I review children’s books from picture books to YA for Armadillo Magazine, The Children’s Book Review, iReadBooks Tours and was a former reviewer for the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Here you’ll find links to all of those reviews, guest posts, author interviews and giveaways.
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Book Review + Giveaway: Zombie Zoo
Title: Zombie Zoo | Author: Melanie Abed | Illustrator: Hisham Abed | Genre: Middle Grade | Publisher: Oculus Print (2026) | ISBN: 979-8-9952813-0-6 Publisher’s Book Summary: Thirteen-year-old Felix Fizzystyxx is an aspiring naturalist who observes the world from his hidden tree fort at Wayward Amok Orphanage. When he witnesses glowing green goo and strange behavior in the orphanage, his…
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Booking Around the World – Making Angelina: The World of Helen Craig, The Museum of Cambridge
In a lovely moment of happenstance, I stumbled across an exhibit about the beloved Angelina Ballerina children’s book series while attending a writing retreat in Cambridge earlier this spring. As it happens, the brilliant illustrator Helen Craig is from a nearby town and offered a peek into the legendary books for the exhibition. It was…
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Book Review + Giveaway: Ripples
Title: Ripples | Author: Katie Yamasaki | Illustrator: Katie Yamasaki | Genre: Picture Book | Publisher: Norton Young Readers (2026) | ISBN: 978-1324053941 Publisher’s Book Summary: A young girl and her Aunty set sail on their river raft, basking in each other’s company and in the beauty of the world around them. Along the way, they pass friends and…
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Book Review + Giveaway: Hope Rode
Title: Hope Rode: The Promise of the Packhorse Librarians | Author: Lauren H. Kerstein | Illustrator: Becca Stadtlander | Genre: Picture Book | Publisher: Union Square Kids (2025) | ISBN: 978-1454948483 Publisher’s Book Summary: An empowering ode to the brave librarians from Kentucky. Following the Great Depression, literacy rates in the country had dwindled, and education and opportunities were…
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Book Review + Giveaway: Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom
Title: Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom | Author: Claudia Mills | Genre: Middle Grade | Publisher: Holiday House (2026) | ISBN: 978-0-8234-6050-2 “A love letter to seekers, as heartfelt as it is wise”—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) Publisher’s Book Summary: “Difficult” student Callie joins a philosophy club seeking the wisdom she needs to keep her beloved but equally…
Stephanie Ward 