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2018

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Articles 5221 - 5250 of 170103

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A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama, Cynthia Frazier Dec 2018

A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama, Cynthia Frazier

Children's Book and Media Review

Two spinster sisters come to an asylum looking for an eight-year-old to adopt. They leave with Maud, who is eleven and small for her age. Maud is excited to belong to a family. However, in spite of all the new clothes, food, and books, Maud is told to be a secret girl. She does not go to school and has to be silent in her room whenever people come to call. When she is finally deemed ready to be included in the family business, Maud is excited to become a real part of the family. However, doing what the sisters …

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A Darkly Beating Heart, Meagan Andrus Dec 2018

A Darkly Beating Heart, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

Reiko wants nothing more than to exact revenge on everyone who has ever wronged her. While working in Japan with her aspiring fashionista cousin, she visits Kuramagi, a village determined to preserve historical accuracy. In Kuramagi, Reiko stumbles upon a historical artifact that allows her to step into the life of Miyu, a girl from the Edo period of Japan whose heart also craves vengeance. Reiko believes that in order to exact her own revenge, she has to help Miyu with hers. However, Reiko does not know all of the secrets surrounding her sojourns into Miyu’s life, or what has …

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A Clash Of Kingdoms: Ever The Hunted, Lisi Merkley Dec 2018

A Clash Of Kingdoms: Ever The Hunted, Lisi Merkley

Children's Book and Media Review

In the wake of her father’s death, Britta is left with nothing and is caught poaching on the young king’s land. As she awaits her death sentence, Britta is called up to speak with the king’s advisor. To her surprise, he offers her a deal. If she can find her father’s murderer, she will be freed. There’s only one catch: the suspected murderer is her father’s old apprentice and her only friend, Cohen. With death as the only other option, Britta sets out to find Cohen. Along the way, she discovers the truth about her father’s murder and about who …

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A Blackthorn Key Adventure: The Assassin's Curse, Tessa Mcmillan Dec 2018

A Blackthorn Key Adventure: The Assassin's Curse, Tessa Mcmillan

Children's Book and Media Review

King Charles II invites Christopher and Tom to a party, where Christopher stumbles upon a poisoned guest and is attacked by an assassin. Acting quickly, Christopher and Tom save Charles and the king’s sister, Minette. Charles asks Christopher, Tom, and Sally to join Minette’s entourage to Paris so they can stop the assassins. Once in Paris, the three friends learn the origin of the curse on the French royal line. Christopher realizes the curse is being resurrected by a group of servants and nobles who want the Templar treasure for themselves. The mastermind servant over the assassination attempts flees, but …

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Winnie And Waldorf: Disobedience School, Kristie Hinckley Dec 2018

Winnie And Waldorf: Disobedience School, Kristie Hinckley

Children's Book and Media Review

Young Winnie treats her dog, Waldorf, like a human. He frequently misbehaves, so Winnie decides that Waldorf needs to go to Disobedience School. Winnie teaches Waldorf everything from reading to art to nap-time. Waldorf gets distracted in gym class, but ends up saving the neighbor dog from running into the street! It turns out Waldorf is a pretty good dog, especially when he’s just being himself. Waldorf proves he’s learned a lot, as he walks Winnie all the way to kindergarten without any accidents.

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What The Dinosaurs Did At School, Kristie Hinckley Dec 2018

What The Dinosaurs Did At School, Kristie Hinckley

Children's Book and Media Review

A toy dinosaur collection is loose in the school! They travel from the locker to the art room and the cafeteria, leaving quite a mess in their path. Dinosaurs fighting with chalk erasers, talking louder than a whisper in the library, and squirting friends with a juice box fill the pages of this humorous book. Apparently, dinosaurs never learn because, even when they’re banished to the “drawer of no return,” they still have a dance party!

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What Girls Are Made Of, Rachel Aedo Dec 2018

What Girls Are Made Of, Rachel Aedo

Children's Book and Media Review

Seth is the center of the universe, at least to Nina. Her life, her schedules, her emotions, everything revolves around her boyfriend. Nina was told at fourteen that there was no such thing as unconditional love, and she lives every moment to meet the conditions of Seth’s love. When she fails, Seth breaks up with her and leaves Nina adrift, searching for the meaning of love in a high-kill animal shelter, in the art of Rome, and in her own disappointing family and friendships.

