Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Cassie Barnes can read people. She can tell who people are and what people want from the tiniest details. At 17, she uses this skill to earn better tips when waitressing, and to stay on the good side of her very large family. But the FBI has other plans. They’re putting together a team, called... Continue Reading →
When I picked up this audiobook in the library, I misread the title. I thought it was Pieces of Sky. Which explains my confusion during the first few chapters of the book. Confusion aside, Pieces of Why by K.L. Going follows the story of Tia, a twelve-year-old singer in New Orleans. Tia and her best... Continue Reading →
Lizzie Kennedy wants to be a doctor, like her dad. But this is San Fransisco in 1900, and girls go to finishing schools, not high schools. And definitely not colleges. Lizzie, her older brother and her father live in a house on her aunt and uncle’s property on Nobb Hill. They’re not wealthy, but her... Continue Reading →
Penelope's life is scheduled down to the minutes. Even her summers. Her mom is an efficiency expert, and her dad follows the family schedule because it makes his life easier. Penelope feels quite alone in her wish for more free time, time to moodle, think and dream. But her mother's scheduling makes it impossible. Until... Continue Reading →
Tamaya and Marshall have been walking to and from Woodridge Academy since elementary school. They have to walk the long way around the thick woods between their houses and the school, since the woods are off limits. But one day, Marshall leads Tamaya into the woods to avoid a bully. While there, Tamaya encounters some... Continue Reading →
Felix has lived through quite a lot, as you can imagine any Jewish boy has during World War Two. Now that the war is over, he is struggling to survive in the midst of the destruction in Poland after the war. He has his best friend, and his work. But even though the war is... Continue Reading →
Overnight, Gerta finds her family divided. One night, her father and next older brother went to West Berlin to find supplies for her family. The next morning, she finds East German soldiers building a massive concrete wall, sealing her, her oldest brother and their mother inside East Berlin. Gerta tries to live her life, but... Continue Reading →
Carley Connors has learned to be tough. But now she’s in a situation she never thought she’d be in. After a painful betrayal by her fun-loving mother, Carley finds herself entering a strange house to live with a strange family. She’s in foster care. One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is a thoughtful,... Continue Reading →
Note: I wrote this review about six years ago, before the #MeToo movement, and am just publishing it now. This is one of those books I wish we didn’t need. But since we do, I am glad that Laurie Halse Anderson wrote Speak. Melinda Sordino is entering high school as an outcast. Everyone hates her... Continue Reading →
Joana has been walking for days. She’s gathered around her others fleeing the Russian troops advancing through the eastern lands of the Third Reich. There’s Eva, a giantess of a woman, Poet, who is a shoemaker and waxes poetical about shoes, boots and feet, and Ingrid, a blind girl Joana found lost at a train... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 