• Lists

    9 White Bird Read Alikes

    White Bird Header

    R. J. Palacio’s White Bird is being adapted for the big screen, but with several delays, I hope that it becomes available later this year. Based in the same world as her hit book, Wonder, White Bird is the story of Julian’s grandmother. As a young Jewish girl, she was…

  • Lists

    12 Read-Alikes for the I Survived Series

    wilderness mountain with towering pine trees

    Today I’m sharing 12 Read-Alikes for the I Survived series. The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis is a popular one in my library. At just over 100 pages, these books are quick reads that bring history to life in action-packed text. And now they’re also being re-released as graphic…

  • Lists

    20 Middle Grade Titles: Historical Fiction

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    With summer just around the corner for so many kids, I wanted to share a few titles in lots of different genres to help make summer reading that much easier! If you’ve got a voracious reader at home, try setting some fun reading goals this summer by trying different genres.…

  • Lists

    20 Titles to Honor the 20th Anniversary of Sept. 11

    9/11 memorial

    Then I was sixteen years old, in Physics class when we found out that there had been a terrorist attack in New York City. Like many people old enough, I can remember exactly where I was and who I was with when the news was shared. It became even more…

  • Reviews

    Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

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    Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Synopsis: “It’s September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . .…

  • Reviews

    Loretta Little Looks Back

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    Synopsis: “Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B., members of the Little family, each present the vivid story of their young lives, spanning three generations. Their separate stories — beginning in a cotton field in 1927 and ending at the presidential election of 1968 — come together to create one unforgettable journey.…

  • Reviews

    Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts

    Victorian house

    Synopsis: “Murderous ghosts and buried family secrets threaten young Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt in this thrilling middle-grade novel that puts a supernatural spin on alternate history. It’s 1898 in New York City and ghosts exist among humans. When an unusual spirit takes up residence at the Roosevelt house, thirteen-year-old Eleanor…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Books for My Younger Self

    Top Ten Tuesday

    As a kid, I loved reading historical fiction and grew up reading the American Girl stories, Little House on the Prairies, and many others. Today I pulled together a list of historical fiction titles that are perfect for middle grade readers. These are all great books about a variety of…

  • Lists

    12 Read Alikes for Fans of Hamilton

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    I have yet to see Hamilton, I know how so many people have been excited for its release on Disney+. I’m a huge fan of musicals both theatre and movie versions. And I greatly admire Lin Manuel Miranda’s work, so I’m excited to sit down and watch it, eventually! And…

  • Reviews

    Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know by Samira Ahmed

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    Synopsis: “Told in alternating narratives that bridge centuries, the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Samira Ahmed traces the lives of two young women fighting to write their own stories and escape the pressure of cultural expectations in worlds too long defined by men. It’s August in Paris and 17-year-old…