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Book Review: Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: Nightbird Author: Alice Hoffman Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books Pages: Hardcover; 208 Release Date: March 10, 2018 Source: NetGalley —————————————————- Content Screening: Nothing of note. HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy magical realism, and quirky protagonists. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes In her first novel for middle-grade readers , bestselling author Alice Hoffman tells a bewitching story of love and friendship that is truly magical. Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumored to hide a monster.…
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Book Review: The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: The Question of Miracles Author: Elana K. Arnold Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers Pages: Hardcover; 240 Release Date: February 3, 2015 Source: NetGalley ——————————————————— Content Screening: Tough Issues – Death HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers of all ages, especially those who love moving and realistic fiction. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes Following the death of her best friend, Iris and her family move to Oregon for a fresh start in this middle-grade story of miracles, magic, rain, hope, and a hairless cat named Charles. Sixth-grader Iris…
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Double Graphic Novel Review: Zita the Spacegirl + Legends of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
Title: Zita the Spacegirl Author: Ben Hatke Illustrator: Ben Hatke Publisher: First Second Pages: Paperback; 192 Release Date: February 1, 2011 Source: Library ======================== Recommended Age Group: 8+ HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Zita’s life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of an eye. When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and…
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Book Review: The Spindlers
Media Type: Print Book Title: The Spindlers Author: Lauren Oliver Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: Hardcover; 256 Release Date: October 2, 2012 Source: Library —————————————————- Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade Content Screening: Mild Violence —————————————————– HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Young readers who love a good story and aren’t afraid of a little darkness in their reading. Add it: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up,…
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Book Review: Walk Two Moons
Media Type: Ebook Title: Walk Two Moons Author: Sharon Creech Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: Paperback; 288 Release Date: July 18, 1996 Source: Amazon ———————————————– Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade Content Screening: Nothing of note ———————————————– HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Everyone. Seriously. I wish this read by every person of every age. It’s that amazing. Add it: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N / Book Depository Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle’s mother has disappeared. While tracing her steps on a car trip from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents, Salamanca tells a story to pass the…
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Book Review: The Mapmaker and the Ghost
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: The Mapmaker and the Ghost Author: Sarvenaz Tash Publisher: Walker Childrens Pages: Hardcover; 256 Release Date: April 24, 2012 Source: NetGalley ————————————– Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade Content Screening: Nothing of note ————————————– HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Young readers looking for an adventure with a bit of a historical twist. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N Goldenrod Moram loves nothing better than a good quest. Intrepid, curious, and full of a well-honed sense of adventure, she decides to start her own exploring team fashioned after her…
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Audio Book Review: The Whites of Their Eyes
Media Type: Audio Book Title: The Whites of Their Eyes *Series: Keepers of the School #3 Author: Andrew Clements Narrator: Keith Nobbs Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Format: Unabridged Compact Disc; 4 discs Release Date: February 21, 2012 Source: Audiobook Jukebox ———————————————– Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade / YA Content Screening: Nothing of note. ———————————————– Recommended to: Readers who love adventure! HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N Andrew Clements delivers the latest in his adventure-filled school series. This could be the last great Memorial Day weekend on Barclay Bay, and…
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Book Review: Effie at the Wedding
Media Type: Short Story/Ebook Title: Effie at the Wedding Author: Tracy Marchini Publisher: Squirrel Books Release Date: March 30, 2011 Source: Author ==================== Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade/Young Adult Content Screening: Just adorable snark. HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Effie has a million reasons why she’s not thrilled to be at her sister’s wedding — and the monstrously pink bridesmaid’s dress isn’t even on the list. When Effie finds herself locked in the bathroom, she thinks she might just stay there. After all, it’s better than hearing from her mom about how often she’s been to the buffet…
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Book Review: The Misadventures of PIP
Tweet Media Type: Book Title: The Misadventures of PIP Author: Donna Peterson Publisher: Bonneville Pages: Paperback; 96 Release Date: June 14, 2011 Source: NetGalley =================== Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade/Young Adult Content Screening: None HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Pip, whose real name is Phillip Isaac Penn, feels that the world is against him as he struggles to deal with angry parents, a bossy older sister, a frazzled teacher, and memorable characters such as Bully Bart, Cheater Chaz, Know-It-All Nell, Liar Lizzy, Stealer Steffan, Conman Cody, and Tattle-Tale Tess. Every day of the week brings another challenge that…
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Book Review: The Krybosian Stairpath
In a refreshing change, along comes a children’s book that does not rely on magic to explain the unexplainable. The Krybosian Stairpath puts forth the notion that just because you don’t understand something, it doesn’t mean there must be magic behind it. Knowledge and perspective can make all the difference. Enter a world of wonder deep inside the earth as 11-year-old geologist Madison Terrence follows her pet gopher down a stairpath portal she discovers in her family’s cavern. When she descends the Krybosian Stairpath, a mystery from her family’s past begins to unravel. She soon realizes her arrival in the…