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Mother Daughter Book Club Blog - Books & Literature
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Review: Biology Lessons by Melissa Kantor |
Grace is chosen to tutor Jack, a star on their high school's baseball team, in AP Biology. Over the weeks they become more and more attracted to each other until one day they have sex. Soon after, Jack breaks up with Grace to get back together with his old girlfriend. At the same time, Grace
Review: The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly |
It's 1942, and everything is about to change for the Smith family on Martha's Vineyard. Brother Tom is off to war, leaving sisters Cadence and Briar to look after their farm and their grandmother. He also leaves behind Bess, an almost fiancée who loves him and her adopted family. The island is also going through
Review: Fantastic Flora by Ann McCallum Staats |
Most times we leave our homes, we encounter plants of some kind. Flowers, shrubs, and trees are present even in urban environments. But few of us think about how these plants grow and attract pollinators and reproduce in a continuous cycle. And things that are prickly and smelly get even less of our attention, unless
Review: Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge |
When Makalani returns to family's home on the island of Kaua'i for her grandmother's birthday, little does she know that she has a mystery to solve: two of her cousins are missing and no one seems concerned except her. As a national park ranger in Oregon, she's used to keeping the peace among a lot
Review: Wolf Girl Into the Wild by Ahn Do |
An unknown threat forces Gwen and her family and everyone she knows to flee. Packing bare essentials, they set out in their car, and so does everyone else from their town. When the threat catches up to them, they set out on foot. Gwen's parents tell her to run as fast as she can towards
Review: Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan |
Ben Bellini gets the Spelling Bee bug when he becomes his school's champ and advances to regionals. That's where he finds out that people take the competitions seriously, and most contestants study for them. Ben's friends don't really get his newfound interest, which makes him unsure if he wants to pursue it. That is, until
Review: When Stars Align by Melissa de la Cruz |
Miranda, Germaine, and Sicily met as teens on the set of a popular kids show. They basked in the attention they received, though their outward success and wild times captured by paparazzi hid the challenges they went through in their private lives. As they aged their troubles only grew. Miranda struggled with alcohol, drugs, and
Review: Maybe Just Ask Me! by Katie Mazeika |
It's not unusual for kids (or adults) to not know what to say when they meet someone with an obvious disability. Author Katie Mazeika wants to change that with her picture book, Maybe Just Ask Me! The story follows Mazie, a new girl at school who wears an eye patch and a head scarf. When
Ann McCallum Staats: The Enticing Spice of Kidlit Nonfiction |
Intro to guest post: My two daughters found very different approaches to a love of reading when they were young. One loved fiction, mostly fantasy and historical, particularly if it made her laugh. The other gravitated to nonfiction. Stories about real animals and nature and how things work were interesting to her, and they also
Review: Something Like Fate by Amy Lea |
Loren, known as Lo, comes from a long line of psychic women who have visions of their soulmates before they meet. Her own mom died when she was young, and she's never had a vision of her own until her freshman year of college. The image she sees confirms for her that she'll meet her
Review: Girls to the Front by Nina Mata |
As a Filipina American girl, Nina Mata did not know much about Asian American women who stood out for their actions. As an author and illustrator, she has set out to provide such a guide for her daughter and the current generation of girls with Girls to the Front: 40 Asian American Women Who Blazed
Review: Alpacas Here, Alpacas There |
Who doesn't love alpacas? The cute animals with big eyes, long necks, and fluffy bodies attract attention whether seen in fields or farms. And of course, their wool keeps people warm when used to make things like sweaters, ponchos, gloves, and socks. Alpacas Here, Alpacas There, a picture book written by Carrie Tillotson, lets kids
Review: Getting Ready For Valentine’s Day |
It's the day before Valentine's day, and Kai is making cards for his friends and family. Paper and crayons and glue and scissors are spread across the table, and his mom and dad and baby sister help. He's excited for the party the next day at school and is even happier when he finds out
Review: I Am A Space Tiger by Jarod Rosello |
