Month: September 2017

REVIEW: The Exact Location from Home by Kate Messner

REVIEW: The Exact Location from Home by Kate Messner

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Kirby Zigonski – Zig – has been looking forward to this weekend for ages. His dad’s coming to town for a visit. Zig hasn’t seen him in over a year as their previous plans had been cancelled for work. But this time it’s going to happen!

Until it doesn’t.

Zig can’t get him by cell or by email, and there are no messages telling him why his dad’s not there. And Zig is only focused on what this means to him. He doesn’t realize the implications of his dad’s absence on his home life. Not until he reads about the rent deadline and sees his mom’s checkbook. No dad means no child support deposit. There hasn’t been one for a few months. They’re about to be evicted from their apartment.

But Zig has figured out how to find his dad. Zig Sr. was into geocaching, and Zig found a GPS system at a garage sale. When he investigates local caching sites he discovers a cacher named Senior Searcher. The timing of his finds lines up with his dad’s travels so he’s certain this is his dad. Zig doesn’t know why his mom is so resistant to him seeing his dad or knowing why he hasn’t come by. But he’s determined to just find his dad on his own.

Review

This was excellent, just like I’d expect from Kate Messner! Zig is a terrific character. He brought up so many emotions for me – empathy, compassion and fear. The reader gets hints about what is going on in Zig’s life before Zig sees them. I wanted to protect him from what is coming. But he’s fantastically resilient.

The geocaching was a fun piece of the story (you can also find it in the second Candymakers book). It was a cool connecting link for several of the plot points. The author also does a great job of showing different reactions and assumptions about homelessness without being heavy handed or shaming the ignorant and uninformed. And those reactions come from students and adults. (The school librarian, who may not even have a word of dialogue in the book, is probably my favorite character when it comes to Zig and his situation.) This would be a great read aloud for classroom use or a book group; the discussion would be fantastic. I’d love to see how students respond to different things in the story. The homelessness piece reminded me of the book Crenshaw. These could be paired up nicely.

There’s a great shout out to the picture book Library Lion in this book that has stuck with me for days after finishing this. If you haven’t read it, you should track it down right away! It’s a fun story, and it communicates some great messages in THIS story.

This is absolutely lovely and touching! Many thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: September 12, 2017

BOOK NEWS: September 12, 2017

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s Patriot Day in the United States today. If you are looking for books for kids/teens that talk about the events of September 11, 2001, I can recommend America Is Under Attack; Nine, Ten; and All We Have Left. You can also find more suggestions here.

There are lots of great books releasing this week. Let’s take a look:

Books for Kids

  

