This adventure story begins on the first day of December, 101 B.C.E.,[i][b][/i][/b] as fourteen-year-old Getorix and his father, Claodicos, await execution. “Such a broad and heavy blade will take our heads cleanly at the first... Read More

Summer vacation for a preteen is a time of innocent freedom, a life without the pressures of dating, without the time constraints imposed by a job, stolen months of pure enjoyment. The author captures the sweet simplicity of these golden... Read More

Fifteen-year-old Phoebe Bernstein is confused. Everyone is saying that her favorite uncle, Bradford, died of a “heart attack brought on by his pneumonia-weakened lungs.” But that doesn’t make sense to Phoebe. Bradford “was strong... Read More

The linguistic fun starts with the title and ripples through this fast-paced adventure for middle- and high-schoolers until their parents start swiping the book for their own enjoyment. Keep a dictionary handy to get the most pleasure... Read More

Starting off with a cliffhanger to get the reader’s attention can be a great way to open a book. This book does so in the prologue, opening in November, 1962, with two French teenagers aloft over Washington, D.C. in a restored World... Read More

“‘What’s the stink?’ The girl’s voice behind me in the crowded school hall raises the hair on my arms. Loren Miller. And one of her hordes. The smell of Wednesday’s special at the school cafeteria is wafting in the corridor,... Read More

“Will I like it?” Amada Irma, a young Mexican girl, asks herself. “Will I make new friends?” Young readers will relate to these questions, which exemplify the typical insecurities caused by the uncertainty of relocating to a new... Read More

Hannah is fourteen years old in 1866, living in the Utah territory. The story begins shortly after her mother and sister have died of diphtheria, and Hannah has assumed the home duties and primary care of her four younger siblings.... Read More