8 Souls by Rachel Rust follows Francesca ‘Chessie’ Carpenter who suffers from recurrent nightmares of a house, sometimes decrepit, sometimes new, but always the same and always beckoning of death. It’s not just any house either. It’s the Villisca Axe Murder House and her grandparents live right across from it. When she ends up being […]
A Fire Story by Brian Fies recounts the effects of the 2017 California wildfires from the perspective of a family that lived it. The Fies’ lost everything. They fled with the fire knocking at their back door. Brian was among the handful who went back and valiantly tried to make a difference. Unfortunately, not even […]
Tudor Rose by W.H. Doyle follows two young women as they journey to London, Sybille to be married, and Rose as her companion. Sybille was to be a lady-in-waiting to Lady Agnes, one of Queen Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting, and sister to Valentine, Sybille’s fiancé. However, Lady Agnes passes from what seemed like pneumonia, or possibly tuberculosis. […]
Lion of the Sky by Laura Purdie Salas ‘you gasp as I roar, my mane exploding, sizzling— lion of the sky! Haiku meet riddles in this wonderful collection from Laura Purdie Salas. The poems celebrate the seasons and describe everything from an earthworm to a baseball to an apple to snow angels, alongside full-color illustrations.’ […]
Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner was a poignant tale of two girls trying to find themselves, and their place in the world. One day during art class, Sam Jones is interrupted by Zoe Miller, who asks about a painting Sam has done. This simple action opens a tentative dialogue between the two, which […]
Ahmed’s Journey by Jill Manly Ahmed’s Journey by Jill Manly follows the titular Ahmed as he goes to the Camel Races. This is a tradition among his people, and Ahmed is going to participate for the first time. He’s nervous, but by observing his favourite camel, Jamal, Ahmed finds his centre. Thanks to Jamal, Ahmed […]
The Story of People by Catherine Barr & Steve Williams The Story of People by Catherine Barr & Steve Williams is a cute introduction to the timeline of humanity for young readers. With engaging artwork, and easy to follow language, this is the perfect introduction to anthropology! It follows humanity from our earliest incarnations, covering […]
Anne Frank by Isabel Sanchez Vegara Anne Frank by Isabel Sanchez Vegara is a very abbreviated version of Anne Frank’s story for young readers. Most of the book is taken up by engaging artwork. Like the ‘girl in red’ in Schindler’s List, only Anne’s diary is in colour. I think this is a great touch! […]
Earth-Shattering by Bob Berman is a witty look at the cataclysms of our planet’s past and future, many of which were (or are likely to be) seen as the Apocalypse by religious type folks. This book is divided into three main parts. The first gives an intro to the universe at large, exploring how it […]
Trifles and Folly 1 by Gail Z Martin collects nine stories centred around the antiques shop Trifles & Folly, set in the Deadly Curiosities world. Cassidy runs the shop, assisted by Teag. They are both more than they seem. Cassidy has the gift of psychometry, and Teag is a Weaver. The shop is a front […]
