Reviews written by Kristie Lowry, Promotions Manager

THE RIDDLE by Alison Croggon is the second in the author's Pellinor series, and it picks up right where book 1 left off. Maerad and Cadvan continue their quest for the Treesong--even though they have no idea what it is or where they should look for it. As in...

New Canaan is home to the Knowing, a group of people descended from colonists from the planet Earth--sent to a new planet to try to create a utopian civilization. The Knowing believe that they have succeeded. They never forget anything--and not only do they not forget, retrieving their memories mean...

Alison Croggon’s THE NAMING: BOOK ONE OF PELLINOR is a high fantasy tale that draws from and rivals some of the classics in the genre. The book’s central character, Maerad, is a sixteen-year-old slave, and she has resigned herself to that fate—until she’s found by Cadvan, a Bard who discovers...

REFLECTIONS by Clifton Kenny follows Shane Sullivan as he discovers that he has the ability to talk to people from the past—specifically the ancestors of whomever is nearby when he starts to “reflect.” With this gift, Shane (accompanied by his friends Paige and Jimmer) discovers that the history lessons he...

In JUNE SPARROW AND THE MILLION DOLLAR PENNY, June Sparrow is a very rich pre-teen living in New York City with her best friend, a miniature pig named Indigo Bunting... until she's not rich anymore. On her twelfth birthday, June learns that the fortune her parents left to her when...

Albie Bright’s mom has died after a long illness, and he’s heartbroken. While trying to sort out his feelings about losing her, he asks his dad (a scientist—as was Albie’s mom) if he believes in heaven. “And that’s” says Albie “when Dad started to tell me about quantum physics.”...

Big and Little, an elephant and a mouse, are best friends. But their friendship isn't based on common interests. Big and Little like opposite things, and author/illustrator Michael Garland has created a nice take on a much-done concept. There are the typical up/down and fast/slow comparisons, but as Big cooks...

Oscar Indigo is a bad baseball player, but he’s a very good teammate. And he’s committed to his role of benchwarmer and cheerleader as his team, the East Mt. Etna Wildcats, heads into the Slugger League post season against the West Mt. Etna Yankees. They’re in the first game of...

THE GREAT TREEHOUSE WAR by Lisa Graff is the story of Winnie Malladi-Maraj and her nine friends. It’s told in the form of a collective memoir; the focus is on fifth-grade Winnie, and she’s the primary author, but her friends get to share their thoughts throughout the narrative through post-it...

FELIX YZ by Lisa Bunker is a creative look at the difficulties of being in middle school, although the title character has challenges far beyond the typical thirteen-year-old. With less than a month to go before The Procedure that could kill him, Felix Yz decides to...

THE TEMPTATION OF ADAM focuses on Adam Hawthorne, a teen who has lost a lot. His mom and his older sister have moved away leaving him with his dad—and his dad is too immersed in his own post-break-up misery to pay much attention to Adam. Adam doesn’t have friends anymore,...

MASK OF SHADOWS by Linsey Miller features Sal Leon, a genderfluid thief who wants nothing more than to exact revenge on the Lords of Erlend—those who ensured the annihilation of Sal’s country of birth, Nacea—and left them as its only survivor. The book starts with a robbery that introduces Sal,...

Jane Yolen’s collection THE EMERALD CIRCUS is pure delight for anyone who craves inspired retellings of classics from literature, or re-imaginings of the lives of real literary figures. Yolen takes a slanted look at the lives of Emily Dickinson, Hans Christian Andersen, and Edgar Allen Poe, and she creates some...

Jackie Robinson was an exceptional man, and in 42 Is Not Just a Number, Doreen Rappaport shows readers why he should certainly be celebrated for not only his baseball prowess, but also for his strength of character. Although the book is brief, it succeeds in that mission. ...

Mary Weber’s THE EVAPORATION OF SOFI SNOW follows the titular character as she navigates more challenges than any one teen girl should. Sofi’s father has died. Her mother is wedded to the company she built and runs. Oh, and aliens have brought their planet into Earth’s orbit, and they, the...