I was about to review another book when I came across Fox Talk and read it in ten minutes, then read it again. I am a dog lover, and have an armchair expert’s interest in how dogs work. I know…
Author: petermarino
Peter is an English professor at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury, New York where he teaches writing, speech, and the occasional literature class. He won the SUNY Chancellor's Award in 2006 for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity. His first young adult novel, Dough Boy, about a fat and self-conscious but very funny high school sophomore, was published by Holiday House in October 2005 and is now available in paperback. It was nominated for the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults in 2006. His latest young adult novel, also with Holiday House, is Magic and Misery, about a teenage girl trying to balance her life with her best gay friend and her new boyfriend. It has been nominated for the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults in 2009 and is on Booklist’s Top 10 Romance Fiction for Youth and was placed on the ALA Round Table Rainbow Books Bibliography.. He is finishing up three (yes three) new novels for young readers. Peter’s full-length play, The Grandma Show, co-authored with Tom Ecobelli, has had productions all over the country. His ten-minute play “Ralph Smith of Schenectady, New York...” has been produced in the 9th Annual New York City 15 Minute Play Festival, the Samuel French 2003 Short Play Festival, and SlamBoston! 2005. Another one-act, “The Good Samaritan,” won first place in SlamBoston! 2006.
Desmond and the Very Mean Word
I did not love the illustrations in Desmond and the Very Mean Word, and since we do not review books we do not like, at first I was planning to pass on this one. (There are some attractive landscapes and…
Paper Son—Lee’s Journey to America
Paper Son–Lee’s Journey to America by Helen Foster James and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh (illustrated by Wilson Ong) taught me something about the history of immigration at Angel Island in San Francisco. Wang Lee is a “paper son,” meaning that before…
The Matchbox Diary
The Matchbox Diary not only has absolutely gorgeous, realistic illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline, it has an inventive story by Paul Fleischman. The great-grandfather and great-granddaughter, not named in the story, take a journey back in time through the old man’s…
The Forgiveness Garden by Lauren Thompson and Christy Hale
The illustrations by Christy Hale in The Forgiveness Garden are subtly beautiful. They appear to be water color and collage, and they give the effect of ancient art.The story, by Lauren Thompson, centers on two young people, Sama and Karune,…
Razia’s Ray of Hope: One Girl’s Dream of an Education
Razia’s Ray of Hope: One Girl’s Dream of an Education by Elizabeth Suneby is extremely informative, providing children just enough of a glimpse into the strange educational apartheid in Afghanistan. The Zabuli Education Center for Girls in Kabul is a…
Kenta and The Big Wave
While Kenta and the Big Wave is technically about the tsunami that devastated the east coast of Japan two years ago, the real heart of it is the concept of peaceful practices. Kenta and his family are spared when the…
Here I Am
I’m interested in the creative process that took place in producing Here I Am. There is no text, so author Patti Kim must have somehow communicated her intended narrative to illustrator Sonia Sanchez. The collaboration is a success because (like…
Mishan’s Garden
It’s very early to review Mishan’s Garden, a lovely picture book being published by Wisdom Publications in October, but I suppose a good buzz can only help with pre-orders. (It was previously published in the nineties with a different title.) Mishan is…
Children of the Tipi: Life in the Buffalo Days
Children of the Tipi: Life in the Buffalo Days, edited by Michael Oren Fitzgerald will make a good read-aloud for pre- and early readers, and will be a quick, illuminating read for children in third and fourth grades. There…