Tag: Book Review

Book Awards, Book Recommendations, Middle Grade, News

Cybils Awards: MG Speculative Fiction

The winners of the Cybils Awards have been announced! If you haven’t heard yet, you must still be busy celebrating Valentine’s Day. The winner for the 2017 Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Category is … WAIT! First, what are the Cybils Awards? They are awards that recognize children’s and young adult authors and illustrators whose books combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal. Second, I had the pleasure of … Continue reading Cybils Awards: MG Speculative Fiction

Halli Gomez2 Comments
Book Recommendations, Love Letters, Middle Grade

Dear Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

I’ve been writing love letters to books that shaped me, as a person and as a writer, and for this month, it’s Karen Foxlee’s Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy. I so enjoyed this book, a dreamy and beautiful retelling of the Snow Queen. What I want to talk about today, though, is how it influenced my writing. I write contemporary fantasies, and love to come … Continue reading Dear Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Kate HillyerLeave a comment
Book Recommendations, Middle Grade

Book Birthday: THE UNICORN QUEST by Kamilla Benko

Today we’re celebrating the publication of THE UNICORN QUEST, a middle grade novel that Bloomsbury describes as, “An enchanting, exciting fantasy about a real-world girl searching for her sister in a land full of magic and strange creatures, blending the timeless feel of The Last Unicorn and Wildwood with Frozen‘s powerful themes of identity, enchantment, and sisterhood.” Those of you who follow me through Pitch Wars know that I have a … Continue reading Book Birthday: THE UNICORN QUEST by Kamilla Benko

Jessica Vitalis1 Comment
Writer's Life

ICYMI: Winged Pen Highlights from 2017

The other day, several of us Pennies realized that it is now, in fact, 2018. Where did 2017 go?!? If you’re also wondering just what happened to 2017, welcome to our club! And to help you reorient yourself, we thought we’d revisit some of the Winged Pen 2017 highlights. If you missed a post last year, this one’s for you. (And feel free to sign … Continue reading ICYMI: Winged Pen Highlights from 2017

Richelle MorganLeave a comment
Book Recommendations, Middle Grade

Book Recommendation: Shadow Weaver

The shadows that surround us aren’t always as they seem… Shadow Weaver, by MarcyKate Connolly, is a middle grade fantasy story of family, friends, belonging, and betrayal – all woven together with beautiful magic. Emmeline has grown up with a gift. Since the time she was a baby she has been able to control shadows. And her only friend and companion is her own shadow, … Continue reading Book Recommendation: Shadow Weaver

Halli GomezLeave a comment
Book Recommendations, Young Adult

Book Recommendation: A Taxonomy of Love

A Taxonomy of Love is a coming of age novel that spans the teenage years of Spencer and Hope. Rarely, if ever, do we get to see this many years of a character’s life. So many books I’ve read have centered around a single incident or a specific time period. With this novel, I felt as if I’d watched these kids grow up. The moment … Continue reading Book Recommendation: A Taxonomy of Love

Halli Gomez1 Comment
Book Recommendations, Young Adult

Book Recommendation: THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert

Publisher’s Description Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen … Continue reading Book Recommendation: THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert

Rebecca J. AllenLeave a comment
Book Recommendations, Love Letters, Middle Grade

Dear The Phantom Tollbooth

Oh, this strange, wonderful, wise book. Every month, I’m writing a love letter to a book that has shaped me, and this month, it’s The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. For those poor souls who haven’t yet read this classic, it’s the story of Milo, who comes home from school one day to find a tollbooth addressed to him. He drives his toy car through … Continue reading Dear The Phantom Tollbooth

Kate Hillyer2 Comments
Book Recommendations, Interviews, Middle Grade

Meet Jada Jones! New chapter books by Kelly Starling Lyons

Happy Birthday to Jada Jones! She’s a “rock” star and a good citizen in two new chapter books released September 19th by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton.                   Goodreads: Rock Star                                              … Continue reading Meet Jada Jones! New chapter books by Kelly Starling Lyons

Michelle Leonard1 Comment
Book Recommendations, Middle Grade

Book Recommendation: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

I am a huge fan of creepy. Books, movies, decaying abandoned houses. So when The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken became available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. This book is the whole package of eerie while still having the humor middle grade readers love. “I would say it’s a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

Halli Gomez3 Comments
Book Recommendations, Young Adult

Book Recommendation: The Girl with the Red Balloon

I am immediately drawn to any book involving World War II and how it changed the world. When I read a good one, I feel the need to shout it from the rooftops . The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke is one of those stories. The story is told in three points of view: a Jewish teen living the horrors of World War … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Girl with the Red Balloon

Halli Gomez1 Comment