WARNING: This story features death, loss of mother and spouse, rude hand gestures, and a nudist French couple. Reader discretion is advised.   There are zero reasons for Theo Ripley to look forward to his family vacation. Not only are he, his sister Laura, and nature-obsessed Dad going to Big Bend, the least popular National Park, […]

Twelve-year-old Lana isn’t looking for trouble when she ventures into the swampy marsh behind her family’s home in Galveston Bay. She’s just sweaty and bored and lonely, sick of sitting around doing nothing. Her family never goes anywhere. Her mom and her sisters want nothing to do with her, and none of them will talk […]

As the title says, Valentina Salazar is NOT a monster hunter. Her father broke away from his monster hunter family to become a monster protector. Val and her father, mother, and three older siblings traveled around the country searching for magical beings to save. When Val’s father is killed during a rescue mission, her mother […]

Selah is a dragon. Or at least, she feels like one. And she finally figured out how to spread her wings and soar. Armed with her sensory tools, her notebooks and poems, and her newfound knowledge about her autism, Selah is heading to writing camp for the summer. She’s excited to work on her writing, […]

Teddy Roosevelt grew up with a great love of nature. When he became the 26th president of the United States, he was called the “conservationist president”. He was a force of nature.   I was hoping Brad Meltzer would write about another president.   I was shocked by how much this man accomplished in his […]

Milo Bloom, chess prodigy, doesn’t want to play chess anymore. If only he had the courage to tell someone. Instead, he blows a major chess tournament on purpose. If no one knows he wants to quit, no one can be disappointed in him. The problem is, winning that tournament was a ticket to chess camp, […]

A laugh-out-loud story with heart, based on true events about one boy’s trip to the loo and learning that everyone has accidents sometimes.   It was surprising how a story about pooping in a public pool can be written so tastefully.   While going up and down the stairs, the dad and two kids encounter many […]

Kaia Santos and her family live near the beach in California, where the fun of moviemaking surrounds them. Kaia loves playing with makeup and creating special effects, turning her friends into merfolk and other magical creatures. This summer, Kaia and her friends are part of a creative arts camp, where they’re working on a short […]

Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota, until now. Her Mom’s plan is just to stay for a couple of weeks until her grandfather gets better. But plans change, and as Maizy spends more time in Last Chance (where she and her family are the only Asian-Americans) and at The Golden Palace—the restaurant that’s […]

HAPPY 600th BOOK REVIEW! To celebrate this momentous occasion, I’ve got one HELL of a book for you! CONTENT WARNING: This story includes elements that might not be suitable or palatable for all readers. Blood and gore, violence, battle, serious injury, religious trauma, and terminal illness are all shown on the page, as well as […]