An adventure story for the ages. It’s 1961, Charlie Fisher, the son of a foreign diplomat, finds himself adrift in the city of Marseilles. After witnessing a pickpocket in the busy city center, his intrigue draws him into an underground world of adolescent pickpockets, filled with a spirited, colorful cast of characters–ranging from identical Senegalese …
If you liked: ✓ books starring spirited & sassy girls ✓ underdog-type stories with brave main characters ✓ stories with unique world building ✓ ice skating & martial arts… together, then try Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate & Sword. –Powell’s Books, Portland, OR Many thanks to author Kelly Jones for taking a photo of …
Having seen the trailer for the upcoming movie with the same title, I learned it was a book first published in 1973. A great yarn filled with spooky and magical elements that many 8-12-year-olds love to read. Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to live with his uncle Jonathan and discovers a world totally new to …
Washington State Book Awards winners were announced on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the Seattle Public Library. The Washington State Book Awards honor works of outstanding literary merit by Washington authors. An award is given based on the strength of the publication’s literary merit, lasting importance and overall quality to an author who was born in …
For those of us who love Harry Potter (and there are a LOT of us), the magic never truly ends. We re-read the books. We watch the movies for maybe the hundredth time (and I might not be exaggerating). We find camaraderie and instant connections with fellow Potterheads who also believe in love, magic, and forever friendship. …
This is just the tip of the iceberg of summer reading delights awaiting young readers at independent bookstores. Here are some recent bookseller favorites for elementary and middle school students, but the shelves are stocked for a whole season of great reading. What is in your backpack or by your hammock this summer? Lumberjanes Unicorn …
This is my favorite middle grade book of 2017! Four very different kids survive a plane crash in the Amazon jungle, and readers will be fascinated by how they build a raft, harvest honey like monkeys, taste spiders, and adopt an orphan sloth. As they struggle, they learn a new respect for the natural world …
I just love a mystery involving orphans, snowstorms, old houses on mountaintops, ghosts, stained glass, and smugglers, don’t you? Well, if you do, this story has all of these things and more. Milo thinks he’s settling in for a nice, relaxing holiday with his adoptive parents at their inn when his plans are disrupted by …
I REALLY enjoyed Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus. While it’s listed as middle grade (8-12), it’s the upper end of that age range and one that readers of ALL ages should read (good life insights for young and old). It is beautifully written and has an extremely strong female character. She has …
Charlie, aka the Grenadine Kid, is the son of an American diplomat in France in 1961. By chance–or is it?– he witnesses a pick pocket, Amir, similar in age to himself being accosted by police, Charlie comes to his aid and by doing so strikes up a friendship. Charlie really has no friends and is …
