Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna
A young girl has a small Fear with her all the time. It helps keep her safe. However, when she moves away, the Fear grows to an extent where it takes over. It will not let her even leave the house at times. And it makes her new school very difficult. She cannot imagine anyone understanding her, or her feelings. However, the reader can see that there is a “little something” (in the form of a young boy) that seems to want to get to […]
Chloe #6: Green Thumb by Greg Tessier
Chloe #6: Green Thumb by Greg Tessier is a compilation of two stories about growing up and being the best you that you can be. In story one, Chloe and her friends tackle the school project of creating a garden at their school. Chloe at first does not want to get “down and dirty” until one of her friends shows her own much fun it can be. And from there Chloe figures out ways to make her school and home greener. While it branches off […]
Lumberjackula by Mat Heagerty
We know the story presented in Lumberjackula by Mat Heagerty: a child wants to please his parents by doing what they want him to do; however, he does not want to do exactly what either wants for him as neither choice is the right fit for him. He has a need, a need to DANCE! But when your mother is a lumberjack and your father a vampire, you must decide which side you are on. Or do you? Of course, there are lies (Jack tells […]
Sort of Super by Eric Gapstu
At first, I almost did not finish this book due in March 2022. I was thinking that Sort of Super was just another kid superhero who has the brain of a grape. One should not be thinking “Dumba$$” about an eleven-year-old/middle school kid. But Wyatt is a dumb dumba$$. I understand not being able to handle his powers or having misunderstandings (we all have had to calibrate to our “other left”), but even a kid should know what a “Muggle Dumbledore” means (not that he […]
When the Schools Shut Down : A Young Girl's Story of Virginia's "Lost Generation" and the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Decision by Yolanda Gladden
While When the Schools Shut Down : A Young Girl’s Story of Virginia’s “Lost Generation” and the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Decision is a slightly romantic telling of the several years after Brown v. Board of Education when one community went out of their way to make sure their black citizen did not get an education, this book is still strongly showing how much people want to learn, and how far they are willing to go to get what they want. After the decision […]
Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara
The prose poetry allows Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara to be a quick read, but without sacrificing the story. In the tone and style of Love that Dog and Hate that Cat, Caprara created a book that is both familiar in the subjects presented (growing up, bullies, the loss of a parent, friendship, mental health issues) and different (the father’s particular mental health issues). While I felt the ending was a bit forced, it also was the only way to do it. The realism of […]
