Let’s begin this review of Schism by Clabe Polk with what it isn’t: conventional. Because Schism involves people raised in the poorer black areas of the US, Polk has decided to add to the book’s authenticity by using dialogue between black gang members in a...

Sam's Theory by Sarah Mendivel is a tale of domestic child abuse, trauma, healing, and empowerment, a story of fifteen-year-old Sam who is given away to a foster home by parents who don’t seem ready for her and her sister, and she gets horribly abused...

Swimming Upstream is a literary fiction novel written by Jacob Anderson-Minshall. Flint immediately wished he could go back in time and not overhear the conversation his dad was having with the bland-looking, middle-aged man who had rung the doorbell of their Marin County home. Prior...

Dervla (Dizzy) Greenfield reveals the emotional roller coaster she, Will, and her mum experienced in Strays and Relations, after Dizzy was contacted by a private investigator about her biological father, Tommy. Dizzy's parents were very open about her adoption since she was very young. She...

Safety Net by Debra M. Ladensack brings action from the get-go and ensures that the reader is hooked just after reading the first chapter. The story is surprisingly intense and made me read on and want more. This is the story of Kristopher Robbins, a...

Audrey Muller was a mentor at Ironwood, a residential treatment center for troubled teens. One of her mentees, Lindsay, had gone missing and Audrey knew her family well. She did not want to put the blame for Lindsay’s disappearance on her parents. Her mother told...

Sandy’s Story is the first book in The Island Dog Squad series, written by Deb McEwan. The tale unfolds as a dog named Sandy (aka Fish), having lived through untold horrors and been rescued when near-dead and suffering from amnesia, takes us through her before...

Tragedy sets the stage for the lives of four young Appalachian country children in Sarah’s Song by Vicky Whedbee. As they flee their burning farmhouse where they realize their parents have died, they are forced to make their way across the cornfield to where they...

I love books that, while telling a great story, make me think about life and its realities in a serious way and Sculptor Boy: The Journal of Jack McRose by Chris Craig is one such book, with the narrative centered on a strong character. Jack...

A quick look at the cover of Sister-in-Law by M.R. Morgan does and doesn’t give you the full picture of just what goes on between the covers. Sure, it’s obvious the plot involves the White House and sex, but if you think this is going...