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Tag: fantasy

December 22, 2022 by Betsy Bird

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2022 Fantasy Books for Kids

These books, to my mind, represent the best that fantasy for kids in 2022 had to offer. Yes, there are magical creatures and world building, but some of the titles you'll find here are downright subtle. Take a gander. You'll see what I mean.

March 21, 2022 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: The Lock-Eater by Zack Loran Clark

The Lock-Eater is a marvelous example of how you may render old ideas new, if only you’ve the ability to combine smart, timely writing with the current zeitgeist. Our kids are lucky they get to tap into books like this. Let’s hope for more of the same.

December 21, 2021 by Betsy Bird

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2021 Fantasy for Kids

If you have a kid that loves fantasy, some of these books might fit the bill!

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Review of the Day: Much Ado About Baseball by Rajani LaRocca

October 1, 2021 by Betsy Bird

It is truly rare to find a book like Much Ado About Baseball where math not only propels the plot forward, but also contains perfectly normal, sportsy characters for whom loving math is just one aspect of their personality. Add in baseball, Shakespeare, magic AND snacks and you’ve got yourself a unicorn of a book.

Review of the Day: Root Magic by Eden Royce

March 31, 2021 by Betsy Bird

A smartly plotted dip into the Gullah-Geechee culture of early 60s rural South Carolina, this book weaves family, history, and spooky stuff together like a braid.

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Fantasy Books for Kids

December 22, 2020 by Betsy Bird

Here are the books I read in 2020 that I thought were just stand up and cheer great. Please bear in mind, though, that I missed a LOT of middle grade books this year. This is just a sampling of what was on offer . . .

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Review of the Day: The Magic Mirror by Susan Hill Long

February 22, 2016 by Betsy Bird

The Magic Mirror: Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King, and a Pickpocket Squirrel By Susan Hill Long Knopf (an imprint of Penguin Random House) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-553-51134-2 Ages 9-12 On shelves May 10th What do you want from a fairy tale? Magic? Romance? Derring-do? Despicable villainy? Academics and scholars have puzzled […]

Review of the Day: Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

June 1, 2015 by Betsy Bird

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer By Kelly Jones Illustrated by Katie Kath Alfred A. Knopf (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-385-75552-8 On shelves now The epistolary novel has a long and storied history. At least when it comes to books written for adults. So too does it exist in […]

Review of the Day: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

April 28, 2015 by Betsy Bird

The Jumbies By Tracey Baptiste Algonquin Young Readers $15.95 ISBN: 9781616204143 Ages 9-12 On shelves now “All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.” So sayeth Leo Tolstoy (at least in theory). Regardless of whether or not it’s actually true, it is fun […]

Review of the Day: Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

April 9, 2015 by Betsy Bird

Castle Hangnail By Ursula Vernon Dial (an imprint of Penguin Group) ISBN: 978-0803741294 Ages 8-11 On shelves April 21st These are dark times for children’s fantasy. Dark times indeed. Which is to say, when I pick up a fantasy novel for kids, more often than not I find the books filled with torture, violence, bloody […]

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