From the Magical Mind of Mindy Munson is a wonderful story written by Nikki Bennett. The Munson kids went to live with Aunt Julie when their parents died. They have problems adjusting to their tragic loss, and their aunt isn’t cool anymore. Aunt Julie buys...

Thought provoking tales are told in the short story collection, The After, by L.L. Sanders. The collection tells three very different stories, all relating to the mysteries of the afterlife. In "The After," we meet the mature and thoughtful Wilshire, as he guides his young...

First Kiss by Barbara Alfaro is a warm and majestic breeze. There is a message of love lost and love gained that was present from the light-hearted "Carnival Music" to the fervor of "First Kiss." There are such beautiful metaphors in the poem "Heart," making...

School of Deaths by Christopher Mannino has a plot that is quite different from your typical YA novel. Suzie, a teenage girl, suddenly finds herself in the world of deaths where she is supposed to be trained to become a death herself. Deaths are the...

Breath of the Titans: Little Black Stormcloud by Riley A. Westbrook and Sara L. Westbrook is a story that centers around a half elf, half dragon boy who just turned 16, named Lovonian. The story begins with Lov and his uncle Nord taking their annual...

“Oooh,” I thought as delicious chills ran down my spine. “A book about vampire-zombies…what could be better?” That was my thinking as I picked up The Journal of Vincent du Maurier, the short novel by author K.P. Ambroziak. And my initial thinking certainly wasn’t off-base....

When Everyone Shines But You by Kelly Martin is not just another self-help book lining the shelf, telling you to think positive or obey the laws of attraction to get anything you want. This book shows you how being human is not only okay, but...

Lucy London is a bona fide genius, having been at university since the ripe old age of thirteen. Unfortunately, Lucy’s genius status means she doesn’t have the best people skills, which is a shame since she’s currently working in the peer counseling clinic in an...

Despite a bit of a slow start, Leighton's Summer by KC Finn soon drew me in. This is the story of a young man with an unusual gift on the cusp of his sixteenth birthday. It is 1945, after the end of World War II....

Logan and Hailey were excited to get a postcard from their grandma and grandpa while they were in Africa. This postcard was an addition to Logan's collection of postcards, and Hailey had her own collection of beautiful dolls. On this special postcard was a picture...

Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello is a historical, time travel fantasy suitable for young adult and pre-teen readers. Rosa is not your ordinary tenth-grader; she hears the voices of dead people and can communicate with them. Her grandmother had the same gift, but...

Goddess In The Silence by Robert Ahanes is a beautiful book full of the most delightful poetry. The author offers some diverse and interesting pieces. Greek mythology is an obvious influence in several of the poems and for me, personally, they were by far my...

Moon Jump (The Boy Who Bounced to the Moon) is a nice fantasy by Aviva Gittle and Mark Megson. Timmy enjoys learning about the moon. His teacher, Mr. Garcia, tells him that the moon contains a great treasure. If Timmy finds it, Mr. Garcia will...

Mr. Green wants to go on strike from his job in Paint Town as the painter of the leaves, bushes, and all things green. He feels he is the most important color and should be ruler of the land and not the primary colors who...

Billy and the Cloneasaurus is one of the most brilliantly constructed and elegantly written satirical stories I have ever read. The entire population of the world is made up of identical clones of a single unassuming and frequently annoying individual. All go about their tasks...

Selena, You’re Beautiful! is a short story focused on the issue of incest. Selena and her current boyfriend Trent went out for dinner one night. Trent realized that Selena was being rather distant with him and wasn’t letting him get close to her emotionally. She...

Bink and Stink Meet King Solomon by Stanley G. Buford is an interesting story of an unusual adventure. After listening to their dad read the well-known Bible story of King Solomon, these little boys have an amazing dream in which they actually meet the real...

I am in awe of anyone who even decides to attempt a tale this big. I am even more in awe of someone who completes at least one book in such a saga. If Wade Garret can complete the entire Kingdom Come series he may...

Book three in Miss Amy’s Rhyme Time Collection, Can Angels Do Loop Dee Loops? will put a smile in your heart as well as on your face. Amy Sellers both writes and illustrates this collection of children’s poems that reach a little bit deeper than...

In The Funeral Singer by Linda Budzinski, Melanie Martin has always been that weird girl who sings at her parents’ funeral home. After an unplanned but amazing performance of “Amazing Grace” at a rock star’s funeral, she is suddenly thrust into the spotlight and is...