Reviews written by Angela Blount, Staff Reviewer

This reviewer was recommended The Name Of The Wind by multiple fantasy connoisseurs of trustworthy caliber, and so when the chance came available, I brought it along on a lengthy road trip. It definitely helped pass the time! The Name Of The Wind is a complexly woven...

A stereotype hog-tying tale of friendship, loyalty, empathy, and forgiveness. This book explores the pitfalls of “popularity,” along with the folly of judging people by their looks, clothing, or the rumors spread about them. It also examines the many faces of bullying—all on a vibrant level...

Congratulations, John Green. I will never be able to forget the name: Margo Roth Spiegelman. Repetition works. Plot-in-a-nutshell: Quentin, a self-proclaimed “well-adjusted” high school senior of middling popularity, is suddenly commandeered one night by his fascinatingly eccentric classmate and neighbor, Margot—asked to act...

Once I got past the point of thinking 'Katniss' every time I read 'Katsa', the book settled into a journey-based light fantasy with variable pacing. Though the worldbuilding gives off a distinctly euro-medieval feel, the “magic” elements are fairly original and the premise is intriguing. ...

A vindicating, comical tale of reversed roles. Told as a farcical guide for kids, this delightful picture book offers a twist on the age-old parental struggle with their children’s bedtime cooperation. The story opens with a young girl resisting bedtime, but quickly morphs into a lesson in empathy and (as...

This mashup of tried and true concepts makes for an accessible sci-fi experience, and is likely to appeal to fans of Battlestar Galactica. The plotline is notably similar, featuring a hodgepodge space-caravan of civilian refugees and myopic military personnel fleeing for their lives across vast distances—being pursued by a force...

Set in the early 1990’s, this book is strongly reminiscent of The Wonder Years—but lacking the more hopeful undertones and genuine nostalgia. The epistolary narrative style carries the unfortunate problem of limited or non-existent setting and physical descriptions, as readers are relegated to the pinhole perspective...

An enchantingly quirky jaunt of a story—ideal for fans of Roald Dahl or Lemony Snicket. The Doldrums is a tale about a lonely, overprotected eleven-year-old boy named Archer B. Helmsley. Though he is the grandson of two famous explorers and lives in their fantastical house of curiosities...

A bright and whimsical tale about a boy, a big sister, and a hungry feline of make-believe proportions. An unnamed boy and his older sister are home alone and left to their own devices in terms of entertaining themselves. The boy wants his sister to read him...

A classic, allegorical work of children’s fiction—one which may be more aimed at a jaded, unimaginative adult audience more so than at children. Over and over it points out the absurdities in many an adult endeavor or priority, whilst weaving a sojourning tale around the “Little Prince” of a tiny...

This book is essentially a 40 page illustrated biography, suitable for children ages 6 and up. Offering a bit of childhood background to help set the stage, it brings to life the true story of how the estranged daughter of a famous (and infamous) poet became a mathematical visionary—not to...

Expertly written historical fiction. A gutting, wrenching, reverberating work of heart. The subject matter made this reader hesitate initially to take it on, but enough endorsement finally pushed me over the edge. I’m glad it did. (And I owe thanks to everyone who warned me not to...

As YA fairytale retellings go, this one is a thoughtfully crafted fantasy smorgasbord. Redwine’s alternate version of Snow White isn’t some waifish, naive songbird—sleeping off her questionable life choices while waiting on a rescue. (Sorry, Disney fans. Please don’t troll me.) Here instead we...

DISCLAIMER: This book does not technically contain characters of a Young Adult age (unless one counts the relative maturity state of a certain artificial intelligence.) The hope was that there could be some crossover appeal, but that is for the individual reader to decide. While this is...

Delightfully quirky, and outlandishly fanciful. There once was a boy named Tim—whose fantastical imagination kept getting him in trouble. Whenever unfortunate things happen, Tim defers blame to an amusing cast of mischievous and unlikely characters. But his family isn’t buying the stories he weaves… ...