Often, when I am not looking, my sixteen year old daughter Kayla will steal from my ‘to read pile’. It is refreshing to hear a Young Adult perspective on the books that are written for her age group. It is rare that she will write me a review though. (Actually this is the first time [...]
On the back of this book is a cover quote from Neil Gaiman. The Master of the short, quirky, scary story said…‘Funny, moving, tender, brave and dangerous. She is unique and should be declared a national treasure, and possibly be surrounded at all times by a cordon of armed marines.’ I am in awe of [...]
Good girls don’t take drugs. They don’t stare in the mirror and loathe the reflection gazing back at them. They don’t have negative self- dialogue that makes them feel useless, substandard and worthless. They don’t get drunk and have coerced experimental sex in gritty, filthy public bathrooms and they certainly don’t lie to their best [...]
“Tess hears screeching brakes. A bang. The soft whump Brodies body makes as it hits the ground.” How often does a death in the family result in the death of a family? Beautiful Monster-Kate McCaffrey is an unflinching and heartbreaking portrait of a teenage girl left to cope alone with her grief and guilt over [...]
My whole life I have loved history and I am always intrigued to meet people who do not view history with the same awe and reverence I do. Over the years I have learned that a love of history is borne from the way in which the history is taught. As a little girl my [...]
When I met Michael Wagner at the Young Writers Read-Around last year during a writing workshop with our students, I was impressed by how well he connected to our kids. He was warm, funny, engaging and friendly. Not surprising really given that his books to date The Newtown Tigers, Dog Wars, The Undy’s and Max [...]
