The Classy Crooks Club by Alison Cherry

The moral of this story is loyalty to friends trump social ethics. Kids are already highly impressionable and for a middle-grade book to impart this kind of message, well that doesn’t sit right with me. To make matters worse, the main character’s morals digress toward the end of the novel. For instance, in the middle of the book, AJ stands up to the ladies and her Grandma Jo letting them know that their actions are considered stealing. However, by the end of the […]

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A Little Bit of Spectacular by Gin Phillips

A sweet, coming-of-age story about the strength of friendship and the magic of love. Phillips writes a heartfelt, easy-to-read novel about an eleven-year-old and her newfound friend unraveling a mystery, helping them understand that sometimes spectacular things come from the most ordinary stories. Phillips avoids the clichés and creates a believable eleven-year-old with depth and heart. A LITTLE BIT OF SPECTACULAR is a wonderful, albeit cheesy, read that cleverly young readers and adults will appreciate. Dive into the book: After Olivia’s mom gets […]

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