Maw Books

Maw Books – book reviews, book recommendations, book lists, author interviews and more!

I read Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, the 1998 Newbery Award winner, in my ongoing project to read all of the Newbery books.
Set in the 1930’s during the great depression in the dust bowl of Oklahoma, Out of the Dust is told as a diary in free verse form, a style of writing [...]

“It’s not what I expected.”
That’s the first response I keep hearing from readers of the actor and the housewife. I wondered if the title or jacket was misleading, or the jacket text. Or all. They may be. But as I’ve listened to these readers, I’ve come to realize that, at least in part, it’s something [...]

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom written and illustrated by Eric Wight is a spoof of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom but in this case Frankie’s nemisis is his messy room.  Pair that with his nagging mom and he’s got a problem!  Luck turns his way when Frankie’s mother agrees that he [...]

You may remember me recently blogging about how I made tomato aspic for my Children’s Literature Book Club when we read World War II themed books.  Tomato aspic was eaten by the characters in the book Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman, so even though I knew it would be nasty I couldn’t help making [...]

Jacqueline Woodson continues to do no wrong and Miracle’s Boys further confirms that I need to continue to read through her entire back list.
Miracle’s Boys is a beautiful exploration of what happens when parents die, leaving their children behind to cope in their absence.  Ty’ree, the oldest, gives up college to care for his two [...]