Category: Book Reviews

I was one of those kids who grew up afraid of everything. I especially had a hard time with change. Change meant that scary things could be around every corner,

When life gets tough, our initial instinct is to want to run away. A change of scenery and a new focus will cure what’s ailing us. But the truth is,

I think that people tend to think of readers as nerdy types who don’t want anything to do with physical activity, particularly sports. However, when I was a kid and

Growing up, I had a hard time with change. Even something as simple as my family getting rid of an old car or throwing away old toys could be devastating

As a children’s author and reviewer, I read a lot of picture books and chapter books aimed at readers who are decades younger than I am. And I love every

Conflict can be a tricky element to write in children’s books. You don’t want a conflict to become too scary or intense, but you also need it in order to

A great ghost story needs the perfect mixture of a great setting, great backstory, and clear worldbuilding in order to make it stand out from the countless other ghost stories

Some of the best stories in children’s literature are friendship-based, and it’s always interesting to see how those friendships unfold and how the friends work together to solve a conflict.

There’s a scene in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans in which his main character, Sammy, is caught crashing his toy trains over and over again, fueled by the fear of having

The mystery and crime genre can be a dark and gory world that can both attract and disturb readers. It’s addictive, but not always healthy, to dive into grisly murders,

Romance novels are a literary comfort food. All you need are some familiar ingredients, likable characters, and a satisfying ending. The Cloverton series by Haven Saunders and Marci Wilson explores

Aside from animal books, the most popular type of picture book requests that come my way are nature-based. A lot of authors love to introduce children to peaceful and serene

When I was a kid, my family had this collection of easy reader books that contained stories compiled of 50 or so beginning words. In the back of the book