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10 things you should know about YA books but were afraid to ask

The best books published appeal to the heart of who we are. These parts are the links that connect our childhood to our adult lives. They connect the heart to the brain and the dream world to reality. Many of these books like The Wizard of Oz, To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Harry Potter…

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Summer 2015 Reading List

When I was a high school student, I looked forward to June when the cold Long Island weather finally warmed up and freedom from school was just a few weeks away. My brothers and I spent our summer vacations at Monaco Surf Club on Lido Beach. We had amazing experiences swimming, diving, playing in the sand…

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Spotlight on the Wickware Sagas: Time Travel Stories for Teens

Miss Wickware is a history teacher at Langdon Middle School in Phoenix, Arizona, but the sweet old lady is not exactly what she appears to be. Students with attitude problems and a lack of historical perspective can suddenly find themselves sent back through time to face a famous historical figure they coincidentally need to report about…

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The Bearded Dude in the Puzzle|Penny Estelle

Author Penny Estelle has written about 15 novellas that hold the interest of kids and adults alike. The Bearded Dude in the Puzzle is Estelle’s newest creation. Blurb Many years ago, in the land of kings and knights, Dozer, a powerful wizard, casts a spell over Scartin, and changes him into a tiny toy wizard…

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Why Do Adults Read YA Books?

It’s understandable why teens read young adult (YA) novels. The books are geared toward them. Rarely do you find teenagers interested in middle age and old age issues found in mainstream literature. So why is it that middle-aged and older adults read YA books? In a June 5, 2014 Slate.com article, Ruth Graham wrote, “Read…

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Books that get kids reading

Have problems motivating your teen to read? Turn to the numerous book series published by many different publishers, big and small, that focus on middle school and high school students. The Harry Potter series or the more recent Hunger Games books quickly come to mind. Authors like to write series books around the adventures of…

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Time Travelers Beware!

Legend of the Timekeepers Time travelers beware! There is a Timekeeper and she has the power to protect the time stream from evil intent. Thus is the premise of Sharon Ledwith’s entertaining novel, Legend of the Timekeepers. Ledwith’s protagonist, Lilith, has recently been evacuated from her native Atlantis due to earthquakes and tsunamis that destroyed…