After finishing my dissertation and turning in the manuscript for my next book, I’ve finally had time to do a little reading of middle grade and YA books again. Thus, I’m excited to share with you a book I discovered during quarantine. I first heard of Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes on Instagram from […]
Hello, old friends! It’s been over a year since my last blog post. Please forgive my neglect, but I’ve been hard at work on my doctoral program while trying to keep up with the demands of my teaching job–and working on a new book project! In case you haven’t heard on social media yet (I […]
My interview with author Stephanie Engelman recently aired on Shalom World TV and is now available for viewing on YouTube and the Shalom World TV website. For your convenience, I’m sharing it here! If you’ve read Stephanie’s wonderful book A Single Bead or if you’re just wondering why Catholic fiction is important for young people, […]
I’m participating in a 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways in the Readers & Writers of Clean Youth Fiction Facebook group. Come join me! Join the group here on Facebook so that you can learn about twelve authors of clean fiction for kids and young adults. Each day, there will be a different freebie (short story […]
On Thursday, October 20, 2018, the very first episode 0f my (very first ever) TV show aired on Shalom World TV. Shalom World is a Catholic, commercial-free television network that streams all of its shows for free online and on its app. Shalom can also be watched on Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, […]
If you’ve been around the blog a while, you know I love a good YA mystery by Leslea Wahl. Today I’m happy to tell you about her latest, Where You Lead. Title: Where You Lead Author: Leslea Wahl Genre: mystery (with a side of romance) Age group: young adult High school junior Eve keeps having visions of a boy […]
Today I’m sharing with you one of my favorite reads from my doctorate program studies this summer. If you want a sense of what it’s like to be a refugee (both currently and historically), then check out this book by Alan Gratz. It’s been so popular that I couldn’t even get it at my library. […]
With recent talk about building a wall between the United States and Mexico, this middle grade novel gives the reader some insight into the hardships some immigrants go through to provide for their families. Title: Return to Sender Author: Julia Alvarez Genre: contemporary realistic fiction Age group: middle grade This novel, labeled for ages 8-12, is told from […]
As I continue to read YA and middle grade books on immigration for my doctorate program this summer, here’s another story that fits the bill. Title: Amina’s Voice Author: Hena Khan Genre: contemporary realistic fiction Age group: middle grade Synopsis: Sixth grader Amina is coping with adjusting to middle school. It doesn’t help that her best friend Soojin […]
This summer I’m reading a bunch of young adult and middle grade books that involve immigrants and refugees as part of my doctorate program. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to be able to read these books as part of my independent study class, but it’s also going to be really integral for […]
