Saturday, June 21, 2025
All the Stars Align, by Gretchen Schreiber
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Adventures of Mary Jane, by Hope Jahren
While stuffed to the gills with historical details that make the book feel a bit like a history lesson (and definitely like book report material), the adventures are rousing enough to make this 400-page novel an enticing read. Some of the details at the end get confusing, but the story is enjoyable and Mary Jane is an adventuresome good-hearted heroine.
Saturday, June 07, 2025
Birds on the Brain, by Uma Krishnaswami
While Reeni is trying to stir up interest in birds, she learns that in matters concerning the environment there can be competing priorities: a neighborhood ironing woman who is losing her livelihood because her coal-powered iron has being outlawed, a bird's nesting site that is threatened by plans to put solar panels on the roofs. And even between friends, Reeni and Yasmin find that their respective causes (birds and literacy) are in seeming conflict. But as they did before, the children summon some inner courage and enlist their parents, neighbors, and teachers to take the cause to the government and make their city a better place.
Sunday, June 01, 2025
Everything I Promised You, by Katy Upperman
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
13 Ways to Say Goodbye, by Kate Fussner
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
One Step Forward, by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
There's no faulting the retelling of historical facts, many of which may be only hazily known by readers and the idea of focusing on a teen makes the novel inspirational for young readers. However, for a story rich with people and events, the verse format provides too sketchy of a treatment. And while the poetry is definitely above average, it can prove distracting and distancing to the storytelling. That frustrates attempts to understand the events of the story. Reading a more traditional historical account alongside this novel would prove beneficial and in fact be a useful complement.