The Albino Redwoods (The Redwoods series) by Heather Nelson

Bullying and Discrimination

In a post-apocalyptic word of albinos, a mature seventeen year old girl, Joanne, bullied and discriminated against because of her pigmented skin, tries to make the best out of her life.

In high school, Joanne mistakenly falls for a cruel and deceitful albino, Grey, who tricks her for his own devious pleasure. The situation forces Joanne to remember what her father taught her before he died – to be proud and demand justice.

While taking care of her dying mother, Joanne tries to pull herself together, finish school, and keep her job. In the meantime, Grey is relentless. However, a silver lining appears when she unexpectedly meets Grey’s brother, Jem. Joanne’s life takes a surprise turn for the better.

Twists and turns throughout The Albino Redwoods by Heather Nelson create an enjoyable and unpredictable read for all ages. It may generate discussions about bullying and discrimination.

All The Baby Animals In The Wild by Emily Thomson

Kids of all ages treasure books about animals. Emily Thomson introduces her readers to new vocabulary while teaching facts about baby animals in the wild.

 

For example:

 

the zebra foal

is lithe and fast

her stripes flash by

when she runs past.

 

Thomson writes in rhyme. What better way to engage children to the written word. The enchanting pictures of the baby animals will increase children’s curiosity.

 

I read, All The Baby Animals In The Wild by Emily Thomson, to my two and a half year old grandson and he enjoyed it.

All The Baby Animals In The Woods by Emily Thomson

Animals living in the woods attract readers of all ages. Emily Thomson writes in rhyme enticing children to learn facts while adding to their vocabulary.

For example:

the baby raccoon’s

a feisty fellow

he’s very clever

never mellow.

The delightful pictures of the baby animals complement the poetry.

My two and a half year old grandson enjoyed the book, All The Baby Animals In The Woods by Emily Thomson.

The End of the Line by Jim Power

Future hope

 

The End of the Line is a current love story between a black woman and a white man living in the Canadian Province of Nova Scotia.  Because racism and bigotry still exist, Jim Power turns the prejudices of two families and friends into lessons for all races.

With compassion and skill, Power masters storytelling his message with ease. His characters become real and situations believable. He adds a touch of history to create an authentic setting, which remains a desired quality in any good book.

After reading The End of the Line, by Jim Power, I wonder if the expectation is that someday, readers will be shocked and appalled by the insanity of the world when people judged each other by the color of their skin.

Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje

Difficult Decisions

 

A captivating piece of written art to provoke thought and reflection on one’s own life is how I perceived Twelve Houses. Olga Soaje did not claim to have written these magnificent words as a self-help book, but I’m making the comparison.

Adversity is part of life, but as the cliché states, it’s how we handle our struggles that matters.  Amelia became a widow after thirty-five years of a loving marriage. Understanding her choices regarding family, work, and relationships, may provide hope for readers.

Amelia’s personal loss kept her artistic love of creating pieces of sculpture. She found it difficult to consider entering her studio. Her two children brought insignificant relief, especially her daughter, who was daddy’s girl.

As time went on, Amelia realized she needed to stop grieving and get back to living. The touching story in Twelve Houses is magnificent as Soaje uses picture-perfect words to convey the concept of recognizing and accepting change. Soaje uses compassion and benevolence to explain how Amelia recovered from the unexpected hard knocks delivered in her life.

Twelve Houses, by Olga Soaje, is an enjoyable story for readers of any age.

Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories by Lani Hall Alpert

Pearls

 

A singer/songwriter/author discovered by watching Tavis Smiley on PBS. Not only had I never heard of Lani Hall Alpert, I was unaware she was Herb Albert’s wife. Growing up I enjoyed listening to Herb Alpert’s Jazz.

When I watched Lani Hall Alpert respond to Smiley’s interview questions about her memoir, my interest piqued. I appreciated her honesty, sharing personal events and complicated issues in her life, but her words of wisdom dealing with adversity is what impressed me.

As Lani explained the stories, written in Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories, I looked forward to the written word. In her book, she described in depth her life in Chicago, including her love of Jazz.

Discovered as a singer in Chicago, Lani moved to Los Angeles, became a lead singer, and met Herb Alpert. Throughout her emotional stories, Lani’s life experiences are captivating. Her expectations remained practical, as she doesn’t live in la-la land. Her pragmatic reasoning was refreshing.

Delighted Lani’s book matched her live interview; I took away a sense of hope for my own life after reading Lani Hall Alpert’s, Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories.

Dark Flame Rising (The Keegan Crowe Chronicles, Book One) by J. A. Pedersen

Magic, Science, and History

 

Dark Flame Rising is a young adult fantasy novel about a fourteen year old girl, Keegan, a computer geek with a curious mind. Living with her grandmother after her parents’ death, moving from place to place without explanations, Keegan ends up solving the mystery in the small, desert town of Turtle Springs.

During Keegan’s quest for answers, she learns magic is real. The results from her pursuit open up unimaginable dangerous places, and facts she never knew about her parents. Keegan plays a major part in bringing together four magical objects from a society that practiced magic, to restore the balance of earth, water, wind, and fire to the world.

J. A. Pedersen adds a copious amount of historical notes after each chapter, which was a favorite part of the book.

Readers of all ages who like captivating fantasy will enjoy Dark Flame Rising, packed with magical adventure, science, and history.