I don?t know what is with these authors making me cry lately, but add Kelly Barnhill to the list. At the end of The Mostly True Story of Jack tears were streaming down my cheeks…
Posts tagged Middle Grade Readers
The wonderful land of Hazelwood
Back in the olden days of the early 1980s, “The Wizard of Oz” was event TV. My sisters and I would flop belly-down in front of the TV, chins propped on our hands and watch…
Not really about snakes or dancing
When you’re an adult a weird and mild form of multiple personality disorder overcomes you when you read Middle Grade Fiction. When you’re reading a really good book, in this case Mamba Point by Kurtis…
A romance & a ghost story
Long about Halloween my twitter pal @winnerbowzer and I had a twitter discussion about scary books. I told her about how Blackbriar scared the crap out of me. She told me that the scariest book…
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
Betsy and Tacy are really growing on me. As I previously wrote, I did not like the first couple Betsy-Tacy books, but they started getting better. They keep getting better. In Betsy and Tacy Go…
I almost gave up on Betsy and Tacy
I recently went to the 2010 KidLit Conference, a conference celebrating young adult and children's books, the authors who write them, and the bloggers who blog about them. The Betsy-Tacy books were all the rage…
Tiger Eyes & Silver Eyes are not the same thing
For about 30 of my 38 years here on Earth, I’ve been convinced that I read Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. I read a lot of Judy Blume when I was a kid. Who didn’t?…
The Amulet of Samarkand
Nathaniel is an eleven-year-old apprentice to a mediocre magician. Thinking he isn't be taught fast enough, Nathaniel trains himself on more difficult spells well beyond his abilities. When an accomplished adult magician humiliates Nathaniel in…
6 questions we hardly ever ask: Kurtis Scaletta, author
You are about to experience a great moment in MN Reads’ history. Yes, we’re making history here today. How exciting is that? I’m pretty pleased that Kurtis Scaletta now holds the unique honor of being…
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians
Little do you non-librarians living in the U.S. know, but we librarians are ruling the world. Information is power, after all, and we control information. For instance, you probably think dinosaurs were big, stupid beasts…
Ramona might have been a feminist
Beezus is nine and she’s got a bratty handful of a four-year-old sister, Ramona. Beezus likes to embroider pot holders, read books, and take art classes. Ramona likes to ride her tricycle in the house…
Fourth grade nothings crack me up (still)
Sometime around the time I read Blackbriar I decided it would be fun to revisit other books I loved while growing up. I wanted to see how the books held up, and find out how…