Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan
Paint the Wind starts out in California, but quickly moves to Wyoming. In an interview, Pam Ryan said that she took hundreds of private horseback riding lessons and went on 2 extended research rides on horseback in Wyoming in preparation for writing this book. 11-year old Maya has lived with her bitter, controlling and very
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is a story about Kyra, a girl who is 13 and lives in a polygamous sect in Utah. Her father has three wives and she has 20 brothers and sisters. She loves her mother and father and siblings and has grown up in a sheltered environment where there is
Dungeon Born by Dakota Krout
If you have read my reviews then you know that I give credit for creativity. Dungeon Born by Dakota Krout gets lots of points for originality and creativity. The story takes place in a Dungeons and Dragons type of world and the main character is … a dungeon named Cal. We learn how Cal came
The Loop by Benjamin Oliver
Luka Kane is a normal 16 year old who is in a Juvenile prison called “The Loop.” He is on death row. He knows that he won’t be going home, but he can delay his execution by agreeing, every 6 months, to participate in a medical experiment. Sometimes these experiments, or “delays,” are innocuous, but
Long Range by C.J. Box
In Long Range, by C. J. Box, game warden Joe Pickett is called in to help with the sniper shooting of a Judge’s wife. Judge Hewitt’s wife was killed by accident as the shot was intended for the Judge. Judge Hewitt is beside himself and calls on all of the local law enforcement officers in
Deep State by Chris Hauty
Deep State by Chris Hauty is a current day political thriller. The central character of the story is Hailey Chill, a young woman who grew up in rural West Virginia and managed to overcome obstacles and pull herself out of the downward spiral of her home community. She did this by joining the army and
The Deserter by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille
The Deserter by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille is a story about two officers from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor. They are sent to Venezuela to arrest Captain Kyle Mercer. Mercer was in the Army’s Delta Force but deserted his post in Afghanistan and was then captured by the Taliban.
Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford
Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford is a very unique and unusual book. The main characters, Ada and her father, are not human, though apparently they kind of look like people. The father and daughter live on the edge of town and are healers that treat the town folk, or “cures” as they refer
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
Upright Women is about a young adult, Esther, who fled from home and hid in the wagon of a group of librarians. Esther’s father is a high-ranking government official and he has arranged a marriage for Ester which she does not want. To make matters worse, the man her father chose was previously the betrothed
The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson
The Hero Two Doors Down is a “fictionalized” true story written by Sharon Robinson, daughter of the legendary Jackie Robinson, based on her family’s friendship with their Jewish neighbors. Instead of writing a strictly non-fiction book for children, she “fictionalizes” it by adding conversations and thoughts she was not privy to. This allows her story to “come alive” for
Burn the Dark by S.A. Hunt
As I was listening to the first chapter of Burn the Dark by S.A. Hunt I thought “The flow is not so great and this doesn’t seem that well written.” Then chapter two started and I was hooked. It wasn’t that chapter one was bad. Chapter one was the version as it was narrated and
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
Mildred Taylor’s award winning book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, was written in 1976 and has been reissued many times since then. This book was the 1st full length novel in the Logan Family Saga following the novella Song of the Trees. There have been a total of 9 books in this series which