Author Archives: stephanielowden

Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate, a Feiwel and Friends Book, imprint of Macmillan. New York, NY 2015. Crenshaw is a cat. A very large cat. If you’ve seen the movie, “Harvey,” with James Stewart, you might call Crenshaw a pooka, a … Continue reading →

Dia De Los Muertos by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, pictures by Carles Ballesteros. Albert Whitman & Company, Chicago, IL. 2015. I must admit, when I first learned of the holiday known as Day of the Dead, I was a little taken … Continue reading →

The Dress-Up Mirror by Raymond Bial. Crispin Books, Milwaukee, WI. 2015 “On Friday night there were more noises, loud and frantic, throughout the night. Amanda heard muffled shrieks of ‘Murder! Murder!’and some sort of quarreling about a mirror. She looked … Continue reading →

Dust of Eden, a novel by Mariko Nagai. Albert Whitman & Company, Park Ridge, IL. 2014 Thirteen-year-old Mina Tagawa is singing in Sunday school choir, practicing Silent Night, when a man crashes through the door, yelling, “‘…the Japs bombed Pearl … Continue reading →

The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang. Scholastic Press, New York, NY, 2015. When Peter’s brother, Nelson, is killed in a car accident, his family’s life is changed forever. Once a good student, Peter now forgets to put … Continue reading →

Doyli to the Rescue, Saving Baby Monkeys in the Amazon. Photos and text by Cathleen Burnham. Crickhollow Books, Milwaukee, WI 2015. “The Yagua Indian man crept through the Amazon rain forest…hunting a family of red howler monkeys. If he was … Continue reading →

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY, 2015. Young Adult. As a writer of fantasy, I struggle with creating a world in which the reader can eagerly suspend her disbelief. In … Continue reading →

Double Exposure by Bridget Birdsall. Sky Pony Press, New York, NY. 10018, 2014. Alyx Atlas is fifteen, loves basketball and is moving to a new city. She is also an intersex person who desperately wants to hide her secret. Hoping … Continue reading →

Little Baby Buttercup by Linda Ashman, illustrations by You Byun. Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) New York, NY, 2015.  I was completely enchanted by Little Baby Buttercup. There are a whole array of books that portray a day … Continue reading →

  In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I’m re-posting a review of three books that celebrate the history of African Americans and their struggle for civil rights. “Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Barack could run. Barack … Continue reading →