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Updates Made by Charlotte Taylor
Sunday, June 8, 2014 8:41:35 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled This Week's Middle Grade Sci Fi/Fantasy Round-up! (6/8/14):
Charlotte said, "Welcome to this week's round-up of middle grade speculative fiction found in my blog reading this week! Sadly, last night I accidentally marked 181 posts as read in Bloglovin....so if you don't see your post here, that may be why, and please..." more
Saturday, June 7, 2014 2:21:19 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The Immortal LIfe of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (48 hour reading challenge):
Charlotte said, "I am so glad that the 48 Hour Reading Challenge bumped The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, to the top of my reading pile. It is my favorite sort of non-fiction--combining tons of interesting science with people one can..." more
Friday, June 6, 2014 10:27:13 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Dragon Keeper, by Carole Wilkinson:
Charlotte said, "Question: Can one really recommend a book about a Chinese dragon in which the dragon has wings? Or does that throw the whole story so off kilter that all that is good gets overshadowed?This is the question I was forced to ask while..." more
Friday, June 6, 2014 4:49:12 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled 48 Reading Challenge tracking post:
Charlotte said, "Here is the 48 Hour Book Challenge.Here are my books, an assortment of mostly sci fi/fantasy books, all of a diverse nature:Here's how I did last year:Total of pages read/listened to: 3086 Total time read: 23 hours and 32..." more
Thursday, June 5, 2014 11:21:11 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled My pile of wonderfully diverse books for the 48 Hour Book Challenge (that starts tomorrow!):
Charlotte said, " The 48 Hour Book Challenge starts tomorrow! The theme this year is Diverse Books!And I now return to the computer after grazing through my tbr shelves, and neatly empiling the results. I guess I had a few diverse books on..." more
Thursday, June 5, 2014 9:03:10 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Dragon Girl: the Secret Valley, by Jeff Weigel -- great graphic novel fantasy fun!:
Charlotte said, "If you have on hand a nine or ten year old girl who loves mythical creatures, RUN to get a hold of Dragon Girl: The Secret Valley, by Jeff Weigel (Andrews McMeel Publishing, June 3, 2014, 192 pages) . The baby dragons she'll meet here..." more
Wednesday, June 4, 2014 8:09:14 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The Highest Dream, by Phyllis A. Whitney (1956) --more fun with retro teen fiction!:
Charlotte said, "Yay! My ex-eighth grader has his French exam yesterday, and life is better and I can start getting caught up on my review backlog....But just for kicks, here's what I read while learning French with my dear boy-- The Highest Dream, by Phyllis..." more
Monday, June 2, 2014 3:49:06 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Pandemic, by Yvonne Ventresca:
Charlotte said, "Pandemic, by Yvonne Ventresca (Sky Pony Press, May 2014) is a solid "first disastrous viral outbreak" for the young teen, and in as much as I enjoy a good (fictional) virus, I picked it up with enthusiasm.Only a few people know why Lil became a..." more
Sunday, June 1, 2014 12:01:03 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled This week's round-up of middle grade speculative fiction from around the blogs (6/1/14):
Charlotte said, "Yay for June and only two more days left of actual school for my eighth grader! Yay for next weekend--the 48 Hour Book Challenge (my first weekend with no eighth grade homework to fret me!) I myself have only one mg spec fic post to offer..." more
Saturday, May 31, 2014 12:07:14 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Bonnie, by Lee Wyndham, escapist romance for the young teen of yesteryear:
Charlotte said, "So I was going to write a Thoughtful Post about what makes a really good middle grade book, and how kid appeal isn't the same thing as universal appeal, and memorable characters etc., but then I realized that all I really had to say about it was..." more
Thursday, May 29, 2014 1:11:09 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The Lost, by Sarah Beth Durst, with Armchair BEA giveaway of ARC:
Charlotte said, "It is such a lovely thing, when a book you get for review turns out to be a beautifully satisfying read. All the pressure to be tactful is off, and you can simply say things like "I really truly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to..." more
Wednesday, May 28, 2014 6:47:06 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Armchair BEA-- my favorite books of short stories:
Charlotte said, "The thing about short stories is that they are short, and so for those of us who are fast readers desperately trying to escape reality with full-blown immersion in text they sometimes you get to the end just as the edges of life are starting to blur..." more
