Multiple people, including author Carrie Mac, Danielle at Bookish Notions and Michelle from Mabel's Fables told me that this would be a book I would love. They were correct. This National Book Award nominated title falls under one of my favourite categories, Poignant Coming of Age Story, and is particularly adept at detailing not only … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: The Thing About Jellyfish
Tag: Grief
Close Up on Family: After Iris Review
One of my favourite aspects of British middle grade fiction is the tendency to feature large, kooky families. The Queen of Kooky Families being Hilary McKay, with her wonderful Casson family being the gold standard of fabulous fictional families. The Gadsby's reminded me of a more scholarly, ever so slightly more subtle Casson family. Flora … Continue reading Close Up on Family: After Iris Review
Hope, Grief & A Pizza Boy: The Boy on Cinnamon Street Review
Phoebe Stone is a master of contemporary voice. Despite a tragically misleading cover*, The Romeo and Juliet Code was (and remains) a favourite book of mine. She has done it again in the funny and cathartic The Boy on Cinnamon Street, the second of two MG books I've read recently dealing with grief. Warning, this review contains spoilers! Louise … Continue reading Hope, Grief & A Pizza Boy: The Boy on Cinnamon Street Review
Gorgeous Heartbreak: A Monster Calls Review
A Monster Calls is a gorgeously rendered piece of literary art. A compact, powerful novel, the best way I can describe it is Skellig by David Almond meets J.K. Rowling's "The Tale of Three Brothers" from Tales of Beedle the Bard. This book is a love letter to Siobhan Dowd, a rising YA star who died young of … Continue reading Gorgeous Heartbreak: A Monster Calls Review
