Paradise on Fire (Middle Grade Fiction) Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen Flying cross-country for the first time, fifteen-year-old Addy leaves the Bronx to attend a wilderness camp with five other Black, inner-city kids. Although she’s never experienced life in a rural setting before, Addy takes to it quickly, rising early to […]
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Indie Corner – Barbara Newman
Back to the Indie Corner series This month’s Indie Corner explores Barbara Newman’s The Dreamcatcher Codes. Barbara Newman always wanted to be a cowgirl. Growing up in New York didn’t stop her. She took that can-do spirit and became an award-winning global creative director, leaving an indelible mark on brand culture. […]
Read MoreThe Beautiful and Dangerous Ecology in A Song of Ice and Fire
Click here to return to the series This article contains a few spoilers. To follow along, it’s helpful for the reader to be familiar with author George RR Martin’s series and the screen adaption Game of Thrones—this article is based off the novels, particularly Book 1. Update: I first published […]
Read MoreDon’t Look Up, a Review
I’m surprised at the few negative reviews I’ve read of Don’t Look Up, a movie written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay. I was determined to watch the movie with an open mind, just like I do everything else, so disregarded such reviews. Also, while the movie is critiqued more […]
Read MoreIndie Corner – Sonia Myers
Back to the Indie Corner series It was great to talk with Sonia Meyers about her first novel, We Have Something to Say!, a children’s book. Sonia Myers started her writing career at the Half Moon Bay Review newspaper, contributing articles and reporting on sports. She is currently a middle-school […]
Read MoreKesterson, Craig Wilson (Review)
Kesterson by Craig Wilson ISBN: 978-1662908286 Publisher: Gatekeeper Press Publication date: May 14, 2021 Reviewer: Mary Woodbury Craig Wilson’s novel Kesterson (Gatekeeper Press, 2021) is a refreshing story I wish we could see more of these days. Full of political intrigue and mystery, the novel provides tension between good and […]
Read MoreSpotlight – Pola Oloixarac, Dark Constellations
Click here to return to the series About the Book There’s something about looking up at the night sky and trying to find some sort of meaning beyond all the magic and beauty. We might become transfixed for hours at both the light and dark parts of the night sky. […]
Read MoreO Man of Clay, Eliza Mood (Review)
O Man of Clay by Eliza Mood ISBN: 978-1939269959 Publisher: Stairwell Books Publication date: December 2, 2019 Review by Mary Woodbury Ursula K. Le Guin once said that speculative fiction was more about the real world than we usually imagine, and that’s true when it comes to authors writing about […]
Read MoreSpotlight – Michael Mohammed Ahmad
Click here to return to the series I had a wonderful talk with Michael Mohammed Ahmad, editor of the anthology After Australia, founding director of Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement, author, and so much more. Our conversation opened up doors for me to explore the promotion of literacy around the […]
Read MoreSpotlight – Premee Mohamed
Click here to return to the series This month we travel virtually to Alberta, the home of Premee Mohamed and also where her novella The Annual Migration of Clouds (ECW Press, September 2021) takes place. I admit to being drawn to this book because I often search for fiction about […]
Read MoreIndie Corner – Cai Emmons
Back to the Indie Corner series Thanks so much to Cai Emmons, author of Sinking Islands (a sequel to Weather Woman), for answering some questions about her new book. Sinking Islands is out September 14, 2021, from Red Hen Press. Cai is also the author of the novels His Mother’s […]
Read MoreThe Girl and the Grove, Eric Smith
Young Adult Fiction Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen High school junior Leila has bounced between group homes and foster homes for her whole life—until her recent adoption. Whenever things felt chaotic in her personal life, Leila found solace in nature. Environmentalism became her passion—so much so that she and her best […]
Read MoreSpotlight – Venetia Welby
Click here to return to the series I had the wonderful opportunity to connect with author Venetia Welby late last year and learn about her novel Dreamtime (Salt Publishing, September 2021). Signed copies are available from UK bookshop Burley Fisher here, and here is the Amazon UK link. I’ll admit […]
Read MoreOur 8th Birthday
Thanks for celebrating eight years with Dragonfly.eco. To celebrate, I had originally planned to post the next Around the World in 80 Books article at Medium; you can see my first couple articles here. I’m still writing the next article, so it should be here soon, but something else is […]
Read MoreIndie Corner – Emma Reynolds
Back to the Indie Corner series I was thrilled to talk with Emma Reynolds, author of the just-out children’s book Amara and the Bats, a beautifully written and illustrated story that reminds us of the determination of youth and the importance of bats. Emma Reynolds is an illustrator and author […]
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