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By Arthur McCulloch, on September 8th, 2010 Author: Jess M. Brallier, with illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds
 Harper Collins, 2009
Filed Under: Children’s
| C4 Ratings.....out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
4 |
| Entertainment..... |
5 |
| Depth..... |
8 |
| Art.... |
8 |
When I saw Tess’s Tree on display at The Blue Bunny, the local independent bookstore in Dedham, I grew excited. Here, I thought, was an opportunity to satisfy my interests on many different levels. A relative newcomer to Dedham, I’ve been making an effort to read books by local authors. I started with Peter Reynolds, an author, illustrator, and bookstore owner. The first book of his I purchased was The Dot. This was a wonderful story that my entire family enjoyed, and a book that I have since purchased to give as a gift. The illustrations were lovely, the character was both feisty and adorable, and the themes of the genesis of the artist and overcoming the fear of trying new things were compelling and well executed.
I purchased Tess’s Tree in the hopes of not just another great reading experience for me and my children, but one that would hold a special place on their bookshelf. I would be supporting the work of a local bookstore, a local artist, and I could do my best to advocate for it with a lovingly and spectacular review. My enthusiasm was doubly buoyed because I recognized the name of the author, Jess Braillier. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I worked with Jess, but I knew Jess from the days when our former employers shared an office space. Jess was the publisher of Planet Dexter, and among other books, he brought us the New York Times Bestselling title Grossology, by Sylvia Branzei, another book I consider special.
So I walked into The Blue Bunny and bought a signed copy of Tess’s Tree and everything was set for a great night. I removed the dust jacket delicately just before settling down into my glider and then plopped my daughter down on my lap and planned to be amazed.
My expectations were set too high. Tess’s Tree is a solid, well-illustrated book with an original story line and a wonderful message. However, I felt somewhat disappointed. Though I couldn’t quite figure out why. …
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By Sean Clark, on January 5th, 2010  Author: Iniko
2009, iUniverse, Inc.
Filed under: Historical, Horror, Young Adult
| C4 Ratings.....out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
3 |
| Entertainment..... |
5 |
| Depth..... |
2 |
This book is a hard one to categorize, as it’s not really horror until the very end, and it’s less young adult than it is sophomoric. What it is is a somewhat valiant attempt at a novel by a clearly untrained author. A small-run indie book riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, Dark Innocence struggles to pace itself or properly establish narrative tension. It does however, have a fair amount of heart, and I must admit I found myself engaged and compelled to finish it as I was reading. …
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By Sean Clark, on April 8th, 2009  Author: D.W. Golden
Eloquent Books, 2008
Best ebook deal: Not Available
| C4 Ratings.....out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
5 |
| Entertainment..... |
7 |
| Depth..... |
7 |
I love reading small-run books. I always have the feeling I’m in on a secret when I read a book most readers have never heard of. This feeling is tinged with sadness though, as there are so many good books that just don’t get the attention they deserve. Though they sometimes lack the precise polish of books put through big editing factories, independently published and small-run books are often more creative and original than mainstream fare. There’s also something charming about reading a labor of love that feels more like the author’s uncompromised vision than an attempt at character branding or serialization (as often seems the case with middling YA).
Purple Butterflies is just this kind of book: it is both creative and charming. And you’ve probably never heard of it. …
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By Sean Clark, on March 5th, 2009 
Authors: Christine & Ethan Rose
Dalton Publishing, 2008.
Best eBook Deal: Free from Feedbooks
| C4 Ratings.....out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
5 |
| Entertainment..... |
7 |
| Depth..... |
6 |
| Value..... |
9 |
I tend to be skeptical of anything that is offered free without stipulation, especially over the internet. I came across Rowan of the Wood while perusing the Feedbooks catalogue on my iPhone Stanza app. I was pleased to learn that not only is this a complete book and a not sample segment nor littered with random advertisements, but it’s also a surprisingly good young adult book.
Rowan opens a tad slowly and Harry Potter-y (well, I shouldn’t give old JKR too much credit. Let’s say convential: Bookish orphan who is often bullied escapes into books until he and his outcast friends find empowerment thanks to a nudge from the supernatural), but soon finds its stride. The authors inject some nice bits of history into the tale that allow the story a fair share of freshness in a genre where books can quickly become stale.
Actually, my biggest gripe with this book is that they didn’t explore the historial elements enough. …
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By Sean Clark, on February 25th, 2009  Author: David Rehak
CreateSpace, 2002
Best eBook Deal: Not Available
| C4 Ratings.....out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
1 |
| Entertainment..... |
2 |
| Depth..... |
2 |
I learned of this book on some schmuck’s Amazon list of best young adult novels. A Young Girl’s Crimes is most certainly not a young adult book. Now, I can’t very well discredit the author because someone else mis-categorized the book, so I’ll place my dashed genre expectations aside. However, calling this book a novel is a stretch. I don’t say this merely because the book is short–128 pages; novella is more apt–but because it is structurally weak and poorly written. Along with poor syntax and word choice, there are a number of typesetting errors. Uncensored, Uncut, and Unedited would be a more fitting subtitle.
…
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Harper Collins, 2009
