Blog
As a homeschooling veteran, I review middle-grade stories to help parents, librarians, and teachers choose good books.
Look for author news here too!
The Dog Snatcher, My New Book!
The Dog Snatcher is coming Nov. 1! My new book, a series opener for kids 8-11, is up for pre-order. Get your ebook copy reserved now. Time travel, alchemy, rich friendships, and a meaningful tale well told––what's not to like? Wheeler's Guardians of Time series kicks...
Isabel’s Secret by Jan May, a review
sabel’s Secret by Jan May features Isabel, 11, a contemporary tomboy growing up on a ranch. Her days are full of bareback rides on the range. But she’s got a grandmother who pressures her to leave her tomboy ways, move to Boston, and go to private school for young ladies.
A Purple Dragonfly Award for The Long Shadow!
My novel The Long Shadow has won a Purple Dragonfly Award! These awards are judged by Story Monsters Ink Magazine, focused on children's literature. My award is in the historical category. This is significant in the indie publishing world. Rejoice with me! The Long...
The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Dawn Ford, a review
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Dawn Ford leads the reader on a young adult fantasy journey spanning two worlds. Tambrynn hates her indentured servitude, basically slavery since there seems to be no end in sight. She's been a kitchen helper/scrubber of things in...
Author News: A New Cover; a New Book in the Works
I've got two pieces of news. My novel The Long Shadow now has a new cover. It's a time-travel adventure, something that wasn't obvious from the previous cover. Since so many young readers love fantasy, sci fi, and time travel, my publisher and I thought it was time to...
Big Giveaway for Homeschoolers: I am honored to be included!
My book The Long Shadow, a time-travel tale for ages 13-14, has been chosen for a big giveaway. 20+ Christian authors offer books that appeal to homeschoolers, including S.D. Smith @sdsmithereens, @littlepilgrimbook, @wolfbanebooks, @tuttle_twins and @tuttletwinstv ....
Amy Coney Barrett: A Justice and a Mother, a review
The picture book biography I am looking at today is Amy Coney Barrett: A Justice and a Mother, by Joyce Claiborne-West, illustrated by Ivana Besevic.
365 Days to Alaska by Cathy Carr, a review
In the middle grade novel 365 Days to Alaska, Rigel Jane Harman, age 11, loves her simple life. She’s good at hunting with her .22 rifle, fishing, and skinning rabbits. She spends many hours at the chores she’s called upon to do to help her little family keep warm and fed “off the grid.”
The Unsung Hero of Birdsong USA by Brenda Woods, a middle grade book review
This is a middle grade book you won't want to miss. It’s not long after the close of World War II, and war heroes get homecoming celebrations. But in the North Carolina town of Birdsong—and in other parts of the South—the parades are only for the white soldiers....
The Audiobook Is Out for The Long Shadow!
Great news! The audiobook is out for my award-winning short novel for kids 12-14, The Long Shadow. It's a time travel tale of racial reconciliation, aimed at kids 12-14. Winner of a Moonbeam Children's Book Award. At 4 hours, 41 minutes, it's relatively brief and only...
The Long Shadow, my book, featured
StoryJumpers Podcast, out of Christian radio in Delaware at 877TheBridge.com, features my book this week! Take a look. I am honored to be included in this podcast as Episode 15, just as the operation shifts from once a month to twice a month. People are noticing...
The Hedgehog of Oz by Cory Leonardo, a book homeschoolers will like
The Hedgehog of Oz by Cory Leonardo tells the tale of Marcel, a lost pet hedgehog. Marcel scrounges for candy and hides out in the ancient balcony of an old movie theater where he cares for two hens. What he really wants is to find his way home to his owner, but instead he’s caught, thrown in a truck, and driven far out into the country.