The Nutcracker: A BabyLit Dance Primer – I love that classic books and other works are being turned into board books for the youngest readers. This one comes out just in time for the holiday season.
Book of Gold – A boy looks for a special book that turns to gold and contains the answers to every question. I’m curious about this one.
Fly Guy’s Big Family – Book 17 in the Fly Guy series. I loved having these in the library at school because they were great stories that students enjoyed that were written at a fairly simple reading level.
His Royal Highness King Baby: A Terrible True Story – This sibling rivalry tale takes a royal spin when the main character, who considers herself the princess in the family, loses her prime role to a new baby.
Imagine That: How Dr. Seuss Wrote the Cat in the Hat – A picture book biography of Dr. Seuss that specifically looks at the journey to publication for The Cat in the Hat. Two fabulous authors/illustrators put this one together; I think it will be excellent.
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library – A picture book biography about Arturo Schomburg, a man with a passion for African-American history whose personal book collection was the cornerstone of what has become the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. How cool! I can’t wait to read this one!
The Disastrous Magical Wishes of Classroom 13 – Book 2 in the Classroom 13 series. An unlucky teacher finds a genie in a lamp, and the genie offers each student one wish. What could go wrong with that?
The Great Troll Quest – Book 5 in the Ella and Owen series about twin dragons. These early chapter books are darling!
Hero Dog! – A new series from Branches based on a true story. These are written by a young girl who is a reporter in real life and the books are based on stories she wrote as a reporter. I am so excited about this new series!
Judy Moody Tooth Fairy – I am a huge Judy Moody fan. I love these full color short chapter books for young readers who aren’t yet ready for Judy and her brother Stink’s full books – or who just want shorter adventures with their favorite characters.
Just Dance – A girl takes over a newspaper column for the summer where she is supposed to report about anything exciting going on in town. This sounds like a sweet story.
Roar of the Thunder Dragon – Book 8 in the Dragon Masters series from Branches. Branches books are my favorite things to recommend for young readers branching out into short chapter books.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Abby in Wonderland – Book 9 in the Whatever After series about Abby and her brother who have a habit of falling into fairy tales and changing the story. This is a cute series!
Caleb and Kit – A boy with cystic fibrosis meets a mysterious girl who changes his life but it’s not clear if she is changing it for the better or for the worse. This sounds terrific.
The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole – A girl’s friendship with a lonely black hole helps her see her own loneliness. This is a unique premise, but the heart of the story sounds right up my alley. This is on my list.
Deadzone – Horizon, book 2. This particular book is by the spectacular Jennifer Nielsen. This series is about a group of kids who crash in what should be the arctic, but instead they find themselves in a secret jungle. This is the sort of series that has an overarching story arc, but each book is written by a different author. These have been super popular. The 39 Clues, Infinity Ring, The Voyagers series,  work like this. Very fun.
The Dragon of Fortune – First there was Geronimo Stilton, a mouse reporter. Then there were themed books like Journey Through Time and Cavemice . Then there was the Kingdom of Fantasy series. This is the second “Special Edition” in that series. My students couldn’t get enough of these books when I was teaching.
The Exact Location of Home – The latest from Kate Messner is a treat! I am reviewing this one tomorrow.
The Explorer – A group of kids must survive in the Amazon after their plane crashes. Books like this tend to stress me out, but my students always loved them. If you have kids who love survival/adventure novels, check this one out.
The Great Hibernation – All of the adults in a community fall into a deep sleep, and the kids are left to fend for themselves. This book was initially on my list because I love the author, Tara Dairman’s All Four Stars series. But the premise of this one is too good to pass up. This is high on my list for this week.
The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match – Book 2 in the Great Shelby Holmes series. I discovered I not only had a copy of book one on my TBR shelves, but I actually had two! I really, really wanted to read that book. I have popped this one up to the top of my pile. I’m really eager to check it out. I love middle grade mysteries.
In the Deep Blue Sea – Book 2 in the Jack and the Geniuses series about three foster kids who work with a scientist. Two of the kids are brilliantly smart. Jack is more street smart than book smart, and this time he is trying to solve a mysterious sabotage at an electricity plant that harvests energy from the ocean. I loved book one! Great for kids who love science!
The Journey Home – Book 2 in the Wilder Boys series. I wrote about book one last month. After traveling across the country to find their father, now the boys are trying to get home. This sounds like a terrific adventure series. It’s a reprint of a previously released book, now under the MAX line. I’d love to read both of these books.
Swing It Sunny – Sequel to Sunny Side Up. In this graphic novel, Sunny is back home after a summer with her grandfather in Florida, but nothing back at home is what she expected. I really enjoyed book one. Looking forward to this one.
Z on Location – From the folks at American Girl comes book 2 in the Z Yang series about an aspiring film maker. I missed book one, but this looks really cute. I know so many kids who want to do their own videos and films. A timely series.
Where is Easter Island?
Where is the Mississippi River?
The Final Spark – The 7th and final book in the Michael Vey series about a kid with electrical powers. I have book 1 on my TBR shelves. I need to get caught up on this one.
Lone Stars – A football coach who used to play for the Dallas Cowboys starts to show the side effects of numerous concussions, and his prize player wants to help him. I tear up just reading the description. I will definitely be reading this.
Slider – A kid decides to compete in a pizza-eating competition to win money to pay off what he put on his mom’s credit card. There are extra nuances to this story with an autistic younger brother and some friend issues. This is an older-middle grade/teen story that sounds great.
Warcross – Warcross is a video game that has become a way of life. A teen hacker works as a bounty hunter to find those who illegally bet on the game. She’s so good at what she does, she is invited to be a spy in this year’s international championships. Of course there is more going on in the game than anyone expects. This book has been at the top of my September wish list since I first heard about it. I have several Marie Lu books on my TBR shelves, but this one will likely get read before I even tackle any of her previous series. I have already requested this from the library.

