Old Ironsides

“The story is told that one British sailor cried out in desperation, ‘Look, her sides are made of iron.’” Her sides were not made of iron. However, “Once planked inside and out, Constitution’s hull would be a solid wall of wood almost 2 feet thick,” covered with copper sheeting. “She is a frigate and the…

The Avion My Uncle Flew

I am a boy mama. I love boys. I especially love middle school and teenage boys. I love their curiosity, their creativity, their love of humor, and their sense of adventure. Finding books that speak to the virtues of boyhood is hard these days – but it wasn’t always so. In the golden age of…

The Westing Game

In the last two years the teens in my local book club have improved their recommendations for me. As we have gotten to know each other better, they have been able to make more interesting and appropriate requests for future book clubs. Over the last few months, at every meeting, someone renews the call for…

The Winged Watchman

Hilda van Stockum’s The Winged Watchman is an edge-of-your-seat adventure story that paints a vibrant but challenging picture of WWII life for Dutch families in German-occupied Holland.  “Joris Verhagen was six years old when the Germans invaded Holland. At ten he could remember little of what it had been like before the war. Dirk Jan,…

Mysterious Benedict Society Series

In 2016, I reviewed the first Mysterious Benedict Society book by Trenton Lee Stewart. In 2021, DisneyPlus released the “Mysterious Benedict” t.v. series, which led to a renewal of interest in the entire Mysterious Benedict Society series. As I have now read all of the series and am working my way through the prequel and…