Category: brief reviews

Kiki Kallira Breaks A Kingdom and Amari and the Night Brothers [MG Reviews]

15 January 2023 / brief reviews / 4 Comments
Kiki Kallira Breaks A Kingdom and Amari and the Night Brothers [MG Reviews]

Here are a couple more reviews that have been languishing in drafts for almost a year. Both of these were Cybils 2021 finalists. My memory’s falling short here, so these are mostly point form reviews based on the notes I took while reading. I wasn’t even sure these were worth posting but… they’re something. Onto another short pair of reviews! Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdomby Sangu MandannaSource: Hardcover/libraryPublished: July 2021Publisher: Viking Books (PRH)Length: 352 […]

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The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy and The Last Cuentista [MG Reviews]

21 December 2022 / brief reviews / 9 Comments
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy and The Last Cuentista [MG Reviews]

These two middle grade speculative fiction titles had me thinking “Did I read the same book as everyone else??” Read on for some grumbly reviews. Click through the additional reviews for more positive takes! The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu Source: Hardcover/libraryPublished: Oct. 2021Publisher: Walden Pond PressLength: 423 pages Genre: FantasyTarget Age: +9 The Last Cuentistaby Donna Barbara HigueraSource: ebook/libraryPublished: Oct. 2021Publisher: Levine QueridoLength: 320 pages Genre: ScifiTarget Age: +9 Did you read any books this year […]

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Medieval Middle Grade: The Beatryce Prophecy, Healer & Witch, and The Green Children of Woolpit [Summer Reading Recap]

20 November 2022 / brief reviews / 4 Comments
Medieval Middle Grade: The Beatryce Prophecy, Healer & Witch, and The Green Children of Woolpit [Summer Reading Recap]

Brief reviews of medieval middle grade novels Kate DiCamillo’s The Beatryce Prophecy, Nancy Werlin’s Healer & Witch, and J. Anderson Coats’ The Green Children of Woolpit.

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Spooky Middle Grade: Let the Monster Out and Ghostlight [Summer Reading Recap]

24 October 2022 / brief reviews / 9 Comments
Spooky Middle Grade: Let the Monster Out and Ghostlight [Summer Reading Recap]

Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel Source: ARC/NetgalleyPublished: 6 Sept.Publisher: Alfred A Knopf Books for Young Readers (PRH)Length: 400 pages Genre: Contemporary ghost storyTarget Age: Middle grade (suitable for 10+) Let the Monster Out by Chad Lucas Source: Hardcover/libraryPublished: May 2022Publisher: Amulet (Abrams)Length: 320 pagesGenre: Contemporary scifi/horror Target Age: Middle grade (suitable for 9+)Rep: Biracial protagonist (Black and white), neurodivergent protagonist Are there are any books you read this past summer that you still want to review?Do you enjoy spooky stories?

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Speculative Fiction Under 260 Pages: Comfort Me with Apples and The Chosen and the Beautiful [Review]

14 February 2022 / brief reviews / 3 Comments
Speculative Fiction Under 260 Pages: Comfort Me with Apples and The Chosen and the Beautiful [Review]

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo Source: Hardcover/libraryPublished: Jun. 2021Publisher: TorDotCom (Macmillan)Length: 260 pages Genre: Historical speculative fictionTarget Age: Adult The Chosen and the Beautiful is one of those books that, the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I came to appreciate it. At the end of 2021, I found myself frequently recommending this title for folks’ 12 in 12 Challenge. In The Chosen and the Beautiful, Nghi Vo retells The […]

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