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The Judas Tree by Amanda Jennings
Lasting A Lifetime The Judas Tree by Amanda Jennings is a gripping contemporary psychological thriller that seeps into your very core. It is tragic. It is heartbreaking. It is a powerful tale showing the affects of a traumatic childhood on adulthood. An event, so awful, it never leaves you. The timescale of a life is […]
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Flicker’s Garden Rescue by Jodie Parachini
Working Together Flicker’s Garden Rescue by Jodie Parachini is a beautiful book for the under fives. We see the importance of working together to help those in need. If we all function as one, we can get the job done. There is no room for a selfish attitude. We witness the bugs working together as […]
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Gladys Hunt on The Scent of Thanksgiving
Editor’s Note: Are the smells of sage and pumpkin spice already wafting through the house? In this post, Gladys Hunt finds wonderful smells in the pages of some outstanding picture books for Thanksgiving. The smells of Thanksgiving Originally published on the Tumblon website, November 19, 2009 Every November Cynthia Rylant’s wonderful book called In November (illustrated by Jill Kastner) sits on our coffee table within easy reach for anyone to pick up. It’s our annual reminder of how special November is. In November, the text reads, “the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures.” The book is full of color…
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One Last Secret by Adele Parkes
Coming 8th December 2022 One Last Secret by Adele Parks is due out 8th December. Please see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDpnnZeqU08 Pre-order your copy today. It’s a great read. #OneLastSecret by @adeleparks is publishing in paperback with @HQStories on 8th December. Would you kill to keep it? Pre-order now: https://amzn.to/3GpePI8
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The King of Christmas by Todd R. Hains and illustrated by Natasha Kennedy
The King of Christmas reminds young children where to look for Jesus, just as the wise men looked for Him at that first Christmas. The King of Christmas: All God’s Children Search for Jesus by Todd R. Hains and illustrated by Natasha Kennedy. Lexham Press, 2022, 44 pages. Reading Level: Picture books, ages 4-8 Recommended for: Ages 4-8 Where is the King of Christmas? The wise men from the East are searching for Him, asking where they might find him. The King isn’t in the natural world (water, farms, etc.). He isn’t amongst the political and religious leaders. He’s not with the soldiers. No, He is in a manger. And…
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The Highland Girls At War by Helen Yendall
Pulling Together The Highland Girls At War by Helen Yendall is a simply marvellous historical novel that gripped me from the start. The action surrounds the lumberjills who were very much a part of the war effort during World War II. These are hard working young women who cut down and suppled the timber needed. […]
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Dastardly Deeds At St Brides by Debbie Young
Entertaining Dastardly Deeds At St Brides by Debbie Young is a highly entertaining contemporary cosy mystery that amused me from the start. It is the first book in the Gemma Lamb series. All the action is set at St Brides, a girls boarding school. No men are officially allowed, so all the staff are called […]
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Whispers Through Time by Joni Scott
A Brave New World Whispers Through Time by Joni Scott is a fascinating dual timeline novel that grabs the reader’s attention from the start. The novel is a fictional tale woven around the author’s grandmother’s early life. It began as research with Ancestry, just names and dates. The author wanted to fill in the bare […]
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Finding Friends On Beamer Street by Sheila Riley
With Love And Laughter Finding Friends On Beamer Street by Sheila Riley is a wonderful historical novel set in Liverpool in 1921. The leading lady is admirable and likable. Fresh off the boat from Ireland, she possesses a strength of character and has a will to succeed. She will stand her ground against anyone. Dreams […]
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The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
The Door of No Return uses beautifully modulated verse to communicate the humanity of the Ashanti people and the horrors of the African slave trade. The Door of No Return by Kwami Alexander. Little, Brown, 2022, 398 pages Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 12-15 The Life Before Kofi Offin is not a champion wrestler like his brother Kwasi, but he can swim like a fish. As grandson of the village storyteller and son of its head gold digger, he holds some status in his Ashanti village. His cousin Kofi thinks nothing of that—only a week older, but bigger and stronger, he’s the bane of younger Kofi’s…