Book Review: Dread Wood, Jennifer Killick Book Review: Dread Wood, Jennifer Killick Blog Tour April 6, 2022 If The Breakfast Club were ever combined with Tremors, you might have the movie version of Dread Wood. On a fine Saturday, four students at Dread Wood (High School) have gotten detention for their roles in an […]
Book Review: The Retreat, Detective Elin Warner Book 2, Sarah Pearse Mystery/Thriller: The Retreat, Detective Elin Warner Book 2, Sarah Pearse Blog Tour July 22, 2022 Elin Warner has been on reduced duty since returning from Switzerland. Despite her eagerness to return to her position […]
Book Review: The Two Lives of Sara, Catherine Adel West Historical Fiction: The Two Lives of Sara, Catherine Adel West Blog Tour November 28, 2022 I have written and erased my first sentence several times. It’s funny how books that make the most of words can leave me speechless. Sara King has […]
Book Review: The Fall Is All There Is, Four of Mercies Book 1, C.M. Caplan SCFI: The Fall Is All There Is, Four of Mercies Book 1, C.M. Caplan Blog Tour November 23, 2022 Writing advice often includes the saying, “Write what you know.” That may be why I don’t write a lot […]
Books to Nurture & Share
Shares Reading: In this category, Books for Nurturing & Sharing, you will find books to engage with your family or children in your care with book recommendations for infants & toddlers through young adults. This section is for cross generational interactive reading with suggestions for before, during, and after the shared reading; this section is great for parents, grandparents, and educators. These are books to be savored by multiple generations or across age groups.
You know your child best; the age recommendations are just suggestions. Many children (including my own) enjoy books regardless of the levels suggested by the publisher. With an adult to support them, many younger children can tackle books typically leveled for older children, especially if read aloud. For example, My 2 year old granddaughter likes Mother Bruce which is listed for ages 4- 8. Also, older children often enjoy rereading favorite books from earlier years; a good book is always a good book.
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Book Review: Scareground, Angela Kecojevic Middle School Fantasy: Scareground, Angela Kecojevic Blog Tour, September 11, 2023 Nancy knows who she is and what she will be. She is Nancy Crumpet, 12 years old, adopted daughter of the local bakers. When she grows up, she will join her parents in the bakery and eventually run […]
Book Review: Ellie-May & her Toy Dragon, Ben, Genna Rowbotham Picture Book: Ellie-May & her Toy Dragon, Ben, Genna Rowbotham Tuck your reluctant sleepers into bed with this book. They will empathize with Ellie-May who is too excited to go to sleep. The straight forward story of a toy dragon taking his friend […]
Book Review: Phyllo Cane and the Magical Menagerie, Phyllo Cane Book 2, Sharn W. Hutton Shared Reading: Phyllo Cane and the Magical Menagerie, Phyllo Cane Book 2, Sharn W. Hutton Blog Tour September 9, 2022 Phyllo Cane of the Cane family confectioners has demonstrated that he is NOT a very good confectioner. The circus ringmaster […]
November 11, 2022By scintilla.admin Fiction, Shared Reading #BlogTour, #Book2, #fantasy, #fiction, #MiddleSchool, #PhylloCane, #PhylloCaneandtheMagicalMenagerie, #series, #SharnWHuttonLeave a Comment
Book Review: Exiles, Daniel Blythe Young Adult/Dystopian: Exiles, Daniel Blythe Blog Tour September 28, 2022 Mia is on patrol, hunting for food and scouting for danger. The town has learned much about the local flora and fauna. Some of it is edible. Some of it will try to kill you. None of it is […]
Book Review: Quest for Atlantis, The Mermaid Chronicles Book 2, Marisa Noelle Young Adult/Fantasy: Quest for Atlantis, The Mermaid Chronicles Book 2, Marisa Noelle I will be honest with you, gentle readers. I am not the best audience for a fantasy young adult romance. Or, really, any romance. My wife can assure you, […]
Book Review: Fly, Jacob Moore Young Adult/Fantasy: Fly, Jacob Moore Fly, Jacob Moore Blog Tour May 9, 2022 When I was a kid, I wanted to fly. I wanted to soar through the air effortlessly, powered by some unknown magic that allowed me to travel aloft. I might be a grandfather now, but […]
May 9, 2022By scintilla.admin Fiction, Shared Reading #BlogTour, #Book1, #fantasy, #fiction, #Fly, #JacobMoore, #series, #SharedReading, #YA, #YoungAdultLeave a Comment 
Book Review: Erma Does the Math, Ann Strawn Nonfiction/Biography: Erma Does the Math, Ann Strawn This book is an obvious labor of for author Ann Strawn about her great aunt Erma Tynes Walker. Erma worked alongside Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson as part of the team of African American women who calculated the flight […]
November 15, 2021By scintilla.admin Nonfiction, Shared Reading #AnnStrawn, #biography, #BlogTour, #ErmaDoestheMath, #math, #Nonfiction, #PictureBooks, #science, #SharedReadingLeave a Comment
