When I was a boy I lived in England and considered it the most ordinary place in the world. It was America that I was fascinated with, if you can imagine that. I thought that you could find anything in America. Did you know that the Jolly Green Giant lives in America? Most of you […]
The Man Who Ate Gene Wolfe: A Story Read More »
Welcome to the Containment Facility of The Criminal Currently Known as Mme. Bientot No pictures, film, or sketches of any kind. No Exceptions. No metal, glass, or other shiny objects, including pens and eyeglasses. Do not think of your name, any nicknames or aliases; do not think of the names of your parents, children, or
Fiction: Things You Must Not Think When Visiting Mme. Bientot Read More »
I don’t want to lecture you about your boyfriend. You already know what I think. Instead, let me tell you how we met. It’s either that or you’re grounded. —Okay, Dad. So I’d gone to the zoo a week ago when the zombie apocalypse started. Your mom was wearing a leopard-skin wrap with the claws
**** Excellent Male main character who should appeal to both boys and girls. There’s a girl character later on, but you never really get into her. Gran, although not a ten-year-old, definitely rocks by the end of the book. About 100 pages. In short: Ten-year-old Sam Jones has about had it with getting shuffled off to Gran’s
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**** Excellent. The book has two narrators, a boy and a girl, both with fun stories. Abut 150 pages. Thunderbird by Deb Logan In short: Twins Janine and Justin are stuck at their father’s dinosaur-digging camp for the summer. While most kids would be thrilled, they’ve seen it all before. However, when Janine is
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Another incredibly lucky day. I don’t know. I was overwhelmed this morning by Emma Hunneyball’s review of Exotics 1: In Rachael the author De Kenyon has drawn a heroine who is intelligent, brave, fierce and loyal. Rachael is superb: she is an open-minded girl who is able to accept bizarre truths about her existence and the
Book Review: The Exotics Book 1: The Floating Menagerie Read More »
**** Excellent. The main character is a boy, but a strong girl character is with him throughout most of the book. About 100 pages. Peter Swift’s Fright Files: The Broken Thing by Peter Swift In short: Stevie likes horror movies and books…but when he discovers a real haunted house and a real haunting, he chickens
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**** Excellent. The main character is a boy, but a strong girl character is his partner throughout most of the book. Abou 200 pages. Jack Dervish, Super Spy JC Andrijeski In short: After Jack’s superspy parents go missing, he hides in their secret lair for years…learning how to be the perfect spy. Now he has
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Liz Barone has a lovely review of Tales Told Under the Covers up: Tales Told Under the Covers features ten short stories for middle graders, but they definitely entertained me on an adult level. I liked that almost every main character had some sort of problem that all kids have, and that they resolved those problems after
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*** Not my favorite but it might be yours. The main character is a boy throughout the book, but Echo, a girl, has just as strong a part. About 190 pages. Echo McCool: Outlaw Through Time by Roger K. Driscoll In short: a magical girl from the distant past, trapped in a tree throughout centuries,
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