Mark My Words

This blog began in 2009, and it's transformed through different styles over the years. I've become a reviewer for the Young Adult Books Central (YABC) and posts for those books have their own look. I've also been a judge for Cybils.com since 2010 to determine the best books of the year in the category of elementary/middle-grade speculative fiction. You'll see reviews for these top books in some of my January posts from the past.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Game Zero (Escape Room 2) by Christopher Edge

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What worked: The author creates an innovative world that blends reality and virtual reality. Eden finds herself inside The Escape, although ...
Monday, February 9, 2026

A Blood Moon (Snowlands 1) by Morr Meroz

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What worked: Outcast stories create immediate sympathy, and in this case, it’s due to Feba’s fur color. The other cubs don’t like her, and...
Friday, February 6, 2026

Wrath of the Ravelwind Knight (Spindleheart 2) by T.I. Avens

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What worked: As with the first book, alternating chapters follow the stories of Wynn and Calla, as they track down a malevolent magic-stea...
Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Mythspeaker by Christopher Roubique

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What worked: The author writes a narrative that’s reminiscent of a folktale. The book’s opening describes the formation of the world, as the...

Sleepless by Gordan Korman

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What worked: This plot answers the question, “What if there were more hours in a day?” The characters not only don’t need sleep; they never ...
Tuesday, January 27, 2026

A Secret Escape (The Liars Society #3) by Alyson Gerber

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What worked: The book does a decent job of recapping previous events, so new readers won’t feel totally lost. The story alternates between J...
Monday, January 26, 2026

Into the Fire (Westfallen 2) by Ann and Ben Brashares

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What worked: This series offers an innovative twist on time travel books. Characters don’t move to different time periods, but kids living i...
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