Book Review
Droll Tales
The connected stories in Iris Smyles’s "Droll Tales" are innovative—filled with surrealistic imagery, dark comedy, and people unmoored in their lives. A young woman who believes that she will never find someone to whom she would give...
Book Review
Write a Must-Read
"Write a Must-Read" is a direct, substantive guide for aspiring authors who want to craft audience-centered nonfiction books. AJ Harper, a ghost writer and a writing coach, provides would-be writers with the scaffolding and coaching...
Book Review
Chloe Cha Chas in London
In the picture book "Chloe Cha Chas in London", a determined young dancer travels to London to become better at her craft. In Corky Ballas and Carolina Orlovsky’s lively picture book "Chloe Cha Chas in London", a ten-year-old dancer...
Book Review
Drive through the Night
In her lyrical memoir, L. M. Browning “shatters the window of the white picket dream,” making her way West to reclaim herself. Moody black-and-white photographs accompany the book’s poems, adding resonance to claims of freedom or...
Book Review
Baby Teeth
In Meg Grehan’s compelling novel in verse "Baby Teeth", a vampire falls for a human and decides how far to take her desires for love and blood. Immy is one of a trio of vampires. Unlike the vampires of legends, they live again and...
Book Review
All Alone
In the sympathetic novel "All Alone", a tenth grader persists through multiple tough challenges. In Russ Thompson’s direct, accessible novel "All Alone", a vulnerable teenager contends with loneliness, as well as persistent school and...
Book Review
Chatty the Hen Pheasant
A hunting dog and his would-be prey have comical interactions in the picture book "Chatty the Hen Pheasant". In Linda Harkey’s surprising picture book "Chatty the Hen Pheasant", a dog braves the snow to hunt for a bird, hoping to...
Book Review
Night-night, Body
Mesmerizing and sweet, the picture book "Night-night, Body" sends each body part off to sleep in rhyming and communal form. Ted Scheu’s bright and inviting picture book "Night-night, Body" depicts the bedtime routines of families...