In Dreams Beyond the Shore we find seventeen year old Chelsea at a crossroads in her life, left to decide whether to be the dutiful daughter her politician father expects her to be or to follow her own dreams to be a writer. Dreams Beyond the Shore is the winner of the 2016 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature
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YA Review – Down to Dirt (Dirt and Stars Book 1)
Recommended read. Mara was born and raised on Tombaugh, a space station inhabited only by the brightest and best humans and where these humans live uncontaminated by earth’s gravity, sun, and polluted atmosphere. So she’s very unhappy when her parents force her to spend time with her aunt, uncle, and cousin on Earth, or ‘Dirt,’ as it’s called on Tombaugh.
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Barberry Hill – Review
No, I’m not reviewing my own book. I just received the Kirkus review of Barberry Hill and was quite pleased with the reviewer’s thoughtful comments. I glowed on reading “She skillfully captures Jaden’s grief, anxiety, feelings of abandonment, fear, and other stormy emotions, as well as the rhythms of friendship and dialogue among teenage boys…. “Fresh, well-described setting and vibrant…
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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie – Review
When eleven year old Flavia discovers a man dying in her back yard she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous search to discover the killer. This is not a quick read. The author lays out scene-an estate in a small rural town in Britain in 1950- and plot at a measured pace and in great detail.
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A United Kingdom-Movie Review
I must confess I don’t watch a lot of movies, I much prefer to read a book. However, I was intrigued by the preview of this movie and I am a big fan of David Oyelowo (sigh). I found the story fascinating. A true story in which the marriage between Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana and a white Londoner is thwarted by the…
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Review-Rain Falls on Everyone
I received this book free on NetGalley. Theo is one of the lucky ones. Rescued from the midst of the Rwanda genocide by an Irish humanitarian, he’s raised in Dublin from the age of seven. He never forgives himself for his father’s actions in the war and even as he puts a face on trying to fit in to life…
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Review-Coming Out Of Egypt (The Egypt Series Book 1)
Seventeen year old Marsha and June flee their remote home in the village of Egypt, on the Caribbean island of Trinidad after Marva accidentally kills their abusive father. This begins a journey for Marva in which she plots and executes her main goal-to protect her sister from further harm. Marva is strong, resourceful, yet vulnerable, a well-rounded character.
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YA Review – The Sun is Also a Star
I read The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicole Yoon on a business trip to St. Kitts fraught with delayed flights. When I finally lifted my eyes from the book I found that friends from home were sitting near me in the airport. When I approached them their faces filled with concern. “What’s the matter?” they asked. I was…
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YA Review – Time Sphere
Three Stars. I read Time Sphere: A Timepathway Book as a NetGalley reviewer. I was intrigued by the setting which moves between the modern day and ancient Egypt, and by the time travel aspect of the novel. I was not blown away by this book, but I read it through to the end mainly because of the charming main character Rhory.
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YA Review- Patchwork by Karsten Knight
Renata’s life is a bit more complicated than the average teen’s. This is so not just because she is still dealing with her father’s sudden death or because her boyfriend plans to go abroad for college. It turns out that she is being hunted by a ruthless killer who is determined to destroy her and everyone she loves.