Posted on June 13th, 2012 by pajamapress
I love books that remind me exactly what it felt like to be a teenager. And books where guys and girls have relationships that aren’t about the luuuurve. And books that have so much real-life drama that they don’t need magic and vampires and the end of the world (although I love those too). Most of all, I love books that are sweet and funny and then kick you in the gut with totally poignant lines.
Emily For Real is all of those books at once.
–Lindsey Carmichael
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Posted in Emily for Real | Tagged canadian, contemporary-ya, emily-for-real, fiction, lindsey-carmichael, Novel, Pajama Press, Review, sylvia-gunnery, teen, ten-stories-up, ya
Posted on May 26th, 2012 by pajamapress
“Acts of Courage made me want to go dig up more information, which is surely a goal of history writers everywhere – to inspire interest in what really happened. In that sense, a rousing success!
…to people who think Canadian history is boring – this book will change your mind.”–Lindsey Carmichael
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Posted in Acts of Courage | Tagged 1812, Acts of Courage, Bicentennial, blog, book, Connie Brummel-Crook, curriculum, education, History, Juvenile, Laura Secord, lindsey-carmichael, non-fiction, Review, ten-stories-up, War of 1812
Posted on May 18th, 2012 by pajamapress
[Last Airlift] would make a wonderful story, even if it were completely made up. But it’s not. Last Airlift is 100% nonfiction…At the same time, it reads like a novel, with characters and dialogue, bringing the experience of a young refugee vividly to life…Highly recommended to history fans, native North Americans interested in other cultures, and kids who love survival stories. –Lindsay Carmichael
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Posted in Last Airlift | Tagged Adoption, book, Canada, disability, family, ho-chi-minh-city, juvenile literature, Last Airlift, lindsay-carmichael, marsha-forchuk-skrypuch, middle-grade, non-fiction, Orphan, Pajama Press, polio, refugee, Review, ten-stories-up, Tuyet, Vietnam, war
Posted on April 23rd, 2012 by pajamapress
This is a beautiful book. I don’t mean the story, but the package. Congrats to the design department at Pajama Press: I was so busy admiring the fonts and running my fingers over the jacket that I almost forgot to read the book. But I’m glad I did.
True Blue is not beautiful. It’s gritty and bitter and sensitive and unflinching – both ripped from the headlines and totally unique. The mystery kept me guessing, and the characters kept me up late…
…Casey, full of faith and confidence. Stephanie, who annoyed me so much I caught myself thinking that Casey would have been totally justified in killing her. The teacher, Miss Burke, whose courage had me in tears. Jess’s mother, paralyzed by her own helplessness. And complex, conflicted Jess, who wants something she can’t even identify, and resents Casey almost as much as she loves her. Jess isn’t admirable, but she’s totally compelling. These people are worth your time.
Click here to read the full review
Posted in True Blue | Tagged 10-stories-up, beautiful, blog, book, Canada, canadian, court, crime, deborah-ellis, design, fiction, gritty, murder, mystery, Novel, Pajama Press, Review, suspense, ten-stories-up, true-blue, ya