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 …
Malu (short for Maria Louisa) straddles two worlds, punk music and record stores on her dad’s side, and academic achievement and Mexican culture on her mother’s side. When she lands at Posada Middle School, she finds herself on the outside again and takes on the school’s culture by starting her own punk band. I loved …
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz is a classic and it’s brand new! When Amy’s favorite book is banned from her school library, she decides to run a library from her locker filled with banned books. I love reading banned books, and this one is chock full of books that have actually been banned. My to-read …
Nearly 12 year-old Nickel and his younger sister Flora find themselves in the woods, in a snow storm, seeking help/shelter, after their car slides off the road and their mother sets off to find help, leaving them to stay put in the car. Fearful of the car being buried in the snow they set off, …
It’s summertime, and that means It’s adventure time! Join Squirrel and a menagerie of characters (bees, mice, crows — oh my!) for a wild ride to solve a mysterious riddle that could be a blessing or a curse. Kids are going to love the fast-paced, action-packed story and the clues and riddles are going to …
The internet is full of lovely celebrations of beloved author, Beverly Cleary– the girl from Yamhill, who is now 100 years old! The above video is from Oregon Public Broadcasting. Check out their full coverage of the creator of Ramona Quimby, Ralph S. Mouse, Henry and Ribsy, and so many more childhood friends. If nothing else, …
The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency #1 “Imagine the future Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, as an 11-year-old Sherlock Holmes, with the future Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, as her 14-year-old Watson (and the young Charles Dickens as a helpful sidekick). The new Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series plays merrily loose with historical details, but with a …
I spend most of my time here talking about how great indie bookstores are (and they are great) but I thought it might be interesting for a change to talk about a couple of failures, times when we at Island Books couldn’t seem to find what a customer wanted. A co-worker of mine, whose customer …
“Imagine a galaxy far, far, away…where a young aspiring pilot named Roan fails to get into Pilot School …and is instead chosen to go to Jedi Academy, where all aspiring Jedis go to middle school. Having to open a combo locker for the first time, dancing at a middle school dance, and encountering bullies are …
