Parade of Shadows by Gloria Whelan

In the year 1907, Julia Hamilton unexpectedly finds herself accompanying her diplomat father on a trip through Turkey. Having only lived the sheltered and carefully controlled life of a well behaved English girl, Julia is thrilled to leave her restrictive life behind. She quickly discovers, however, that all is not as it seems on this trip. Odd things are going on among the members of their traveling party. Everyone is behaving suspiciously, especially her father. Foreign intrigue, hidden motives, forbidden love—this story has all the elements of a good Agatha Christie novel.

Gloria Whelan has written many wonderful historical fiction novels covering many interesting periods of history. This book was no exception. However, I did find myself feeling a little overwhelmed with political information at times. It was difficult to sort out all the different political fractions and why each opposed the other for this or that reason. Despite this small complaint, I found this novel extremely enjoyable and found myself wishing I could hear more of Julia’s story. Here’s hoping for a sequel.

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Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

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