Absolutely loved Thrawn by Timothy Zahn. I was a fan of his Thrawn trilogy and Hand of Thrawn duology from the early 90s, and this new adaptation of Thrawn certainly doesn‘t disappoint! Thrawn‘s cunning and tactical wit and rise to power are ever present as well as an intriguing support cast of characters like Vanto, Pryce, and, of course, Tarkin. The timeline is set after Revenge of the Sith, which works quite well! Never a dull moment for me!

Fantastic read! Comics Will Break Your Heart is a love story that transcends family feuds over the legal rights of the TomorrowMen comics and includes a resounding and powerful theme—that comics matter. That great art and a great story can overcome generations of rivalries and disputes. I thought this was a great Romeo and Juliet story for contemporary fiction centered around my favorite medium—comics! Really enjoyed this!

An absolutely fantastic read! The first half of the book is, more or less, about the life and career Fred Rogers, while the other half of the book consists of powerful life lessons we could all learn from the incredibly kind man Rogers was. I absolutely adored this book!

Really enjoyed The Burning Bridge! Flanagan does a masterful job showcasing the maturity of Will and Horace, as well as incorporating new characters I genuinely cared about! This novel not only has the heart of the first book, but also ramps up the action ten fold. The climax is absolutely jaw dropping, as well. I‘m officially hooked and would recommend this to any reader—young and old alike. These stories are that good!

Wow. Being a hockey fan as early as I can remember, I‘ve always searched for a book that could truly describe and encapsulate my love for hockey better than I ever could. I think I just found that book!

Far Far Away is an incredible book, as it blends fairy tale elements into a modern setting. With memorable characters and a ton of supernatural elements mixed with teen angst and sincerity, I was truly uplifted for the majority of the book until the plot takes a dark turn—which is a credit to Tom McNeal‘s subtle foreshadowing and overarching theme of eternal good versus evil. This book is easily one of my favorite books I‘ve read this year!

I absolutely loved book one of The Ranger‘s Apprentice series! For one, Flanagan is very gifted in creating a well-paced, action packed story that tells a satisfying tale in the first book while also foreshadowing a looming threat for the sequels. Secondly, Flanagan creates dynamic characters that I couldn‘t help but like—Will, Horace, Halt, Alyss, and even Tug, in particular! And the heartwarming epilogue was the icing on the cake. Good stuff!

Easily one of the best books I‘ve read in a long time! First of all, this isn‘t a horror novel—which, I admit, definitely threw me for a loop when I first checked this out. Secondly, for a teen fiction read, I thought the themes were very mature and powerful and can just as easily resonate with the middle-aged dad in me as well as any teenager. I am officially a new fan of Patrick Ness!

Goosebumps. Just finished The Great Hunt—book two of the Wheel of Time series. Absolutely fantastic!

The character progression of Rand, Egwene, Nynaeve, Loiel, and my main man, Lan, was great—and the ending really made you appreciate the new character additions. Ingtar, you are my hero. Highly recommend this series! Looking forward to The Dragon Reborn.

As a middle school English teacher, I am always looking for fun and thought provoking teen fiction novels. And as a fan of Superman, I immediately had to read Dawnbreaker. Overall, I thought this was a very solid story. If you can overlook the language, this story encapsulates the heart, soul, and morality of a young Clark Kent. I would recommend this one for teenagers with a warning about the language (not that they say these words, of course!)

Love Jim Craig‘s introduction—“Herb Brooks, God rest his soul, wasn‘t coaching a Dream Team. He was coaching a team full of dreamers.”

I couldn‘t put The Wheel of Time down! I‘m attached to the three protagonists, as well as two major characters who stop at nothing to protect them, I‘m drawn to the villain and the catastrophic potential that lies in the sequels ahead. Plus, the writing style is just really good! Jordan has such a skilled and natural way of describing the intricacies of towns while also keeping me on the edge of my seat during so many battles the heroes face.

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller is absolutely fantastic and has given me pages of handwritten notes of ideas and strategies to help inspire students to become lifelong readers. I highly recommend this one and will definitely read it again and again!

Lumpy got his own chapter!

Just finished Aftermath: Life Debt, and I absolutely loved it! With a perfect blend of new characters and returning favorites from the original SW trilogy, this book builds upon the wonderful foundation of Aftermath. The pacing of this story is phenomenal, but where I think Life Debt shines the most is the fact that every character—protagonist or antagonist—is interesting and even relatable. Wending is becoming one of my favorite SW writers!

Enjoying a snow day with a great book and Daddy‘s sweetheart! Her name‘s Lyra Jyn Luther for you fellow Rogue One fans!

Just finished Aftermath and absolutely loved it! Not only is this novel well written, but it has a great blend of classic and newer characters in the Star Wars universe! The pacing and payoffs were strong, as well. I think the major selling point for me was the integration of new, like-able characters like Jas and Sinjer. Lastly, Aftermath seamlessly sets the stage for an even better story and complex antagonist. Great read! Now on to Life Debt!

What an absolutely fantastic read. Heartbreaking, insightful, and undeniably unpredictable. I had no idea how erratic, devastating, and yet strangely fascinating Philip K. Dick‘s personal life was, but now I certainly see the reflections of his life in his work. Loved this!

Absolutely loving this book right now. It takes place immediately after Return of the Jedi with the destruction of the second Death Star. Great cast of new and returning characters. I‘m officially a Chuck Wendig fan!

Really enjoying this so far!

This book is easily one of the best mysteries/thrillers I‘ve ever read! What a twist ending. Multiple twists and turns, actually!

Grenade was an absolutely fantastic, albeit gut-wrenching read! With two dueling perspectives on opposite sides of the American invasion of Okinawa in 1945, we as readers get a sense that American soldier Ray and Okinawa native Hideki have far more similarities than differences. This was a very entertaining read packed with historical content and a very powerful message about the dueling nature of mankind. Can‘t wait to use this one in class!

Kids are asleep. It‘s raining. I can‘t think of a better time to get lost in a great book!