Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Aru Shah and the City of Gold: Review & Giveaway

Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD Another exciting installment in the Pandava Series! In this book, Aru and her friends are joined by Kara, who Aru discovers is the Sleeper’s other daughter. Family and friendship loyalties are stretched to their limits in this book, as the gang struggles to know who they can count on. Not only do they have to decide if Kara deserves their trust (after all, she was basically raised by the Sleeper), but they’re also dealing with […]

Posted April 21, 2021 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 4 Comments

City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda: An Exciting and Enlightening Read!

One grade school memory that stands out most vividly for me is the huge project I did on Mesopotamia when I was probably in about fifth grade or so. I was entranced by all things Mesopotamian—the culture, the mythology, the political landscape, even the geography. Now, I’ll confess that I don’t remember a whole lot of it anymore, but all these (many) years later, something still thrills within me at the mere mention of the […]

Posted February 4, 2021 in Reviews / 6 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Cybils Nominees: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, Mañanaland, The Copycat, & Shuri

As my regular readers know, I’m a round one judge for the Cybils Awards in the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category. Because of that, I’ve been reading LOTS of books lately! I’m not allowed to share any details about our process for choosing the finalists, but I am allowed (and encouraged) to review the books as I read, so I figured I’d share four of them with you today. I hope these bite-sized reviews will […]

Posted November 12, 2020 in Cybils, Reviews / 4 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Cybils Nominees: Race to the Sun, Skunk and Badger, The Dragon Thief, and The Forgotten Girl

Posted October 23, 2020 in Cybils, Reviews / 0 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch; Four Days of You and Me; Maya and the Rising Dark; and Hello, Arnie!: An Arnie the Doughnut Story

I’ve got four reviews for you today: two MG fantasies, a YA contemporary, and a picture book. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! An utterly adorable fantasy adventure about finding and playing to your strengths. This reminded me a lot of The Worst Witch (a series that my daughter really enjoys) because Eva’s magic often goes a bit awry. Except this book is set in a fantasy world […]

Posted October 8, 2020 in Reviews / 8 Comments

I’m a 2020 Round One Cybils Awards Judge! Plus, Quick Reviews of Last Year’s MG Speculative Fiction Finalists

I really enjoyed being a round-two judge for the Cybils Awards. The process for picking a winner was WAY harder than I expected it to be, but it was also great to have in-depth discussions about each of the finalists. I was surprised how many of the books I absolutely loved! This year, I said I’d be willing to be either a round-one or round-two judge, and I was chosen for round one for the […]

Posted September 23, 2020 in Cybils, Reviews / 8 Comments

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi: Review and Giveaway (Plus, a Quick Review of Aru Shah and the Song of Death)

Today I’m reviewing books two and three of the Pandava Quartet! Since this is technically a blog tour for the third book, I’m posting that review first, but you can scroll down to see my quick thoughts on Aru Shah and the Song of Death as well. Also, check out my review of book one, Aru Shah and the End of Time! You can purchase Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes at the following Retailers: […]

Posted April 28, 2020 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 12 Comments

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia: Review & Giveaway

Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD This book is absolutely packed with rich storytelling—both African and African American folklore that many middle graders have probably never encountered before. It’s difficult to even unpack how many different stories are rolled into this adventure and brought to life in a new way. (I’d actually love it if Rick Riordan Presents would do a companion that goes deeper into each individual tale, sort of like the Greek Gods companions that were […]

Posted October 15, 2019 in Black History Month, Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 20 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Dragon Pearl and The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary

I’ve got two reviews for you today, both MG: one is sci-fi, and the other is a contemporary in verse. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! This book was a fun adventure based on Korean mythology and set in space. Right there, I’m pretty much sold. When Min hears that her brother is being accused of being a traitor and defecting from the Space Force, she doesn’t believe it […]

Posted January 18, 2019 in Reviews / 16 Comments

The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes: Hispanic and Disability Rep + Mythology Not Many of Us Know About

There’s a whole lot to love about this little gem of a book. It’s an action-packed introduction to a little-known mythological system that features a hispanic, disabled MC. This sounds like a lot of rep and you might be wondering if the inclusion of the disability might seem like too much, but it’s all woven together seamlessly and given its due weight. What Fed My Addiction: Maya mythology. I knew absolutely nothing about Maya mythology going into […]

Posted September 21, 2018 in Middle Grade, Reviews / 20 Comments