Category Archives: books

Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Katy K.

This book is nominated for the Cybils.  I was going to read it anyway, because of being the sequel to The Jumbies.  Also, the awesome cover.  Also, Tracey Baptiste was willing to pose with my sock-in-progress at Kidlitcon 2015. Rise … Continue reading →

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Felix Yz

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Katy K.

Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker. Viking, 2017. Thirteen-year-old Felix was just a toddler sitting on his scientist father’s lap when an experiment exploded.  His father died, while Felix’s consciousness was fused with that of an alien, whom they call Zyx.  … Continue reading →

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In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse and #NotYourPrincess

Posted on November 12, 2017 by Katy K.

Here are two books celebrating the Native American/Aboriginal experience – one that finally made its way to the top of my reading list, and one new book that the teen librarian kindly purchased for me after I told her how … Continue reading →

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Last Day on Mars

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Katy K.

It’s time to pay a visit to Mars with this exciting Cybils-nominated science fiction title. Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson. Harper Collins Children’s, 2017. As the story opens, a beautiful blue alien scientist sets up an observatory on … Continue reading →

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Journey across the Hidden Islands by Sarah Beth Durst

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Katy K.

I was so excited when an author from my Top 10 Fantasy Authors I’ve Never Read list popped up on the Cybils nominations this year!  Sarah Beth Durst writes mostly YA – I understand this is her first middle grade … Continue reading →

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Tumble & Blue by Cassie Beasley

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Katy K.

It’s all Cybils all the time for me right now – except for this book, which I read just as the Cybils nomination period was opening in the expectation that it would be nominated, because Circus Mirandus had been so … Continue reading →

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Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Katy K.

Here’s a super-creepy book by We Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh for those who want to hang on to that Halloween feeling. Or maybe just like reading stories of haunted houses. Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh. HarperCollins, 2017. Harper … Continue reading →

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Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Katy K.

Back to Cybils-nominated books with a whimsical adventure with an alien, from the author of the updated Chitty Chitty Bang Bang books. Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Harper Collins Children’s 2017. Prez Mellows lives his … Continue reading →

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Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis.

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Katy K.

Quick break for another pre-Cybils review, a charming Regency fantasy-romance, with strong underpinnings. Snowspelled. The Harwood Spellbook 1 by Stephanie Burgis. Five Fathoms Press, 2017. Cassandra Harwood used to be Angland’s only female magicians, and one of its best altogether.  … Continue reading →

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A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Katy K.

William Alexander’s latest book is short, spooky and delicious, with a strong core. A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander. Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2017. Rosa Díaz is the daughter of the world’s best ghost appeasement … Continue reading →

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