Reviews written by Melissa A. Craven, Indie Manager

This is a difficult review to write. Here so Far Away is one of those books that leaves you feeling a bit hollow after finishing. In so many ways, the story is brilliantly crafted with a stream of conscious narrative that is both hilarious at times and heartbreaking at others....

Silly Sentences is fun and entertaining interactive game to play with your child as they are just beginning to learn to read. Spend an afternoon creating hilarious sentences with your child as they play with this charming little flip book. The clever format ensures that each new sentence is a...

From Queen Elizabeth II to Joni Mitchell, this collection of colorful paper dolls features a wide spectrum of trailblazers from women’s history. This fun activity book will definitely foster adult-child interaction as families study the included biographies about each of these women together. I particularly enjoyed...

As an adult woman, I don’t really remember a time when women couldn’t do the things they wanted to do just because they happened to be female. We are so privileged today to have the same freedoms as men, even though our struggle for equality still continues in many ways....

OMG Classics: Greek Gods #squadgoals By Courtney Carbone In the current climate of fast paced communications and bite sized bits of information comes OMG Classics, Greek Gods #Squadgoals. As creative as it is hilariously entertaining, this clever little book gives the mythology buff...

A beautiful companion to the original book, Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris. In 1926, Miss Emily Sands led an expedition up the Nile in search of the tomb of the god Osiris. Alas, Miss Sands and crew soon vanished into the desert, never to be seen again. This...

Margot Maples is the girl next door. She’s the high school sophomore just trying to navigate the world of class presidential elections, mean girls, boy drama and typical high school life. Sweet Fifteen lives up to its name in every way. A sweet story and a clean read for...

I’ve always enjoyed Kelly St. Clare’s series and I’ve always enjoyed Raye Wagner’s as well, but together, these authors are pure magic as one voice united to tell a story you won’t soon forget. (Book hangover inducing, but rest easy, the sequel, Shadow Wings is coming very soon!) ...

This fun guidebook comes with everything you need to practice knot tying. The easy to follow illustrations will have young knot enthusiasts learning the difference between hitches, ties, wraps and knots in no time. Two short lengths of rope are included for practice, but parents should be at ease...

Of all the Klutz activity kits, of which there are many, this one is probably one of the more active—and loads more fun too. The kit includes everything you’ll need to create up to ten custom soaps, including packages and stickers so you can give your soaps as...

How does a First Lady train for a job that has no job description—or even a salary? A job that is often thankless, when the public expects a First Lady to be hostess, mother, wife, role model, style icon, a picture of perfection and poise with her arms around her...

Best and Buzzworthy 2017 puts a year’s worth of pop culture into a colorful, well organized, and entertaining read. From the musician with the most MTV music video awards (Madonna) to the highest paid celebrity on television (Jim Parsons), the tallest tree house (and the tallest sandcastles) in the...

Isaac The Alchemist is a very quiet book. Much like Isaac the boy. There is something powerful and inspiring about his determination to understand the physical world around him, even at a young age. Isaac was an introvert, happier to spend time with his books and experiments than doing just...

The first of seven books in this paranormal romance series, Runes offers a unique look at the Norse pantheon in a contemporary urban fantasy setting. Runes will definitely appeal to fans of Twilight and The Mortal Instruments, but if you’re looking for an intense level of Norse mythology, Runes doesn’t...

Admittedly, I was not a fan of Shakespeare when it was forced on me in high school. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to see the plays live that I fell in love with the master. Had I the opportunity to wet my feet with a book like Shakespeare...