• Cover image for The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
    book review,  Books

    The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore – A Book Review

    My historical fiction binging continues, and this one is yet another based on a true life store. The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by author Heather B. Moore is one of the most compelling historical fiction books I’ve read this year. I was provided an advanced copy from Shadow Mountain Publishing; all opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. Details and Synopsis What I Liked About The Paper Daughters of Chinatown I appreciate when a book introduces a piece of history that I knew little to nothing about. That this is a part of history here in…

  • snow day
    book review,  Books

    Stuck Inside? 5 Great Middle Grade Snow Day Reads

    The Polar Vortex is back, the weather is keeping everyone inside, and it’s possible you are being subjected to another day of “Mom/Dad, I’m bored!” The weekend ahead looms, cold and dreary for much of the US. If this sounds familiar, I have just the thing to keep your kiddos occupied – check out my list (Part 1) of some entertaining middle grade books – perfect for a snow day. (This roundup of some of my favorite books from 2018 contains affiliate links.) These books all share a general theme of overcoming obstacles of one sort or another. A few of them are laugh out loud funny while tackling topics…

  • Lemonade-Year
    book review,  Books

    Book Review: The Lemonade Year

    Looking for a change of pace from my recent reads, the gift of book mail in the form of  The Lemonade Year by Amy Willoughby-Burle filled the bill nicely.  This book was emotional, complex, and beautifully written. Check it out:   The Lemonade Year by Amy Willoughby-Burle is a wonderfully written story about family and forgiveness.  It is not, at times, a happy story. This is not a light read – Nina’s family puts the “d” in “dysfunctional”, and the characters are all, in their own way, a bit broken. It is this brokenness, however, that fascinated me, as well as the secret the family kept (which you will likely…

  • book review,  Books

    Blog Tour & Review: Mustaches for Maddie

    Review of Mustaches for Maddie When a copy of the middle-grade book Mustaches for Maddie arrived in my mailbox, I had to wrestle it from my own sixth grader (also named Maddie) who was intrigued first by the title and then by the cover description. Inspired by their daughter’s own story (more on this below), authors Morris and Brown have crafted the inspirational, delightful (and sometimes heart-wrenching) story of a wonderfully quirky sixth grader who faces a pretty monumental health situation with bravery and an amazing attitude.  They captured the voice of the middle schooler beautifully, the story itself reads more like fiction and less like the biography I was anticipating…