Turning the Tide

Turning the Tide

Turning the Tide: The Youngest Generation Spotlight Series Children’s bookshelf | YA/teen bookshelf | Book reviews | Spotlights | Resources and teacher links | Games | Films News: Teen Librarian Toolbox takes five on Environmental Issues in Middle Grade Novels Our Indie Corner spotlight on Sarah Holding discusses her history […]

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Indie Corner – Arlene Mark

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, Elaine Dimopoulos

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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Spotlight – Jewell Parker Rhodes

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, Ellen Dee Davidson

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

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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Indie Corner – Todd Mitchell

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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Santa Soaked, Carl Lindemann

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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Indie Corner – Jennifer Harrington

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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Spotlight – Bijal Vachharajani

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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The 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 […]

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Indie 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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Orleans, Sherri L. Smith

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith Young Adult Fiction Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen Reading novels about the environment requires a certain amount of getting comfortable with potential dystopian futures. For example, it would be extremely difficult to avert a climate crisis without thinking through the logical outcomes of the current course […]

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Depart, Depart, Sim Kern

Depart, Depart by Sim Kern Young Adult Fiction Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen The boy first appears to Noah in the moments before Noah’s Houston neighborhood is engulfed by catastrophic flooding. He leads Noah to the relative safety of a parking garage, then disappears. In the wake of the flooding, Noah […]

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Indie Corner – Claire Datnow

Back to the Indie Corner series I’m delighted to present Claire Datnow as this month’s Indie Corner author. Claire was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, which ignited her love for the natural world and diverse cultures. Claire taught creative writing to gifted and talented students in the Birmingham, […]

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