Reviews written by Eden Grey

In Amy Reed's latest heart-wrenching contemporary novel, we meet Evie, who dreams of the cheerleading moves she used to do, dates the school's hottest jock, and is loved by her family. Now Evie is Cancer Girl, and her best friends Stella and Caleb are also fighting cancer. The contrast between...

Ariel is a refugee, a fifteen year-old boy who can't seem to find his place in the world, no matter how many lives he lives. When his village in the Middle East is bombed, Ariel is collected by soldiers who take care of him - until their convoy is bombed....

“I was always going to do terrible things because it was in my nature.” This is Tate McKenna. She doesn’t hold back, and she is a hurricane. Tate McKenna isn’t a good girl. She is very bad, and she likes it that way. Tate...

Princess of Thorns was not what I was expecting. It was better. This is a hardcore fantasy adventure, with fairy tale elements threading their way throughout the story. Aurora is a princess hiding from the evil ogre queen – and to...

The storytelling: Kristen Simmons is a great writer. Her writing has the tight, conciseness of a short story, with the expansive and deep world-building of a fantasy arc. The pacing of each chapter, each section of the novel is incredibly well done. The exposition is never boring, the action always...

With informative and easy to understand prose, this refreshing look at the world's most memorable photographs is a perfect choice for photography and art classes. The content would appeal to upper elementary or middle grade level students, in particular. The book features interesting, well-chosen facts of culture and history, and...

Selkie’s adventures continue in the sequel, and conclusion (?) to Skylar Dorset’s debut, THE GIRL WHO NEVER WAS. The action picks up right where we left off, and THE BOY WITH THE HIDDEN NAME takes you on a whirlwind journey through previously unexplored parts of the Otherworld with new and...

This book was fantastic. Selkie is a great protagonist, who is strong and interesting, but doesn’t try to save the world all on her own. It is a little hard for Selkie to come to terms with her Otherworld heritage, but once she does the girl...

Told in dual perspectives, NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE is the first book in a duology called "Duplexity" - in which one of the protagonists is transported from one parallel world into another. The story gets going right away, with fast-paced action and excitement from Danny's point...

This sci-fi adventure follows in the tradition of Marissa Meyer's CINDER, but has its own unique elements and characters that let it stand completely apart from the Lunar Chronicles series. STITCHING SNOW can definitely sell itself without the fairy tale aspect at all - it is...

Claire is no one. Her parents forget she exists. She has no friends, and can't even talk to people on the street. Her teachers skip over her name when doing attendance, the pool attendant won't give her a towel, and no one ever calls her with questions about the homework....

This dual-language version of the classic STRIPES OF ALL TYPES is a great addition to libraries and a fun read for bilingual families. The bright, colorful illustrations are very appealing, and not so complex that they draw attention away from the words on the page. The...

The combination of formats - a picture book story following a shark, and a juvenile non-fiction - creates a unique structure that makes Katherine's solo debut a winner. The informational text is well-written, clear, and easy to understand. The art is impressive in its depth, and...

With great classroom appeal, this first in the Inside & Out series is unique in its enormous format. You can pin it up on the wall, pass it around, or fold it up and shelve it. The book consists entirely of a large fold-out poster, illustrated...

"What darkness begins, only madness can end." A COLD LEGACY is a fitting finale to an entrancing debut series. "Curiosity shivered up my spine." Throughout the book, Juliet struggles with her very nature. Is she a madwoman, fated to become just like her...