Books for Adults

Asking for Truffle – First in the Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series! Chocolate is definitely a “must buy” trigger for me. This book is on my wish list.
Body on Baker Street – Book 2 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries. I have book one on my wish list – anything with a book store is automatically going to be on my reading list!
Cat Got Your Secrets – Book 3 in the Kitty Couture Mystery series about a pet boutique. I would love to try one of these soon.
Death at the Seaside – Book 8 an the Kate Shackleton mystery series. The covers of these books always catch my eye! I haven’t read any of the books, but I would love to try one out. These take place in 1920s England. If you are fan of English mysteries or historical mysteries, check this series out!
Doom with a View – Book 2 in the Merry Ghost Inn series about a woman and her grandmother who open a bed and breakfast with a ghost. I will be reviewing this book later this week.
Who Is the Black Panther? – A new novel based on the comic series from 2005. I prefer novels to comics (although, I do love comics), so I am looking forward to reading this one. Marvel is producing more of these (Planet Hulk will come out in October). I don’t know if the stories will line up with the new movies this fall/winter or if they are just capitalizing on popular characters due to the movies.
Anxious for Nothing – This is the cornerstone piece of Max Lucado’s latest batch of products, this time addressing anxiety, focusing specifically on Philippians 4:6-7. I love Lucado’s work, but on this particular topic, I am hesitant. I don’t know if this is looking at a more generalized anxiety that everyone experiences from time to time or if it is meant to address a clinical level of anxiety. I’d like to see this one in person.
Back and Forth: Using an Editor’s Mindset to Improve Student Writing – For writing teachers.
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone – The latest by Brené Brown, author of Daring Greatly and Rising Strong, focuses on what it means to truly belong in our current culture. This is an author I buy automatically. I have pre-ordered this one, and I’m looking forward to digging into it.
Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done – My philosophy is that if Jon Acuff wrote it, I need to read it. I follow his social media, all of his many newsletters, and I have even gone to another state to see him at a signing. I have given up on most of the other “personalities” I followed because they seemed to only want to sell me something. Jon seems to want to help me. He provides a lot of free content that I can use. Then, when he does have something to sell, I am happy to shell out my money. I pre-ordered this one weeks ago (Jon offers lots of pre-order incentives), so I just have to wait by my mailbox for this one!
The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles that Reveal How to Make Your Life Better – This is the latest book from Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project). Since I enjoy her work and LOVE anything about personality type, this one is on my list.
Less Fret, More Faith: An 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety – As I mentioned, Max Lucado has a new book and other materials out this week that look at anxiety. I am curious to see this particular piece – a “pass along booklet” – in person.
Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel (September 15th) – We are big Stan Lee fans in my family! We even met him several years ago at a convention. This is the sort of biography that our whole family would read.
Star Wars Cross Stitch – I used to do cross stitch quite a bit, but I have gotten away from that the last few years. But these fun patterns could get me to pick up a needle again.
Unshakable Trust: Finding the Joy of Trusting God at All Times in All Things – New from Joyce Meyer is a book on trust. I love Joyce’s teaching, but the last book I tried was not a good fit for me. I prefer the books that are a Bible study to the ones that are just anecdotes and general “self-help.” I’ll be checking this one out in person.

REVIEW: Duels & Deception by Cindy Anstey

REVIEW: Duels & Deception by Cindy Anstey

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Miss Lydia Whitfield of Roseberry Hall inherited her family estate upon the death of her father. As she was a minor at the time, her uncle and his family moved to Roseberry to supervise the estate and help Lydia, her mother and her sister. Uncle Arthur fancies himself the master of the estate despite Lydia’s capabilities, and as such he tries to make  ridiculous changes, forcing Lydia to call in her attorney. The attorney sends his apprentice, Robert Newton.

Robert is able to help Lydia deal with her uncle and protect the estate from his rogue ideas. He also helps her begin to outline a marriage agreement with Lord Aldershot, the man Lydia’s father had informally selected for her to marry. But before they can solidify the agreement, Lydia is kidnapped. While Robert is able to rescue her and they fabricate a story to salvage her reputation, the kidnappers escape and Lydia is still in danger. Working with Robert, Lydia might have a chance at saving her future. But what will she do about Lord Aldershot when her heart seems to be set on Robert?

Review

I loved this! I rarely read historical fiction. The rules for women in this time period are frustrating to the point of distraction for me. But in this case, Lydia is fortunate to have circumstances and people around her who let her voice carry weight. She doesn’t have to hide her intelligence and wisdom for anyone, even when she knows it will cause trouble.

