★★★★ Life was fun, and there was plenty to do...There were sporting events, festivals, and dances. Roman does it again!  In this delightful little story, "you" are transported back to Renaissance Italy to learn all sorts of cool facts about everyday life back then. Exploration of places in the world brought back undiscovered spices, plants, and animals.… Continue reading If You Were Me and Lived in… Renaissance Italy – Carole P. Roman

★★★★ ½ "Swab the decks, pump the bilges, climb the mast, and shiver me timbers!" Captain No Beard and Hallie (his first mate + cousin) run a tight ship with their pirate crew. They're about to leave their island and sail off into the great big ocean...only things don't exactly go to plan. "Mongo," he called back,… Continue reading Captain No Beard – Carole P. Roman

★★★★★ "You can be anything you want to be, anywhere, place, or time." A little girl, her friend and her mom have a conversation about what to do when she grows up.  Her mom lists everything her daughter could possibly do - from doctor to construction worker to baker - and yet, the little girl still has questions:… Continue reading Can a Princess Be a Firefighter? – Carole P. Roman

★★★★ "Which way are you going around the world?" Farmer asked. "Going east," Plennie said. "You keep watching west and I'll be back." Plennie Wingo and his family are about to hit one of the roughest patches of America's History. What came next, on the morning of Thursday, October 24th, 1929, was liquidation. Prices dropped. Dropped fast.… Continue reading The Man Who Walked Backward – Ben Montgomery

★★★★ ½ We are a juggernaut of shared sanitizer and sunscreen and moisturizer; half-consumed water bottles... Tom Pistilini, father of two, husband of one, and survivor of none, has hit a rough patch.  On the plus side, Pistilini has successfully predicted the weather for a record-breaking streak...and on the minus side, he may have an addiction to… Continue reading Therapy Mammals – Jon Methven