B- Reviews / Book Reviewsactress / dysfunctional family / family relationships / Firefighter / Hanukkah / Holiday / Jewish characters / Jewish-faith / Missouri / Orchard Hill series / self discovery4 Comments
When Ellie Bloom’s life literally goes up in flames after an apartment fire, she slinks back to her sister’s house in the St. Louis suburb she’s avoided since her mom died. Ellie quickly caves to her nephews’ pleas to direct the temple Hanukkah play—her mom’s pride and joy—and by the ... more >
Book Reviews / C ReviewsBuddhism / cats / First-Person / religion / self discoveryNo Comments
As kittens we feel it often. All it takes is a wind-blown feather, an unexpected delicacy, or the alluring rush of water and instantly we are caught up in it: Wonderment. Enchantment. Being fully absorbed in the here and now. By the time we reach senior status, way beyond the ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviews19th century / class differences / cookbook / cooking / Early Victorian / English Historical / female friendship / Historical / Historical fiction / identity / self discovery / Womens-FictionNo Comments
Before Mrs. Beeton and well before Julia Child, there was Eliza Acton, who changed the course of cookery writing forever. England, 1835. London is awash with thrilling new ingredients, from rare spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them. When Eliza Acton is told by her ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ Reviewsclass differences / Contemporary / dysfunctional family / England / family relationships / marriage on the rocks / self discovery / Womens-FictionNo Comments
To save Casterglass, all the Penryn children will need to return home, rebuild their lives among the ruins, and find love that has proved elusive… The Penryn family have always been eccentric—living in a dilapidated castle in the wilds of Cumbria with an orchid-mad father and a classicist mother who ... more >
B- Reviews / Book Reviewsanxiety / friendship / graphic novels / Magic / middle grade / self discovery2 Comments
With humor, heart, and an unusual heroine who is braver than she realizes, Bree Paulsen’s colorful and cozy debut graphic novel is a farm-fresh tale that reminds readers to believe in themselves—and that strangers are not always as scary as they seem. An enchanting debut graphic novel to give to ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ Reviewsfairy tale / found family / friendship / Historical fiction / middle grade / self discovery6 Comments
From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall comes a fantastical meditation on fate, love, and the power of words to spell the world. We shall all, in the end, be led to where we belong. We shall all, in the end, find our way home. ... more >