Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
July 26, 2005
"Here's what I really think of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" --Book reviewed by Claudia Putnam, YA Novelist.

Imani All Mine
July 8 2005
"A book I recommend to young adults is Imani All Mine because it teaches young girls about living a fast life." -- Lessie Thibeaux, Lafayette, Louisiana.

Notes on Uncle and Me: My Amazing Friend
July 7, 2005
Author Willie Wofford chronicles a unique relationship he had with an 82-year-old man who owned and operated a shoeshine stand in Phoenix, Arizona. He fondly called him Uncle and he addressed Wofford as Nephew. Although some of the material in the book may not be suitable for younger children, young adults and up would read how Uncle never made excuses for himself or let obstacles stop him from reaching his goals. He motivated everyone to raise the bar. It's our hope Notes on Uncle and Me will do the same for readers.

The Light of the Oracle
July 5, 2005
Hot off the press I received Victoria Hanley's new book, The Light of the Oracle. This is a companion to her two previous books The Seer and the Sword and The Healer's Keep. I've read and delighted in her previous titles so was anxiously anticipating its publication. I love fantasy/sci-fi and this is an exquisite read. There's something to be said about a straight forward wondrously told tale of adventure, magic, good vs evil, curses, and more!

Hear the Wind Blow [YA Novel]
October 26. 2003
Children's author Meridee Jones Cecil reviews this young adult novel, "Even though I agree with the book’s “message” that war is ugly and destructive, etc., as a reader, the heavy-handed way it is delivered put me off." Hear the Wind Blow is written by award-winning author Mary Downing Hahn and is available from CCF at 25% off and free shipping.

Prairie Whispers [YA Novel]
October 20, 2003
Children's author Meridee Jones Cecil reviews this young adult novel, "I picked this up to read after teaching my Wednesday night class, to disengage so I could get to sleep. Ha! I didn't turn the light off until after midnight and the end of the book!" Prairie Whispers is available from CCF at 25% off and free shipping.

Gilbert and Sullivan Set Me Free [YA Novel]
October 11, 2003
Children's author Meridee Jones Cecil reviews this young adult novel and tells us, "Set in a woman's prison in the early 1900's near Boston, this story is told with great voice and fun characters." Gilbert & Sullivan Set Me Free, by Kathleen Karr, is available from CCF at 25% off and free shipping.

Harry Potter: The long and short of it
Books in Canada, Summer Issue 2003
The problem with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth volume in J.K. Rowling's boy wizard series, is that it is simply too long. Rowling teases her readers for over 600 pages, setting the stage, as it were, for a fabulous final 150 pages that rocket beautifully to an as-always satisfying conclusion/cliffhanger but to have to make one's way through all the detritus that she asks readers to wade through before the story really gets moving is just not on.

White Grizzly [Midgrade Novel]
Spring 2003
"Manitou Spring author Mary Finley's White Grizzly is a historical fiction targeted toward the young reader age 10 and above, but it is a jolly good read for almost anyone."

The House of the Scorpion [YA Novel]
Dec 26, 2002
Nancy Farmer's 2002 National Book Award Winner and 2003 Newbery Honor Book, will probably be garnering several more awards in the very near future. I loved reading this book! Young Adult fiction at its very best! Click on the article title to read the CCF Book Review on this stellar title and browse through publisher and media buzz for Farmer's newest gift to the reading public.

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