Mafia Approved Reading

MG Book Review: She’s the Liar by Alison Cherry
July 12, 20190Debbie D'Aurelio Congratulations to Alison Cherry on her latest release, She's the Liar (Scholastic Press). This middle grade book is about two sisters who transfer to a new boarding school where nobody knows them. Each sister sees this as an opportunity to reinvent themselves into someone they'd rather be, but neither knows of the other's plan.  Having a hard time making friends at her old school, shy Abby, reinvents herself as an outgoing, confident sixth grader and... Read More

MG Book Review: The Longest Night of Charlie Noon by Christopher Edge
July 10, 20190L.S. Bridgers Three children are tested by puzzles, spies, a monster and more when they get lost in the woods. As you might expect, because this is a Christopher Edge book it’s the more that’s really interesting. Hair-raising interesting. Thought-provoking interesting. Pull- at- your-heartstrings interesting. You’ll immediately want to read the book over again to see what hints and twists you missed when you read it the first time. I cannot tell you more without spoilers. I... Read More

MG Book Review: Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd
June 13, 20190L.S. Bridgers There are flying horses need I say more? Over the Moon is another richly imagined Natalie Lloyd tale full of heart and magic. It reminds us that the future is not set. It is what you make of it. Twelve year-old Mallie lives in the town of Coal Top where the wealthy live in mansions and the rest work in the mine or slave as maids. It wasn’t always this way. There are stories of... Read More

MG Book Review: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
May 10, 20190Kevin Springer Review by Sherry Ellis Aside from the loss of their father and subsequent move, things were fairly normal for Chess, Emma, and Finn Greystone. Then they learn of the kidnapping of three children in Arizona...all with the same first and middle names, birthdays, and ages. It's a startling. When their mom suddenly leaves and has them stay with a neighbor, it gets downright crazy. What ensues next is a journey into a parallel universe to... Read More

MG Book Review: Sweeping Up The Heart by Kevin Henkes
May 1, 20190Kim Zachman Seventh-grader Amelia is facing a boring Spring Break. Her professor father hates to travel so no trip to Florida for them. Amelia goes to the pottery studio where she spends most of her free time. When she gets there, she’s surprised to meet Casey, the studio owner’s nephew. Casey is spending spring break with his aunt Louise while his parents get marriage counseling. Amelia has never met anyone like Casey. His imagination and creativity fascinates... Read More

Book Review: Tangled in Time: The Portal by Kathryn Lasky
April 26, 20190Debbie D'Aurelio Just released in March, Tangled in Time: The Portal is a magical adventure into the life of English royalty in the 1500s. After a personal tragedy in her current-day life, Rose Ashley travels through a mysterious portal in her grandmother's greenhouse to the time of King Henry VIII. Although living 500 years in the past has its own challenges, the time travel is an escape from the pain of losing her mother and dealing with the 'mean queens'... Read More

MG Book Review: The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge
April 22, 20190L.S. Bridgers This is sure to be a classic in children’s science fiction. Ten- year old Maisie is a science genius who dreams of building her own nuclear reactor. When she wakes up on her birthday to an empty house and blackness outside her front door that seems to be expanding, she panics. Did one of her experiments go wrong? Can she stay one step ahead of the blackness and piece together what happened? Told in alternating... Read More

MG Book Review: The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly by Rebecca K.S. Ansari
March 13, 20190Kevin Springer Charlie O'Reilly is an only child. Which is why it makes everyone uncomfortable when he talks about his brother. The first line of the book blurb on the back cover of Rebecca K.S. Ansari's debut novel, THE MISSING PIECE OF CHARLIE O'REILLY, had me intrigued before I even read the first page. Notions of what this book would be and how can an only child have a brother swirled around in my head. I had... Read More

MG Book Review: Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill by Heather L. Mongomery
March 11, 20190Kim Zachman Roadkill is disgusting. Even though I can’t imagine picking up a tire-tread-marked carcass, scientists do it all the time because it contains valuable information. Heather L. Montgomery’s obsession with roadkill began with a squashed rattlesnake. She wanted to know how rattlesnakes’ fangs retract. She decided that a dead rattlesnake was a lot safer to study than a live one. That got her thinking about what other things scientists could learn from roadkill. She discovered that... Read More

MG Book Review: Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen
February 26, 20190L.S. Bridgers Thomas Wildus and The Book of Sorrows delivers a satisfying adventure story about a boy who discovers he has magical powers. Twelve-year old Thomas needs a little magic in his life. Things have been difficult since his father died. Dealing with ordinary middle school drama is hard enough, but being puzzled by his father’s last words to him is harder. His father said, “Magic is real, Thomas. No matter what happens, always remember magic is... Read More