Willow has always been different and she is perfectly fine with that. With her psychic abilities, atypical fashion choices, and affinity with cars, life isn't too bad, minus that fact that her mother lost a grip on reality a long time ago. After giving a psychic reading to a classmate, she realizes that something more... Continue Reading →
Fairy tales have always held a special place in the lives of people, and recent young adult literature is no exception. Anna Sheehan's A Long, Long Sleep, to be released this coming August, is yet another in a popular genre. Woken with a kiss, or rather a misguided attempt at mouth to mouth resuscitation, after... Continue Reading →
As fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, my children and I were excited about his newest series, The Kane Chronicles. Where Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Lost Heroes focus on Greek and Roman mythology, The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) addresses many aspects of Egyptian mythology. I, myself, am not as... Continue Reading →
Sandra Markle's new book, Scorpions, gives just enough information to inform young readers about these creatures. Markle goes over scorpion anatomy, classification, reproduction, and basic facts about these little understood animals. With full color photos, the book gives young readers and their parents a close-up view of their lives. Focusing on a few species, little... Continue Reading →
Erin McKean's book, The Secret Lives of Dreses, is a book about love and embracing who you are. Her female characters transcend stereotypes, going beyond the typical catty females represented in the book, to include some interesting, believable women who have a bond of love and support not often seen in the literary world. Just... Continue Reading →
Krystal Mclaughlin's new book The Witches Lottery provides readers of Young Adult fiction with a strong leading female and a story which revolves around the prophecy of a great female witch rather than the typical male. I enjoyed her take on the differing directions of those touched with supernatural abilties and the concept of a dormant... Continue Reading →
Willow, star of Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan's book of the same name, attends an art class in which every student is expected to conform to the demands of the strict and unimaginative art teacher. Determined to embrace her true self, Willow continues on, expressing herself through beautiful and unique artwork, to the disdain of... Continue Reading →
It had been a big day. It had been a hard night. Many parents can identify with the opening pages of Kat Yeh's book, You're Lovable to Me. Long nights and sometimes longer days can often leave parents tired and cranky. However, it's important that we continue to show our children that no matter what, we love... Continue Reading →
Maxine Kumin's book, What Color is Caesar?, is a delightful children's book about discovery. Caesar, a black and white spotted dog wonders if he is truly black with white spots or white with black spots. On his quest to find the answer, he speaks with other black and white animals. Rather than answering his question... Continue Reading →
The Five Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell, is not in and of itself a book about consensual living. It does skirt the issue of consensual living, though, and has merit for some parents. The book as a whole would be stronger if the authors had chosen to make the book... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 