Beartown By Fredrik Backman Beartown is a small town with big dreams. Fredrik Backman takes us into this small community nestled amongst the trees, with a heavier storyline than his usual lighthearted, humorous fiction; maybe that’s because there’s so much riding on the outcome of this tale. Regardless, I was quickly drawn in and I […]
Words in Deep Blueby Cath CrowleyThis is a beautiful book made even more lovely by the fact that I listened to it as an audiobook, the Australian accent putting me right in Australia, the setting for this tale. Rachel Sweetie and Henry Jones grew up together in Gracetown until Rachel moved to Sea Ridge with […]
by Rob Buyea Featuring a mixed up group of sixth graders, this novel explores the struggles faced by each student and how they evolve to become better human beings by their teachers. When they first enter class, the students discover their assigned teacher is replaced by retiree Mrs. Woods, a no-nonsense straightforward educator. Along with […]
FeedBy M.T. Anderson Titus lives in a future where information no longer comes through a device; rather, it infiltrates the brain directly through a “feed”. Advertising and entertainment pop right into people’s heads. People can “chat” each other through the feed and often are not accustomed to speaking out loud. Titus and his friends are […]
New BoyBy Tracy Chevalier The Shakespearian tragedy of Othello is reimagined in Tracy Chevalier’s mesmerizing book, New Boy. When Osei arrives at his new school in Washington D.C. in the 1970s, he is the only black boy on the playground. This is not a new experience for him. Osei’s father is a diplomat from Ghana […]
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris The Magic Misfits is a fun, quirky middle grade book by actor Neil Patrick Harris. It begins with Carter, a young boy who lives with his Uncle Sly, a street con artist who forces Carter, a young magician, to assist him with his pick-pocketing. Having had enough […]
William Wenton and the Impossible PuzzleBy Bobbie Peers William Olsen has been living in Norway for the past eight years. When William’s grandfather disappeared, William and his parents had to leave England and now they are in hiding. William longs to know the secrets that sent his family underground. He also longs to go back […]
The Explorer By Katherine Rundell In a small plane, four children travel over the Amazon jungle. Each has a good reason to be on an excursion without their parents and will meet their adults at their destination. But when the pilot has what appears to be a heart attack, Fred, Con, Lila and her little […]
Exit West by Moshin Hamid In the futuristic, magical novel Exit West by Moshin Hamid, Saeed and Nadia meet in an evening class in an unidentified country that is under siege and about to explode into war. Saeed is contemplative and reserved while Nadia is fiercely independent and confident. As their friendship develops, the fighting […]
All The Crooked SaintsBy Maggie Stiefvater Beatriz Soria is not only fiercely intelligent, she can also grant miracles. So can her cousins, cool Joaquin and saintly Daniel. In fact, all the Sorias have the power to grant miracles. In Bicho Raro, Colorado, miracles are commonplace. The Sorias are accustomed to “pilgrims” who come to them […]