When Hugo realizes it's his Mami's birthday, he decides to get her something special. He knows she likes all kinds of rocks, so he sets off on an adventure with his pet dino. The two embark on an outer space adventure that still has them home in time to celebrate. I Am A Space Tiger
Pip Drysdale Gives Insight About Her New Book: The Close-UP |
Pip Drysdale’s global upbringing (she grew up in Africa, Canada, and Australia and became an adult in New York and London) gives an international flair to her novels of psychological suspense. Her previous books—The Sunday Girl, The Strangers We Know, The Paris Affair, and The Next Girl—have all been international bestsellers, propelling Australia’s Stellar magazineto
Review: Dead Below Deck by Jan Gangsei |
Dead Below Deck by Jan Gangsei is a great young adult mystery that will keep readers guessing until the end. It starts with what seems like a straightforward crime. Maggie is seen in video pushing Giselle from the railing of a luxury yacht into the open ocean. The two are about to graduate from a
Review: The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen |
Safi has strong magic, but she needs a mentor to learn how to use it. Her father and older sister know they can't afford to pay someone to teach her, so they hope to find her an apprenticeship with an experienced practitioner. When traveling magicians arrive in their city to perform, they see Safi's potential
Review: Drop Dead Sisters by Amelia Diane Coombs |
Remi Finch hates spending time with family. She particularly doesn't get along with her two older sisters. But when her parents anniversary requires a mandatory appearance at a camping weekend, Remi knows she has to make the best of it. When an uninvited guest turns up dead and Remi is set to take the blame,
Review: Still There Was Bread by Lisl H. Detlefsen |
In Still There Was Bread, a picture book written by Lisl H. Detlefsen and illustrated by David Soman, a young boy learns to bake bread from his grandma. The story is seemingly simple, yet it feels as warm and comforting as the smell of rolls fresh from the oven. The boy is excited when his
Review: Bounce! by Sarah Albee |
Rubber is used to make many things we use every day, including balls, and bicycle wheels, and the soles of shoes. Rubber shows up in so many products it's hard to imagine a time in history when it didn't exist. Bounce: A Scientific History of Rubber by Sarah Albee talks about that history and how
Review: Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood by Robert Beatty |
Sylvia Doe doesn't know where she came from or who her parents were. All she knows is she would rather stay at the Highground Home for Children, where she can tend horses and be surrounded by nature, than live in a foster home in the city. So she keeps running away from new placements to
Review: As Edward Imagined by Matthew Burgess & Marc Majewski |
During his life Edward Gorey was the artist for many children's books written by other authors. He also wrote and illustrated his own. He won awards designing costumes for plays, but he preferred to spend most of his time quietly at home snuggling up to his cats. It's appropriate then, for children to read a
Review: How To Be A Super Awesome Artist by Henry Carroll & Rose Blake |
Sometimes all you need to create art is a little bit of inspiration and some straightforward instruction on getting started. That's what budding artists and their parents will find in How To Be A Super Awesome Artist: 20 Art Projects Inspired By The Masters by Henry Carroll & Rose Blake. Using well-known artists as examples,
Review: Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson |
Marlowe Wexler had an epic first date with her long-time crush Akilah. But it ended badly when Marlow lit a candle to set a mood and accidentally burned down a family friend's summer cottage. She ends up taking a job at Morning House, an historic home on an island in the St. Lawrence River to
Review: Nina Peanut by Sarah Bowie |
Nina Peanut loves making videos that involve potatoes and bananas and tips on how not to step in dog poop. She posts her videos online, where she has two people following her: her best friend Brian and her grandma. Megan also posts videos online. Mostly about her super-cute pup doing tricks. Megan is popular, with
Review: The Owl Prowl Mystery by Diana Renn |
Miles really cares about the wildlife that lives around his home. He lives next to a wooded area and wildlife refuge that suddenly gets lots of attention for the owls spotted there. But when people flock to the area to get a sighting, they sometimes act in ways that stress the owls and can put
Review: PetWizards by Kirk Scroggs |
Finch Eaglehawk is a petwizard, a human who can control animals. Petwizards have existed for centuries, but they're supposed to be discreet, so no one knows about their special powers. But when the middle school musical is in jeopardy, and Finch's crush Ken Chu needs help, Finch promises to provide a flock of seagulls for
