what many people might think is right or normal.” That’s Jon Scieszka’s definition, and it’s the mildest interpretation of an art movement, dating from the turn of the 20th century, that has been profoundly subversive. Dada, along with other art forms like Theater of the Absurd, taught the art world that nothing…
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I’ll Never Tell by Philippa East
Wow – Engrossing! I’ll Never Tell by Philippa East is a totally engrossing contemporary psychological thriller that grabbed me from the start. The tale is cleverly constructed as we hear two different distinct voices and there are two alternating time periods as we move backwards and forwards in time. We follow a rather rich suburban […]
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Death Comes To Marlow by Robert Thorogood
Uniquely Blended Together Death Comes To Marlow by Robert Thorogood is a marvelous contemporary cosy crime drama which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the second book in the Marlow Murder Club series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading book one first for maximum enjoyment. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with the […]
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Out of Range by Heidi Lang
Out of Range puts three warring sisters into a life-or-death situation that will destroy their bond—and perhaps their lives—or restore it. Out of Range by Heidi Lang. Simon & Schuster (Margaret K. Elderberry Books), 2022, 301 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Sisters, Sisters Abby, Emily, and Ollie (ages 14, 12, and 9 respectively) belong to a stable family with a stay-at-home dad and a successful career mom. They’ve always gotten along, up until the time Abby developed her first crush and a circle of middle-school friends. Now she no longer has time for little sisters and family traditions. After getting stiffed by sis too…
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Belittled Women by Amanda Sellet
Belittled Woman features a contemporary Meg, Jo, and Amy reluctantly participating in their mother’s pet project: a tourist attraction reenacting scenes from a certain 19th-century novel. Belittled Women by Amanda Sellet. HarperCollins (Clarion), 2022, 371 pages. Reading Level: Teen, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 13-16 Trapped in a girl novel! Every teen girl’s dream job must be to play the role of Jo March with her all-girl family in live reenactments of Little Women. . . right? But this is Jo Porter’s life. It’s her mother’s dream, not hers: when Mom inherited the Kansas farmhouse, her bright idea was to open the house to tourists and play Marmee to her…
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A Winter At The White Queen by Denise Weimer
Delightful A Winter At The White Queen by Denise Weimer is a delightful Christian historical novel that I could not put down and read it in just one sitting. Denise Weimer has created a wonderful set of characters. There were some delightful verbal exchanges between the two lead characters. There is also a charming young […]
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The Secret Society Of Salzburg by Renee Ryan
One By One The Secret Society Of Salzburg by Renee Ryan is a powerful historical novel that consumed me from the start. This is a fictional account but based on fact. It was such an engrossing and compelling read that I have now bought the autobiography of Ida Cook. The action is set from mid […]
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The Victory Dogs by Megan Rix
Inspirational The Victory Dogs by Megan Rix is an inspiring children’s historical novel and just perfect for ages ten years and over. It is a fictional tale but has its roots in facts. The story is set in London during World War II and follows two pups, a cat and an old soldier. The camaraderie […]
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Number The Stars by Lois Lowry
Such Bravery Number The Stars by Lois Lowry is a powerful historical children’s novel that is suitable for ages ten years and over. The story is set in Denmark in 1942 during the Nazi occupation. It blends fact and fiction as the reader becomes intimately acquainted with lesser-known facts in Danish history. The Danes were […]
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Gladys Hunt on Little Golden Books
Editor’s Note: You may have to be of a certain age for Little Golden Books to tweak your memory, but there was a lot of appreciate in those foil-spined picture books. Remember The Little Golden Books? Originally published on the Tumblon website, August 2, 2009 Probably somewhere in the house in which you grew up there is at least one copy of The Little Golden Books. Do you remember The Poky Little Puppy with the puppy reading that wonderful sign posted on the fence, “No desserts ever unless puppies never dig holes under this fence again”? Or The Saggy Baggy Elephant? Or Scuffy the Tugboat? I have just finished reading…
