Tag: book review

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Today’s book recommendation: MURDER AMONG FRIENDS by Candace Fleming – YA Nonfiction

In honor of Halloween, here is a true story for you and/or your older teens that will give you all the chills! 👻

Candace Fleming is an incredibly talented author and she has taken mountains of primary source material and crafted it into a true crime tale that feels like a thriller.

Back in the 1920s in Chicago, two teenagers decided to brutally murder an innocent child in order to collect ransom money. More than the money though, their main motivation was to prove they could pull off the perfect crime and never get caught.

And they might have gotten away with it, but for one little mistake–a dropped pair of prescription glasses. 👓

The first part of this book is about the actual crime and capture, and then moves on to the boys’ confessions and the ensuing courtroom battle.

The part I found most compelling was the courtroom arguments regarding mental health. This was a landmark case because there wasn’t a lot of precedent at this time for pleading insanity or for trying teenagers for murder.

This book isn’t for the weak of heart! That being said, Fleming keeps the violence matter-of-fact and the focus of the book is really on the psychology of the boys and the legal system of the time. She addresses relevant contributing factors like police corruption, anti-semitism, the boys’ homosexual relationship, nature vs. nurture, and wealth & privilege with exquisite care, which makes for great discussion starters for you and your teens.

If you’re feeling brave, go ahead and give this thought-provoking book a try.

Happy reading and happy Halloween!

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Today’s book recommendation: ODDER by Katherine Applegate – Middle Grade Verse Novel

I read this beautiful little book all in one sitting last night. It was delightful! The story is primarily told from “Odder’s” perspective, so, of course, it is fictional, but it is based on real sea otters who have been rescued and rehabilitated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

Sea otters are an endangered species, and they are also a keystone species, which means they are vitally important to the balance of their ecosystem. I learned so much about sea otters from this book, and now my kids are eager to get their hands on it!

The illustrations of Charles Santoso make you want to reach out and cuddle the little cuties–baby sea otters, what could be better?

This book is ideal for a first experience in verse novels, as well. The prose is clear and straightforward, there is a short glossary in the back, and most of all, the free verse format can inspire kids to play with words on the page in their own writing.

Now that I’ve read it, I really want to take a trip out to Monterey Bay and see this remarkable program in action! 

I hope you pick this up and give it a try.
Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: HAZARDOUS TALES series by Nathan Hale – Middle Grade Graphic Novels

I posted earlier about reading the Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution with my boys. What I didn’t anticipate was how it opened up their desire to learn more about the war. I love seeing it, and I was quick to take advantage with Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales graphic novels.

While these books have a fictional storytelling framework, most of the information is nonfiction. These two are about the Revolution, and my boys swallowed them whole, as well as some of his others. They’re funny and silly, all while teaching about real events.

I pulled out my copy of 1776 by David McCullough, and they loved all the handwritten letter, map and newspaper reproductions. It was interesting to see the difference between the maps the Americans had, with the poorly drawn ones in the hands of the British.

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Today’s book recommendation: I AM SMOKE by Henry Herz – Nonfiction Picture Book

If you haven’t read this book yet, you simply must pick it up! The literary STEM prose of Henry Herz and the gorgeous, ethereal illustrations of Mercè López are the perfect combination.

Growing up, we learn how dangerous smoke is, but this book also shows how it has been used for good over time. I love the fun twist of the smoke itself narrating the story. It speaks in riddles with a poetic rhythm that gives it an alluring timelessness that is just so, so perfect!

Herz and López also teamed up for a follow up book that released this spring called I AM GRAVITY.

Both of these books are great for reading out loud and discussing, plus they have excellent backmatter for the truly curious!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: A BRILLIANT NIGHT OF STARS AND ICE by Rebecca Connolly – Adult/YA Historical Fiction

This book was heart-wrenching and beautiful! Rebecca’s research was impeccable, and although I’ve long been fascinated with the story of the Titanic, I was mesmerized and inspired by Captain Rostram’s heroic rescue of the 706 survivors.

As I read of the rescue, I was reminded of the Titanic artifact exhibit in Las Vegas. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going through it, especially after reading this book! It has a fun, interactive (but also sobering) element to it where you are assigned a passenger profile and given a ticket, and then at the end you see if you survived!

The crazy thing is that my profile passenger was a woman named Kate and one of the main point of view characters in Rebecca’s book is also Kate, who is traveling with her sister!

