One of my goals for Orange Marmalade in 2019 is to delve a bit into fantasy — which sounds very dwarf-like, this delving. Partly in order to keep expanding my own reading menu; partly because I recognize that for many …
Tag: middle grade fiction
a Dickensian tale of golems and chimney sweeps
Presenting another piece of middle-grade fiction that I couldn’t put down 🙂 Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster, by Jonathan Auxier published in 2018 by Amulet Books 344 pages + Author’s and Historical Notes Masterful storyteller Jonathan …
an out-of-the-box fantasy!
Selznickian became an adjective of choice for me in 2007 when Brian Selznick created his genre-busting novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, weaving together word and image in a way that had not been done before. Since then, he has …
Louisiana’s journey…another gem from DiCamillo
If you could clothe goodness in a character, what what it look like? If you could depict human flourishing in one snapshot of one place, where would that be? If you could encapsulate abandonment and solace, dismay and hope, fragmentation …
seeking refuge…reads for kids and adults
I have been focusing my reading the past few months on middle-grade literature addressing the crisis of refugees and asylum seekers. It has been tough, frankly. Emotionally tough. My goal in doing so was to offer you an array of …
fiction favorites…Breakout
Breakout, by Kate Messner published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books 448 pages I flew through Kate Messner’s most recent middle-grade novel last week, and loved it for so many reasons. It’s an excellent story starring a believable, flawed, likeable …
wishes, wartime, and music as real as jam
The Orphan Band of Springdale, written by Anne Nesbet published in 2018 by Candlewick Press 435 pages Gusta Neubronner, age 11, has just had the rug pulled out from under her slightly-blurry feet. It’s 1941. For some reason Gusta …
sequels to books I’ve loved
Today I’ve got three sequels to books I’ve previously loved and reviewed. And such a variety! An adventurous fantasy, a sweet chapter book series, and a graphic novel. All of them require reading the earlier book/s first, so I’ve linked …
murder and mayhem!
I just barreled through a delightful comic-mystery, brimming with clever intrigue, careening with impetuous young detectives, and sparkling with charming wit. Did I love this book? Reader, I did. The World’s Greatest Detective, by Caroline Carlson published in 2017 by …
fiction favorites: Hope in the Holler
Today, in the category of Books That Surprised Me, allow me to introduce: Hope in the Holler, by Lisa Lewis Tyre published in 2018 by Nancy Paulsen Books 209 pages This book had to sneak up on me in order …
orange marmalade 