LeaLea is traveling to Pennsylvania to her cousins' house for a birthday party with her parents and brother Leo. It is a long drive from New York and she feels as if it is the longest car ride of her life. Uncle Tim is her...

And The Trees Began to Move, written by Lisa Olson and illustrated by Lauren Rutledge, is a children’s picture book that focuses on nature. Lisa Olson is able to bring a set of human characteristics to subjects that may or may not be living beings...

The Cheese Song: All Aboard the Orphan Train, written by Lisa Olson and illustrated by Lauren Rutledge, is a children’s picture book about an orphan train set in a bygone age. The narrative is welcoming and warm, drawing the young reader right into its own...

They say one must focus on one's blessings rather than shortcomings; however, how many of us actually look at our absolutely fit and functional bodies and count that as a blessing? The number of such people would be surprisingly low. Triumphant Ride! By Permit Only...

The Search for Mother Missing by Janine Vance tells the story of international trans-racial adoptees Janine and Jenette Vance who grew up, despite the prejudice, believing they were fully American. It’s only at the age of 25 that they discover they have got green cards,...

Twins Found in a Box: Adapting to Adoption by Janine Vance is a spellbinding memoir that chronicles the experience of adopted twins. Jenette and Janine are adopted from Seoul, South Korea by American parents. In this book, the author explores the atmosphere in their...

So, what do you think I want after reading I Want an Ostrich by Sonya Annita Song? Yep, an ostrich. The main character shares the reasons why he should have an ostrich. Of course, he could ride the ostrich to school instead of taking the...

Magic Streets: Prague Bound Book One by Marco Marek is a fantastically captivating tale that begins with photographer Jack Harson deciding to rent an apartment, as opposed to staying in a hotel, during his week-long assignment. Vltava Orient is the manager of the eight-story apartment...

Sally was the prettiest girl in town and she was proud of her silky purple hair. Sally knew she was beautiful but she wanted to become the most beautiful girl in the world. She thought if her hair grew longer she would become prettier and...

A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude is a memoir by Lisa A. Sniderman, an award-winning singer-songwriter, artist, and playwright. Sniderman was diagnosed in 2008 with a rare, incurable autoimmune disease called dermatomyositis (DM). Just as she...

The Alchemy of Noise is a work of literary dramatic fiction penned by author Lorraine Devon Wilke. Written for adults due to its complex themes and mild but mature content, this is a love story and family drama taking the day to day struggle of...

Quick, Quick, Slow: A Matt Preston Novel is a sleuth mystery novel written by Paul Shadinger. Before everything seemed to go drastically awry, Matt’s biggest issues had been an increasing sense of boredom with the poker games that had been part of his life for...

Nicholas is a rather tragic figure. He works for his father, a job he detests, but he doesn’t have the guts to stand up to his father and quit. He may hate his job, but he’s filthy rich, handsome and has all the girls he...

Madness: The Man Who Changed Basketball by Mike DeLucia is based on a true story about the little-known fact of how one man changed the history of basketball. The year is 1926 and ten-year-old Angelo "Hank" Luisetti is among a crowd of spectators at the...

Great Beards of History by Kellen Roggenbuck is an engaging and endearing book that throws light on historical figures that wore a beard. Blackbeard the pirate had a black beard and he did not like to shave or eat pickles. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president,...

Song of the Tree Frogs is a work of harrowing realistic fiction with Christian themes, and was written by author J.W. Kitson. This family drama follows two connected families after a secret and a terrible murder force them to connect with one another in the...

Dream of Her Heart is the third book in the Hearts of the War series by Shanna Hatfield, and even though I haven’t read the other books in the series, I found this one complete and utterly satisfying. It is wartime and before his departure...

Brown Bear & Oofie Present: The Lost Identity is a children’s social issues picture book written and illustrated by Masami S.C. Brown Bear and Oofie had just been playing with their friend, Herman. Oofie mentioned how much she liked Herman’s freckles, which made Brown Bear...

My Teacher Dad is a children’s picture book written by Sonya Annita Song and illustrated by Kate Fallahee. What’s a kid to do when his teacher, who also happens to be his dad, doesn’t want to wake up and get ready for school? The hero...

Victoria Landis has written a wonderful story about the titular character Jordan, who is discovered to have special powers seldom seen in humans. The book relates her reemergence into the world after having been missing for three years. Her limited memories of the past complicate...