Book Review: The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey From the moment I heard about The Summer of Songbirds, I felt a magnetic pull toward it. Having been enchanted by Kristy Woodson Harvey’s previous works, including The Wedding Veil and the beloved Peachtree Bluff series, I eagerly anticipated diving into her latest tale. The …
A Heartfelt Journey in Louder Than Hunger When I first heard that John Schu, an author whose infectious love for literature has influenced countless educators and readers (myself included), was writing a middle-grade novel in verse, I was both excited and apprehensive. John’s previous picture books, THIS IS A SCHOOL and THIS IS A STORY, …
The Coin: A Journey Through Obsession and Identity When I first stumbled upon The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, I was drawn in by the intriguing blurb that hinted at a complex narrative centered around an ordinary object—a coin. The thought of exploring its weighty significance through the eyes of a Palestinian narrator in modern America …
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz: An Unflinching Look at History’s Trauma When I first laid eyes on Ground Zero by Alan Gratz, I was drawn in by its premise. The events of 9/11 have always felt like a distant echo in my life, a tragedy I witnessed through the haze of news clips and images. …
Things I Wish I Told My Mother: A Reflective Journey When I first picked up Things I Wish I Told My Mother by James Patterson, the title struck me as both promising and perplexing. It’s a universal theme—pondering the unspoken words shared between mothers and daughters—that caught my attention. But dig a little deeper, and …
A Heartfelt Journey Through Grief: A Review of After Annie by Anna Quindlen There’s something profoundly moving about stories that delve into the intricacies of loss, and Anna Quindlen has a remarkable way of illuminating those somber corridors of the human experience. When I first heard about After Annie, I was captivated—not just by its …