In a lovely story for middle grade readers, The Journey Beyond: Universal Truths by author Cheryl A. Matsen-Nieves is a fun read that continues the story of siblings Raphael and Haniel as they attempt to rebuild their kingdom. Facing such obstacles as a witchy woman...

The Raging Torrent (Star Sapphire and the Land of Gems, Book 2) by Anthony Pardoe is an imaginative fantasy story. Trapped in the Land of Gems with a little pebble friend Jasper, ten-year-old Star must avoid being captured (again) by the pitchblendes and get to...

Welcome to Monstrovia (Tales of Monstrovia, Volume 1) by Mark H. Newhouse centers on young Brodie Adkins, who is sent to spend a vacation with an uncle he has never met. He thinks he is going to Key West, Florida, but he arrives in Monstrovia...

In an intelligent and intriguing new installment in the Heroes of Distant Planets series, Return to Lan Darr by Anderson Atlas is a book that readers will have a hard time putting down after they start reading. Follow the story of 15-year-old Allan Westerfield, a...

The Morgul Maze is the second book in the Joshua of Gaia series, written by M.G. Goggin. Joshua is one of eighteen orphans who are regularly bullied by the bigger kids and mistreated by a cruel headmistress, Gertrude (aka Whale). Josh has flashbacks of how...

In a wonderful new work in the genre of adventurous fiction for children, Things on a Tree by author D.L. Finn is a book that will pull readers in from the very first page. Following the story of our protagonist, Aimee, readers will be taken...

Sheep is the precursor to Cows! Both books are by Martin D. Rothery. I read them out of order, but I can truly say I don’t think that it diminished my enjoyment of either. The point is not the plot so much as it is...

Not since Animal Farm by the legendary George Orwell have I seen such an entertaining and astute use of animals to portray the foibles of people. Martin D. Rothery has created a book that is both funny and philosophical in Cows! Imagine for a minute...

Meet Jet, a scrappy groundhog that must work with humans and forecast lightning strikes to save his home from an eco super villain planning to pulp entire national forests with giant, robotic milling snakes. Jet lost his father and hero, Ray, during his first garden...

I’m a sucker for tales of the Greek gods. My absolute favorites are the Norse gods, but there are just more stories about the Greek pantheon out there and I read whatever I can find. If you are a mythology lover and a fan of...