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Why You Need to Read: “Along the Saltwise Sea”

The Up-and-Under, #2: Along the Saltwise Sea By: A. Deborah Baker Published: October 12, 2021 Genre: Fantasy/Children’s Literature/Sequel             No matter how strange or improbable the things Avery, Zib, and their friends encounter on their journey through the Up-and-Under, I am telling you the truth as it was seen on those hazy, not-so-long-gone days. There may sometimes… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Along the Saltwise Sea”

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Why You Need to Read: “Over the Woodward Wall”

The Up-and-Under, #1: Over the Woodward Wall By: A. Deborah Baker Published: October 6, 2020 Genre: Fantasy/Children’s Literature             Because of their houses, Avery’s and Zib’s both, were on the side of the street where the forest loomed, there were no corners: they lived, unwittingly, only three doors down from one another. But across the street from… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Over the Woodward Wall”

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Speculative Fiction Starters for Children and Young Adults

This article was written for the Martian Chronicle blog, but it was never posted so I decided to rewrite and to present it on my blog. Enjoy!             When children and adolescents show an interest in reading, we—as adults, and as readers ourselves—want nothing more than to load our recommendations and favorite books on to them. Unfortunately, not… Continue reading Speculative Fiction Starters for Children and Young Adults

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Why You Need to Read: “Across the Green Grass Fields”

Wayward Children, #6: Across the Green Grass Fields By: Seanan McGuire Published: January 12, 2021 Genre: Fantasy             It had been so long since there was a human in the Hooflands. She didn’t like to consider what might be ahead of them that was bad enough to require human intervention. Humans were heroes and lightning rods for disaster,… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Across the Green Grass Fields”

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Why You Need to Read: “Every Heart A Doorway”

Wayward Children, #1: Every Heart A Doorway By: Seanan McGuire Published: April 5, 2016 Genre: Fantasy *Winner of: Hugo Award for Best Novella 2017, Nebula Award for Best Novella 2016, Locus Award for Best Novella 2017, ALA Alex Award 2017             …the wanting. You want to go back, and so you hold on to the habits you… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Every Heart A Doorway”

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Adult Fantasy: Is There Such a Thing?

Video games, graphic novels and comic books and manga, and fantasy literature continue to share the same criticism from those who are neither fans nor creators: they are for children and/or they have no place in a classroom or in an academic setting. The fact that such notions continue to be made is a disconcerting… Continue reading Adult Fantasy: Is There Such a Thing?

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Speculative Fiction: A Label for the Growing Spectrum of the Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror

*My 100th Blog Post!* For the past year in which I have devoted more time to working on my blog, I have gained a larger audience—followers, readers and other supporters—than I thought possible. Remember, even the most successful bloggers and vloggers start out as “small channels” and are thankful for those who support them. I… Continue reading Speculative Fiction: A Label for the Growing Spectrum of the Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror

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Why You Need to Read: “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”

The Ten Thousand Doors of January By: Alix E. Harrow Published: September 10, 2019 Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Coming-of-Age             I almost didn’t notice the Door at all. All Doors are like that, half-shadowed and sideways until someone looks at them in just the right way, (1, The Blue Door).              Portal fantasies are one of the many… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”

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A Look Into: America’s Top 10 Books Based on “The Great American Read”

A look into PBS' Top 10 Books voted in "The Great American Read" and my selection and why it should win the vote.

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Choose: A Movie Based on a Book or Your Religious Beliefs

With The Hobbit movie trilogy ending and with one more The Hunger Games movie left to be released, the public awaits the other movies within the same genre (Book to Film): Insurgent, Fifty Shades of Grey, Child 44, etc. (I will discuss comic books and their media adaptations in another post). While movies based on… Continue reading Choose: A Movie Based on a Book or Your Religious Beliefs