Dear Pop, I’m planning a holiday party for my third grade class. I’m including traditional Christmas treats like candy canes, cranberry sauce, roast turkey, and eggnog (non-alcoholic). What are a few traditional Chanukah foods I could add to our holiday feast? Curious Teacher Dear Curious Teacher, On Chanukah Jews consume foods cooked in oil…
Jennie Samuel’s Beyond the Pond takes readers to a Texas backyard pond where we are introduced to the pond’s animal life and an ancient Cedar tree named Thalia. In this first book, Olivia, a new fish to the pond, reaches the mythical springs and coerces the great Artesia, the spirit of all water covering the…
About the Book Title: Wrong Side of the Rift Author: Libby Heil Genre: YA Fantasy Grape can’t unlearn what living in Sortilege Falls has taught her. Magic is real. Vampires live among us. And there’s a portal in her back yard that leads to another world. A few weeks ago, Grape lived a quiet life…
Holiday shopping is right around the corner. Are you really looking forward to spending hours fighting for a parking spot or waiting in long checkout lines at Macy’s, Sears, or Best Buy? If you want to avoid the hassles, think about buying your favorite child a book this year. You will want your book choice…
Dr. Bob Rich tells the story of his mother, Aniko Stern, in an extraordinary biography about a remarkable woman who lived an exceptional life. Rich takes his readers to 1936 Hungary prior to the Holocaust, as young Aniko falls in love with her future husband, Tibor, and trains to become a bookbinder. The author does…
About the Book Title: The Power Club Author: Greg Gildersleeve Genre: MG Fantasy / Adventure “Some create darkness . . . or teleport . . . or fly. Damon creates darkness. Since he possesses a power, he must live in “the district” along with other powered teens. It’s a comfy living: a strip mall, two…
We live in an age where people are judged by their appearance and not the content of their character. Author Jeanne Bannon understands the problem and its effects on teens. So this talented writer wrote Invisible. Lola Savullo is a high school senior confronted with a multitude of problems. First, she’s very tall and fat,…
About the Book Title: Monsterland Author: Michael Okon Genre: YA Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth. The last couple years of high school have not been fun for Wyatt Baldwin. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An on-going debate with his…
YA author and illustrator Anita Valle has created a very dysfunctional family in her Dark Fairy Tale Queen Series. The novels begin with Sinful Cinderella, who turns out to be a not very pleasant young woman living with an even more unpleasant stepmother and two stepsisters—Lunilla and Melodie. Cinderella does end up marrying a prince,…
Dear Pop, What is this with Jews? First you celebrate the New Year with Rosh Hashanah. Fine. Then you ask God and your family, friends, and colleagues to forgive your sins on Yom Kippur. That’s cool. Now I’m told there’s another holiday after that. Don’t you guys ever work? Please tell me about this Sukkoth….