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Another winner from Libba Bray
A review of The Diviners by Libba Bray

 The latest offering from supernatural master, Libba Bray, is sure to thrill fans of her last series. Set in 1920s New York, The Diviners follows seventeen year old Evie O’Neill who has been banished from her hometown in Ohio after a party trick has unintended consequences. Evie, a quintessential flapper, is thrilled with the arrangement, planning her days around shopping and movies and her nights around glamorous speakeasies. The only drawback is living with her uncle, the stuffy ...read more

Reviewed by Jill O on March 22, 2013 | 0 comments

Ghosts need their quiet places, too
A review of The Hungry Ghost of Rue Orleans by Mary Quattlebaum

 Fred the ghost is happy in his leaky, creaky, dusty old house. He tends his cactus, gobbles air, and is perfectly content. But when Pierre and his daughter Marie arrive, declaring the house their new restaurant, Fred loses his quiet corner of the universe. Walls are painted, cobwebs swept away, and suddenly, Fred’s house is…CLEAN. Then came the noise. The horrible clanking of silverware and dishes disrupting Fred’s peace. After throwing a fit of ghostly proportions, sending food flying, Fred is ...read more

Reviewed by Jill O on January 18, 2013 | 0 comments

Are you One Smart Cookie?
A review of One Smart Cookie by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

 One Smart Cookie is the latest in a series aimed at teaching big words to little people. Written for children in grades K-2, One Smart Cookie introduces words like “procrastinate,” “diligent,” “empathy” and many more. The words are big, and the concepts complex, but Rosenthal does a brilliant job both defining the words and relating the concepts to a child’s life using cookie-based lessons. “Integrity means, It doesn’t matter whether anyone sees or not. I know inside myself ...read more

Reviewed by Jill O on July 8, 2011 | 0 comments

Melding the Past and Present
A review of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

 Seventeen year old Andi is spiraling out of control. A guitar prodigy, she retreated into music and drugs following the death of her brother two years ago. When her absent father learns she may be expelled from her exclusive private school, he insists she accompany him to Paris over winter break to work on her senior thesis. It is there that she discovers the diary of Alexandrine; a first hand account of the French Revolution seen through the eyes of a young woman. As Andi is drawn deeper into ...read more

Reviewed by Jill O on April 28, 2011 | 0 comments

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