This week under The Magical Gazebo, where I like to sit for the reviews, is a super middle grade adventure by best selling authors Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman called Tesla’s Attic. Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars. Is it a clean read? It depends. A couple of things to consider: What could make this slightly more young-adult aged is some kissing and one character’s assumptions about life. Also, Nick and his family are dealing with losing their mom and one of the characters perishes in the novel, too. I feel it’s not completely clean, but the great writing,…
Twitter takeover, great conferences updates, and more!
Hi friends, I’m writing this like a newsletter since there’s a lot going on right now for the blog (my Twitter is taken over by Shilo Snow!) and also with some neat conferences I’ve been able to attend. Thanks for your patience while things have been getting updated, like upcoming articles and I’m lining up some neat things. RIGHT NOW -Reclaiming Shilo Snow Scavenger Hunt! This week author Mary Weber and Just Commonly are hosting a huge, international giveaway and my Twitter feed has been taken over! If you’ve stopped at Thorn & Vine looking for the next clue, just…
Great Reads: Tumble & Blue by Cassie Beasley
This week under The Magic Gazebo, where I like to sit for the reviews, is a super middle grade adventure by best selling author Cassie Beasley. Rating 5 out of 5 stars. Clean story? Yes it’s great for middle readers into early teens. My review: Tumble & Blue by Cassie Beasley is wonderfully inventive and transported me to the swamps in Okefenokee. Having spent much time in the South, under those trees draped in wonderful mosses and quiet walks in the woods, I loved every part of the setting for this book. Beasley has such a wonderful voice, especially with…
Helping friends with loss during the holidays
With the leaves beginning to turn and October in the air, I’m gearing up for a busy time of year and gathering thoughts for holidays. Yesterday, a small fire was put out near our new home in the Bay Area (thankfully!) I’m reminded of some basic things that were so helpful in those years of recovery from surviving a wildfire and losing our home—and everything it takes to run your life and feel “normal”. If you have a friend that endured or had a loss during the recent wildfires, floods, or hurricanes, and they seem tough, I can guarantee that…
Great Reads: Max Tilt: Fire The Depths by Peter Lerangis
New from Thorn & Vine: MMGM Book reviews! Due to the terrific response to our December, 2017 post HERE about great reads for kids, we are going to regularly be featuring new (or favorite) books for middle grade and young adult readers. I’ve listed the link to MMGM below as well. This week under The Magic Gazebo, where I like to sit for the reviews, is a super middle grade adventure by author Peter Lerangis. You may already know him from his fantastic series based on Greek myths, The Seven Wonders. He’s started a new series recently based on the…
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