Hanna is half-white and half-Chinese. (Her father is white and her mother was Chinese.) At the opening of the story Hanna and her father are moving from California to the Dakota Territory in the 1880’s after the death of her mother. Her father is a tailor and dry goods merchant and plans to open a … Continue reading
The Mysterious Howling is a re-read for me. I didn’t really care for it in 2010 when I first read it upon its initial publication. So why would I re-read a book I didn’t like in the first place? One of the hosts of a bookish podcast I listen to (Currently Reading–which I HIGHLY recommend) … Continue reading
Cassie Logan and her brothers (from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry!) are adults now and anxious to find their lives away from Mississippi where they can no longer tolerate the racial bigotry. They hope to find more opportunities and better treatment in the North. Cassie moves from Mississippi to Ohio, then California and Colorado, … Continue reading
A House Without Walls was an unexpected find for me at the library and I am so very glad that it was! It is the story of Lam (11 years old) and her brother Dee Dee (7 years old) and their flight from Vietnam in 1979 as part of ‘the Boat People.’ The author met … Continue reading
Anna Mallon lives with her family in County Longford in the 1880s during the Land Wars in Ireland. They are tenant farmers on the Lord’s lands, struggling to raise enough crops to both feed themselves and make enough money to pay rent. Rent continues to climb and the weather continues to interfere with their ability … Continue reading
I have to fess up and say that, although I love most of Kate DiCamillo’s work, I was not a fan of Raymie Nightingale. It has been a delightful surprise that I have truly enjoyed both Louisiana’s Way Home and this newest addition, Beverly, Right Here. We were introduced to Beverly Tapinski in Raymie Nightingale … Continue reading
Today I want to share a book that I read for the first time almost ten years ago and it immediately became a fixture on my “All-Time Favorites” list. I found Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia by accident at the library. I was looking for a book by another author whose last name … Continue reading
Planet Earth is Blue centers on Nova Vezina, an autistic, largely nonverbal 12-year-old who loves astronomy and is anxiously awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. She and her sister, Bridget, have been in foster care for several years. Nova’s story begins with the words: “Bridget was gone.” We realize, through flashback, that … Continue reading
This one was a 4/5 star read for me. Lyndie is eleven years old in 1985, the daughter of a former war protester/activist and a Vietnam veteran. She is fascinated by (and quite knowledgeable about) American history–particularly the Civil War. She, her mother and father have just moved into her grandparents’ home. Lyndie doesn’t exactly … 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
