Tag Archives: dragons

Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Posted on November 11, 2019 by

This is one that was on my want-to-read list this year, a fantasy from Kwame Alexander’s new imprint, Versify.   Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack. Versify/HMH, 2019. 9780358006077 Anya’s is the only Jewish family in her little Russian village … Continue reading →

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Secrets and Journeys: Four Graphic Novels for Kids

Posted on October 30, 2019 by

Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen. Oni Press, 2019. 9781620105511. Willow’s tears turn into actual monsters, and she seems to want to cry all the time.  She tries to keep them bottled up, but that just leads to … Continue reading →

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Freedom Fire and Spark

Posted on October 11, 2019 by

Today I’m featuring a couple of middle grade speculative fiction books that are eligible but not yet nominated for the Cybils – Dactyl Hill Squad 2 by Daniel José Older and Spark by Sarah Beth Durst. Both feature kids flying on the backs of fantastic beasts! Continue reading →

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Dragonfell by Sarah Prineas

Posted on August 14, 2019 by

Sarah Prineas’s Magic Thief series is one I’ve loved enough to listen to multiple times, so I was very excited to read her new book, the pages going quickly and happily by after a period where it felt like I … Continue reading →

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The Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis

Posted on March 15, 2019 by

This is the sequel to The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, which won the 2017 Cybils award for Middle Grade Speculative Fiction.  It came out in the middle of my 2018 Cybils reading, and was one of the first books … Continue reading →

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Ice Wolves. Elementals Book 1

Posted on December 13, 2018 by

One of the co-authors of the best-selling teen series The Illuminae Files kicks off an exciting new middle grade series. Ice Wolves. Elementals Book 1 by Amie Kaufman. Read by Jonathan McClain. HarperAudio, 2018. Twin street orphans Anders and Rayna … Continue reading →

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2 for Teens: Dread Nation and Tess of the Road

Posted on October 12, 2018 by

Just a few more days of Cybils nominations!  I’ve updated my list of Cybils hopefuls to note which books have since been nominated – as of this writing, four of the twelve books I wrote about. Dread Nation: Rise Up … Continue reading →

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3 Great Graphic Novels for Kids

Posted on June 16, 2018 by

This weekend is the A2CAF, the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival, which I used to love helping out with back when it was still Kids Read Comics.  Naturally, I’m at work at my regular library rather than there right now, … Continue reading →

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The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart

Posted on October 7, 2017 by

Does it get much better than dragons and chocolate? The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis. Bloomsbury, 2017. Aventurine is a young dragon bored of staying in the caves.  Young dragons are expected to stay in their caves … Continue reading →

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The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Posted on April 19, 2017 by

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. Roc, 2015. As the story opens, our heroine, Irene, is disguised as a maid at a boys’ boarding school, scrubbing late at night in order for a chance to achieve her mission: taking an … Continue reading →

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