Reviews written by Melissa A. Craven, Indie Manager

The Flight of Mr. Finch is a sweet story about the power of friendship and the importance of self-sacrifice. Lovely illustrations in a watercolor style flow in a red and green motif throughout the story. The book includes a pull out section revealing a beautiful jungle illustration as well. ...

J.M.W. Turner was a landscape painter and student of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1789. As a young teen during the Romantic Period, he studied the fine arts and ultimately became one of Britain’s most loved artists, proving you’re never too young to become an artist. This...

Privateer themed books can so easily go the way of the ridiculous and over the top. Not so with Privateer’s Apprentice. As surprising as it is authentic, young Jameson’s story reaches out to grab the reader and pull them along on his exciting and sometimes harrowing adventure. ...

Dr. E’s Super Stellar Solar System reads like your child’s favorite comic book. Each chapter begins with a graphic novel style story with beautiful illustrations and fun characters. Behind the comic book guise, the author does a great job teaching potential young science enthusiasts all about the amazing...

Jennifer Swanson does a great job teaching potential young explorers all about the amazing similarities between space exploration and deep-sea exploration. Astronaut Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact is a beautifully presented book with full color images and illustrations. The information is educational with...

This vibrant retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story has been artfully adapted into a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that captures the cult-like mythology of the “old ones” and the creepy atmosphere of the story itself. Shephard has captured the look and feel of a modern graphic...

The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Arthur Conan Doyle's finest Sherlock Holmes novels, written years after “The Final Problem” a short story intended to be the last Sherlock Holmes story. This most famous of Sherlock Holmes’ stories has been carefully adapted into a beautifully...

Time Jumpers: Escape from Egypt offers lengthier chapter book reading, while still offering delightful illustrations more familiar to young readers just beginning to read all on their own. Large fonts with only a few short paragraphs per page, Time Jumpers is easy reading, yet the story...

Adrienne Cahill finds herself on an expedition to remote Siberia looking for the fabled Osinov family with her stepfather, Dan, a scholar who is convinced he knows where this notorious family of hermits lives. Adrienne sees it as the perfect opportunity to write an article about her experiences—debunking Dan’s theories—and...

Fans of Riordan will find lots of familiar faces from the Magnus Chase series in this clever collection of short reads. With his signature humor and melting pot of humans, gods and creatures, readers new and old will laugh out loud at the hilarious antics of Thor and friends as...

A gory, dark thriller with all the things we loved about Hunger Games plus a delightfully creepy twist of something new and totally addicting. From page one, Dee Guerrera finds herself in the killroom of the Postman’s executioner, Prince Slycer. She’s been convicted of the murder...

A raw but beautiful tale of one girl’s journey back to herself after experiencing sexual assault. Grace is a survivor. She doesn’t remember her assailant, but all evidence points to the one person she thought she could trust. Then after the death of her father, things take a...

A romantic, female-driven gothic tale of star-crossed lovers with a real-world twist on Washington Irving’s classic ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.’ The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel is an enthralling read for any historical fiction fan—at any time of the year—although this spooky, haunting tale is perfect...

The perfect gift for any Poe fan, Gareth Hinds breathes life—and gory death—into some of the greatest works of Edgar Allen Poe, American master of horror. These stunning illustrations guide the reader into the twisted realm of the classic horror genre with the familiar stories of The Pit and The...

A Kid’s Guide to the American Revolution is full of intriguing facts and details about the struggle that gave birth to our great nation. From the origin of each of the original thirteen colonies to the onset of the Revolutionary War, A Kid’s Guide is an excellent educational resource, and...