• Reviews

    Book Review: Calling My Name

    Calling My Name by Liara Tamani is the story of Taja a young teen growing up in Houston, Texas with her family and friends. Taja knows what her parents expect of her – spend quality time with the family, get good grades, go to church every Sunday and abstinence is…

  • Lists

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading 7/31/17

    I was able to accomplish just about what I set out to do this week – I read Miss Ellicott’s School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood and also read Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever. edited by Betsy Bird (check out my review). I started working on Calling My…

  • Reviews

    Book Review: Funny Girl – Funniest. Stories. Ever.

    My favorite picture books are funny picture books – ones that make you think and pay attention and are filled with moments where you can’t help but laugh out loud. And the other commonality? Many of them are written by men. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but if kids…

  • Lifestyle

    #OwnVoices

    In 2015, Corinne Duyvis suggested on Twitter, “Glad important discussions are being had. Would love to be able to walk away with book recommendations. How about a hashtag? #ownvoices, to recommend kidlit about diverse characters written by authors from that same diverse group.”This was the beginning of a new hashtag that…

  • Lists

    (Unofficial) Top Ten Tuesday: Middle Grade Audiobooks

    My regularly scheduled blog themes for Tuesday is on hold until August, so I created my own list – Ten Middle Grade audiobooks – perfect for summer vacation! Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan, narrated by Mark Bramhall, David de Vries, MacLeod Andrews, Rebecca Soler; music, Corky Siegel Nimona by Noelle…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I've Read in 2017 So Far

    I specifically chose books that have either been published this year or will be published at some point this year. Some are fun reads, others are eye-openers and many are books that have stuck with me far longer than most. Pick up a title and enjoy! Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library…

  • Lifestyle

    In My Own Backyard…

    I saw this article circulating on Facebook just a couple of days ago and was really excited to share with my blogging community. Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse made waves in 2015 when Ariell Johnson became the first African-American woman to open a comic book store on the East Coast. And…

  • Lists

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/5/17

    So, what I planned to read, just didn’t happen, but I was proud of myself for getting a stack of books read on Saturday, compliments of my BEA experience! I’m Just No Good At Rhyming and Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups by Chris Harris, illustrated by Lane Smith Groovy…

  • Lists

    15 Picture Books to Celebrate Ramadan

    It’s Ramadan, Curious George by H.A. Rey, Hena Khan, illustrated by Mary O’Keefe Young Under the Ramadan Moon by Sylvia Whitman, illustrated by Sue Williams Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story by Hena Khan, illustrated by Julie Paschkis The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi, illustrated by Ned Gannon My First Ramadan…