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Wet Cement: A Mix Of Concrete Poems, Kristie Hinckley Dec 2018

Wet Cement: A Mix Of Concrete Poems, Kristie Hinckley

Children's Book and Media Review

In Bob Raczka’s compilation of concrete poems, or 'shape poems,' Bob combines words about science, seasons, stars, and clothes hangers in a delightfully creative way. In the titles of the poems, the author creates pictures with letters, and in the poems themselves, he creates pictures with words. Some poems rhyme and some don’t. Even the table of contents is in the shape of a table. Readers are left with a message at the end to just try poetry!

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Untwine, Meagan Andrus Dec 2018

Untwine, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

Sixteen-year-old twins Giselle and Isabelle were born holding hands - the doctors had to separate them in order to deliver them properly. On the day that their family gets into a car crash, the girls are again holding hands, only to be ripped apart once more when Isabelle dies from her injuries and Giselle lives. As Giselle recovers, she goes through her abundance of memories with Isabelle, their parents, and their friends to fully examine what might have led to the crash that day, as well as hold on to her sister's memory as long as possible. Thanks to some …

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Trickster: Native American Tales; A Graphic Collection, Natalie Hatch Dec 2018

Trickster: Native American Tales; A Graphic Collection, Natalie Hatch

Children's Book and Media Review

Trickster is a collection of twenty-one short Native American tales gathered by Matt Dembicki. Though all of the stories are original Native America tales, they center around the idea of the trickster. Be it rabbit, fox, bear, or bird, stories of tricksters are ample in these cultural heritages. These stories show that sometimes the trickster will get away with their misdeeds, but other times there are consequences that could last for ages.

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Top Ten, Emilee Bell Dec 2018

Top Ten, Emilee Bell

Children's Book and Media Review

In a tangled story about two kids from separate castes in the high school ecosystem, Katie Cotugno unravels the complicated mentality behind teenage relationships. Gabby Hart, second daughter of suburban-bliss family, struggles through high school with crippling anxiety. An unlikely freshman-year party crosses her path with Ryan McCullough, freshman hockey star. During the four most turbulent years of childhood, Ryan and Gabby support each other through divorcing parents, panic attacks, breakups, and hospitalization. In the end, they try to date, but find that the true beauty of life, their true love, lies in being best friends.

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The Witch Boy, Olivia Hales Dec 2018

The Witch Boy, Olivia Hales

Children's Book and Media Review

Aster is a teen who lives in a magic community. In his world, men are shapeshifters who protect, and women are witches who gather knowledge and provide for the community. Aster hasn’t come into his powers yet, and has no interest in shapeshifting. He’s interested in witchcraft, but witchcraft is not for boys. So Aster teaches himself. When other boys begin disappearing and one returns mangled and in half-monster form, the suspected culprit is something worse than a demon. A demonic-monster appears in Aster's room and offers to help him discover a powerful form. Aster falsely accepts the offer and …

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The Witch Boy, Natalie Hatch Dec 2018

The Witch Boy, Natalie Hatch

Children's Book and Media Review

Aster was born into a life of magic. His mother and older sister are witches, and his father is a shapeshifter. It has always been this way: male shapeshifters and female witches. Aster, who struggles with shapeshifting, is drawn to words of power, the incantations and spells that the women use. He tries to learn these things but is caught, disciplined, teased, and treated worse by his family members. When Aster's male cousins go missing, Aster finds he’s the only one who can scry to find the missing boys. He wants to help and protect his family, but to do …

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The Truth About Happily Ever After, Meagan Andrus Dec 2018

The Truth About Happily Ever After, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

College sophomore Alyssa is so excited for her summer - she gets to work as Cinderella at Enchanted Dominion, and her long-distance boyfriend Jake will finally live in the same city as her and work at the park too! Then all of her dreams come crashing down when Jake breaks up with her for someone else. This was not a part of Alyssa's plan, and she is faced with the fact that plans don't always pan out. Luckily, she finds an empathetic friend in Miller, another theme park worker she's known for ages. He, unlike Jake, is willing to listen …

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The Trials Of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle, Loretta Farnsworth Dec 2018

The Trials Of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle, Loretta Farnsworth

Children's Book and Media Review

Apollo is punished by Zeus by being turned into a mortal and is stunned to find that he retains none of his godly strength or glamour. He is also forced to serve Meg, a snarky daughter of Demeter. They retreat to Camp Half-Blood and find it in turmoil. Apollo and Meg overhear a plot by the ancient Roman emperor Nero to destroy all oracles, including the Grove of Dodona near Camp Half-Blood. Apollo and Meg determine to locate the grove and the missing campers. Meg and Apollo find the grove and missing campers, but before they can rescue them, Nero …

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The Three Little Pigs And The Somewhat Bad Wolf, Amanda Durrant Dec 2018

