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One Day With You by Shari Low
Of Love & Tears One Day With You by Shari Low is a beautiful, heartbreaking contemporary read that will tug at your heartstrings. My emotions were all over the place as I read. It is a book that celebrates friendship, family and new life whilst mourning endings with regrets for what might have been. Life […]
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Look Both Ways by Linwood Barclay
Coming 2nd Feb 2023 Another thrilling tale from Linwood Barclay and HQ Stories #LookBothWays. You do not want to miss this. To pre-order amzn.to/3WlmZ8L
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The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn
The Roaring Twenties The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn is a marvelous historical novel following the lives of three sisters through the roaring twenties. The world is in a time of immense change after World War I. The role of women is a complex one. World War I gave women many freedoms but as the […]
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2023 Newbery Buzz #5: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
I Must Betray You is one of those novels that straddles the line between Newbery age ranges and Printz age ranges. Will it get some love from either award committee? Or both? We’re back with Newbery Buzz Discussion #5 for 2023. To read the rest in the series or previous years’ discussions, check out the Newbery Buzz Page. I Must Betray You: Background Betsy: Megan, I think this is the first book by Ruta Sepetys that you’ve read; you don’t tend to read as many gritty YA novels as I do. But it’s my fourth Sepetys novel, and, I think, her most well-written (Between Shades of Gray is still my…
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Newbery Buzz Roundup #2: Frizzy, How to Build a Human, and Attack of the Black Rectangles
The American Library Association will announce the winners of its very influential Youth Media Awards, headed by the Newbery and Caldecott. Since we can’t help projecting, here are three more titles that appeared in Mock Newbery and “best of” lists last year. Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, art by Rose Bousamra. First Second, 2023, 213 pages. Marlene’s least favorite day of the week is Sunday, where she spends hours at the salon getting her hair straightened. The Saturday before her cousin Diana’s quinceañera is especially grueling, because Marlene will suffer by comparison with Diana’s “good hair,” whatever she does. “Bad hair” is the legacy of her late father, but it’s…
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My Sister’s Secret by Diane Saxon
Not A Book To Miss My Sister’s Secret by Diane Saxon is a marvelous contemporary psychological suspense that gripped me from the start. Four sisters bonded closely by a childhood secret. They live very different lives but are always there for each other. A day in the past unites them, but about which they do […]
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Newbery Buzz Roundup #2: Frizzy, How to Build a Human, and Attack of the Black Rectangles
The American Library Association will announce the winners of its very influential Youth Media Awards, headed by the Newbery and Caldecott. Since we can’t help projecting, here are three more titles that appeared in Mock Newbery and “best of” lists last year. Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, art by Rose Bousamra. First Second, 2023, 213 pages. Marlene’s least favorite day of the week is Sunday, where she spends hours at the salon getting her hair straightened. The Saturday before her cousin Diana’s quinceañera is especially grueling, because Marlene will suffer by comparison with Diana’s “good hair,” whatever she does. “Bad hair” is the legacy of her late father, but it’s…
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2023 Newbery Buzz #4: Jack Zulu
Does an independently published novel like Jack Zulu have what it takes to win the Newbery? We’re back with Newbery Buzz Discussion #4 for 2023. To read the rest in the series or previous years’ discussions, check out the Newbery Buzz Page. Independently Published Books Betsy: Megan, we’ve never discussed an independently published book in our Newbery Buzz series before! We’re breaking new ground. First, let me acknowledge that independently published books may never grace the Newbery stage. Why? For starters, they simply don’t have the marketing budget and resources of a big publishing house. Newbery committee members receive so many free books throughout the year, most—if not all—sent by…
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Gladys Hunt on Award-Winning Books
Editor’s Note: On Monday, the American Library Association announces its annual Youth Media Awards But how many of the honored books will still be read 10 years from now? Over-booked! Originally published on the Tumblon website on September 1, 2009 Do you remember the hilarious story in Homer Price* about the doughnut machine that kept spilling out doughnuts faster and faster, a gadget with no shut-off button? It’s a favorite chapter in the book for most readers. Thinking of it makes me smile. That’s the way people feel if they want to keep up on children’s books—there is an endless supply of new ones. Someone recently sent me an email,…
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*A Dragon Used to Live Here by Annette LeBlanc Cate
In a whimsical tale within a tale, two royal children discover that their castle (and their own mother!) have a very interesting past. A Dragon Used to Live Here by Annette LeBlanc Cate. Candlewick, 2022, 256 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended For: ages 6-12 as a read-aloud, 8-12 independent readers Noble children Thomas and Emily are at a bit of a loose end. While the castle is busy preparing for a surprise party, it’s summer, and they have free time. Imagine their interest when they discover a mysterious door leading to a world of scribes and party invitations. Leading the scribes is the irascible Meg who claims…
