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: 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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Book review: Six Crimson Cranes

YA fiction
By Elizabeth Lim
Sixteen-year-old Princess Shiori has a secret. Forbidden magic runs in her veins, and if it is discovered, she’ll be exiled from Kiata, royal daughter or not. On the morning of her betrothal ceremony, she jumps out a window to avoid what she thinks will be a loveless marriage. Her would-be fiancé, Takkan, …
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Book review: City of the Plague God

Middle grade fiction
by Sarwat Chadda
A timely tale for our pandemic season, City of the Plague God draws on lesser-known Mesopotamian mythology to spin its tale of adventure in New York City.

Thirteen-year-old Sikander “Sik” Aziz works in his Iraqi refugee parents’ deli and mourns his dead brother Mo. One night, two demons show up demanding something …
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Book Review: The Court of Miracles

THE COURT OF MIRACLES

Young adult fiction by Kester Grant

Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables has proven an enduring touchstone, inspiring everything from a stage musical (remember Les Miz?) to numerous movie versions. Court of Miracles puts its own fresh spin on this durable tale by setting it in an alternate Paris where the wretched poor have formed …
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How a dog gave me a book

You’ve petted your dog, you’ve walked your dog, but have you ever been inspired by your dog? I have.

My newest book, Switched, is particularly close to my heart because it was inspired by my late dog, Riley. One morning when she was young, we went walking in a canyon and I let her go off-leash. …
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