YA Review: CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber

I did not read nearly as much as I thought I would on our trip to Australia, but it’s because I was busy doing things like holding koalas and feeding kangaroos. Actually, I ticked those off my bucket list on our first day there while visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary outside Brisbane. I highly…

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My Favorite Reads of 2016

I know it’s only Dec. 22, but I’m flying away to California (!!!) on Saturday to spend Christmas with family, so I’m knocking it out early. The last time I posted this list early, I ended up binge-reading a series the final week of the year that totally would have edged out something on my…

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YA Review: DREAM A LITTLE DREAM by Kerstin Gier

I can’t believe it’s been more than a month since I reviewed a young adult book, but that’s all right. I enjoyed catching up on the middle grade, too. Today I’m reviewing a book I picked up because I thought it might work as a comp title for my violin story, and the magic side…

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LET THE WIND RISE and A Few Other YA Books You Should Read

It’s time for another young adult reading roundup! Between series (how do you make a plural of a plural??) I love ending, attending NESCBWI, and winning a giveaway with several books, my to-be-read pile is so tall I’ve resorted to letting random.org choose what I’ll read next. As I was updating the reading tab on…

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MMGM: STORY THIEVES: THE STOLEN CHAPTERS by James Riley

Before I get started with my MMGM post–yay!–there’s still time to enter my giveaway for signed paperbacks of MarcyKate Connolly’s MONSTROUS and Trisha Leaver’s THE SECRETS WE KEEP. Visit my 4th blogiversary post for details. Fun statistic: many of my most popular posts are MMGM reviews! A few weeks ago I posted about The Joy…

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The Joy of Reading Alongside Your Child

Yesterday I read an article about kids starting to drop off reading around age 8 due to an increase in electronics use. It made me incredibly sad, in large part because my son recently turned 8 (or 2, depending on how you count those Leap Day birthdays 🙂 ), and the world of reading has…

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MMGM: STORY THIEVES by James Riley

Hi there, MMGM readers! I know it’s been forever since I did a middle grade review. It should be no surprise that a James Riley book would bring me back into the fold, considering how much I love the HALF UPON A TIME series. I’ve been meaning to read STORY THIEVES for a while, and…

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EVERY LAST WORD and A Few Other YA Books You Should Read

I’ve found myself in more of a roundup mood than a full-on review mood lately, and I have a few more books to recommend, so here we go. I’ve read several books recently dealing with mental illness, but the one that struck me most particularly was EVERY LAST WORD by Tamara Ireland Stone. Perhaps it’s…

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YA Review: BECOMING JINN by Lori Goldstein

I’ve been meaning to read BECOMING JINN for a while, particularly as I enjoy Lori Goldstein’s posts on YAtopia and I like to support authors who share their knowledge with those of us still in the trenches. I’m so glad I finally did! Let’s jump right into it. Azra has just turned sixteen, and overnight…

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YA Series Recommendation: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Well, I already told you this recommendation was coming in my favorite reads of 2015 post. I actually ended up finishing two of the three books before the end of the year, so it’s probably a good thing I gave The Selection series an honorable mention for 2015. It wouldn’t be quite fair to list…

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My Favorite Reads of 2015

As of today, I’ve read 116 books in 2015. I’ll probably finish one more before the end of the year, but it’s an adult book, so it wouldn’t apply for my favorite reads list anyway :). So here are my top middle grade and young adult reads of the year, not necessarily published in 2015….

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DAMAGE DONE and a Few Other YA Books You Should Read

Yes, I know it hasn’t been very long since I did one of these roundups. But here’s the thing. I went on one of those request binges at the library and was deluged with books, so I read them all very quickly and didn’t have time to devote to individual reviews. Actually, that’s not completely…

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