Review: The Cookie Crumbles by Tracy Badua & Alechia Dow |
Laila and Lucy are best friends intent on going to Sunderland Academy, an exclusive boarding school high school where Laila hoped to hone her baking skills and Lucy planned to learn more about investigative journalism. When a cookie baking competition comes up, it offers them both what they want: scholarships that will let their families
Review: Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla |
Isabel Beane lives in a house that's hardly ever quiet. With five siblings and parents on the go, there's always some hullabaloo. If anyone in her family stayed still long enough, she might tell them about the worry moths that flutter inside her, or the way the new girl at school has been mean to
Review: Castles and Ruins by Rue Matthiessen |
When Rue Matthiessen was eight, her family spent a summer in Ireland in an idyllic setting near the ruin of a castle. Her parents were going through a difficult period, but Rue remembers that time as a reprieve from the stresses causing a rift. Her parents, author Deborah Love and famed naturalist and writer Peter
Review: Sorry For The Inconvenience by Farah Naz Rishi |
When Farah Naz Rishi met Stephen while working on a class project in college, the last thing she thought is that they would become best friends and ultimately marry. For one thing, her first impression was that he was sloppy and inconsiderate. For another, she knew as a non-Muslim he would never be acceptable to
Review: Alterations by Ray Xu |
Life is complicated for Kevin Lee. His single-mother mom always needs help at her alterations shop. His older sister is interested in life without her younger brother in tow. And his grandmother, recently arrived from China to live with his family, embarrasses him with her lack of English and strange ways. Kevin also struggles to
Review: Else B. In The Sea by Jeanne Walker Harvey |
Else Bostelman was an artist who helped people understand what deep-sea creatures looked like by painting them underwater. The time was the 1930s, and world-renowned scientist William Beebe explored the waters off Bermuda, in the Atlantic Ocean. He hired Else to capture the images of things he discovered. Her adventures are told in a picture
Review: Spy Ring by Sarah Beth Durst |
Rachel and Joon are best friends out to solve a mystery: Did Anna Smith Strong, a purported spy during the Revolutionary War, leave clues to a treasure? If so, how can two kids figure out clues from more than two centuries ago? Spy Ring, by Sarah Beth Durst follows the two on an adventure of
Review: The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise by Robert Norris |
While Robert Norris was growing up, his mother, Kay, set an example for him as an independent thinker. At a time when divorce was uncommon and looked down on, she got divorced. She stood up to the priest who refused her communion after she remarried. She worked hard throughout her life and wasn't prone to
Review: The Wildcat Behind Glass by Alki Zei |
Fascism was gaining ground in Greece in the 1930s, but young Melia and her sister Myrto are more concerned about visiting their summer home by the seaside, where they run free with friends and don't have to worry about school lessons. The politics of the day intrude anyway, and they soon learn that their beloved
Review: The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants by Philip Bunting |
Did you know that if all the ants in the world were put on a scale they roughly would equal the weight of all the humans? Or that weaver ants can hang on to one another to build living bridges? Those are just two of the cleverly presented facts in The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants
Review: Sunny Parker Is Here To Stay by Margaret Finnegan |
Sunny Parker does her best to live up to her name, bringing the sunshine into the lives of her dad and her best friends. But she sometimes finds it hard to find the bright spots in the goings on in her community. Like when protests erupt over converting an old school into affordable housing or
Robert Norris On How His Mother Influenced His Love of Stories |
Today I'm featuring a guest post by Robert Norris, author of a memoir that is also a tribute to his mother called, The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me. Here he talks about how she fostered in him a love of stories. Read on to the end
Review: Lola Meets the Bees by Anna McQuinn |
Lola Meets the Bees by Anna McQuinn is a cute picture book that teaches little ones about honeybees. It starts when Lola visits her mom's friend Zora, who keeps bees on the rooftop of her home in the city. She sees bees flitting from flower to flower, spreading pollen as they go. Lola learns that