B- Reviews / Book Reviews / C+ Reviewscommunication / community / family relationships / Fantasy / friendship / goblins / language / middle grade / thiefNo Comments
A group of goblins steal a boy’s ability to apologize in this lively middle-grade fantasy from Nebula Award-winning author Fran Wilde No matter how much trouble Sam gets in, he knows that he can always rely on his magic word, “sorry,” to get him out of a pinch. Teasing his ... more >
Book Reviews / C Reviewsfamily relationships / First-Person / gardening / grief / Los Angeles / mothers and daughters / sisters / Widowed Heroine / Womens-Fiction2 Comments
Lilian Girvan has been a single mother for three years—ever since her husband died in a car accident. One mental breakdown and some random suicidal thoughts later, she’s just starting to get the hang of this widow thing. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ ReviewsBollywood / divorce / family relationships / First-Person / Indian American / Magical Realism / middle grade / POC / POC author / self discoveryNo Comments
Bollywood takes over in this contemporary, magical middle grade novel about an Indian American girl whose world turns upside down when she involuntarily starts bursting into glamorous song-and-dance routines during everyday life. You know how in Bollywood when people are in love, they sing and dance from the mountaintops? Eleven-year-old ... more >
A Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended ReadsAustralia / Contemporary / dysfunctional family / family relationships / Fiction / omniscient voice / present tense / prison / prisoners / self discovery / sewing9 Comments
Can a wedding dress save a bunch of hardened crims? The Full Monty meets Orange is the New Black in a poignantly comic story about a men’s prison sewing circle. Derek’s daughter Debbie is getting married. He’s desperate to be there, but he’s banged up in Yarrandarrah Correctional Centre for ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ ReviewsAgent/Spies/Undercover / criminal / family relationships / First-Person / Historical / London / opposites / Thriller/Suspense / World War II4 Comments
The first in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, set in England during World War II, A Peculiar Combination is a delightful mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and the author’s signature wit. Electra McDonnell has always known that the way she and her family earn their ... more >
B Reviews / Book ReviewsAsian characters / diversity / dysfunctional family / family relationships / gender-based violence / Ghost / god / homophobia / immigrant / lesbian / LGBTQIA / Malaysia / Paranormal / POC / POC author / prejudice / revenge / ViolenceNo Comments
A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy. When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, she chalks it up to stress. Closeted, broke and jobless, she’s moving back to Malaysia with her parents – a country ... more >