The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden GardenBy Karina Yan Glaser Another run-of-the-mill summer has just started for Josie, Oliver, Hyacinth and Laney (a.k.a. the Vanderbeekers). Their sister Isa is away at music camp, but otherwise things are pretty standard at their Harlem brownstone. But when their beloved upstairs neighbour, Mr. Jeet, has a stroke, and his […]
The Last by Katherine ApplegateThe Last is book #1 in the Endling Series by Katherine Applegate. It is the story of Byx, the baby of her pack, and a member of the nearly extinct dairne species. Dairnes are dog-like creatures that have magical abilities and are able to glide when they spread their arms and expand […]
IllegalBy Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano Ebo and his siblings know they must leave their home in Ghana to make a better life in Europe. Sisi, his sister, has already gone. When Kwame, his brother, disappears, Ebo follows. He is determined not to be left behind. When he meets up with […]
The Thirteenth Tale By Diane Setterfield “There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.” (p. 8) […]
By Kristen Ciccarelli I would like to preface this review by stating that I read this entire book in one day. It was it was raining, it was the long weekend, and it was just that good! In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of the sky and spirit, who carried love and […]
The Summer Before the War By Helen Simonson The Summer Before the War is a slow burning story of the inhabitants of Rye, England at the outbreak of World War I. Despite the threat of war, in typical British style, the inhabitants of Rye keep calm and carry on. Focusing on the everyday lives of […]
One Came HomeBy Amy Timberlake Thirteen-year-old Georgie Burkhardt’s older sister, Agatha, has disappeared. To her family’s horror, a mostly unidentifiable body is found on the wagon road to another town and everyone assumes it’s Agatha. But even though the body is wearing Agatha’s blue-green dress and has the same auburn hair, Georgie does not believe […]
by Ellie Irving Matilda is a budding scientist who finds out her grandma was once a famous scientist herself until she suddenly left her job. After finding the reason was because of a new planet her grandmother had discovered only to be stolen by her boss, Matilda convinces her grandmother they must stop him from […]
The Sun is also a Starcovers one pivotal day in the lives of two American teenagers. Natasha, an illegal Jamaican immigrant has 12 hours before her and her family are deported. The thing is, this whole deportation thing is not Natasha’s fault! She’s lived in New York longer than she has lived in Jamaica – […]
The Poet X By Elizabeth Acevedo This book is the debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo. If you’ve ever been to a poetry slam, you’ll find yourself reading this book in the slam method, slamming your hands down in punctuation, sharing the feelings. I listened to the audio book which is read by […]