In When They Came Home by Terri Lewis, we follow Milton, a standard American farm boy whose life is split in two after he gets shipped off to the battlefields of Europe in 1918. He survives the fighting, but the terrifying sights and sounds follow...

In 1981, six-year-old Penn Lockshire dives into Iroquois Lake and finds a mussel with the largest pearl in North America. In The Pearl Farmers by Stacey Gordon, the story begins with three sisters, daughters of James and Kate Lockshire, a third-generation family of pearl farmers....

In Obesseus Operation Gravy Blockade by D.T. Tucker, the grand opening of the brand-new news building, Snackland Press, rapidly turns into pandemonium. The place splits into feuding factions, and everything is chaotic. The “No Fun Squad” is the stiff faction that barricades their territory and...

W. M. Leesman’s Xavier Bradshaw: Ghostwriter is set in Livingston, Alberta, where newspaper reporter Xavier Bradshaw is called to St. Luke’s church after Councilman Carlo Marscapello is found dead at the altar. Xavier once investigated Carlo’s political dealings, so the case quickly reaches into his...

Kids, parents, and teachers seeking a fresh source of children’s literature would do well to add Bubbles in Summer to their reading list. This book is the second in a four-season series by Wanda Carter Roush and is illustrated by Andrew and Alicia Pezzente. A...

Wiggle, Snooze & Snuggle is a delightful rhythmic picture book that gently guides toddlers through the winding-down magic of a bedtime routine. As the sun dips and the sky goes dark, the world around a child begins to snooze too—the trees drooping in the park,...

Some kids see problems. Others see possibilities. In Amanda Aizu’s Mika Makes It Work!, readers meet a young girl named Mika, who handles every dilemma with a little creativity, confidence, and by saying: “I’ll make it work!” She’s full of ideas, and she isn't afraid...

The Magical Tram by Hayley Frazer follows Clem, a conductor with many jobs who brings the reader along as a newcomer while he and his old friend, a dog, ride a tram that can wander through his memories. The tram takes them to different moments...

Jesse Kuhn offers a remarkable and useful tool when experiencing the death of any loved one, but especially a spouse. As I read Always Here: Death of a Spouse, I took away six key points to apply to the grief process. While many people might...

In her memoir, Unbecoming Behavior: A Southern Memoir of Adventurous Choices, Akasha Halsey describes growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, where her mother treats girlhood as something to be managed in public. A childhood train ride arranged by her father gives Akasha her first sense that...

Martha Conway’s novel, We Meet Apart, is a deeply haunting historical novel interwoven with intriguing speculative fiction and supernatural elements. The story, set in 1940 during WWII, has two concurrent timelines. In one timeline, Ireland is a free, neutral country. In a second timeline, the...

The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor by Michael Mizov is a riveting blend of Gothic horror and mystery. The story takes us back to post-World War 1 England. Summoned by her father, Lottie Bradbury, daughter of Lord Thomas Bradbury, returns home after twelve years of...

Daedalus by Dr Simon Spence is the thirteenth book in the Early Myths series. Step into the life of Daedalus, a famous inventor in Greek mythology, as he embarks on a journey that culminates in the creation of an epic labyrinth. His abilities as a...

Some dreams refuse to let go. In The Author's Table by K.L. Lewis, for Deidra, that means becoming a published author. An invitation from a respected publisher in New York seems like the chance she's been waiting for. Instead, she's offered something she never expected....

Cyberwood by Benjamin Sonnek is a thrilling YA sci-fi story following Faye Butler, a girl who’s spent her life in her grandmother’s shadow, waiting to become the next technomantress. Only she never expected it to happen quite so soon. A teleportational gate goes wrong, and...

Have you ever been afraid of something that doesn’t bother anyone else? Shani and the Firefly by Shani T. Night is about a young girl who’s happy spending her days exploring the sunny meadows of Sunbeam Valley. That all changes when day turns to night....

If you were to create the best-tasting ice cream in the world, how would you do it? Did you know that there’s a real science behind creating new ice cream flavors? In Linda Soules’ So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor, there’s...

Healthy Sweets Cookbook by KJ Walt is a comprehensive collection of homemade desserts and sweet snacks. The book contains a wide variety of recipes. They range from cookies, brownies, pies, cheesecakes, and puddings to sweet breads, syrups, and snack mixes. It gives the reader a...

Sometimes the hardest battles are the ones no one else can see. Gr8_Nate by Christina R Adams opens as Nate is about to graduate high school. Instead of being excited, he's overwhelmed by anxiety, self-doubt, and a deep sense of isolation. To make matters worse,...

When the kidnapping of the President’s daughter by Russian mobsters puts police officer Justin Thyme’s face on the news, he becomes a target for a clandestine group known as IVY. They want him as an asset because the kidnapping is actually part of something much...