The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman

August 03, 2024

My notes for Alice Hoffman’s short story, “The Bookstore Sisters”, are almost as long as the story itself. It’s the first of three stories in the Once Upon a Time Bookshop series involving two sisters and the Once Upon a Time Bookshop on...

The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate diCamillo

October 28, 2023

It’s been years since I read one of Kate DiCamillo’s juvenile books. I read and loved her debut, Because of Winn-Dixie. I couldn’t resist her first Newbery Award-winning novel, The Tale of Despereaux. And, I’ll admit I picked up her new book,...

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

August 02, 2021

Julie Murphy, bestselling author of the Young Adult novel, Dumplin’, takes on reality TV, the Cinderella trope, and the image of plus-size women in a magical romantic comedy for adults, If the Shoe Fits. She also manages to write about a stepmother and...

Why You Should Read Children’s Books… by Katherine Rundell

October 26, 2019

There’s a recent bestseller called What We Talk About When We Talk About Books. I tried to read it, and gave up because it was too pedantic for me. I much preferred a little book by Katherine Rundell, Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though...

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

July 21, 2018

I didn’t know what I was actually picking up when I checked out Neil Gaiman’s fairy tale, The Sleeper and the Spindle. Earlier this week, I mentioned his quote, “I like stories where women save themselves”, and he was talking about fairy tales....