Category Archives: Reviews

Beast & Crown by Joel Ross

Beast & Crown by Joel Ross. HarperCollins, 2017. This most recent book by the author of the 2015 Cybils Middle Grade Speculative Fiction winner, The Fog Diver, features a similarly diverse cast, this time in a historical fantasy world. (I … Continue reading

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Dominion by Shane Arbuthnott

My catching up with books I read for the Cybils continues… Dominion by Shane Arbuthnott. Orca, 2017. Twelve-year-old Molly Stout lives and works on her family’s airship, the Legerdemain, along with her father and two older brothers. Following the legacy … Continue reading

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The Painting by Charis Cotter

Here is another creepy, atmospheric story from the author of 2015 Cybils finalist The Swallow: a Ghost Story. The Painting by Charis Cotter. Tundra Books, 2017. In the present day, our heroine, Annie, is struggling with her mother being in … Continue reading

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Brave Red, Smart Frog

This week, I’m going to focus on reviewing Cybils books that I wasn’t able to write up during the rush of Cybils season. Brave Red, Smart Frog by Emily Jenkins. Illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason. Candlewick Press, 2017. This volume … Continue reading

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Spindle by E.K. Johnston

Spindle by E.K. Johnston. Hyperion, 2016. Hundreds of years after the Storyteller Queen drove the demon out, as told in A Thousand Night, the demon has been slowly plotting its escape.  It has invented a curse on making and the … Continue reading

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When Dimple Met Rishi

i’m still catching up on reviews – but in the meantime the Cybils winners have been announced! Head on over and take a look – I’m taking three of the winners home from the library today. When Dimple Met Rishi … Continue reading

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Yvain: the Knight of the Lion

Yvain: the Knight of the Lion by M.T. Anderson, based on the epic by Chrétien de Troyes. Illustrated by Andrea Offerman. Candlewick, 2017. I enjoy a good medieval story, and M.T. Anderson always impresses with the sheer range of his … Continue reading

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Want by Cindy Pon

Confession time: I have a seven page document with notes of books that I’ve read and want to write full reviews of. I’m trying to post more frequent, quick reviews to catch up. This was one of my eagerly anticipated … Continue reading

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Victor Shmud, Total Expert

Victor Shmud, Total Expert: Let’s Do a Thing. Victor Shmud, Total Expert: Night of the Living Things by Jim Benton.  Scholastic, 2017, 2018. Victor is an expert at everything he puts his mind to, from makeovers to intergalactic space battles … Continue reading

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Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018: Underground Railroad

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018 (1/27/18) is in its 5th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ … Continue reading

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