5/29/2023 0 Comments Redwoods by Jason Chin![]() ![]() ![]() And that’s because it’s every bit as good as the reviewers say. I hope, however, that you have actually read it - and not just read about it. Most of those are starred reviews, I might add. You may have read about Redwoods (Flashpoint, March 2009) in Betsy Bird’s early-June review (“you have kids that think non-fiction is dull as dishwater? Meet the cure”) in the Horn Book (“the book is…a contagious celebration of the relationship between information and imagination, the pure joy of learning”) in Booklist (“the first book Chin has written as well as illustrated is a real eye-opener”) in Kirkus (“an inventive, eye-opening adventure”) in School Library Journal (“this remarkable picture book delivers a mix of fantasy and fiction through beautifully detailed watercolors”) or Publisher’s Weekly (“Playing with the notion of just how immersive a book can be, illustrator Chin…makes his authorial debut with a clever exploration of coast redwoods”). I’m shining a spotlight today on someone who is not new to children’s lit but who has just released the first title he’s both written and illustrated. “…In some cases, a huge portion of the center of the trunk has been burned out, ![]()
0 Comments
5/29/2023 0 Comments Epic by conor kostick![]() ![]() Kinsella leaned over and began to read the page aloud. Ed Mulhall (of RTE news) was showing Thomas Kinsella an ipad and by way of illustration of its use, called up an app to do with James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. ![]() Neither of us are particularly gregarious upon meeting someone for the first time, so I have no lively anecdotes from the day, other than this. ![]() So it was with great pleasure that I learned that Thomas Kinsella was visiting Farmleigh Library, which is where I am working at the moment: unravelling the mysteries of the Gerald of Wales manuscript I came across last year. One of my favourite books is The Táin, Thomas Kinsella's version of the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge, with illustrations by Louis le Brocquy (Dolmen, 1969 Oxford University Press, 1970). ![]() 5/29/2023 0 Comments As brave as you review![]() ![]() Genie thinks that is AWESOME until he realizes Ernie has no interest in learning how to shoot. It’s his fourteenth birthday, and, Grandpop says to become a man, you have to learn how to shoot a gun. Then Ernie lets him down in the bravery department. ![]() I chose to write about As Brave As You because Jason Reynolds is a good author. And when he finds the secret room that Grandpop is always disappearing into-a room so full of songbirds and plants that it’s almost as if it’s been pulled inside-out-he begins to wonder if his grandfather is really so brave after all. Note from Elena Reads: This review was originally published in the December 2019 issue of Blue Marble Review. How does he match his clothes? Know where to walk? Cook with a gas stove? Pour a glass of sweet tea without spilling it? Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he’s ever known, but he starts to notice that his grandfather never leaves the house-as in NEVER. Thunderstruck, Genie peppers Grandpop with questions about how he hides it so well (besides wearing way cool Ray-Bans). The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia-in the COUNTRY! The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. ![]() Kirkus Award Finalist Schneider Family Book Award Winner Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires-literally-in this “pitch-perfect contemporary novel” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) by the winner of the Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe Award. ![]() 5/29/2023 0 Comments Dreams to Die For by Alan G. Boyes![]() ![]() There were a couple of references regarding the woman Halima Chalthoum. All seem reasonably bona fide but who knows what goes on over there. We didn’t retain copies but most were from organisations and companies from abroad. I personally read them and noted down the details. Didn’t Crossland tell you, Bill, that he had received excellent references including an Affidavit or some such? Presumably you’ve had them checked them out?” We know it was genuine but strangely it was closed immediately after Crossland’s confirmatory letters arrived. Everything apparently checks out, yet only partially, like the PO Box in Dubai. ![]() “Something isn’t right but what it has to do with 7/7, Christ knows. ![]() Over a lengthy chat and two cups of coffee, they reviewed what they knew. Manders picked up his phone and asked Bill Ritson, the lead officer of the Hannet-Mar Bank investigation, to join him. ![]() 5/29/2023 0 Comments Escaping destiny amelia hutchins![]() ![]() He thinks he has taken all of my options away.Įmbracing what destiny has planned for me, or escaping it. The Horde King thinks he has me exactly where he wants me. My powers and emotions are on the fritz, and each day seems to bring surprises that I am not sure how to deal with. ![]() Now in the Horde Realm, nothing is going remotely like I thought it would. ![]() This was the mystical being I was hidden from for more than twenty years.