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The Sea Glass Beach by Tina Pritchard
Love, Life, Grief The Sea Glass Beach by Tina Pritchard is a marvelous historical novel that captured my imagination from the start. The reader follows the plight of a single Mum and her daughter in Ireland after the second World War. The Catholic church set up mother and baby homes which were far from loving. […]
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A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
A Rover’s Story employs an unusual protagonist to celebrate science, space exploration, and humanity. A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga. Balzer+Bray, 2022, 294 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-15 The Mission “I awake to knowledge. My circuits fire. The room cheers. A loud sound, but it does not startle me.” In some ways the “birth” of a robot is like the birth of a child in a hospital: Bright lights, sudden loud voices, a crowd of sensations that will later be sorted into knowledge. Otherwise, the Mars Rover (soon to be named Resilience, or Res) is a collection of parts and circuitry made for a…
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Home for Christmas, edited by Miriam LeBlanc
Home for Christmas is a lovely, literary collection of stories, old and new, that highlight the “spirit” of Christmas. Home for Christmas: Stories for Young and Old, edited by Miriam LeBlanc and illustrated by David Klein. Plough Publishing House, 2021. 339 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10 and up An unknown carpenter built a miraculous staircase for a chapel in the Southwest. A curmudgeonly cribmaker had a Scrooge-like vision one night and changed his ways. Three young men helped a town see the true meaning of the three kings’ gifts. A young man opened his home to the poor and destitute. This lovely anthology includes…
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A Mother’s Christmas Wish by Glenda Young
Heart Warming A Mother’s Christmas Wish by Glenda Young is a wonderful, heart-warming historical novel that will fill your heart with love. The action takes place in 1923 in a small village in the North East. It is here that the reader witnesses love, care and community in action. Living in a village means your […]
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Wicked Whispers At St Brides by Debbie Young
Secrets Wicked Whispers At St Brides by Debbie Young is the third marvellous instalment of the Gemma Lamb Cosy Mystery series. It is equally engaging and amusing as the previous two books. There is the theme of family. St Brides functions as a family but we also need our own blood family. There is a […]
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Gladys Hunt on Enjoying Picture Books–at Any Age
Editor’s Note: I hope everyone enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving with family and good food. Everybody knows what happens next: Christmas! And, as it’s still Picture Book month, we’re sharing thoughts from Gladys Hunt on picture books to give and to keep. Some are actually better appreciated by adults than by kids. Read on . . . Picture books for adults? Originally published on the Tumblon website October 25, 2009 Picture books for adults? Yes, these are the books grown-ups keep on the coffee table or bring out to show at dinner parties. One of my friends charmed all her dinner guests by reading Kevin Henke’s Chrysanthemum, a story about the…
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The Viaduct Killings by Wes Markin
Cracking Crime Novel The Viaduct Killings by Wes Markin is a gripping contemporary crime novel that had me glued from the start. It is the first book in The Yorkshire Murders series and I cannot wait for the subsequent novels. This is a fast paced crime thriller that gives the reader a roller coaster ride […]
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The Automobile Assassination by M.J. Porter
Glimpses Back In Time The Automobile Assassination by M.J. Porter is a marvelous historical, cosy crime novel. It is the second book in the Erdington Mysteries but can be read as a stand-alone. The reader is transported back to 1944 in Birmingham. The war is in its final few months but there are still black […]
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Yvonne Child Of The Somme by Sara Rowell
Fascinating Yvonne Child Of The Somme by Sara Rowell is a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era. The reader becomes immersed into French life during the early part of the twentieth century. The author drops in on mother Marie’s life as a domestic servant in 1900 before following Yvonne’s life from 1901. Life for women […]
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*This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore
There aren’t many picture books about Thanksgiving; This is the Feast is one of the best. This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore, illustrated by Megan Lloyd. HarperCollins, 2008. 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture books, Ages 4-8 Recommended For: Ages 4-8, Ages 8-10 This is the Feast describes the trials of the pilgrims from the Mayflower through the first winter, the friendship of the Native Americans (especially Squanto), and the bountiful harvest that led to feasting and celebration. Using the meter of “The House that Jack Built,” Shore skillfully weaves her narrative in rhyme. The illustrations are engaging and vividly reflect the text. There aren’t many picture books about…