Book Review: The Dance of the Snow Tractors, Siena and Illustrated by Shannon Wilvers Picture Book Preschool: The Dance of the Snow Tractors, Siena and Illustrated by Shannon Wilvers Siena, who lives in Canada, shares her story of how she spends a day after a large snowfall. The highlight of her day is […]
Book Review: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, The Underland Chronicles Book 2, Suzanne Collins Shared Reading/Fantasy: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, The Underland Chronicles Book 2, Suzanne Collins New York teenager Gregor has successfully returned from the Underland with his toddler sister Boots after rescuing their father from his captivity at the paws […]
Book Review: Gregor the Overlander, The Underland Chronicles Book 1, Suzanne Collins Shared Reading/Fantasy: Gregor the Overlander, The Underland Chronicles Book 1, Suzanne Collins Gregor is eleven years old, living in a New York City apartment with his mother, grandmother, and two younger sisters. Forced to grow up quickly after the disappearance of […]
Book Review: 28 Days, The Reluctant Doorkeeper Book 1, Sue Parritt Book Review: 28 Days, The Reluctant Doorkeeper Book 1, Sue Parritt Blog Tour August 30, 2021 Emma Cartwright did not expect to find herself in this situation. At 70 years old, she should be preparing for the last 10 years of her career, since Australia […]
Book Review: The Echo Wife, Sarah Gailey Science Fiction/Mystery: The Echo Wife, Sarah Gailey I hardly know where to start with this amazing work by Sarah Gailey. They have written a book that is traumatic and beautiful, transformative and mesmerizing and cruel and healing. I am truly in awe. Evelyn is an […]
Book Review: The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu, Detective Kubu Book 2, Michael Stanley Book Review: The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu, Detective Kubu Book 2, Michael Stanley When a guest is found murdered at a Botswana tourist lodge, the police are greatly concerned about the effect on tourism. A major part of […]
Book Review: My Name Is Ten, Colleen MacMahon Book Review: My Name Is Ten, Colleen MacMahon Blog Tour August 5, 2022 Do yourself a favor. Put the name, “Colleen MacMahon” somewhere you won’t forget. Then again, I suspect she may become an author you are unlikely to forget. Regardless, put it somewhere on your […]
Saturday, July 16, 2022, 10am-4pm
The very first “road trip” we took after starting Scintilla in 2018 was not a very long trip for us at all. As part of our community’s Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the BookFest held at our local Schlow Library drew writers and readers from around the region. The last two years, though, the festival and the BookFest were both victims of the pandemic.
The pandemic is still here, but wisely or unwisely things have changed and we have gone back to living as though it were no longer an issue. That includes a return to large community events, including the return of the BookFest. And pretty much like iron to a magnet, if there is a book festival in State College, Scintilla is pulled in!
Perhaps because of the pandemic, the hiatus, or both, the number of authors present did seem lower than it had been. Still, the people who did make it came from around the state with books, stories, comics, and warmth.
Denise Kaminsky
Children’s authors were well represented. Denise L. Kaminsky brought her series of “Nittany Lion” books, with the mascot of Penn State University as the star of the books. (One of her books is going to become a birthday present for a certain young grandson, but don’t tell him!)
Jacqueline M. Nardone
Not to be outdone in the Penn State love, Jacqueline Materia Nardone has turned her memories and experiences with the PSU Blue Band into a fun book for kids who like music.
Cathy Breisacher
Cathy Breisacher brought her three picture books. She is also a librarian and STEM teacher.
Gayle Cimino-Krause
Gayle Cimino-Krause brought both enchanting picture books and books about enchanted young adults to share.
And Kristen Taylor, an avid horsewoman, has taken her love of a special horse and turned it into a beautiful book for children.
Hilary Hauck
In addition, BookFest also featured authors in Adult, YA, and Comic genres, including Kara Ballenger, St. Clair Detrick-Jules, as well as Elaine and Henry Brzycki.
Hilary Hauck is also a nearby PA resident, although she was born in the United Kingdom and lived for more than a decade in Italy. Her debut novel was inspired by the true story of three Italian immigrants who made their way to Pennsylvania some 90 years before she arrived here.
James Stein
And James Stein came with several of his novels in the fantasy and science fiction genres. A resident of northwestern Pennsylvania, his books caught my eye and likely will someday catch my wallet as well.
We truly hope that circumstances do not interrupt the BookFest again, but regardless, at least for this year, it was good to have it back! Looking forward to more BookFest celebrations in the future.
211 S. Allen Street, State College, PA
bookfestpa.schlowlibrary.org
Reader Road Trip: BookFest PA 2022