I remember my first text. I was living in Mauritania, West Africa, teaching at a university, and one of my students wrote to ask me when he could bring me a draft of his thesis. (I tried to keep my phone number from them, but as soon as one of my hundred-plus students had it,…
Category Archives: Gift Ideas
The Kane Chronicles: The Throne of Fire
Rick Riordan is incredible. He’s made it a goal to reach out to kids (specifically kids who might not ordinarily choose to dig into a big thick book). And I think it’s pretty clear that he’s succeeded, writing two series concurrently (The Lost Hero and The Kane Chronicles) after completing a wildly successful one (Percy…
The Notes: A Kirkus Review (Ronald Reagan’s Collection of Wisdom)
I was a child in the eighties, so I didn’t pay too much attention to politics. As an adult, I am much more interested in current and past events. Recently, I had the opportunity to read The Notes: Ronald Reagan’s Private Collection of Stories and Wisdom. This book is a fascinating snapshot of the man…
Mother’s Day Essays and Poems: A Kirkus Blog Review
Mother’s Day is this weekend, and I recently listened to two audiobooks, both from Macmillan Audio, that fit in well with the day. If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for a special mom in your life, here are two good options. “Motherhood is a kaleidoscopic subject.” Liane Hansen begins the foreword of A Mother’s…
When Did I Get Like This? Mothers I Swore I’d Never Be
When Did I Get Like This?: The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I’d Never Be is a book of essays from Amy Wilson. I had expected humor, and she delivered that, but I was surprised that many of them were also delivered with introspection and heart. They read like blog…
On Reading: Books for the Graduate
I don’t know about you, but I (Jennifer), love to give books as gifts. Over the next couple of months, high schools and colleges will be having graduation ceremonies to celebrate that next step in the life of young adults everywhere. It is likely that most of us know someone celebrating this landmark, be it…
Klutz Guide to the Galaxy: Review
At what age do you outgrow Klutz books for kids? 12? 15? 40? At our house anyway, no one is in any danger of that happening. I think most people are familiar with Klutz books. They’re known for their layouts and bright colours, which pull their readers in, for being jam-packed with lots of facts…
F is for Friendship: A Quilting Alphabet
We’ve reviewed quite a few of Sleeping Bear Press’s Alphabet books here. We love them. If babies and toddlers come to mind when you think of alphabet books, then you’ve never looked at one of their fantastic picture books that uses an amazing strategy to make them appeal to younger kids (4 – 6 year…
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Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor
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