I happened upon this book in a used book store. I had previously read the (now award-winning) blog of the same name and was excited to see there was now a book. It was there in the illustrated humor section, right next to The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes. The book is a quick […]
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I enjoyed reading Knowlton’s first book, Dead of Autumn, and was excited to learn there is a sequel (and a third book coming soon). You can read my review of Dead of Autumn here. Now, for Dead of Summer: Synopsis (from the publisher) In a tale of suspense that travels from South-central Pennsylvania to Africa […]
I had read so many summaries of John Green novels written by my students that I wanted to choose a novel I didn’t know about. This is his first novel, and none of my students had ever reviewed it or spoiled it for me. Like Green’s other works, this is a young adult novel, a […]
After hearing so much about this book, I asked for it for Christmas, and it was the first new book I read this year. I read it a bit each morning while eating breakfast. When I begin reading books this way, I usually reach a point where I take them to bed with me and […]
For various reasons, I was not going to read this book. But then my dad bought a copy, read it, and wanted me to read it to see what I thought of it. First: To Kill a Mockingbird. I enjoyed the book immensely. It a favorite “school book” of my childhood (in other words, a […]
A coworker loaned me this coming-of-age story, telling me it is similar to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, only it’s a young woman (slightly older than Huck) in slightly more modern times. It was an apt description. Margo lives in rural Michigan, and the book takes place in the 1970s. Whereas Twain wove humor as […]
I bought this book at a conference simply based on word of mouth, and I’m glad I did. It’s a middle reader—about a fifth grader named Caitlin—dealing with Asperger’s syndrome in the aftermath of a school shooting. I was skeptical upon first reading the premise because I didn’t want to read a book that dwelled […]
I picked up a copy of this book as part of Loudoun County’s One Community, One Book program in anticipation of an author visit later this month. The book is illustrated by Jim Kay and inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd, an author who passed away before she was able to write it. The […]
A few years ago, a student of mine recommended this book. I bought it, stuck it on my TBR pile, and started reading it over the summer. I enjoyed it, but it got swept into a box when I decided to paint the bedroom, so I had about half of the book to read when […]
Sharyn McCrumb was the banquet speaker at Longwood University’s Summer Literacy Institute, and I enjoyed hearing her speak. In preparation for hearing her, I wanted to read one of her back-list titles, so I chose The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, a title from 1992. McCrumb is known as a writer of Appalachian fiction, both historical and […]
