Reviews of young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG) books.
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…
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,…
How to Steal a Dog is a heart wrenching novel about homelessness and its affects on two young children. Georgina Hayes is forced to live in a car with her mother and little brother Toby. Her father abandoned them, they were soon evicted from their home, and Mrs. Hayes had to scramble to find two…
Lost and Found by Sharon Ledwith is an excellent read for YA readers on several levels. It teaches kids about leadership and responsibility, and it sets a fine example for us humans to care better for the animals around us Whiskey, a fifteen-year-old calico cat, is the only link of communication between the cat floor…
Daniel Solomon Kaplan wrote his YA science fiction novel, Elevated: A YA Sci-Fi Fantasy Superhero Series (Elevated Book #1), based on a premise: If you could have a super power, what would it be? Since life isn’t that simple, and not all of us will fly, the characters in this book only hope for the…
Eighteen-year-old Lucy Channing has the responsibility of marrying Dashel Rothchild, the Earl of Westington, so her soon to be impoverished father can maintain his position in 1815 London society. Unfortunately, Lucy doesn’t love Dashel, a young man she’s known most of her life, even though he is a nice enough chap. Lucy’s grandmother, Agatha, the…
Lois Lane: Triple Threat is the third installment of the Lois Lane Series by Gwenda Bond. The first book in the series, Lois Lane: Fallout, introduces us to sixteen year-old Lois Lane starting a new life at a Metropolis high school. Her maybe-more-than-a-friend is met on line with the screen name SmallvilleGuy. Fallout is a…
Author Lou Ann Walker’s primary language is American Sign Language (ASL). Born to Deaf parents, it was her job to be the ears and voice for her family. Raised in Indiana during the early 1950s-60s, Walker eloquently writes about a loving family faced by an ignorant public to the problems inherent in deafness. Over twenty-three…
Flying to the Fire is the second book in Elyse Salpeter’s Flying Series. The central character, Danny Anderson, a thirteen-year old deaf child with special gifts, has the unique talent of communicating with the souls of the dead. In the first book in the series, Flying to the Light, Danny is six when a crazy corrupt…
Author Jennifer Froelich has her eyes on today’s headlines—legislative gridlock, red states vs blue, and partisan politics—for future outcomes. From the depths of her imagination, and keeping in mind the worse case scenario of constant Washington bickering, she has created a dystopian society in the next century that is sadly possible as a result of…