Wishtree: A Tree with a Story to Tell

Wishtree: A Tree with a Story to Tell

“It’s hard to talk to trees. We’re not big on chit chat. That’s not to say we can’t do amazing things, things you’ll probably never do. Cradle downy owlets. Steady flimsy tree forts. Photosynthesize. But talk to people? Not so much.” With that opening, who wouldn’t...

Amy Stewart Adds Bling

I am a huge fan of Amy Stewarts Kopp sisters series (Girl Waits With A Gun, etc). If you don’t know them, I urge you to check them out. So Amy is one of the few writers I folow on Goodreads. Recently she added this editing tip that I just love! It’s about...
Two Stories With Evil Aunts

Two Stories With Evil Aunts

Recently two different books I read featured unfeeling, tightly wound aunts. That is something I haven’t seen much of and so, for that admittedly feeble reason, I’m going to talk about both books. In Stitch in Time (by Daphne Kalmar, Feiwel and Friends), Donut’s...
New Old Friends Bring Surprises

New Old Friends Bring Surprises

Although I don’t remember who recommended I read Saving the Planet & Stuff (Putnam, 2003) by Gail Gauthier, I am very glad I did. It’s not often these days that you read a middle-grade novel where there are intergenerational friendships. Gauthier does a great job...
March Forward

March Forward

In my effort to review a range of middle-grade books, this week I bring you a non-fiction story. March Forward, Girl (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is a memoir by Melba Pattillo Beals. Beals is one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African-American children who...