I’m a writer and editor and specialize in reviewing books written for adults and writing educational standards-based books and articles for kids and teens. My work has been published in The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Bookforum, The Oregonian, Publishers Weekly, and other publications.

Featured Author Interviews

Surfer Jaimal Yogis Teaches Kids How to Go With the Flow

  For most of his life, Jaimal Yogis has been on one hell of a self-discovery journey. From leaving his suburban Sacramento home at 16 to surf the waves in Hawaii, to stints at Zen Buddhist monasteries in Berkeley, France and India, to a graduate degree in journalism at Columbia University, to years spent hopscotching the globe in search of enlightenment, the lifelong surfer … [Read More...]

Rosanne Parry Inks Three-Book, Six-Figure Deal

Author Rosanne Parry has been a bit busy these last few months. After her latest book, A Wolf Called Wander (Greenwillow), was published in May, it landed on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for 17 weeks. Thanks in part to the middle grade novel’s success, Parry has just signed a six-figure deal with Greenwillow for three more books. But despite having five acclaimed novels and a picture book under her belt, her journey over the past few … [Read More...]

Featured Reviews: Memoir

Miracle Country by Kendra Atleework

When it comes to memoirs, there’s a certain type of narrative that publishers just can’t get enough of. You know the one. The author came from a poor/marginalized/backwoods (read: unsophisticated) background, endured the antics of an alcoholic/abusive/drug-addicted/mentally ill family member, and finally escaped his or her situation by cleaning houses and saving up for a better future, hiking in the wilderness and finding inner peace, getting accepted to an Ivy League school or moving to freewheeling New York City. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing invalid about books like these. Everyone’s … [Read More...]

Featured Reviews: Fiction

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

Drumming up a novel with William Shakespeare in the starring role just isn’t done. It’s like writing a bodice-ripper with Jesus as the protagonist. Or an action thriller starring Gandhi. But though Maggie O’Farrell hasn’t exactly taken on that challenge with her latest work of fiction, she’s done something equally remarkable. Hamnet is a wholly original, fully engrossing reimagining of Shakespeare’s little-explored home life with barely a flubbed line, misplaced stage prop or tedious soliloquy in sight. The historical novel takes place in Stratford-upon-Avon mostly in 1596, the year that Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, died at age 11. … [Read More...]