★★ ½ I'm starting to believe that hell is everywhere. Amanda Verner, sixteen, lives with her parents and siblings in a remote mountainside cabin. The last winter was absolutely terrible. Amanda's sickly mother was pregnant and began wasting away. Mom gave birth to a blind and deaf child who cries...and cries...and cries... Amanda went stir crazy… Continue reading Daughters Unto Devils – Amy Lukavics
Gunslinger Girl – Lyndsay Ely
★★ Welcome to Cessation, Serendipity Jones. The last place on the continent where you can do whatever the hell you want. Serendipity "Pity" Jones is a seventeen-year-old gunslinger in a futuristic wild west world. Her mother lived on a commune and raised three children with a man she abhorred. Pity's mother did her best in a bad… Continue reading Gunslinger Girl – Lyndsay Ely
Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom – Carin Bondar
★★★★ Generally speaking, it takes two to tango in the animal kingdom. Birds, bees, trees, fleas - they're all doing it. All the time. Just think about that. All. The. Time. ...the process of sex is so much more than the mere meeting of sperm and egg. Dr Bondar knows that the animal kingdom is… Continue reading Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom – Carin Bondar
What is a Family? Annette Marie Griffin
★★★★★ What is a family?What do they do?Do all living creatures have families too? This sweet little board book talks all about what it takes to make a family. They all stick togetherto help make a home. This is an A to Z book that uses animals to illustrate the concept of family. All sorts of animals are… Continue reading What is a Family? Annette Marie Griffin
The Nature Fix – Florence Williams
★★★★ ½ A surprisingly enjoyable journey into what it means to be healthy and happy. we all need nearby nature: we benefit cognitively and psychologically from having trees, bodies of water, and green spaces just to look at; we should be smarter about landscaping our schools, hospitals, workplaces and neighborhoods so everyone gains. So much of health… Continue reading The Nature Fix – Florence Williams
Dear Moon – Stephen Wunderli, Maria Luisa Di Gravio
★★★★★ "We could try and stop it," Ely suggests. "Then I won't have to leave so soon." Ely and Max are best friends. But Ely is sick. Like confined to a wheelchair sick. The kind of sick where playing is sometimes hard to do and Ely feels tired all the time. But Max and Ely don't let… Continue reading Dear Moon – Stephen Wunderli, Maria Luisa Di Gravio
Swamp Thing – Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★ Twin brothers - Alec and Walker Holland - are as opposite as they can be. One loves to party and the other loves the quiet life of botany. But their last summer before college is about to be uprooted in the worst way. They discover their father has been cheating on their mother and with barely… Continue reading Swamp Thing – Maggie Stiefvater
Daughter of Black Lake – Cathy Marie Buchanan
★★★★ A small ripple of what felt like hopefulness rose in her chest. In this book, we follow Devout. She is coming of age in a harsh landscape. Her world is narrow, and unforgiving. And despite all that, she's finding her place in this world. And we also follow Hobble. Hobble's timeline is set seventeen years later (she's… Continue reading Daughter of Black Lake – Cathy Marie Buchanan
Night Latch – Anela Deen
★★★★ ½ I just couldn't resist doing a video review of this incredible book! The Written Review Sam, you're a miracle worker. When Mrs. Shu thanked Sam for doing a locksmithing favor, she had no idea just how accurate her statement was. Sam has a...sort of gift. He can unlock things. To be fair, unlocking things in… Continue reading Night Latch – Anela Deen
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban – Malala Yousafzai
★★★★★ We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. Criticism be damned, I loved this book. Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl, was just fifteen years old when the Taliban decided she needed to be taken out. That she was too dangerous to be alive. That she was radical, sacrilegious and so much more. And what did she do? What… Continue reading I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban – Malala Yousafzai
