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...

Letters I Wish I Had Sent by Preston C. Randall is a hilarious compilation of the sort of correspondence we’ve all wanted to send to one company or another in our lives. Generally, these “letters” are in response to some utterly stupid or absurd claim,...

The Lost Souls is a paranormal thriller written by Matthew Wilkinson. It's the story of Todd, a techie who has gotten into a strange partnership with Kurt and Brad. The three hunt ghosts and market a polished version of their experiences as a ghost-hunting reality...

Gingerly by Terri Kelley is the story of a fifth grade outcast, a tall, overweight girl who dreams of being a dancer, but only dances in the privacy of her own bedroom. Gingerly Matson hates being larger than all of the other kids in her...

The Adventure of I: A Journey to the Centre of Your Reality is not a quick or light read. Author Tania Kotsos was inspired to write this book by the inscription on the Ancient Temple of Apollo: "Know Thyself." The author stresses the need to...

The Rose Ring by Anne Faye is certainly a book with a pretty cover, but the story that unfolds is emotionally charged, keeping me riveted until the end. Julia Manning has carried the hurt of being left at the altar ten years ago by her...

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...

In High: The Way of an Eagle by Charlene Quiram, Verona Lamberti is in a battle that ranges from the supernatural world where demons manipulate humans to commit horrible acts of violence to a new high school that is extremely different from the one she...

In the post apocalyptic future, a group of survivors struggle to carry on across the ruined landscape. They only want to have a place to live, enough food to eat, and stay alive another day. Inevitably, they are divided into factions, each desperate to be...

Trudy, Madly, Deeply (Working Stiffs Mystery Series), by Wendy Delaney, is a detective story featuring Charmaine Digby, a thirty-something divorcee who's moved back home, up to the Pacific Northwest. She's staying with her grandmother and working at her great-uncle's coffee shop. Char is ready for...

Devil Let Me Go by Nathan Robinson is an exceptionally good collection of previously published short stories. Many of these fall into the “horror” genre, but not all. The final story, for example, would more closely associate with paranormal romance, although it is not at...

Shadows Live in the Darkness by Mr Mark A. Anderson is a horror story for teenagers. The characters -- Charles, Myron, Joe, Karl, Kathleen and Ann Marie -- are just normal teenagers who find themselves in the midst of some disturbing happenings at night with...

In the Middle tells the story of Miller Hoffman, a shy Southern kid trying to be like his father; ambitious and no stranger to success. When his parents divorced, Alma becomes his stepmother and he has a hard time dealing with his attraction toward her....

Almond Eyes by Terri Kelley is a lovely children’s concept book, which encourages acceptance of the differences that make each child unique. Sometimes, diversity is a confusing topic to children. They don’t understand it when adults comment on their “Almond Eyes” or any other...

Susan Grossey's Fatal Forgery is a detective tale set in the 1820s. The story is written in the first person. The events are described as seen through the eyes of the conscientious Constable Plank, from the moment he arrests Henry Fauntleroy for forgery in 1824...

Irishmen William (Billy) Burke and William Hare were two lowlifes in Edinburgh, Scotland in the late 1820s and were Britain's first documented serial killers, notorious for their body-snatching crime that shook the society. Two mysterious strangers –- Ambrosious Black and the stunningly beautiful actress Magenta...

Who wouldn't like to go on a treasure hunt? Fifth-grade friends Silky and Sly discover a haunted ghost ship and buried treasure. Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot in The Ghost of Gasparilla: A Silky and Sly Adventure makes a children's dream come true. Silky, a curious...

Rescue on the Rio: Lilah, Finding Home Series #2 continues with Hallie Wells Jerome from Book One, Cry of the West, sending her husband’s good friend, Rush Garrett, a bounty hunter, to locate and escort her sister, Lilah Parker on a visit to Oregon....

How Long Will You Love Me? by Patti Brassard Jefferson is a beautiful book about reassurance, warmth, and love. The book deals with the usual questions all children ask when they are tiny. The answers are given in many unique and imaginative ways which is...

Kea, The Third Way by Alki Nea is an adventure story about Kea and Leo who are childhood friends. They find their lives on a fast track after Kea changes. Gone are the sleepy lives they led in the suburbs. They see themselves in a...