Back to the Indie Corner series Arlene Mark’s The Year Without a Summer (August 2022, SparkPress) is a heartwarming and relevant novel for middle-grade and YA readers. It’s certain to provoke thoughtfulness and discussion about the climate and empathy for those around us. For two eighth-graders, disasters erupt—natural, man-made, and […]
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Turn the Tide Middle Grade Fiction by Elaine Dimopoulos Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen When twelve-year-old Mimi Laskaris moves to Wilford Island, Florida, she immediately falls in love with the beautiful shoreline and its creatures. Then she discovers “ghost bags”—single-use plastic bags that have been left to litter the beaches. Mimi […]
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Click here to return to the series About the Book This month we travel to California, a beautiful state to which many dreamers have traveled. It’s also an area where wildfires have increased each year. According to NASA: Eight of the state’s ten largest fires on record—and twelve of the […]
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Wind Book Review Reviewed by Mary Woodbury Book information Author: Ellen Dee Davidson Publication date: February 1, 2022 Wind, by Ellen Dee Davidson, is a wonderful novel for children and adults alike. Starting with an adventurous and colorful book cover and getting right into the main character Katie’s whimsical daydreaming […]
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A Wolf Called Wander Middle Grade Fiction By Roseanne Parry Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen Wolf pup Swift, one of five pups born to his mother in the same spring, wonders what pack role he will grow into. His bigger brother, Sharp, is more dominant and already has his eyes on […]
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Click here to return to the series About the Book Occasionally, the world eco-fiction series explores anthologies and interviews editors who produce them; today we’re talking with author Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, editor of The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction. The description of the book from the publisher, Jembefola, is: The […]
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Back to the Indie Corner series Rebooted for the Indie Corner, I was so happy to read Todd Mitchell’s fantastic children’s book–for ages nine and up–The Last Panther (Penguin Random House, 2019). Todd and I talked about his endearing novel, set in future Florida. About The Last Panther When eleven-year-old […]
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Click here to return to the series About the Book This month we head to Beijing, China, as we talk with Cynthia Zhang about her newest novel, After the Dragons (Stelliform Press, 2021). Dragons were fire and terror to the Western world, but in the East they brought life-giving rain…Now, […]
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Thanks to author Carl Lindemann for reaching out to me about his illustrated children’s book Santa Soaked: A Story for All Ages. From Carl: This is part of a larger communication project. A key element here is transforming Santa from his current role as Patron Saint of Consumerism to a […]
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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 […]
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Back to the Indie Corner series This is a rebooted interview with Jennifer Harrington, a Toronto-based illustrator, graphic designer, and author of children’s eco-books. I wanted to bring her important children’s book back into focus. Since this interview, Harrington has also published ABC: Animal Babies of Canada, 123 Beneath the […]
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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 […]
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Click here to return to the series I virtually met author Bijal Vachharajani this past summer at Scotland’s CYMERA Festival of Science-Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Writing. We talked with host and author Lauren James, along with author James Bradley, about how we were motivated to write stories that focus around […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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