The Three Little Pigs And The Somewhat Bad Wolf, Amanda Durrant

Children's Book and Media Review

The three little pigs need new homes and decide to build houses. The first pig buys straw and a whole bunch of potato chips, the second buys a stick house and soda-pop, and the third pig spends all her money to build a brick house. After the houses are built, a very hungry wolf comes knocking on the first pigs door, and huffs and puffs and blows the house down to get to the pig to eat him. The first pig runs to the stick house, and the same thing happens, so those two pigs go to the brick house. …

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The Thing About Jellyfish, Jennifer Padgett Dec 2018

The Thing About Jellyfish, Jennifer Padgett

Children's Book and Media Review

Suzi Swanson knows what it’s like to be mindful of facts few other children her age have ever fathomed. What she doesn’t know is that her life will be forever changed when she loses someone she deeply cherishes. When the news of the sudden and unexpected death of her closest childhood friend reaches her, she embarks on a journey of no return. She becomes determined to discover what really happened to her friend. Throughout her quest to find the ultimate “truth” about the circumstances of her friend’s inconceivable death, she unveils some truths about the life she’ll inevitably need to …

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The Thing About Jellyfish, Phyllis Rosen Dec 2018

The Thing About Jellyfish, Phyllis Rosen

Children's Book and Media Review

Twelve-year-old Suzy Swanson experiences profound grief when her ex-best friend drowns. She learns that jellyfish sting multiple people every day and comes to believe that her friend died because she was stung by a jellyfish. She determines to prove this, but, in the process, creates numerous problems for herself. Her family tries to help her, but she refuses to talk and holds everything inside. Eventually she tries to fly to Australia to meet with a jellyfish expert and prove her theory. She is not allowed on the plane and her mother comes to collect her at the airport. Suzy finally …

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The Summer Invitation, Emilee Bell Dec 2018

The Summer Invitation, Emilee Bell

Children's Book and Media Review

Fourteen-year-old Frances and seventeen-year-old Valentine, half sisters, are swept away to New York by their not-aunt Theo, former European model, author, and lover of Italian men. Valentine falls for the love she’s determined to find, breaks her heart, and finds her birth father. Flat-chested Frances learns that romance is in the memory, the anticipation, not the wild, desperate acts of passion. Both sisters explore the nooks of the City; satiate their curiosity with the help of their chaperone, Clover; and learn what it means to be a modern lady. The anticipated arrival of the mysterious Aunt Theo never comes to …

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The Real Poop On Pigeons, Haley Singleton Dec 2018

The Real Poop On Pigeons, Haley Singleton

Children's Book and Media Review

A man in the park mentions that he dislikes pigeons because of their messy habits, and in swoop the kids from Pigeon School 101, dressed as pigeons and ready to teach the man all about them. The rest of the book contains fun facts about pigeons, including how they feed their babies and Picasso’s great love of them - he even named his daughter Paloma (which is Spanish for pigeon)! After talking with the children, the man realizes that he did not know as much about pigeons as he had assumed.

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The Player King, Tessa Mcmillan Dec 2018

The Player King, Tessa Mcmillan

Children's Book and Media Review

Lambert Simnel’s life has been spent slaving away in a filthy tavern. This all changes when Brother Simonds buys Lambert and whisks him off to meet the Earl of Lincoln. Lambert resembles the missing Prince Edward, true heir to the English throne. The two men believe they can transform Lambert into a convincing prince and use his influence to challenge the new king, Henry VII. Lambert’s newfound power makes him unwittingly ban Simonds from his presence. Lincoln takes Lambert to Ireland where he is crowned king. An army is quickly established behind Lambert and they invade England. However, Henry’s larger …

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The Peculiars, Cynthia Frazier Dec 2018

The Peculiars, Cynthia Frazier

Children's Book and Media Review

When Lena turns eighteen, an inheritance from her long-lost father allows her to get away from an overly protective home life. She sets out on the train to find him at the frontier, where outcasts and people with peculiar physical traits live. Nothing goes as planned, however. The train is held up, a dangerous prisoner is broken out, her purse is stolen, and she meets Jimson, a young man who is traveling to become a librarian for a famous inventor. She also meets Marshall Saltre, who wants Lena to spy on the man Jimson will be working for. Lena’s impulsive …

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The Nightmare Club: A Dog's Breakfast, Haley Singleton Dec 2018

The Nightmare Club: A Dog's Breakfast, Haley Singleton

Children's Book and Media Review

It’s the Annual Halloween sleepover, which means it’s time to share the scariest story ever. Annie Graves hosts a yearly sleepover where her friends get together and try to scare each other. A Dog’s Breakfast is Nicola’s story about Glen. Glen is a mean, irritable, and rude classmate of Nicola’s who, on a class field trip, squished a snail and made a fairy very angry. Glen quickly learns that he shouldn't mess with fairies and that there are consequences for making others feel bad.

