River Readers

In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world."

Leslie is a simple pig girl. She loves sushi, she’s stuck with a job she hates, and she lives under a brutal totalitarian government—one that punishes transgressors for anything deemed “unnatural.” Leslie dreams of something different for herself.

Reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan Christoffersen, a once successful advertising executive, has left everything he knew behind and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. Carrying only a backpack, he is walking from Seattle to Key West, the farthest destination on his map.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping young-adult novel about one girl's struggle for justice.

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. -Fantastic Fiction

Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, wakes one morning to find himself injured, alone, and confined to a hospital bed in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen days earlier, reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan left everything he knew behind and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. Carrying only a backpack, he planned to walk to Key West, the farthest destination on his map.

Jasmine and Chelsea go to a progressive high school in New York City where they study social justice. They are growing tired of the hypocrisy and double standards they see within their school that is supposed to be a model of inclusivity and intersectionality. When the after school clubs they are required to be a part of tries to pigeon hole them into the stereotypes the school supposedly doesn't adhere to, the girls respond by forming their own club to promote feminism, equality and justice.

I wanted to like this book. It just didn't work for me.

Princess of Glass is the second in The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy. This take on the fairy tale of Cinderella, finds Princess Poppy visiting the kingdom of Breton. After vowing never to dance again, Poppy finds herself enjoy the company of the handsome princes and enjoying the occasional card game at the many balls. That is until a mysterious servant girl, who goes by Ellen, appears. Things start to go awry and Poppy is sure that there is magic afoot.

This Promise of Change is the story of Jo Ann Allen Boyce who was one of the Clinton 12 who fought for the right to be allowed to go to the same high school as the white students in Clinton, Tennessee. It takes place right after the Brown vs. The Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court. The school district made the decision to desegregate and follow the letter of the law. Things start with just a few minor protests but as word gets out and outsiders come in the protests grow and become violent. Jo Ann becomes the unwitting spokesperson of the students involved.

Jordan Banks is going to be the new kid at his elite private school. Known for its academic rigor, Jordan is one of a few kids of color in his school.

Dear Sister is a heartwarming telling of a brother's "love" for his baby sister. It is told by letters and pictures he writes/draws for her. I loved it so much and it perfectly describes the sibling dynamic as they grow older.

The story of Ada continues. The storyline is composed more of vignettes and nothing as earth-shattering as getting locked in a cabinet nor uncovering a German spy. But the emotional growth that Ada and her circle go through is important in its own way.

This was a nice story. The illustrations were amazing and I really liked the dresses. Some would be quite fashionable even now. The dreams of a person can change with circumstances, but their basis is always the same. One must decide how much to give up to achieve them. Yourself or the dream. It's nice when you can get both.

Being a child of the vinyl record age, I had to laugh at the idea of a fight club of girls. But now in today's arena, it would be much more of an idea. Who knows maybe I would have been intrigued to join this type of group back in the day.

While this was a nice tidy mystery with great recipes like the rest, I was a bit disappointed. The story spent so much time on the drama and build up, that the murder was solved in just a couple chapters. Not the usual red herrings and clues to make the reader think about different outcomes. This one was very pat and not all the clues were given in such a way that led to the conclusion until the killer was there in your face and way to obvious and not at all satisfying. I guess after 23 other books, the author needs to find new ways to spice up the stories.

This was a book with a bit of a scare to it, because it was not obvious where the evil of the hall was coming from and in the end I was surprised at the main culprit. It is a sad story in many ways, but it also makes you think about how you would feel about the people you leave behind. I'm not sure I would want to be tied to a place for eternity. Makes you think about what the afterlife might bring according to your beliefs.