history

The Loved and the Lost by Lory S. Kaufman: Book Review & Giveaway

Children
the loved and the lost

We’re participating in the Signed Book Giveaway Hop, and Lory S. Kaufman has been kind enough to autograph his newest novel in the Verona Trilogy, The Loved and the Lost, for us. This is Book #3 in this science fiction time- travel trilogy, which is perfect for middle school and YA readers. We reviewed Book [...]

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The Black Stiletto Stars & Stripes: Book Review & Giveaway

Crime Story
The Black Stiletto Stars & Stripes

We’re participating in the Kick-Butt Characters Giveaway Hop, and I can’t think of a more appropriate character to include than the heroine of the Black Stiletto series! The Black Stiletto Stars & Stripes is Book #3 in this historical series by Raymond Benson, and mid-20th century super-gal Judy Cooper just keeps getting better. Library Journal [...]

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Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz: A Boy Survives Ten Concentration Camps

Children
Prisoner B-3087

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz, with Ruth and Jack Gruener, is fiction based on the true story of Jack Gruener. Some stories need to be retold again and again so we never forget them. As the often misquoted George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Although this is [...]

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Eighty Days by Matthew Goodman: Book Review & Giveaway

Events
Eighty Days

Matthew Goodman’s title says it all, Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History Making Race Around the World. This is a narrative nonfiction account about the attempt by two amazing women to outdo Jules Verne and each other in 1889, at a time when women just didn’t do this kind of thing. It’s an [...]

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Seduction of the Innocent by Max Allan Collins: Book Review & Giveaway

Crime Story
Seduction of the Innocent

When the publisher approached me about reading and possibly reviewing Seduction of the Innocent by bestselling author Max Allan Collins, I took one look at the book cover and thought, “Oh no. This is sooo not my kind of book.” Luckily, I stepped back from that first impression long enough to read the concept, to [...]

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The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman: Is She Cursed or Just a Misfit?

Cross Cultural
The Fire Horse Girl

I almost passed on reading and reviewing The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman. What sold me is that this is in some ways a personal story for the author, who has adopted two Chinese children. I’m so glad I decided to give it a chance. Although it is written for a YA audience, The [...]

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