In What You Don’t Hear by Camila Tacchi and Isabel Loaldi, Julia’s sister was born with a terminal illness, and after she passed Julia moved to New York. She is deaf and James, her upstairs neighbor, asks her to teach him to sign for her....

We live in very difficult times. Many parts of the world are plagued by war and civil disruptions. While we watch the battles in far-away places in horror, while we see first hand the plight of those close to us lashing out in anger, we...

Moody Moody Cars by Eileen Kennedy-Moore is an absolute delight. Kids that love cars will enjoy the many different vehicles depicted. Pareidolia, which is our tendency to see faces in objects, is used to great effect in this rhyming story. Each spread includes a clever...

I Am A Girl is a picture book by Yvonne Harris depicting the life of a young human trafficking victim. Born in a country where girls are seen as just another mouth to feed, Jorani wonders if she would've been better off had she been...

In Mr. Nachron's List by Mike Corbett, we learn about Ron, who is your typical everyday guy. He enjoys the fleeting pleasures life has to offer and does everything in his power to forget the pain that he feels from having lost contact with the...

Brigitte Goldstein has created in "Court of Miracles" a story version of the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. And as Lerner and Lowe did with the musical "My Fair Lady", she has formed a brilliant story based upon the theme of a sculptor who...

When life throws a stick into the spokes of our bicycle, we often sit down, head in our hands, and say: “Why me?” What if we really should be asking ourselves: “Why not me? How can I turn this into something positive?” In...

California Sister by Gloria Mattioni is a touching novel about sororal love. It’s an immediate audience-grabber as you learn from the opening chapter about the close relationship between Claire Waters and her sister Ondina, who was in Italy. Claire, a mystery writer based in Los...

Our style of communication begins with childhood. How we were raised reflects our perspective and the tone in which we emit communication frequencies. In her book, Does My Voice Matter? sub-titled A Journey of Self-Discovery, Authenticity and Empowerment, Cynthia James uses her life experiences and...

In My Brother Javi: A Dog's Tale by Tracy Stopler, a mom spoke with care and love to her baby Javi: “We’re not the same, but we’re equal. It’s our differences rather than our similarities that make us special.” Javi’s mother was very wise. As...

In Escape Route, Elan Barnehama borrows the voice of a young teenage boy born to Jewish immigrants and living in New York City in the late 1960s. Zach is burdened by the history of his heritage as he navigates life in this era. The Vietnam...

There’s No Basketball on Mars is a work of fiction in the adventure subgenre. It is aimed at young adult readers and was penned by author Craig Leener. The book follows maths savant Lawrence Tuckerman, an autistic young man whose best friend is leaving for...

When asked his name, the frightened young boy who has just shot his mama replies: “Earl, honey.” The officer sniggers, except the response isn’t funny. Nor is Earl being sassy. He is simply slow after being brain-damaged by his abusive father years before. It’s episodes...

When a group of neighbors in an exclusive, well-off neighborhood witness a developing sinkhole that uncovers a human skeleton, the police are determined to find the answers to the many questions that suddenly arise. Lucy, a woman who lives next door to where the body...

Ascension (Book 1 of Age of Shadow Saga) by Marc R. Micciola is an epic fantasy book that would appeal most to a diverse audience made up of a mix of mature young adults and adults who enjoy fantasy stories that feature numerous mystical races...

Jack Cooper was only twelve when he lost his father and best friend, John Cooper (Redds), to a tragic accident. Now his mom, Jill, urges Jack to travel with her from Pennsylvania to Alaska; it will be a trip Redds planned for the whole family...

Do Your Best, Tess! is an entertaining and educational book by Janet Morris Grimes. I found this story to be motivational and inspiring when it comes to helping children understand the importance of doing their best. I really liked Tess as a character. She has...

Into Trouble describes a young adult endeavoring to find his path in life and decided to explore and experience the beauty of Europe. As he made new friends and searched for the love he did not receive from his father, he made beautiful memories and...

The first day of school is full of excitement and fear. There are new things to learn, new buildings to explore, a new schedule, and hopefully, new friends. Unfortunately, these exciting things can also cause fear. Fears include what if I can’t learn fast enough,...

I Scream, You Scream: We All Learn About Ice Cream by Markeeter E Knox, Trinity Z Ellison, and Dedrick L Moone is an educational picture book for young children. A young girl named Trinity wonders why she looks different from her mom and questions her....