Graphic Novel: War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay, Illustrated by Daniel LaFrance

May 30, 2013 admin 0

Though I’m still slightly torn about whether or not the making of a child soldier is appropriate fodder for a graphic novel aimed at young adult readers, the combination of Sharon E. McKay’s powerful prose and Daniel LaFrance’s luminous illustrations is just right in War Brothers (Annick). War Brothers was originally written in traditional novel form and published in 2008. Storyboard and graphic artist LaFrance brings the story to life with richly vivid illustrations shown […]

New This Week: Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt

May 9, 2013 admin 0

Ava Lark is a character out of time and out of place. In a Boston suburb in 1956, newly divorced Ava rents a house for herself and her 12-year-old son, Lewis. She is Jewish, a working mom, a divorcee, at a time when the combination of these things was rare and even suspicious. When Lewis’ best friend, Jimmy, goes missing, the Cold War paranoia that engulfs their neighborhood directs itself at Lewis and his mother. […]

New Today: A Dual Inheritance by Joanna Hershon

May 7, 2013 admin 0

Boston 1962. Hugh Shipley and Ed Cantowitz are seniors at Harvard. Son of poor Jewish immigrants, Ed craves financial success, something he’s willing to aim for at almost any cost. Hugh, on the other hand, is from a wealthy family and has loftier goals. He wants to go to Africa and help those less fortunate than himself. The years unwind and, in carefully shared chapters, the picture changes. Over time, Ed discovers he is less […]

New in Paperback: Raising Elijah by Sandra Steingraber

April 28, 2013 admin 0

Several years ago, my husband and I decided not to have children. It’s a decision we’ve seldom regretted, but I never regretted it less than when reading Sandra Steingraber’s Raising Elijah (Da Capo), a book that is essentially about the hazards of raising children in an increasingly toxic world. Dangers to children — both born and unborn — abound. The very thought of it must, for parents, be crazy making. I can’t imagine how they […]

New This Week: Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

January 3, 2013 admin 1

Those who love to start into a new year with a book substantial enough to do some damage when dropped on their foot will enjoy Sharon Kay Penman’s critically acclaimed Lionheart, which came out in paperback on January 1st from Ballantine. It’s 1189 and the newly crowned Richard II, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, sets off from England to the Holy Land and the Crusades. Penman’s skill at spinning historic events into […]

Holiday Gift Guide: Cakepops Holidays by Bakerella

December 18, 2012 admin 0

Bakerella is Angie Dudley, the popular and adventurous blogger whose confections have formed a revolution. It’s possible that she didn’t invent them, but she certainly has done more than her share to not only bring them to the masses, but also to push the very boundaries of cake on a stick. More than 800,000 copies of her first book about cakepops are in print. High time then to follow up with a second book, this […]

Holiday Gift Guide: Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas written and illustrated by Melanie Watt

December 16, 2012 admin 0

The holidays are a veritable hotbed of hazards. As the publisher of Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas (KidsCan) tells us, it’s the season for “worrying, planning, decorating, wrapping, entertaining, caroling and, worst of all, fruitcake!” Fortunately, in order to help out with all the frightening possibilities, beloved Scaredy Squirrel has compiled a “Safety Guide for Scaredies” in what I believe is his sixth outing. As usual, award-winning author illustrator Melanie Watt delivers a charming mix […]

Holiday Gift Guide: A Shtinky Little Christmas by Patrick McDonnell

December 16, 2012 admin 0

Those who love Patrick McDonnell’s “Mutts” comic strip featuring Earl the Dog and Mooch the cat will get a kick out of A Shtinky Little Christmas (Andrews McMeel). Earl and Mooch find a lost kitten in a garbage can, name it Shtinky Pudding and try to give it shelter. Comic-style hijinx ensues, but there’s a happy ending and, on the way there, we are given one of the best take away lines in a book […]

Holiday Gift Guide: The Judge and the Lady by Marlyn Horsdal

December 10, 2012 admin 0

Author, editor and one-time publisher, Marlyn Horsdal, pulls a page out of British Columbian history for her latest novel, The Judge and the Lady (Touchwood). It is 1870 and beautiful Eleanor Wentworth arrives in the coastal city of Victoria from London just in time to lower her expectations. How can the fledgling city at the edge of frontier ever find its place in society? Though her first thought is to flee (but to where?), she […]

Holiday Gift Guide: A Year of Writing Dangerously by Barbara Abercrombie

December 4, 2012 admin 1

The idea behind A Year of Writing Dangerously (New World Library) is to provide, as the subtitle says, “365 Days of Inspiration & Encouragement.” And it does. Every day, seasoned author Barbara Abercrombie offers a single page that contains a relevant quote plus an essay, anecdote or even a question or thoughts, all about writing and all intended to get your juices flowing. As Abercrombie writes in her introduction: Why a year? Because if you […]