The characters were terrific. I would happily spend more time with them if there is ever a sequel to this book. Lydia is a strong, bright young woman. Her resourcefulness is outstanding. Loved her character! The mystery was well plotted and kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. I was able to guess the culprit, and I was delighted with how everything wrapped up in the end.

Even though historical fiction isn’t my first choice, I enjoyed this so much I want to check out the author’s previous book, Love, Lies and Spies. This is definitely an author I will keep an eye on in the future! In fact, I just found out that she will have a new book out in the spring of 2018, Suitors and Sabotage! It is already on my 2018 wish list!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Crime of Passion Fruit by Ellie Alexander

REVIEW: A Crime of Passion Fruit by Ellie Alexander

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The cruise ship Amour of the Seas is in desperate need of a temporary pastry chef to get them through until their new hire can arrive. Carlos, back on the ship after his time in Ashland, asks Juliet to step in. The cruise offers her double pay, and Carlos arranges for her mom and the Professor to join the cruise for free. Four glorious days at sea. What could go wrong?

Being back on the ship helps Juliet gain new insights into her marriage, her cooking and her dreams for the future. It also puts her in place to discover a dead body. Even through she’s been away for awhile, Juliet’s knowledge of the ship and crew could help the captain and the Professor figure out who the dead woman is and what happened to her. While Juliet is hunting for a murderer and trying to survive a storm at sea, her friends in Ashland are trying to keep things going at Torte in the midst of a quarrelsome neighbor, a shake up with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival leadership, and major renovations at Torte. There’s never a dull moment in the latest addition to the Bakeshop mystery series.

Review

I really enjoyed this new addition to one of my favorite cozy series. While I missed the usual Torte crew, I liked the change of setting for this book. It added to the ongoing story line of Juliet and Carlos while also shaking up the food, the characters, and the location of the action. And it was all great.

I thoroughly enjoy the core characters of this series. There’s great camaraderie at Torte. And a great balance between the ongoing relationships in Ashland and the new details in each book for the mystery at hand. Good mystery in this one. With an unknown victim (“Jane Dough”), the motive and suspect portions didn’t evolve until later in the book once we knew more about the victim.

Personally, I am “Team Tommy,” and ready for Juliet and Carlos to sort out their relationship. I am looking forward to Another One Bites the Crust (winter 2017/2018) to see what happens next with the Ashland crew and see if the author will finally resolve the Carlos situation.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Van Gogh Deception by Deron R. Hicks

REVIEW: The Van Gogh Deception by Deron R. Hicks

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A twelve-year-old boy is found in the National Gallery. No one knows who he is or where he came from. The boy remembers nothing – not his name and nothing about how he got there.

The boy is placed in a temporary foster home. He goes by the name Art because the name “Arthur” is in his coat. He knows a crazy amount of information about famous artists and their paintings, so the family goes back to the Gallery to see if anything trigger’s Art’s memory.

But they have no idea that someone is watching them, determined to find Art before he gets his memory back and foils their plans.

When they make their move on Art, they get his foster sister, Camille, too. Soon the kids are on the run with no idea who to trust or why they are being pursued.

Review

This was awesome! I loved everything. The energy and adventure worked for me. I thought the kids’ responses were realistic (although they seemed a little older than their stated ages) for the story. I loved the QR codes embedded in the story so the reader could SEE the art they were discussing in the story. Such a clever idea!

Art and Camille are a lot of fun. Art is bright and curious and determined. Camille is fiercely loyal. They make a great team, and I’d love to see them take on another mystery together.

I feel like I learned things about the art world while having a great time with a terrific story. This reminded me of FRAMED by James Ponti with the art tie-in, but this has it’s own features to love. I’d definitely give this to FRAMED fans, mystery lovers, and art lovers. This would be a perfect addition to home, school and classroom libraries – and even art classrooms. This is a book I will be telling folks about for the rest of this year!

Thanks to Netgalley and HMH Books for providing an electronic review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: September 5, 2017

BOOK NEWS: September 5, 2017

Posted on by Jaymie

Disney Animation! Property Brothers! Mo Willems! It’s a great week for reading.

