Even though Darci Shelton's husband Wade is as healthy as a horse it has always been her greatest fear that she would wind up like her mother, a widow forced to work two jobs to support her nine year old son Paxton. This fear was...

While I tend to skip over books aimed at elementary school students, Adventures of a Mad 6th Grader by Stephen Zanzucchi caught my attention and demanded to be read. The book centers around Frank, the mad sixth-grader in question, and the two main problems in...

Officer Brett Reed is living his worst nightmare when his ex-wife, a drug addict, gains custody of five-year-old Quinn, his only child and daughter. Things continue to spiral downward when his ex-wife's irresponsibility causes little Quinn to be placed in a temporary foster home when...

Blog of a Bully by Stephen Zanzucchi is about Bradley Duncan, a 13-year-old nerd who transforms himself from a nerd to a bully when he is forced to move to another state and join a new school. This story reminded me a lot of Diary of...

My Dad Is A Great Man is written by Zehavit Tzarfati and illustrated by Mindy Liang. Within its pages you will find adventure, excitement, compassion, love, and the admirable characteristics of a father. A young boy is allowed to play in his dad's study. Filled...

I Want a Pet by Terri Kelley is a delightful rhyming picture book, which introduces children to the concept of responsibility. The book can also introduce them to problem solving, thinking skills, and decision making. Books designed and written with rhyming words and colorful illustrations...

In Secrets, Snapdragons, & A Spirit, Tina D. C. Hayes takes readers back to the small town of Dixon, Kentucky, where Darci Shelton spends her days running Petal Pushers, always trying to find a way to increase her bottom line. The flower shop is actually...

Kids and adults alike often take a ribbing for the way that their name sounds or the nicknames that can be formed from the use of their names. At times, those added names can be mean. However, What’s In a Name? written by Terri Kelley...

The stories that his grandpa told couldn’t possibly be true. There was no possible way that Grandpa Albert, who was nearly 90 years old could be a Martian. However, that’s exactly what he told his grandson Nicholas in Grandpa’s a Martian, written by Tom Wehrman...

Lars the Monkey Flies a WACO Airplane by Meaghan Fisher is a cute little story of Lars the monkey. Lars enjoyed his ride in the WACO airplane at WACO Field in Troy, Ohio. His dream is now to fly one of these WACO airplanes all...

Through the Eyes of a Child (God Created It All) by Pam Funke is a collection of six short stories which introduces young readers to the concepts of faith, love, trust, acceptance, and God. The book also introduces children to many different kinds of animals....

Abby's move to the small town of Astley, following her marriage, is not what she had imagined for her life. A successful singer with a good job and a city girl at heart, it is a huge sacrifice to make for a husband who seems...

Dogs of a Different Collar by Marti Regan is about two girls living in two different backgrounds. They adopt a poodle puppy from the same litter. Abby takes the pup with a green collar. Abby feels sorry leaving the pup with the pink collar back...

Poetry and Short Stories by a Bipolar Girl by Melissa Burke is at times beautiful and at times frightening in the vivid descriptions of the deep melancholy and self-destructive feelings of a teenager living with bipolar disease. The pain that she is feeling comes through...

Montreal from A to Z: An Alphabetical Guide by Laura Roberts is a collection of blogs by the author describing interesting places in Montreal, and her thought and feelings about these places. The chapters are arranged in alphabetical order and each describes a different place...

Cat has settled into her relaxed schedule as a big time accountant, but her life suddenly changes when she decides to fulfill a promise she made to herself years ago - adopt a child and give them a chance at a better life, one that...

Opening up your world and allowing everyday life to become laced with miracles is an avenue that too few people explore and therefore they do not fully understand that life can actually become much richer and much fuller. Life Can Be a Miracle by Ivinela...

Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer is the biography of Irena Sendler who was instrumental in saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Though her contribution was first suppressed by the Polish...

My Dad's On A Business Trip...Again! is a heart-wrenching book by author Kori Brooke Church. This book deals with the disappointments and sorrow created by a father who is always out of town because of work. This details the emotional pain that a child suffers...

Give Your Song a Voice is an outstanding book that teaches young children not only the importance of music, but also the importance of getting along with everyone, no matter how different they may be. A little girl wakes from a dream with a song...