The Bookshelf – Page 16

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

27JanuarySuzanne12 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, NinChicks, The Bookshelf

This fabulous little story is to blame for my new pet squid. Â Honest–it’s all their fault! Â If you look between the pages, you’ll see a cleverly written subliminal message telling people that they must have a squid, they can’t transcend themselves and achieve the happiness of enlightenment until they get a squid, and in fact,

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

20JanuarySuzanne5 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

Cassie Logan has been a heroine of mine for some time, so it made perfect sense to me that I schedule the spotlight on Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry for today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Of course, that gave me the excuse to pull the book out (once I tracked it down on

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: As if Being 12 and 3/4…

13JanuarySuzanne7 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

…isn’t bad enough, my mother is running for president! Â Just had to get the rest of that in there. Â Sometimes I wonder that I bother to spotlight these books that I’m sure everyone has read…and then I remember that I just read it! lol Moreover, I loved it. Â So, what if there’s someone missing out

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Amaranth Enchantment

6JanuarySuzanne3 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

I hesitate to call The Amaranth Enchantment a Cinderella retelling, because as soon as I do, some of you will think it’s some tired out story makeover that can’t possibly hold a candle to what was done with Ella Enchanted. Â And you’d be wrong. Â What Ms. Berry has created isn’t so much Cinderella dressed up

Punk Yarn Creations

18DecemberSuzanne3 CommentsHome in the Rookery, The Bookshelf

I bet you didn’t know how easily yarn and crafty creations could discover their punk side and become something to scream about. Â Truth, it wasn’t something I new, either, and it’s doubtful pinterest will ever acknowledge this fact. Â But, there it is, an undeniable truth set free by my glue gun. What you see (just

MMGM The Night Before Christmas

9DecemberSuzanne11 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

Whether you’re a die-hard Santa believer or not, Clement Moore’s ‘The Night Before Christmas’ is sure to stir your blood. Â There’s just something about the cadence of the poem that sweeps you up and leaves you poised on the edge of a rooftop, waiting to hear more. Â I loved this version illustrated by Tom Browning,

MMGM: Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury

2DecemberSuzanne4 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

I’m going to indulge myself a bit on the blog throughout December and spotlight a few Christmas and winter tales. Â First up is the collection of Jan Brett’s stories which includes The Mitten, Christmas Trolls, and The Hat, along with several others. I have always dearly loved Jan Brett’s stories! Â The tales are unique and

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Dear Dumb Diary

25NovemberSuzanne4 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelf

I have, currently sitting beside me, ‘The Worst Things in Life are Also Free’ and ‘Let’s Pretend This Never Happened’ so those are the two that will get my focus today. They’re written and illustrated by the mc, Jamie Kelly, but there’s a distinct possibility that Jim Benton sneaked a peak inside her diary. Â Here’s

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Rump, by Liesl Shurtliff

17NovemberSuzanne4 CommentsMarvelous Middle Grades, The Bookshelfrump liesl shurtliff fractured fairy tale retelling

You’re going to have to excuse me if I geek out a bit aboutÂ how this book was constructed.Â It delivers wonderfully on its promise–The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin–and lives up to theÂ blurb on the back of a lighthearted and amusing tale,Â inventive andÂ delightful.Â But it goes much further than that! The book is all about the

Happy Veteran’s Day!

11NovemberSuzanne2 CommentsHome in the Rookery, The Bookshelf, The Human Condition

When I was a kid and I thought of veteran’s, I thought of my Grandpa and other old men like him.Â And while I knew on an intellectual level that by celebrating this day we were giving thanks to them for their sacrifices, and willingness to sacrifice, on an emotional level I celebrated Veteran’s Day

Suzanne Warr

Narrative designer, game designer, author

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