Happy Labor Day! Hope you and your family are getting to enjoy some relaxation over this long weekend. Here are the books coming out this week:

Books for Kids

     

Come with Me – A girl wonders what she can do to help when it seems the world is full of hurt and fear. Sounds like a timely story.
A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale – A young chef bakes some fairy tale components like an apple and a handful of beans into something yummy. I’ve been waiting for this one for awhile.
Give Me Back My Book – Friends fight over a book. I’m curious to see this one in person and see what happens.
Joey and the Shining Star/Twitch and the Invisible Wind – The Owlegories Christian video series now has books that look at how nature teaches us about God.
The King of Too Many Things – This is the sort of book that catches my attention with the illustrations, but keeps it with a great title and premise. I long to be more of a minimalist, but I am more like this king. I can’t wait to read this one.
La Princesa and the Pea – A Latino twist on the classic tale of the Princess and the Pea. This is definitely the week for some great fractured fairy tales! Keep on reading for several more.
The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABCs (the Hard Way) – Poor little red cat gets chased all the way through the alphabet in this darling picture book.
Pickwick’s Picnic – I can’t wait to see this counting book in person. Doesn’t it look adorable?!
The Pout-Pout Fish and the Bully Bully Shark – The Pout-Pout Fish series takes on the subject of bullying. This sounds like a great way to talk about bullying with younger kids.
Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole Universe – Companion book to the outstanding Leonardo the Terrible Monster. I have been waiting for this book for months! I am so glad it’s finally time for its release.
Twinderella, A Fractioned Fairy Tale – A twist on Cinderella from the fabulous author of The Three Ninja Pigs.
Pete and the Lost Tooth – Early Reader for fans of Pete the Cat
Showdown in Space – A new DC Super Hero Girls Early Reader/Leveled Reader about Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Miss Martian on an outer space adventure.
Little Legends: The Magic Looking Glass – Book 4 in this fractured fairy tale transitional chapter book series.
Phone-Y Friends – Book 4 in the Project Droid series about a boy and his robot “cousin.” These are written by the author of the Magic Bone series, which I adored. I’d like to check out one of these early chapter books for younger elementary school readers.
Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate – Book 5 in the amazing Princess in Black series. This time, the princess is on a playdate when a monster strikes. I can’t wait to read this one. I adore this early chapter book series.
Audrey Hepburn/Rosa Parks (Sept 7) – Little People Big Dreams series  of biographies. The illustrations for these immediately grabbed my attention.
We Are in an Art-ivity Book – Activity book for kids starring Piggie and Gerald.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

 

Adventurer’s Guide to Dragons (And Why They Keep Biting Me) – Book 2 in the Adventurer’s Guide series about adventurers who get a new quest to kill the Dragon Queen – except they don’t want to kill her at all! This sounds like an awesome series; I’d like to check out the first book and see what it’s like.
Alex Rider Scorpia Graphic Novel – A graphic novel version of the Alex Rider story, Scorpia.
All’s Faire in Middle School – New graphic novel from the author of Roller Girl about a girl who transitions from homeschool to public school where her Renaissance Faire upbringing gets her more attention than she bargained for. I love stories like this and will certainly be checking this one out.
Assassin’s Curse – Book 3 in the Blackthorn Key series about an apothecary’s apprentice who solves puzzles and codes. I have book one on my TBR shelves.
Click’d – A girl’s coding project goes viral, but then she finds a dangerous glitch. This sounds so fun! This is on my list for sure.
Elsie Mae Has Something to Say – A girl hopes to save her home in the Okefenokee Swamp by sending a letter to President Roosevelt and stopping local bandits, but her cousin may ruin all her plans.
The Glass Town Game – The Brontë sisters have invented a game called Glass Town and one day when they are expecting the worst for their family, the four girls are whisked away to their imaginary town. This seems like a mix of fantasy and history (Napoleon).
Halfway Normal – A young cancer survivor tries to settle back into middle school. I have a feeling this will be both emotional and inspirational. It’s on my list!
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus – A girl without arms moves with her family to a rundown theme park in Arizona where she finds not only a friend who really understands her, but also a mystery. This book has been wildly popular among early readers on Twitter.
Mighty Jack and the Goblin King – Book 2 in this graphic novel series that’s a twist on Jack and the Beanstalk. This time, Jack’s autistic little sister has been taken by an ogre and he’s off to get her back.
Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Won’t-Walk-the-Dog Cure – Book 2 in this series that is an updated re-boot of the classic Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series I read as a kid.
One Mixed-Up Night – Best friends run away to spend the night in IKEA. This has the feel of The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler to it. This is at the top of my wish list for this week!
Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon –  Rapunzel is back at the castle after the adventures of Tangled. Now, she and a lady-in-waiting stumble on a mystery together. This sounds terrific.
Shadow of a Pug – Book 2 in the  Howard Wallace PI series. I loved book one in this series, and I am looking forward to reading book 2.
The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters – A book of “great” engineering disasters. This would be a fun addition to a science classroom or school library.
Harley Quinn’s Brain Squeezers – An activity book for fans of the DC Super Hero Girls
Genuine Fraud – A new story from the supremely popular author of We Were Liars. This was a dark story, and the format is unusual – it starts at the present and then works backwards. A very interesting way to tell a story.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass – This re-imagining of Snow White has a young woman with a glass heart and her step-daughter who was magicked out of snow. I love re-worked fairy tales! This sounds terrific.
I Hate Everyone But You – Best friends exchange emails and texts as they head to different colleges for their freshman year.
If There’s No Tomorrow – One moment changes everything for a girl who was looking forward to her senior year. I have no idea what happens to change things – which means I’ll have to read this to find out!
Nothing – A girl who is convinced that real life is nothing like the books she reads decides to write down the things that happen to her during her sophomore year and finds it’s not so different after all.
Running Full Tilt – A young man turns to cross country and running to escape a difficult family situation with his out of control brother. I’m going to max out my library wish list this week!
They Both Die at the End – Two boys meet through an app that puts you in touch with others who are going to die on the same day. What a fascinating idea! A little dark, but I am curious to see what happens.
The Thing with Feathers – Emily goes from homeschooling with her mom and her seizure therapy dog to high school. She lives in fear that she will have a seizure at school.
Tower of Dawn – The next book in the Throne of Glass series. I would love to read this series some time soon. [So many books, so little time]
Wild Bird – A girl spends 8 weeks at a survivalist/wilderness therapy camp. This sounds fantastic. I have this on my list.