Īlthough Ryder promised to save me, I couldn’t let him get near this creature, so I willingly (sort of) signed myself over to be his new plaything. Just as I found out who I really am, I was presented to the elusive Horde King as a gift. I found out what I really wanted and was forced to give him up. ![]() 5/29/2023 0 Comments The virgin cure by ami mckay![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The summer she turned twelve, her mother sold her as a servant to a wealthy woman, with no intention of ever seeing her again. As a young child, Moth's father smiled, tipped his hat and walked away from her forever. "I am Moth, a girl from the lowest part of Chrystie Street, born to a slum-house mystic and the man who broke her heart." So begins The Virgin Cure, a novel set in the tenements of lower Manhattan in the year 1871. From the author of the number one Canadian bestseller The Birth House comes the story of a young girl abandoned to the streets of post-Civil War New York City. ![]() 5/29/2023 0 Comments Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight![]() ![]() The author was pointing out that the rough climate of that region in England was the main factor in making the people there more resilient and eager to fight. ![]() The book author, Eric Knight, spent his childhood in Yorkshire, where the story is based as well as a beginning and the end of the plot. The winning factor in that struggle was loyalty, bravery, persistence, fidelity and an enormous amount of love. Separation of Lassie and Joe was something they couldn't reconcile with so soon a fight begins for them to reunite again. They were spending days playing together, but their happiness was harshly interrupted when Lassie was sold to another family. A boy named Joe lives in a low-income family and a collie named Lassie was his best friend. ![]() The movie filmed based on this book tells us a story about friendship, loyalty and the great love between dog and human. ![]() 5/28/2023 0 Comments Star daughter shveta thakrar![]() ![]() Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. ![]() “This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy. ![]() I am a fan of Neil Gaiman, and in Shveta Thakrar’s acknowledgements in this book, she thanks Neil and Charles Vess for their illustrated novel Stardust, which inspired her to “write a story about a girl whose mother is a star in a Hindu constellation.” While I absolutely love that Stardust served as an inspiration, Star Daughter felt in no way derivative, standing beautifully on its own. Star Daughter was released in August of this year, and I purchased it for my Kindle soonafter, intrigued by the premise. Happy Diwali to those that celebrate! My book recommendation today is one of the most beautifully written books I read this year- Shveta Thakrar’s stunning debut YA novel Star Daughter. Star Daughter on a starry black background, with a diadem made of stars, and a lotus I made out of vellum paper, to represent the moonlight lotus in the book. ![]() 5/28/2023 0 Comments Havenfall book 2![]() What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she's known? This next breathtaking fantasy from New York Times bestselling Everless author Sara Holland is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Holly Black. As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers family secrets that could change everything. She must embark on a dangerous mission to put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn's doors to Solaria, the once feared land of shapeshifters. ![]() ![]() But Maddie soon realizes there's more work to be done to protect the place her family has run for centuries. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her handsome, more-than-just-a-friend Brekken, even though she can't stop thinking about Taya. Her uncle the Innkeeper is slowly recovering from a mysterious spell that has left him not quite human. ![]() She saved the Inn at Havenfall-a sanctuary between magical worlds hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado-from the evil Silver Prince. Maddie Morrow thought her problems were over. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints and Ruthless Gods, on Havenfall New York Times bestselling author Sara Holland continues her blockbuster contemporary fantasy series with this unforgettable sequel to Havenfall. A vibrant world where magic is closer and more dangerous than we know. ![]() ![]() ![]() As Jake reconciles ancient traditions with our modern times, his recipes become a celebration of a rich and vibrant history, a love story of blending cultures, and an invitation to gather around the table and create new memories with family, friends, and loved ones. Jew-ish is a brilliant collection of delicious recipes, but it's much more than that. ![]() Imagine the components of an everything bagel wrapped into a flaky galette latkes dyed vibrant yellow with saffron for a Persian spin on the potato pancake, best-ever hybrid desserts like Macaroon Brownies and Pumpkin Spice Babka! Jew-ish features elevated, yet approachable classics along with innovative creations, such as: In Jew-ish, he reinvents the food of his Ashkenazi heritage and draws inspiration from his husband's Persian-Iraqi traditions to offer recipes that are modern, fresh, and enticing for a whole new generation of readers. But as food writer and nice Jewish boy Jake Cohen demonstrates in this stunning debut cookbook, Jewish food can be so much more. When you think of Jewish food, a few classics come to mind: chicken soup with matzo balls, challah, maybe a babka if you're feeling adventurous. A brilliantly modern take on Jewish culinary traditions for a new generation of readers, from a bright new star in the culinary world. A New York Times bestseller A brilliantly modern take on Jewish culinary traditions for a new generation of readers. ![]() |