Reviews written by Claire Johnson, Staff Reviewer

A Song for My Sister captures many of the emotions a family and especially a sibling may feel when a new baby enters the family. I found it worthy of a chuckle when the baby kept crying no matter what the family did. If you are a parent,...

C.J. Redwine's DEFIANCE is one of most amazing debuts I have read this year. Her writing and world building is phenomenal and pulls you right into the story. The timing is perfectly paced and there are no slow moments. Once you start reading, prepare yourself for a late...

If nothing else, Return of the Library Dragon reminds us how important holding an actual book is. Our world moves so fast and even our youngest citizens are immersed in technology almost non-stop. The kids at Sunrise Elementary remind the new "IT" person that they treasure real books...

If you love The Hunger Games then I think you will enjoy flipping through the pages of this book. There are numerous quotes and pictures from the movie. I love quotes, so that aspect was particularly enjoyable for me. This book goes along great with...

From the first page of Palace of Stone I was hooked. The writing is beautiful and transports you right into Miri's world. The magic is not over done or thrown in as an after thought. It plays an important role that ties the story together. This book...

The Step Into Reading Series is one of my favorite for children learning how to read. One reason is that I think the levels are appropriately marked for each stage. Pretty Penny Comes Up Short is a Step 3 book which makes it most appropriate for children who...

Thanks to NetGalley and Arthur A. Levine publishing, I was able to read THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME by Karen Rivers. Isadora "Tink" decides to write a book...actually an Encyclopedia of her life. Her book gives us insight into her life in a funny and honest way. Tink...

I don't know that I would have initially picked up SHADOW AND BONE. The cover didn't initially draw me in and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I am SO GLAD that I gave this book a chance. The world building was amazing. Right away, you...

I don't know anyone who did not grow up with a collection of Golden Books. I can visualize my shelves of the shiny golden spine books right now. Baby Listens is a reprint from the 1960 original edition. I absolutely love this book. The illustrations of chubby cheeked...

One thing that I love about the Step Into Reading series is that they are very appropriate for young readers. Not only are they appropriate but they have a huge variety of titles for children to choose from. This is a perfect book for children who...

My Dad Is the Best Playground is a sweet book that kids and dads can enjoy together. The book highlights the relationship of a dad and his two young kids. It shows them playing together and then him tucking the kids into bed at night. I think...

Baby Faces is an adorable board book full of cute babies! When you pull the tabs a baby will blink, chew, and even sneeze. The colors are soothing and not overwhelming and all the babies have a very sweet face. This is one to pick up for...

Such a Rush is the first book by Jennifer Echols that I have read and it really blew me away. The story instantly captivates you and reels you right in to Leah's world. I loved that Leah wanted to fly and I felt like I was right there...

I was really looking forward to finding out how Desi's story would end in this final book of the Princess for Hire series. I am a huge fan of princess stories and this series is a fun and different take on the "ordinary girl becomes a princess" story line....

Unfortunately, I had a very difficult time with this book. I hadn't read the other books in the series so I found this so difficult to get into. Even after I finished, I wasn't sure that I knew the characters all that well. There was a lot...