Mia Balducci dreams of having a big, loving family like her own big Italian brood in small town Massachusetts. As a teenager, Mia leaves Massachusetts for sunny Los Angeles and although for years it never feels like home, she eventually adjusts and makes her life...

Rough Drafts: Bumpy Writing is OK (Writing is a Process) (Volume 3) by Terri Kelley is the third part of the series on how to write a rough draft. A girl is watching a stormy night. She is putting down the words that come into...

When you’re wondering how to find strength for the journey called life, remember God's Word and be encouraged. When you are encouraged, then take that encouraging word and share with someone else who needs a pick-me-up and breathe encouragement into their soul. Remember the time...

Editing: It's Time for Corrections (Writing is a Process) (Volume 4) by Terri Kelley is the fourth book in the series Writing is a Process. In this book, the author speaks about editing and how to make corrections in your writing. The young girl in...

Conferencing: Let's Talk it Over (Writing is a Process) (Volume 5) by Terri Kelley is about the requirements of conferencing while writing stories. There are several volumes to this beautiful series which deals with the many aspects of writing. This series introduces and guides children...

Terri Kelley has a gift for creating children's books that are both realistic and fun at the same time. In Today, I'll Be Good, kids learn to tackle minor behavioral issues without realizing that they are learning at all. School-aged kids who are heading off...

Helga Returns - A James and Syvok Adventure by Wendy Nystrom is about the adventures of James for the second time. He finds a footprint and he asks his friends Syvok and Matthias to help him find out about the footprint. They discover that it...

Brainstorming: It's Raining Ideas! is the second book in author and educator, Terri Kelley's Writing Is a Process Series. She sets out easy and simple ways for kids to start building ideas and images before they start writing. The book is marvelously illustrated by Milena...

The Tinfoil Girl is a fable written by Olivia Miller. It's the story of a girl who's modeled out of tin foil, and the adventures she has when she's whisked away from her home by a gust of wind. Being made of tin, she's impervious...

Episode 1, Crash Landing of the Aurora Conspiracy series, is an ideal example of an authentic attention-grabber for the first episode of any type of series. In Crash Landing an unidentified, cigar-shaped metallic object, flying through the air, crashed into the windmill belonging to Judge...

The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets (Stanley & Katrina) is the story of a love-hate relationship between Katrina, the cat, and Stanley, the dog. Both of them are different personalities and they live under the same roof. They have been living there for...

Chicago Bound is a Jake McGreevy Novel by Sean Vogel. Jake and his best friend and rock-climbing companion, Ben, are on their way to Chicago to attend a performing arts camp during Christmas vacation. Going to Chicago brings some sadness and nostalgia for Jake, as...

Grandpa Doesn't Know Me Anymore by Terri Kelley is a beautiful and heart rending story about a young boy who realizes that his grandfather's feelings for him are not the same anymore. The boy tries to connect with his grandfather and he is unable to...

In The Dogs of Cancer, author William Kenly gives the reader a personal glance into the experience of medullary thyroid cancer. He tells of learning about the cancer and then exploring the various treatments available. There are statistics of the prevalence of the disease as...

Mile Marker by Terrill L. Davis is about a serial killer who kills people and then hides their bodies in the woods near the mile markers. One day he is trailed by a state trooper which leads to some bad happenings for him the next...

Good Morning, World! by the mysterious Mrs. D, is a classic children's book. The illustrations were rendered superbly, in brilliant and vivid colors, by Eladziem. This is not another “A-B-C” book, or “1-2-3” learner. In fact, what this book teaches best is reading! I find...

Author Terri Kelley in her book, You Get What You Give, describes how young Steve faces disappointment and how he handles the frustrations of dealing with friends. Steve feels angry when he visits his neighbors only to find no one at home. He is upset...

The Gross Gang written by Christine Larsen is about Larsen’s fascination with words that can be classified as "odd" or “extinct.” The book introduces us to many of these words (some of which I’ve never heard before) in the form of various poems. Her poems...

Revising: It’s Time for a Change written by Terri Kelley is a great resource for learning what revision is. Terry targets a younger audience by using rhymes throughout her book. As an editor, I found myself nodding with every line I read. From the very...

Publishing: Finally it’s Final! by Terri Kelley is the next book in Kelley’s Writing is a Process Series. This book takes us through the next step of the writing process – publishing. Once our book has been edited to perfection, it’s time to ship it...