Reviews written by C.J. Redwine

Fans of the Fancy Nancy books (and new readers as well) will love this collection of six classic Fancy Nancy stories. Each story presents scenarios that young readers can relate to (staying up past bedtime and paying for it the next day, struggling to do a school assignment with a...

What I Loved: I finished reading over an hour ago, and I still don't know how to sum up my thoughts. IF YOU FIND ME is at once heartbreaking, compelling, insightful, and achingly beautiful. The story wrapped around me from the first page and wouldn't let me...

In this beautifully illustrated book, a little duckling refuses to stop trying to befriend a cat and insists on calling the cat "duck." Young readers will be amused as they will immediately be "in" on the fact that the duckling is mistaking the cat for a fellow duck. The rhyme...

Not That Tutu is an adorable book full of lively illustrations that are sure to engage young readers. My toddler also wears her tutu to bed, to the store, outside, and basically everywhere, so this story was perfect for her. She was instantly drawn to the cover (which has a...

This clever book explores what it means to be different from those around you and to have a unique talent that you haven't yet discovered. It also cleverly teaches the difference between a period, a question mark, and an exclamation mark. Young readers will be fascinated by the exclamation mark's...

What I Loved: This book is hard to put down, and it's all because of the narrator, Blaze. She's funny, addicted to comic books (vintage ones, thank you very much), and loyal to her loved ones. She's also blind or too willing to forgive the people she...

What I Loved: POISON is a fun fairy-tale that moves along at a swift pace without delving too deeply into the dark, grim themes that are often found in YA fantasy. Because the fight scenes are swift and everyone lives to either go to prison or fight...

Trolls vs. Cowboys in the Arctic is another fun installment in the Mega Mash-up series. The illustrations are colorful and full of life and are stylistically reminiscent of the show Johnny Test. The adventure is action-packed, a little bit silly, and guaranteed to keep young readers engaged with the story...

What I Loved: FLOWERS IN THE SKY isn't the kind of book I'd usually be drawn to, but I'm so glad I read it. I loved so many things about it. First of all, the setting (both the seaside town of Samana in the Dominican Republic and...

Fans of Judy Moody, Clementine, and Ramona will love the Starring Jules series. Jules is a girl who colors outside the lines and is fortunate enough to have parents who embrace and encourage her uniqueness. Her grandmother is also hugely supportive of her. Young readers will relate to Jules' difficulties...

What I Loved: FREAKS is a fast-paced adventure that never loses the heart of its very unusual characters. I really enjoyed the page-turning suspense. This book is impossible to put down for two reasons--we care about the main characters, and we aren't at all sure they can...

What I Loved: This is a charming, thoroughly engaging story that should keep young readers turning pages eagerly. The narrative is lively and easy to read without talking down to the reader. The characters are interesting (even the animals have lovely personalities), and the adventures Lulu and...

What I Loved: DEATH, DOOM, AND DETENTION is a fast-paced adventure full of action and intrigue. Something went wrong, something escalated the conflict, in every chapter. The conflict itself is layered. There are relationships in peril and family bonds that are strained. And of course there are...

What I Loved: DIVIDE AND CONQUER is action-packed from start to finish. Young readers will fly through the pages, eager to find out what happens next. The stakes are high, and the trio of young heroes is constantly put to the test (mentally and physically) as they...

What I Loved: Celia is smart, well-read, and sometimes funny. She's also broken inside in ways I think any reader who's been bullied or who has lost the security of family or friendships can relate to. Despite the fact that Celia is rarely insightful or perceptive when...