The Case of the Missing Marquess (An Enola Holmes Mystery) by Nancy Springer Scholastic, 2006 224 pages I'm pretty ambivalent about books that amend the work of dead authors. Some - like the annotations and new stories released by the Tolkien estate - find their way onto my bookshelf. But I tend to give a wide … Continue reading The Case of the Missing Marquess
Arcadia
Arcadia by Iain Pears Knopf, 2016 528 pages Not long ago, I tried to describe to my husband what it's like to read Iain Pears and Kazuo Ishiguro, two of my favorite authors. Though their styles are distinct, there is a key commonality: both like to play with perception and how it affects narrative. Ishiguro comes at … Continue reading Arcadia
West of the Moon
West of the Moon by Margi Preus Amulet Books, 2014 224 pages You might have noticed that, lately, I've mostly been reviewing books for teens and young women. It hasn't been intentional - just the natural outcome of my recent reading patterns. My daughter is 11 now, and a wide-ranging and advanced reader. We still have a "bedtime" book … Continue reading West of the Moon
Radioactive
Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss It Books, 2010 208 pages I've always been fascinated by Marie Curie. At a time when women's education was confined primarily to the social graces and preparation for housekeeping, she made world-changing scientific discoveries. But until I read Lauren Redniss's Radioactive, I … Continue reading Radioactive
Rise of the Rocket Girls
Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia Holt Little, Brown & Company, 2016 352 pages The space industry was a dominating presence in my early childhood. My father was a technical writer for NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), and my grandfather was retired … Continue reading Rise of the Rocket Girls
Chasing Vermeer
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet; ill. by Brett Helquist Scholastic, 2003 254 pages Though there’s just one title, this is really a review of three books: Blue Balliet’s series of art mysteries starring three middle-school kids who live in modern-day Chicago. I read the first book, Chasing Vermeer, with my daughter after a librarian friend … Continue reading Chasing Vermeer
Brown Girl Dreaming
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Penguin, 2014 352 pages I don’t read a lot of poetry, and I’m not entirely sure why. When my poetry-loving friends put up Facebook posts sharing a favorite line or two from what they’re currently reading, I always think, “How beautiful. I really should read more poetry.” Maybe verse is not … Continue reading Brown Girl Dreaming