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The Midnight Dance, Taylor Nelson Dec 2018

The Midnight Dance, Taylor Nelson

Children's Book and Media Review

Penny is a lead ballerina at the Grande Teatro, an estate tucked in the countryside of Italy, where train twelve girls to become the finest ballerinas in the country. The school is run by the brooding and mysterious Master, who has a dark secret. When Penny begins to have flashes of memory of a life she doesn’t remember living, she begins to suspect that Master is employing mind control on the dancers. Assisted by Cricket, the kitchen boy, she investigates the school and tries to ward off Master’s growing suspicions that she knows what he is doing. Before the Midnight …

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The Mesmerist, Tessa Mcmillan Dec 2018

The Mesmerist, Tessa Mcmillan

Children's Book and Media Review

Ever since Jessamine Grace’s father was killed, she and her mother have earned a living working as spiritualists for London’s elite. Their work is a sham until one job causes Jessamine to actually receive deadly messages from the supernatural cult, Mephisto. Realizing Jessamine has the gift of mesmerism, communicating and interacting with the dead, her mother takes Jessamine to Balthazar, a half-faerie man who heads a small league of gifted youth dedicated to thwarting Mephisto and other evil forces. While Jessamine is training with Balthazar’s league, Jessamine’s mother is killed by Mephisto’s ghouls. Jessamine joins in the fight against Mephisto’s …

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The Mesmerist, Rachel Aedo Dec 2018

The Mesmerist, Rachel Aedo

Children's Book and Media Review

Haunted by the echo of “Ashes, ashes, we all fall down,” Jessamine Grace discovers her powers as a mesmerist. She is able to read the thoughts of others and communicate with the dead. This is a gift inherited from her father, who died facing the greatest necromancer to have ever lived. When this same evil rises again, Jess rallies with other powerful children to defeat the threat before London is decimated by a plague spread by rats.

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The List, Katelyn Osborn Dec 2018

The List, Katelyn Osborn

Children's Book and Media Review

Every year at Mount Washington High School, The List goes up right before Homecoming. The four “prettiest” girls and the four “ugliest” girls are on it, and that’s all anyone can talk about. This year, the prettiest girls listed are freshman Abby, who wishes her sister could understand how much of an honor this is; sophomore Lauren, the new girl who’s only ever been homeschooled; junior Bridget, whose body transformation hasn’t been a healthy one; and senior Margo, who isn’t surprised to be there. The girls on the other side of the list are Danielle, who is worried about what …

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The Kidney Hypothetical, Meagan Andrus Dec 2018

The Kidney Hypothetical, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

Higgs Boson Bing graduates high school in five days. In that time, he plans on winning the Student of the Year award, having fun with his girlfriend Roo during graduation festivities, and packing for Harvard. But apparently the universe has it out for Higgs and wants to see him fail. Roo breaks up with him because of some insignificant (to him) hypothetical situation, his name is slandered throughout the school, and Harvard receives an anonymous tip that Higgs lied on his application. Everything comes crashing down and Higgs doesn't know what to do. He meets an enigmatic girl named Monarch, …

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The Great Greene Heist, Taylor Harris Dec 2018

The Great Greene Heist, Taylor Harris

Children's Book and Media Review

Jackson Greene is an ex-conman. However, with the school election coming up, Jackson may just have to come out of retirement. The two candidates are Gaby de la Cruz, Jackson’s crush, and Keith Sinclair, a rich kid suspected of buying off the principal to ensure his place as student body president. If he wins, he plans to cut off funding to many school clubs and put that money towards his own Gamer Club. Somehow Jackson must develop a plan to unveil Keith’s bribery and ensure Gaby’s win, all without getting caught. After assembling an all-star team, he manages to pull …

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The Forsaken, Ariel Woodbury Dec 2018

The Forsaken, Ariel Woodbury

Children's Book and Media Review

Alenna grew up in an United Northern Alliance (UNA) orphanage. She fails a government test and is sent to Prison Island Alpha. Surrounded by island conflict, Alenna is taken in by a village. Alenna trains so that she can help the village try and escape. Their attempt quickly fails as they are taken prisoner by the Monk who coerces their assistance to help him leave the island as well. Alenna finds flash-frozen bodies of thousands of the island's inhabitants, including their friends, waiting to be shipped off for dissection. When she reaches their destination, Alenna defrosts Liam's pod, but they're …

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