A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A short amusing read about 2 young people and the summer they spend with their Grandma who is a character with guts and gumption who you'll remember. Very entertaining, with good belly laughs and moral instruction as well

View all my reviews

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I can't believe this won the Printz award (Newberry equivalent for teenagers), giving a stamp of approval to frequent "f" word usage, teen sex and teen pregnancy. There are many good things about the novel: an interesting & compelling story, a message of the importance of enduring relationships, coming of age theme, but with all the angst and approval of poor values it carries I would discourage any teen I care about from reading it.

View all my reviews

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautifully written historical fiction with great character development and many themes. It made me wonder what my reactions would be should we be faced with plague in our time. This would make for great book club discussion.
I listened to audio books which was very well done. Highly recommend.



View all my reviews

Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun chick lit, although the morals are a little loose, and plotline a bit too predictable. Trigliana can write however this was not as good as Lucia, Lucia or Big Stone Gap. Read those books first.


View all my reviews

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo




This much loved kids' classic should not be ignored by adults. It is exceptionally well written and contains a profound message about love, friendship, diversity, acceptance and forgiveness. I would read this to a 5 year old & recommend it to all ages. The movie, which I have not seen, is likely very cute and entertaining, but it would be a shame to ignore the short novel because one already knows the story. Only 2 -3 hour read, tops.



View all my reviews

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty: A Novel by Joshilyn Jackson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This was a great story with believable characters, but I docked it 3 stars for repetitive vulgar language. Edit that out & it would have 5 stars from me.





View all my reviews

Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Typically I dislike dystopian post-apocalyptic novels, but this was an excellent short read which I couldn't put down--a suspenseful, intriguing, thought-provoking story of survival. A best seller written almost 40 years ago, it is still a time relevant story of Ann, a girl who survived worldwide nuclear war and appears to be the only survivor. Her day-to-day practical aspects of survival are fascinating. She is an intelligent and sympathetic character, and through her the reader really feels the isolation, loneliness and danger of her situation. The tension keeps building throughout, thanks to the intrusion of the incredibly creepy and sinister stranger Loomis. I have a few friends who read this as teens and enjoyed it so much that they reread it recently as adults and recommended it to me. I'm glad they did. I learned things one would need to know in order to survive on their own. Appropriate literature for age 11 and above.











View all my reviews

The Zookeeper's Wife
by Diane Ackerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How do you not love a book that makes you want to reach out and learn MORE? This is a powerful, unknown, true story. It is about an exceptional Polish family, the Zabinskis, people who did good things during a bad time in history. Over several years, they hid over 300 Jews in their home and were tireless in Poland's underground resistance activities. Their home and the Warsaw zoo occupied the same campus and frequently it seems there was no difference between two and four footed beings in their ability to love.

Ackerman, the author, gathered diaries, letters, transcripts of interviews with the Zabinski family, their friends, and the people they hid and helped escape to safety . She did additional extensive research resulting in a domestic drama. It is a surprisingly uplifting description of life during the bloodiest years of the war.

We sometimes forget that there are always good people trying to do the right thing. I think anyone who reads this well crafted, multi-layered, honest retelling of someone else’s life story would be enlightened and encouraged by it. It will stay with me for a long time.

View all my reviews