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.

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Forbidden Mountain (Guardians 1) by Brandon Mull

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What worked: The opening prologue introduces the most malevolent, feared antagonist in the book. The Matriarch traps a man who claims to h...
Wednesday, December 10, 2025

The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlof

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What worked: The book’s main focus is on the transformation of Nils’ character into a tiny gnome. As the story opens, Nils is a lazy, self-c...
Friday, December 5, 2025

No One Slept by Rafael Sica and Bruna Dantas Lobato (Translator)

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What worked: The illustrations are the highlight, even though they are drawn in shades of black, white, and gray. They depict a ghost’s haun...

Phenomenal Moments: Revealing the Hidden Science Around Us by Felice Frankel

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What worked: The Amazon listing indicates that this book is for ages thirteen and older, but there’s no reason younger readers can’t enjoy i...

A Recipe for Robbery (Mystery at the Biltmore 3) by Colleen Nelson

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What worked: This is the third book in the series, and it has the same format as the previous two books. Elodie is the main character, and s...
Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Holding on for Dear Life by Dusti Bowling

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What worked: Bull riding is the backdrop for the plot. Readers will know something about the sport, but a whole book dedicated to it should ...
Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager's Survival in the Amazon by Ellen Cochrane

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What worked: The story is told using present-tense verbs, so readers will feel like the events are happening right then. The book opens with...
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