Books for Adults

    

Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard – I have the James T. Kirk autobiography, but I haven’t had a chance to read it. I am even more eager to read this one as Jean-Luc was “my” captain.
Bringing Maggie Home – An elderly woman carries the guilt of a lost sister for 70 years. Can her granddaughter, a cold-case agent, help her solve the mystery and ease the guilt that has impacted the family for generations.
A Christmas Peril – First in a new mystery series staring a former cop managing a community theater group. I enjoyed this one; I’ll be reviewing it in a couple weeks.
Conspiracy in Belgravia -Book 2 in the Lady Sherlock Historical Mystery series. I haven’t gotten to book one yet, but I am eager to check out this series.
Dead in the Water – Denise Swanson has launched a new series set in Scumble River and starring Skye Denison. I read many books from the earlier series and enjoyed them.
Essence of Malice – Book 4 of the Amory Ames Mystery series, this one about a perfumier in Paris. I haven’t read any of these, but the covers are gorgeous and catch my eye every time. I’d love to read one.
March of Crime – Book 11 in the Murder-By-Month series. I read the first couple books in this series, but I’ve fallen behind. I’d like to pick back up on this one.
Pudding Up with Murder – Book 3 in the Undercover Dish Mystery series about secret chef who cooks amazing casseroles that her clients can pass off as their own. I have yet to read one of the books, but they are definitely on my list. But I’d like to know where I can find a service like this in my town!
Tale of Two Kitties – Book 9 in the Magical Cats mystery series. I have several of the early books on my TBR shelves. I love mysteries with cats in them – dogs, too.
Trouble is Brewing – An ebook novella that bridges the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander with her new series about a brewmaster. I have already pre-ordered this one. This seems like a brilliant way to introduce your fans to your new series. I can’t wait to read this.
Armed and Dangerous: The Ultimate Battle Plan for Targeting and Defeating the Enemy – A new look at spiritual warfare.
Art of Star Trek The Next Generation – 178 posters featuring art for my favorite iteration of Star Trek, The Next Generation.
Blood Sweat and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made – My teen would probably love this one as video games are a big part of his life. I know many adults who would find this interesting, too. Sounds like a great history of technology book.
Education à la Carte – Dr. Kevin Lehman’s (The Birth Order Book) new book looks at the educational options available to families today and offers advice for navigating your choices. I’m looking forward to this one. I love Lehman’s work.
Forever Letter: Writing What We Believe for Those We Love – A guide book for writing letters that pass on your real treasures – your values, beliefs and love.
Ink and Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation – Get the behind-the-scenes story on the women who worked for Disney Animation.
It Takes Two – The Property Brothers tell their own story in this memoir. I love watching these guys on TV. Hopefully their terrific chemistry will translate well in book form.
The Last Arrow – How to live a life that leaves nothing undone at the end. This sounds inspiring. It’s on my library wish list.
Picturing Heaven – Adult coloring book for fans of Randy Alcorn’s writing. I tend to start adult coloring books but never finish them. But I am excited to see this one up close. I am interested in the devotions that go with the pictures.
The Suffragents (Sept 1) – Looks at the men who were part of the movement to get women the right to vote. This sounds like a terrific look at history.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD - Books about Books