Tuesday, May 27, 2014 9:49:10 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Armchair BEA--interacting with authors:
Charlotte said, "Twice I have sat at the feet (once literally, once on a chair) of Megan Whalen Turner (author of the Queen's Thief series), and it was great fun, but that was not because of blogging....But through blogging there have been a number of authors I've..." more
Monday, May 26, 2014 3:21:00 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The Eighth Day, by Dianne K. Salerni:
Charlotte said, "The Eighth Day, by Dianne K. Salerni (HarperCollins, middle grade, April 22, 2014)Basic premise: 13-year-old kid with new-found powers finds himself a key player in an ancient magical war. Basic reaction: Fun, fast, gripping, lots of..." more
Monday, May 26, 2014 9:17:03 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Armchair BEA 2014--Introducing myself:
Charlotte said, "I'm so happy to be taking part in BEA again this year; it's (I think) my third time. Here's my introductory post.Everything I say in my "about me" section is true.My name really is Charlotte. It has taken me a long time to accept this..." more
Sunday, May 25, 2014 8:55:00 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled This week's round-up of middle grade science fiction and fantasy from around the blogs (5/25/14):
Charlotte said, "Greetings from cold, grey Rhode Island. No beach fun for us today, staying inside and reading is much more appealing! Here are the results of this week's blog gleaning--please let me know if I missed your post!The Reviews:The Ash Mistry..." more
Friday, May 23, 2014 9:41:13 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The One Safe Place, by Tania Unsworth:
Charlotte said, "The One Safe Place, by Tania Unsworth (Algonquin Young Readers, middle grade, April 29, 2014)Climate change has brought North America to the brink of collapse. But shielded from the merciless sun in a remote valley, Devin and his..." more
Tuesday, May 20, 2014 6:49:05 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Saving Lucas Biggs, by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague, for Timeslip Tuesday:
Charlotte said, "Saving Lucas Biggs, by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague (HarperCollins, middle grade, April 29, 2014), opens with an innocent man being sentenced to death. Margaret's father was a whistle-blower, a geologist who publicly decried the..." more
Monday, May 19, 2014 12:21:07 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The Thickety: A Path Begins, by J.A. White:
Charlotte said, "The Thickety: A Path Begins, by J.A. White (Katherine Tegen Books, May 6, 2014, upper middle grade/younger YA), is a gripping fantasy full of fascinating magic, but it is a dark one, not for the faint of heart! Generations ago, Kara's people..." more
Sunday, May 18, 2014 11:44:58 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (5/18/14):
Charlotte said, " I'm starting this week's round-up with two announcements of things near and dear to me.First-- The Eight Annual Kidlitcon has been announced! If there is any way you can make it, I urge you to come--it is so lovely to be surrounded by..." more
Friday, May 16, 2014 5:28:54 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The Fairy Doll & Other Tales from the Doll's House, by Rumer Godden:
Charlotte said, "Oh goodness, if you (or a young reader you know) are at all a fan of dolls, and dollhouses, and making tiny stuff, and like excellent stories that incorporate such things, RUN to get yourself (and the young reader) a copy of The Fairy Doll &..." more
Thursday, May 15, 2014 9:12:47 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Goodbye, Mary Stewart:
Charlotte said, "Mary Stewart, author of my favorite romantic suspense novels, died on May 10th. Here is her obituary, at The Guardian. My mother gave me my first Mary Stewart romance, The Moon Spinners, when I was twelve, and I couldn't decide..." more
Wednesday, May 14, 2014 9:24:42 AM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw, by Christopher Healy (a response as opposed to a measured, critical review):
Charlotte said, "There are retold fairy tales, there are fractured fairy tales, and then there are stories that might once have said hi to fairy tales in passing but then went on to have rich, vivid, lives of their own. The Hero's Guide series, by..." more
Tuesday, May 13, 2014 6:24:32 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled Kissing Shakespeare, by Pamela Mingle:
Charlotte said, "If you enjoy romantic time travel, written for the YA reader, you may well enjoy Kissing Shakespeare, by Pamela Mingle (Delacorte, 2012) . If, perhaps, you ask for a tad more than time travel back into a love triangle of sorts, such..." more
Sunday, June 8, 2014 9:43:29 PM
Charlotte Taylor wrote a blog post titled 48 hour book challenge wrap-up:
Charlotte said, "Though I enjoyed my multi-hour nap on Saturday, it sure wreaked havoc on my totals! '18 hours and 15 minutes of reading, 1 hour and 58 minutes of social mediafor a total of 20 hours and 13 minutesBooks read:Dragon Keeper, by Carole Wilkinson..." more