The Bookshelf – Page 14

A quick read before the Fourth

29JuneSuzanne8 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

When I was a kid, my first personal connection to American history came through a story about Francis Scott Key writing the poem that would later become our National Anthem. Â That was just a short bit in a history mag (I think–my memory’s vague) but this story written by Monica Kulling and Illustrated by Richard

Have you tried reading Wrede?

22JuneSuzanne9 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

I had a really hard timeÂ making up my mind which of Patricia Wrede‘s middle grades to feature, so while I I’m going to spotlight just one series today, I’ve promised myself I’ll return to the other favorite another day one week soon. Â So, heads up on that!Â 😀 These books suffer from what I call the

Wabi: a Hero’s Tale

15JuneSuzanne8 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

My discovery of Wabi was a happy accident, as I came upon it while prowling the shelves looking for something different. Â The thing I’ve noticed about myself, when I go prowling in this way, is I’m harder to please once I pick a book up because I’m too restless to settle down with most stories.

What would life be like if you were a prince AND a pauper?

8JuneSuzanne16 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

You know it’s a good book when you no sooner finish it than you start reading it again. Â That’s what happened when I read Jennifer Nielsen’sÂ fantastic middle grade, The False Prince. Now, the tricky part of recommending this book is dodging the rotten oranges that could follow. Â That’s because you’ll notice, if you look around

What are your RULES?

2JuneSuzanne12 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

I loved Cynthia Lord‘s Rules, and honestly feel we could all do with a few rules, plus the compassion to know the rules aren’t where life is really lived. Â This book is great for both of those, and shows the struggle between compassion and peer pressure that’s so common when dealing with someone a bit

If you’re going Belly Up, do it with style

19MaySuzanne4 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

This is the story of a young man, Teddy, who is twelve years old and lives at a zoo/theme park and is so bored he is forced to investigate a murderous conspiracy. Â If you can swallow that premise (and as written it’s really not hard) you’ll probably love Stuart Gibbs’ Belly Up. I found the

Double the trouble, double the fun

12MaySuzanne14 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

Did you ever watch those cheesy Double Mint chewing gum commercials with glowing pics of identical twin girls doing ordinary things while they popped their stick of gum? Â And, of course, some super impressed teen boy doing a double take. Â I don’t remember when they aired, but I get a sappy eighties vibe from them.

Raising kids that act like puppies, plus Odin’s Promise winners!

5MaySuzanne10 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

This week I announce the winners of last week’s giveaway, but first I want to throw a MMGM spotlight on The Incorrigible Children of Aston Place. Â I found it a fairly straightforward tale, but it did have some funÂ nuggets beyond what I expected. Â For example, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to communicate

Interview (and Giveaway!) with the superb Sandy Brehl

28AprilSuzanne12 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

If you read my spotlight on Odin’s Promise last week, you’ll have noticed that I’ve fallen in love with this book. Â The reason–aside from its obvious stellar qualities–is that it always feels wonderful to be able to identify and champion something great before it’s well known and everyone else has learned of it already. Â Since

Spotlight on Odin’s Promise–and a promise of a giveaway!

21AprilSuzanne31 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

I almost hate to use the word ‘historical’ to describe Odin’s Promise because I think there’s an idea, sneaking around somewhere in the back of our brains, that ‘historical’ also means boring, dry, and maybe dated. This is ridiculous, of course. At least, it should be to anyone who loved the Little House on the

Suzanne Warr

Narrative designer, game designer, author

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