Twelve-year-old Ashley Dalton, who prefers to be called Ash, has one refuge in the world: a walnut tree in the yard of her foster mother’s rental house, where she lives along with her foster mother’s volatile son, his girlfriend, and their baby, who shares a room with Ash. Middle school, where Ash gets bullied for […]
Serious, unflappable Mariel Hartley-Hood has a lot to live up to as Captain of the Merry Men. Her father is Commander Hartley, and she’s the granddaughter of Robin Hood himself. Her ragtag team is on the right track until a botched kidnapping lands her with a very annoying (and distractingly cute) captive: Clemence Causey. Clem […]
Having fled the bombing in Königsberg, 11-year-old Asta and 9-year-old Pieta are living with their mother on their grandparents’ farm during the final months of World War II when the Red Army attacks. They’re forced to flee to the ships carrying refugees to safety in mainland Germany; the family hopes to reach a cousin in […]
Diane, whose last name is not given to protect her family’s privacy, grew up in the idyllic village of Guildford, England, an experience she describes as “sort of a Norman Rockwell lifestyle.” At age 9, her world turned upside down when she found out her doting mom and dad were foster parents, and that her […]
O’Connor’s is the only story actually set on the Emerald Isle. “Irish Soda Bread Murder” takes place during Galway City’s annual psychic fair. None of the five participants predict that Ronan Stone, the city’s most in-demand psychic, will be felled before the event even starts by a bite of peanut butter hidden in a tin […]
Although slavery is illegal in the medieval-like realm of the South Kingdom, Kai and other orphan children have been steadily forced into bondage over the past five years. While out on a hunt one day, Kai comes across a rich girl who asks too many questions. The girl is eventually revealed to be Cara, a […]
Obsession prompts Agnes Glin to journey from California, where she’s lived her whole life, to remote Bifröst, Iceland, in response to an offer from passionate true crime podcaster Nora Carver. Agnes’ grandfather, Einar Pálsson, was the chief suspect in one of Iceland’s most notorious unsolved cases, the murder of his wife, Marie Hvass, and their […]
Hammam, Khalil, and Hussam, writes Barber, “are ordinary people living in an extraordinary context.” All three are Palestinian men who came of age during the intifada and Israeli occupation of their home in the Gaza Strip. While the book’s insightful introductory chapter offers readers ample historical context, the author, a professor emeritus at the University […]
If a little of something is good, then more must be better, and a lot more must be much better. According to journalist and author Carr, this assumption is longstanding, straightforward, and terribly wrong—at least when applied to communications technology. The theme of his book is that social media has taken over our society with […]
The journey begins with taking responsibility for one’s present circumstances, regardless of any past hardships. The author differentiates between being a victim (a temporary state out of one’s control) and having a victim mentality (using painful experiences for pity or as an excuse). Readers learn about the importance and types of boundaries (physical, emotional, and […]