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD – Books about Books

Posted on by Jaymie

I am such a book geek. And I say that with pride. I love finding people and authors and communities that love books as much as I do. Here are some books – for all ages – that share a love of books, reading and bookish places.

Books for Kids

Bunny’s Book Club – There are a couple books on this list that are TBRs rather than books I have read. This is one of those. I haven’t found this one in person to check it out, but it looks perfect. I hope to read this one soon.
Doris the Bookasaurus – Doris’ love of books is annoying to her little brothers because it keeps her from playing with them. When she shows them a book they love, though, everything changes. This is darling.
Library Lion – I always looked forward to reading this story about a lion in the library to my students. It’s lovely, and students really connect with it.
Madeline Finn and the Library Dog – Madeline struggles with reading, but a program at the library where she can practice her reading with a dog helps her grow as a reader. This is delightful. You can read my review here.
Wild About Books – This is one of the picture books we often by for new babies. Sure, it’s not a book they can enjoy right away, but it is such a great love letter to books that we are confident families will grow to love it like we did. This was another favorite to read aloud when I was teaching.

Books for Older Kids/Teens

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library – The epitome of books about books! This outstanding middle grade story about kids competing in a book-based contest in a futuristic library has been a hit with every student I ever handed it to. Book 3 in the series comes out this fall and a movie of this first book will be coming to Nickelodeon soon.
Finding Serendipity – First in a series about a girl who discovers a land where stories live. In book one, Serendipity gets help finding her missing mother by the main character in her mother’s famous books. I enjoyed sharing this series with students.
Fish in a Tree – The main thing I remember about this book is the origin of the title which is a quote reportedly from Einstein that says if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will always think it is stupid. The main character in this book has dyslexia and finally has a persistent and observant teacher who discovers it and helps her. This was a fantastic story!
The Losers Club – I just finished this AWESOME story (I’m still trying to find a review slot for it here on the blog). At the center of the story is a boy who is getting in trouble every day at school – for reading. So he starts a club for kids who want to read, but he calls it the Losers Club so a lot of people don’t join and mess up his quiet reading time. Not only did the story highlight reading, but it also talked about a lot of books kids might enjoy.
The School Story – Andrew Clements wrote The Losers Club and also The School Story which is about a girl who writes a book and secretly tries to get it published. This is one of my favorite early Clements stories along with Frindle, No Talking and The Last Holiday Concert.
Bookishly Ever After – Earlier this year I reviewed this book for older teens about a book nerd who tries to use the characters from her favorite books to help her negotiate a romance.
I Kill the Mockingbird – I adore this book about a group of teens who hide copies of To Kill a Mockingbird in order to get everyone talking about it.  While this one is written for a middle grade audience, I found that my older students connected with this better than the younger ones. This works for all teens.

Books for Adults

Classified as Murder – This is the second book (my favorite) of the Cat in the Stacks mystery series about a college librarian who works in the archives. Fantastic mystery series, terrific cat that adds a fun component to the series. Here you can read a review of the most recent book in the series.
A Dark and Stormy Murder – Outstanding mystery series about two writers collaborating on books while solving mysteries. You can read my review here.
The Eyre Affair – This is the other book on this list I have not read. I have several of the books in this series about a literary detective, but I haven’t tried it yet. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s Nursery Crimes series.
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops – This nonfiction book is laugh-out-loud funny while also being a little sad when it comes to true stories from folks who work with books.
The Writing Desk – I recently read this fantastic Christian novel about two writers in different time periods and the ways their stories connect. Excellent.

 

Do you have any favorite books about books?