Big Love and War Horse by Shallen Anne Chitwood is a deeply moving story set against the backdrop of the 1942 bombings off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Following the Deacon family during and after the Great Depression, the novel delves into their struggles...

In The Portal by Lou Pugliese, after an unfortunate water skiing accident puts her in a coma, Vicki Roadcap discovers she can see beyond the real world. In her unconscious mind, Vicki roams the realm between the afterlife and Earth known as the Portal. She...

Typhoon Haiyan, the Untold Story: A Story of Hope and Survival by Albert Mulles is a book that describes one of the most devastating typhoons in history; Typhoon Haiyan. It is about the incredible journey of survival, chaos, loss and the struggle and will to...

High Season: The Learnings of Mohammad Wang by Chazzy Patel is a story that begins with how Charles King's memories come back to him in brief flashes. For now he is going by the name that feels right for him; Mohammad Wang. Mo for short....

Memoir of a Misfit Chef: A Rise from the Ashes by Paul Alvero chronicles the author's journey from a self-proclaimed "misfit" in a small Minnesota town to a chef working in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Las Vegas. The narrative begins with his childhood marked by...

I was hooked from the moment I read the Prologue of Just a Common Lady. Karen Pirnot knows who she is and she is proud of it. She does not have to put on airs and pretend to be one of the elite. Pirnot cares...

Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Award WinnerEvery time I pick up my grandchildren they ask for a Buddy story. Buddy is our German shepherd. It is a long drive home. When they were toddlers, they would get bored so I began telling them stories about Buddy....

Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Award Winner"A Colorful Day" by Karen Hutchins Pirnot is a delightful book for young children. Each page rhymes and has a corresponding picture. Purple cows, turquoise horses and a bright red dolphin are among the animals that adorn this book. Taryn...

Pookie was different. She was a blue penguin and all of her friends were black penguins. Her mother tried to explain to her that she was a special penguin but Pookie just felt different. Some of the other penguins teased her. Pookie felt like she...

Khaya Dawn Klanot clearly expresses the definition of a real friend in her poem "A True Friend". In "A Rainbow of Moods", the author expresses the emotions and moods that she associates with colors. Parents will appreciate the words in "A Very Busy Family". "My...

One summer day, during the excitement of a baseball game, there was an accident, lives were changed forever. Peter Michael Henderson hit the ball and slid into first base. The second baseman and pitcher collided. One of them fell on Peter’s head and severed his...

Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Award WinnerGina Hutchins Inman is a German-American citizen. In her desire to give to those less fortunate than herself, she traveled to Owamboland, Namibia, Africa where she spent 8 weeks with the children of the Twaahililwa School. She enjoyed the simplicity...

Eight year old Allie was swept away during a flash flood. The spunky little girl kept her head by remembering things her grandfather had told her. She thought through her situation and kept her head. "Clear headed action" was what he always said. Plan A...

This book is definitely intended for little girls, with the use of colors like pink, purple, yellow, and light green looming out from the cover illustrations. The illustrator, Julie Ross, created a dreamy image of a little girl lost in imagination. Each image matches the...

'The Colors of Myself' by Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot is written in poetry prose form of illustrations of a four-year-old child in which his illustrations are painted to represent the thoughts in his mind. The words relate to the child's feelings during the time he...

When eleven year old Preston Carter Potsdam, a rich kid from the east, arrives in Nebraska, the lifestyle is so different that he feels as if he has landed on another planet. Befriended by Steve, a confident and outgoing fellow student, "Potsie" as he is...

This is another book in 'Karen Pirnot's Ordinary Kids' series which is aimed at pre-teen kids. The main characters in these stories face hurdles. Crighton, an energetic, friendly, popular kid who lives for sports, is diagnosed with leukaemia. Suddenly his life becomes completely different. He...

"Morgan and Clive" is another book in Karen Pirnot's thoughtful and inspiring 'Ordinary Kids series' which is intended for pre-teen kids. The main characters in these stories face hurdles. Here we meet Clive, short for Clivinia, who has just moved to the States from England...

“Galaxy Girl” was written by Dr. Karen Pirnot. This book is perfect for higher elementary children. This tale’s focus is on ten-year-old Allie, whom we first met in “The Above All Others Principal” from the 'Ordinary Kids' series. Allie's brother Peter was injured in a...

In the first book of the 'Skymasters Series', "Galaxy Girl", preteen Allie Henderson discovers an intergalactic visitor named Eilla, who looks just like her. She is Allie's galactic cousin from a parallel universe. In the second book, "Under the Universe", things get even more interesting....