As the book buyer for a local independent book store, I have the great joy of being able to see what books are coming, what publishers are excited about, and more, a good three to nine months before the books are actually released. While this is normally very exciting, it also means that by the… Continue reading New This Month: October 2019
More Harry Potter? Why yes please, of course! Synopsis Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, Newt Scamander's classic compendium of magical creatures, has delighted generations of wizarding readers. Now, in this updated edition with a new foreword by Newt himself and unveiling of six beasts little known outside the American wizarding community, Muggles too… Continue reading Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by J. K. Rowling
One of my grandmothers grew up in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, specifically in Nürnberg and the surrounding countryside. She doesn't talk about it. As such, I have spent my entire life fascinated by the stories of German children between 1933 and 1945. I don't remember the first book I read that fit the… Continue reading Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl & Marion Blumenthal Lazan
I’ll readily admit that Ella’s dark green dress on the front cover of the first paperback edition was what first caught my attention. But given my established record as a lover of fairy tale adaptations, it should come as no surprise that this is the book that started my obsession! Synopsis How can a fairy's… Continue reading Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
I am a sucker for Peter Pan stories, especially ones that provide a more interesting and compelling female character than Wendy! Synopsis Peter was the leader of the orphan boys because he was the oldest – or so he claimed. And because he could spit the farthest. Not that it did him much good, shipped… Continue reading Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
I picked this book up upon the recommendation of a fellow educator at the school book fair last spring and I read it while on vacation last summer. While I’m trying to review only books that I’ve read most recently now, I figured it best to throw this one in as well. Synopsis The signpost… Continue reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
One of my coworkers really enjoyed the Upside-Down Magic series and recommended, as a former teacher who worked with students with unique learning needs, I would appreciate it as well, and she was right! Synopsis It's never easy when your magic goes wonky. For Nory, this means that instead of being able to turn into a dragon… Continue reading Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle & Emily Jenkins
Because Harry Potter is such a generation-defining series, we've decided to each write our own blog post about it. See Sarah's review by clicking here. I cannot remember a time when I did not know anything about the world of Harry Potter. I think I was eight years old when I read the first book… Continue reading Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Millennials, my generation, are defined in some small part by their relationship with Harry Potter. Almost all of us have a story about when we were first introduced the the boy wizard who changed our reading lives. I was 10 years old, in 5th grade, and it was shortly before Thanksgiving when my friend Brendan… Continue reading Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
This book was recommended to me by a customer at the bookstore - and when I realized the illustrations were done by one of my favorite graphic novel artists, Skottie Young, I was sold. Synopsis "I bought the milk," said my father. "I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this:… Continue reading Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Celebration of Books 