The week of September 22-26 has been declared National Hazing Prevention Week, with the purpose of raising awareness of this destructive and frequently dangerous practice. Young people endure emotional and physical abuse because they believe it will make them part…
Category: personal growth
COLORS OF THE WIND by J.L.Powers
COLORS OF THE WIND is a picture-book biography with startling paintings that open your eyes and a true story about an Olympic champion runner and award-winning artist who is blind: George Mendoza. The author of this book, J.L. Powers, tells…
“Too Big to Fail?”–the tension between institutions and individuals in The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely
I love novels like Brendan Kiely’s The Gospel of Winter. Besides being an engaging read, it thoughtfully examines wide-ranging and important issues in society—indeed, the questions that Kiely explores imply issues well beyond the novel’s premise of a young man…
Scar Boys by Len Vlahos
Len Vlahos’s Scar Boys explores a friendship between two boys, one who feels inferior (the protagonist Harry) because of his scars from a terrible accident when he was young and the other (Johnny) who takes advantage of Harry’s feelings of…
What Makes Family: A Review of Kinda Like Brothers
Coe Booth has captivated readers and critics alike with her three gritty, fast paced novels of urban life in New York City: Tyrell, Kendra, and Bronxwood. This bard of the Bronx writes of tough times in the language of her…
Making the Invisible Visible: Estela Bernal’s Can You See Me Now?
I met Estela Bernal at a novel revision workshop led by the wise and generous Barbara Seuling. Estela and I shared a room and she told me about her work rescuing abused animals and educating people about responsible pet ownership.…
Loss, survival, and hard-won truths in Pandemic by Yvonne Ventresca
Apocalyptic scenarios are favorites for teens. Many times, the apocalyptic scenarios take us severely out of the world of reality and into a fantastical world of flesh-eating zombies. Not that there’s anything wrong with that scenario! By contrast, however, the…
Attention illustrators: you can help raise money to fund a library in Ethiopia
Last week, I attended a dinner fundraiser for the non-profit Ethiopia Reads, which was honoring children’s writer Jane Kurtz (also a co-founder of the non-profit). I met the most amazing 11 year old there, who is single-handedly (with his mother’s…
STRONG AT THE HEART
STRONG AT THE HEART By Carolyn Lehman Forward by Laura Davis “This book is an absolute gift to the world.” – Jacqueline Woodson When child sexual abuse is covered in the news, the reality can be heartbreaking. STRONG AT THE…
Desmond and the Very Mean Word
I did not love the illustrations in Desmond and the Very Mean Word, and since we do not review books we do not like, at first I was planning to pass on this one. (There are some attractive landscapes and…