Like the striking screenwriters out there on the picket lines, I’ve been concerned about the use of Artificial Intelligence in the world of writing. Could it really replace human novelists? I mean, it’s hard enough to write a book and then compete with other human writers to get it published. But adding AI-created books to …
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Book review: The Art of Destiny
YA fiction
by Wesley Chu
Measuring up to the first book of a series can be a daunting task, but Wesley Chu avoids the sophomore slump with The Art of Destiny, the second tale in his War Arts saga. When the story picks up, Wen Jian, the prophesied hero, has been training in secret with his mentor, …
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The spring that sprung
Wow, that was one busy spring! After the pandemic put a halt to in-person author visits back in 2020, I wondered when (and if) they would ever start up again. Now I wonder no more.
Why? Well, it seemed like this past spring, every elementary school simultaneously woke up from its pandemic-induced slumber and said, “Hey, …
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Book review: Warrior Girl Unearthed
YA fiction
by Angeline Boulley
Angeline Boulley’s debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, was one of the best books I’ve read in recent years, so I came to read Warrior Girl Unearthed with high expectations. When the story was a little slow getting started, I thought, Ah, well. It’s common for a sophomore effort not to measure up to …
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Book review: Winston Chu vs. The Whimsies
Middle-grade fiction
by Stacey Lee
This lively tween tale dips deftly into Chinese mythology while remaining completely modern. Twelve-year-old Winston Chu has a loving mom, an older and younger sister, and a tight circle of friends who support him, but the loss of his father in a war-related accident still shadows his life. His mom is struggling …
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Book review: Ballad & Dagger
YA fiction
By Daniel Jose Older
All 16-year-old Mateo Matisse wants is to be able to make his music, be heard and not seen, and maybe someday play backup for his musical idol, Gerval. But events in his Brooklyn neighborhood of Little Madrigal don’t make that dream easy. Little Madrigal houses most of the people remaining from …
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Book review: The Circus at the End of the Sea
Middle grade fiction
By Lori R. Snyder
Set in Venice, California, this wildly imaginative tale draws on classic orphan tropes while carving its own fantastical path. 12-year-old orphan Maddy Adriana has always known that magic is real. All her life in group homes, she has always seen things no one else sees. And then there’s the matter …
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Book review: Moon Child
YA fiction
By Gaby Triana
You might not associate gothic horror with sunny Florida, but that only means you haven’t yet read Gaby Triana’s Moon Child. In a tale of steadily growing dread that draws on both the haunted-house vibes of The Shining and the witchy teen coven of The Craft, this book blends teen angst with …
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Book review: A Game of Fox and Squirrels
Middle grade fiction
by Jenn Reese
A moving, realistic fantasy tale with hidden depths. After an incident shatters their family, Sam and her older sister Caitlin are sent to live in rural Oregon with Aunt Vicky, whom they’ve never met before. Sam, however, wants nothing more than to return home to her life in LA.
Trying to make …
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Book review: Into the Bloodred Woods
YA fiction
By Martha Brockenbrough
With Into the Bloodred Woods, Martha Brockenbrough has crafted a dark and delightful tale that is as much about the power of story itself as it is about the stories of its characters. It opens in fairytale fashion, with a father promising the king that one of his daughters can spin straw …
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