Originally published in French as Jeanne, Fille du Roi, this is another work of young-adult historical fiction I’ve loved for years, although I was older when I read this one — probably 19 or 20. It’s aimed at teenaged readers, but I enjoyed rereading it just as much as I enjoyed it the first [...]
Mistress Malapert probably wasn’t the first work of historical fiction I read, but it was certainly the book that made me fall in love with the genre. It’s the story of the headstrong and selfish Valerie, who disguises herself as a boy and runs away from a harsh guardian in Elizabethan England. [...]
The “Julie Edwards” who wrote this book is actually “Julie Andrews” of Mary Poppins and Sound of Music fame — she went through a period of writing children’s books under her married name in the 70s (Her name appears as Julie Andrews Edwards on newer editions). Both this one and her Last of the [...]
For my first Old Favourite, I chose the book that I was completely in love with when I was about 13. I like everything I’ve read by Canadian children’s author Jean Little, but Kate is not only my favourite of hers, it’s my favourite YA novel of all time.
I guess I met [...]
Livyers World is a young-adult science fiction novel with a fascinating premise. It’s set in a future Newfoundland — or rather, two future Newfoundlands. The young protagonist Viddy is drawn into what he first thinks is an interactive computer program, but it quickly begins to seem more like a parallel world to his own, an [...]
On our plane trip from St. John’s to Seattle, the kids and I made a game of counting how many people we saw — on the plane, in airports, on the street — reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We counted eight — which, when you think of the number and variety of books [...]
And now for something completely different — I review a children’s book!
You’d think I’d do this more as we certainly have enough of them in the house and I read enough of them aloud. But rarely am I impressed enough to add a kids’ book to my list of reviews. Clementine is a definite exception!
My [...]