I’m so grateful to know of the bravery and selflessness that went into saving those who were lucky enough to secure a spot in the lifeboats. If you want to know the untold story of the Titanic disaster, I highly recommend this book! It’s perfect for both teenagers and adults.

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: POTION MASTERS by Frank Cole – Middle Grade Fantasy

This photo always makes me giggle. 🙂 Apparently, it’s okay if your head gets squished while you nap, as long as it’s a Frank Cole book!

Frank’s Potion Masters series is terrific for roadtrips, or anytime, in fact, because these books are just a whole lot of fun! Kids who learn to brew magic potions and use them to save the world–what could be better? There’s secret societies, renegade potion masters, black market potions, and plenty of magical mishaps!

I got to know Frank at a writing conference a couple years back and he’s just as fun in person as he is in his books. There’s no doubt that he knows his middle grade audience. In his books, I love that you can always count on finding lots of adventure, plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, and at the center of it all, a meaningful message.

In this series, Gordy and his friends learn about trust and loyalty, navigating middle school friendships, believing in themselves and their own special gifts. If you have any 10-13-year-olds in your life, chances are they’ll love them!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: DRAWN TOGETHER by Minh Le – Fiction Picture Book

This picture book is one of my absolute favorites. The illustrations by Dan Santat are stunning, and the story has so much heart. I love the wordplay of the title, as well. In the book, a grandson struggles to connect with his grandson because they don’t speak the same language. After several tries, the grandfather realizes they both love to draw, and so they go on a magical adventure together with their drawings. Basically, their drawings literally draw them together.

The words are sparse because the characters’ expressions really do a lot of the talking in a simple, graphic novel style with multiple images on a page. It makes for a fun, interactive experience when reading it with young children as you ask them about the pictures and discuss what each character is feeling.

I think this book is so effective because it depicts a language barrier that both the author and illustrator related to personally–Vietnamese American for Le and Thai American for Santat.

My grandparents spoke English like me, but even then, we can all relate to trying to find a way to relate to another person, which can be especially tricky across generational gaps.

Depending on if you borrow this book from the library or buy your own copy, you might not be able to take off the dust jacket. If you can get a peek, the casewrap is a fun surprise as it is designed to look like the grandfather’s sketch book from the story!

Grab a copy of your own today and enjoy!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendations: An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves – YA Regency Romance and A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright – Adult/YA Regency Romance

When AN IMPROBABLE SEASON came out last year, I had the opportunity to go to my local bookstore and get a signed copy from Rosalyn Eves!

Julie Wright was there as well, leading a a fun book discussion and Q&A with Rosalyn. These women are such extraordinary authors! I admire them so much! I ended coming away with 2 signed books to add to my TBR, plus a couple of door prizes! 🎉

Regency romance is a genre I only dip my toes in occasionally, but I truly enjoyed both books. I especially loved how Rosalyn kept me guessing till the very end who the main love interest was!

Thanks to Tanya’s Book Bungalow for hosting such a great event!

Happy Reading!

P.S. There’s now a stand-alone companion to AN IMPROBABLY SEASON that is called AN UNLIKELY PROPOSITION! If you or your teenagers like Bridgerton, this may be just the thing!

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Today’s book recommendation: LINCOLN’S GRAVE ROBBERS by Steve Sheinkin – Middle Grade Nonfiction

This true crime thriller is the perfect book to hook kids on nonfiction. Did you know that in 1865 over 50% of America’s paper money was counterfeit? It was a HUGE problem for the country, and so it became the one and only task of the nation’s new Secret Service organization to put a stop to it.

Steve Sheinkin is one of my all-time favorite authors, and this book was my first introduction to his work. It’s a real page-turner, filled with daring escapes and unbelievable plots, and the best part is that it all really happened! Sheinkin pulls actual dialogue and fantastic details from the audio transcripts and reports that are available because one secret service officer was able to infiltrate the counterfeiting gang that was trying steal Abraham Lincoln’s dead body!

My boys loved this book as much as I did, and I’m sure you will, too!

Happy Reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY by Sue Heavenrich – Nonfiction Picture Book

Lots of giggles with this fun counting down picture book! You start the book with 13 flies, and each then gets caught and eaten in a different way–whether they’re wrapped up like a burrito by a garden spider or stuffed in a hole to feed the larvae of a wasp.

The animal world is weird and wonderful, and there is plenty of gross factor here to go along with it! David Clark’s illustrations, with the delightful animal expressions, are the perfect complement to Sue Heavenrich’s prose.

Check out the hilarious nutritional facts for eating a serving of flies at the end!

Happy Reading!