The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

This is a young adult novel published by Egmont.

Grace Devine is a young woman who has always wondered what became of Daniel Kalbi, who disappeared one night. No one is allowed to talk about him at home. Her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood and won't say why. But she still wonders about Daniel.

When she reaches school one morning, the other girls tell her about this weird student who is going to be joining their art class. He has long black hair, and he's nasty. But he fixes her charcoal drawing to make it look more alive and then she realizes who he is and it tips her world upside down.

Her family still won't talk about Daniel or what happened. And the more she learns about Daniel, the more uncertain she is about just who or what he is...

Strange powers, supernatural happenings, and lots of action in this book.

If you'd like to have my ARC of this book, leave a comment here on the blog and send an email with your name and address and why you'd like to read it. info NOSPAM @bookfaerie.com - take the spaces and no spam out of it.

Tales of a Gambling Grandma by Dayal Kaur Khalsa

We all have memories of our grandparents (if we were lucky and they were alive long enough for us to know them) and this picture book from Tundra Books is a nice tribute to the grandmother Dayal remembers.

Grandma was born in Russia and immigrated. (My grandparents were from Czechoslovakia and did the same.) Grandma meets and marries her husband here in the states, but times are tough. So she learns how to play poker (and how to mark cards) and subsidizes the family income with her gambling earnings.

When Grandpa dies, Grandma moves in with her daughter's family in Queens and babysits her granddaughter during the day while the parents work. She shares stories of the past and knits. And she also plays canasta with the Sunshine Ladies for shiny things - and she wins them all!

This book would be a good springboard to discussion about the various immigrants in our country (how we became the melting pot in the US) and about simpler days.

Lethal People by John Locke

This is an iUniverse book sent to me by the author. It's his first novel and is about Donovan Creed, a former CIA assassin. As might be expected, this story is fast paced and "hard boiled" even if that term isn't really in vogue anymore.

Donovan is tough, mean and afraid of no one.

He meets a woman he admires (even though he didn't want to) and when she asks him to come and meet the children she works with before they date, he accepts. And meets a little girl who has been very, very badly burned. He's OK with that, but he's not OK with the fact that she's the only survivor of her family and that the fire that killed the other family members appears to be suspicious.

He pokes around a bit and ends up stirring up a hornet's nest. The guy who ordered the hit is coming after him and wants him and anyone he cares about dead. However, Donovan has own little circle of weird friends with strange talents, and instead of retreating, he goes on the offensive.

It's fast paced, not so far fetched it's not believable, and you don't know for sure how it's all going to turn out - but you know not everyone is going to be alive at the end.

If you'd like my copy of this book, leave a comment here on my blog and email me at info NO SPAM @bookfaerie.com telling me why you'd like to read it and giving me your name and address for shipping. I'll pick a winner in about a week.

My Sister Gracie by Gillian Johnson

This is a children's picture book from Tundra Books, and it's wonderful!

First off, I have to admit that I can really relate to the first dog's problem. He's lonely and wants some dog company for adventures and play. When he sulks around the house long enough, his people notice and decide to get another dog. He's all excited about meeting his new little brother. And then his people come home with old, fat Gracie. I mean, really!

I wanted either a little sister or an older brother and my mother really disappointed me. She had George. I felt just as betrayed as Fabio.

However, Fabio (and I) both got over it and found out having another member of the household was better than being alone.

If you have a new baby coming, this might be a way to get your older child to view the change differently. Or if you are introducing an older pet from the pound to your family, this may help the child understand that even older and less attractive pets need love.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story and think many children would too.

The Heights by Peter Hedges

This book is from Dutton and will be released in March. If you enjoy books that talk about family dynamics and show how outside influences can turn things upside down, this is one for you.

The story begins with a middle class family who slipped into a comfortable routine in a life that they love. The husband is a popular history teacher the local academy. His wife stays home with their two young songs. Life is good.

Then new neighbors move in. Kate is the first to meet Anna, who wants to know her opinion of the neighborhood before she agrees to buy there. Kate finds her attractive and intelligent and when Anna gives her a blue scarf because she admired it, she's smitten with her. Having a new female friend in the neighborhood will be fun!

Tim meets Anna also, along with her daughter. He's good with children and can help calm the daughter down. He and Anna begin meeting in the park with their children and talking about a variety of things.

Then Anna propositions him. He doesn't say no right away, and it bothers him. It's a date set in advance, so he could say no later.

When Kate's old boyfriend shows back up in town, there's more trauma in the couple's lives and more temptation.

What impressed me most about this story is that the character who shakes up the married couple and makes them think of things that never came before is only there for a few months and doesn't even make a large appearance in the story. But she leaves ripple effects behind her when she's done manipulating people.

It's well written (Peter Hedges also wrote What's Eating Gilbert Grape and several other books) and it's intriguing. Give it a try!

If you'd like my ARC of this book, leave a comment here on my blog and send me an email at info NOSPAM @bookfaerie.com - take the spaces and NOSPAM out - telling me why it would appeal to you and giving me your name and address for shipping. I'll pick a winner in about a week.

The White Stone in the Castle Wall by Sheldon Oberman

Tundra books shared a copy of this book with me. It's been in publication since 1996. And well worth looking over!

The book was a finalist for the Ruth Schwartz Children's Literature Award, the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.

Toronto's Casa Loma was the biggest castle in North America in 1914. And the wall surrounding it has only ONE white stone. How did it get there?

This a tale of how that may have happened, and it's a good story.

John Tommy Fiddich was going to have a garden and earn money from the sales of his goods, but the weather conspired against him, and all he found after the storm was a big ugly gray rock. Then he hears about this wall being constructed and how they were buying dull colored stones. That cheers him up, and he attempts to get his gray rock up the hill to the castle grounds so he can get some money.

Imagine his surprise when he find the rain has washed all the gray off his rock and it's white now - which means it's not wanted.

He sees the castle garden and goes to admire it and, because of his attitude, things turn out even better than he imagined.

It teaches children not to give up easily and that hard work can be its own reward. The illustrations reflect the time period well.

Check your local bookstore for a copy!

Kyle's Island by Sally Derby

This children's chapter book (ARC) was sent to me by Charlesbridge Publishing. Publication date on this book is February, 2010. It's for ages between 10-13.

Every summer, Kyle's family goes to small lake in Michigan for the summer. But this year is different. Gram has died, Dad moved out, and Mom tells him they will have to sell the cottage because the cost of upkeep is too much. That's almost more than Kyle can handle, and none of the children are happy with decision.

Kyle likes to fish, so he spends some time alone thinking. He finds an island that has shack built on it, but he doesn't tell the others about. He's devastated that the cottage must be sold and he hasn't forgiven his father for moving out, so the island is some comfort but doesn't solve his problems.

Then he gets an opportunity to take a neighbor fishing - Tom will pay him. But Tom is fat and eats all the time. So is this a blessing because he will make some money to try to help save the cabin or is it another problem for Kyle?

This is a story about growing up and learning about the people around you, including your own family.

It's a well-paced story that will keep children's attention, I recommend it.

If you'd like to have my copy of this ARC, leave a comment here on my blog and email me your name and address at info NOSPAM @bookfaerie.com (take the spaces and NOSPAM out) and tell me why you'd like to have it.