I recently received a copy of Scarecrow Pete, by Mark Kimball Moulton, for review and I confess I had the initial impression that this was more of a fall read. However, after having read the book, I left it feeling convinced that this was a year round read for book lovers (and their children.) When…
Category Archives: 5 Star Reads
The Frog Scientist
The Frog Scientist by Pamela Turner is a book that I can highly recommend (5 Stars worth!). It tells the true story of Dr. Tyrone Hayes, a field biologist who is discovering the affects of pesticides (atrazine) on frogs. The photographs by Andy Comins are compelling and beautiful and add significant interest to this highly-readable…
After Ever After
I admit to being a semi-newbie to YA literature. Sure, I was obviously a ‘young adult’ back in the day, and I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, so this must have been my choice genre at some point. As an adult, though, my tastes have mostly run toward contemporary fiction primarily, and I’ve…
This Momentary Marriage
Staying Married is Not About Staying in Love is the title of Chapter One in John Piper’s This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence. Very different from the world has to say on the subject of marriage, isn’t it? In fact, the entire book is very contrary to society’s take on the bonds of matrimony….
D is for Drinking Gourd: An African-American Alphabet
I don’t often review picture books here. Dawn, Carrie and occasionally Lauren take on those books, and I think that they do a much better job. However, when we had the opportunity to review (and give away!) some books from Sleeping Bear Press, the title D Is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet really…
Godmother
I confess I’m really not a fan of the modern novel. I find them to be so hit-or-miss that I typically avoid them. I browse bookstore aisles, waiting for something to catch my eye and then I indulge in the endless debate over “Will-I-Like-This-Or-Will-I-Not?” which drives me crazy and that’s not saying anything about those…
Brainiac’s Secret Agent Activity Book
I admit it – I’m rather obsessed with the Children’s Classics Mystery Reading Challenge which got underway here in January. It’s just too fun revisiting my past through characters like Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames. As I mentioned, when I was younger I used to peruse the Nancy Drew Sleuth Book and try to dig…
Small Wars
War is, well, you know what, a truism hauntingly and vividly portrayed in Sadie Jones’ novel, Small Wars. We find in the title itself a reference not only to the small wars engaged by the British after WWII but also the small wars fought internally by the soldiers and those who love them. In this…
The Happiness Project
Are you happy? Would you like to be happier? I’ve always been a fairly optimistic, roll-with-the-punches, glass half-full kind of person. I’m happy. But even before reading Gretchen Rubin’s yearlong exploration of happiness The Happiness Project, I knew that there were choices I made and habits that I have that interfered with the goal of…
Nurture Shock
I prefer fiction, but every now and then, I find a nonfiction title that grabs my attention and keeps me turning the pages. The most recent nonfiction book to fit this description is NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children. I’ll just go ahead and say that I found this book completely fascinating, and I highly recommend…
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Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor
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