Reviews written by Kimberly Pauley

Escape from Slavery contains true life tales adapted and dramatized by Doreen Rappaport from historical documents. Broken into five individual stories of courage, this book is an amazingly fast read and very engaging. Used in a classroom setting, I can see that each story would be...

The first book in this new series adapted by Elizabeth Lenhard (it's a Disney owned and developed property) kicks off in high gear. Five girls -- Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin -- discover that they (and only they) have the power to triumph over evil and save their...

I'll Be There With Belzon is a keeper and should have a treasured place on your bookshelf. Both written and illustrated by J. Kirk Richards, the book is a delightful little story that will bring a smile to your face. The illustrations, in muted shades of...

I think I expected too much from this book. Thats not to say that it isnt a great book with a charming and often surprising sense of humor, because it is. There was just so much hype about it because of the authors tender age (Im sure hed laugh to...

Wow, this book surprised me. From the front flap to the first section of free verse poetry that makes up the beginning, I thought this book was going to be about some party crazy boys and the girls they preyed upon. I should have taken a look at the front...

Ted Burgers day starts out fairly normal, with his friends teasing him into making a top 10 list of things he has to do before he dies while sitting at their favorite greasy spoon diner. But then things get a little crazy and Teds got just 24 hours to live...

This is the kind of story you dont want to read if you happen to be a parent looking for a babysitter, but the parents in The Au Pairs arent exactly your typical, every day parents anyway. Its not your average family that can afford to pay a total of...

Clive Barkers continuation of the Abarat series with Days of Magic, Nights of War brings us deeper into the magical islands of the Abarat and finally reveals to Candy Quackenbush what readers have suspected all along&that deep inside, Princess Boas spirit lives in Candy. Before that major...

Paul Wagner always produces interesting books. This collection of more than 50 short stories and interesting short shorts is no exception. Divided into sections, the stories are ostensibly about ghosts, athletes, romance, pre-teens and the all-encompassing pot pourri section. The title Jock Jokes is a bit...

Quirky. Thats the word that even the author uses to describe his books, including his latest offering, Scribble. Read just about any review of Richard Jennings work and youll see that word pop up. I wont disagree at all. Its exactly why I find his books to be so interesting....

Valeries life is going pretty well, until her mother announces that shes leaving her dad for&another woman. Too embarrassed to tell her friends and spazzing out in general, Valerie is soon hit with another problem. Her dad, a protocol guru, has been offered another job&in another country. ...

I will admit, but only to you, my dear readers, that I will periodically indulge in that guilty pleasure known as Pop Music. Ill even go so far as to admit to listening to the kind of music the main character in Rachel Cohns new book Pop Princess makes. Yes,...

A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's funnier comedies and Tui Sutherlands adaptation This Must Be Love keeps that tone faithfully. Updated for today's teens, even the names stay the same (Hermia, Helena, etc.), though some plot points deviate (in interesting ways) from the original. In...

The first edition of The Sorcerers Companion came out in 2001. Now updated to include references from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Allan and Elizabeth Kronzeks guide is a treasure trove of information for Harry aficionados. I had never picked up the first edition...

The book starts off with the three Gold sisters playing a practical joke on their neighbor Pete. Its a giddy moment of togetherness that makes the sudden and unexpected death of their father that same day stand out in stark contrast. A year later, things are already past the unraveling...