Framed! is a really fun read. Our main character is 12-year-old Florian Bates. On the first page he introduces himself to the reader and lets us know that he’s an average 7th grader, aside from the fact that–despite his age–he works with the FBI. By page 4 he has been kidnapped and by page 12 … Continue reading
Lemons is another title I probably would never have picked up if it hadn’t shown up on the Lovelace nominee list this year. After having read it, I find I am slightly conflicted in my opinion of it. I love discovering new (to me) Minnesota authors and I wanted to love this book all the … Continue reading
I know it will be unpopular for me to make this first admission: Andrew Clements’ books are really hit or miss for me. I know that younger readers enjoy them–his work is sought after in school libraries all the time–but they just don’t usually hit the mark for me. Sometimes I find them too affectedly … Continue reading
After finishing Greetings from Witness Protection I find myself stewing in irritation. This is why: parts of the story are extremely well crafted, but the parts that fall flat do so in a way that detracts from the best parts of the book; as a result, the whole thing never completely came together for me. … Continue reading
I originally read Save Me a Seat when it was published in 2016. I rated it 5 stars then. When I saw it was a Lovelace nominee this year, I was curious to see if I would feel the same after rereading it. Save Me a Seat was just as fantastic the second time as the … Continue reading
The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse is a perfect example of why I adore the Maud Hart Lovelace awards. I always try to read all of the nominees before the school year starts so I can speak intelligently about them when students or parents ask me. I have discovered more than one gem among the nominees … Continue reading
Jade is an extraordinarily talented African-American teenage artist about to begin her junior year at St. Francis High School in Portland, Oregon. St. Francis is a private high school in a nicer neighborhood than the one in which Jade lives with her mother and uncle; its students are mostly white. Jade agreed to attend St. … Continue reading
Wolf Hollow is not a book I would have picked up on my own. I read Wolf Hollow because it is on the list of Maud Hart Lovelace nominees for 2020. I know, also, that it was Newbery Honor book in 2017. I listened to this one on Audio and did not have any preconceived ideas … Continue reading
Part historical fiction, part mystery and part contemporary middle years coming-of-age story, The Parker Inheritance weaves many themes into its complex, but highly structured, plot. The main character is Candice Miller. She is twelve years old and her parents have separated. She and her mother have come to Lambert, South Carolina to stay while their … Continue reading
Jewell Parker Rhodes says very clearly in her Author’s Note for this book that she wanted to write a book that teachers could use to teach children about 9/11. Towers Falling accomplishes that goal. It offers adults a way of introducing conversations and history about something that remains an extremely emotional and terrifying–some would same … Continue reading
