Category Archives: book reviews

I had purchased this book after hearing the author speak at a conference a few years ago. I’d forgotten about it and needed a quick read I could focus on while watching the kids this summer. While this is the … Continue reading →

Hatchet was one of my favorite books as a young reader. I loved imagining a survival situation and how I might use my resources and brain to survive even with the odds stacked against me. I’m also a fan of … Continue reading →

A few years ago, this was a “1book1community” pick. I had picked up a copy but forgot about it until recently. By the time I picked it up again, I forgot the premise and didn’t bother to read the description. … Continue reading →

A former student of mine left me this book at winter break a year or two ago. Its absurdist nature is reminiscent of The Stranger and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, two works we read the previous year in our … Continue reading →

Author Adriana Mather is a real-life descendant of Cotton Mather. In some ways, this young adult novel is inspired by her real-life interest in her family’s history. In the novel, Samantha Mather, a descendant of Cotton Mather, moves to Salem … Continue reading →

I received this book for free (from the publisher) as a review copy for possible use in my teaching. I teach AP Literature and am always on the lookout for modern books of literary merit that balance the ability to … Continue reading →

This book was given to me in a box of my own works that came to me from my late uncle. I was curious as to why he had it: either he or my grandmother had purchased it on May … Continue reading →

This was my last YA book club read for the school year. I was intrigued by the plot. Dimple is a recent high school graduate raised by a traditional Indian family in America. Her parents have expectations that she meet … Continue reading →