review of house of dark shadows

I just read book 1 in the series by Robert Liparulo called House of Dark Shadows. This is classified at juvinile fiction. This genre of mystery and time travel is not particularly my cup of tea, but I know that middle school aged children would thoroughly enjoy the edgy action packed story Liparulo tells.
The book starts out slowly with a family moving from southern to northern California. It is filled with modern references to movies, songs, books, and people. This makes it relevant and fresh for the young reader. The book centers around the house the family is considering purchasing in their new town. The 2 brothers, Xander and David, are close and begin a terrifying adventure with the bizarre house complete with false walls and mysterious massive beings that cart off their mother.
The book has a strong sense of family unity and shows the children generally caring for their parents and respecting them in both words and actions. The parents treat their children with genuine love and mutual respect. All that to say it's a refreshing presentation in this day of children and adults verbally battering one another.
Liparulo leaves the book open ended with the family determined to find their kidnapped mother and battle "the house" that took her. It has some frightening aspects, but the 12-15 year old reader would probably love the excitement of it all. I particularly appreciated the reading group guide included at the back of the book, that a classroom teacher or homeschooled student could use to aid in understanding the characters and theme of the book. There are some thought provoking questions that would be excellent conversation starters or opportunities for journal entries by the student reader.
Mr. Liparulo is a great storyteller with a vivid imagination and a descriptive vocabulary that truly draws the reader into the story.

Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl"

I recently enjoyed the new book by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas. It's a sweet picture book that would be a great read aloud to a young girl up to about age 8 or so. It tells the story of Katie and the special day her dad has planned for them to spend together. Katie thinks they may attend a ball or travel to Africa, but her father shows her that simply spending the day together is what makes the day so special. The encouraging and edifying comments made by the father throughout the book are heart warming to Katie and this reader.
The artwork is colorful and appears to be pen/ink with watercolors. It enhances the story by introducing bright colors and precious facial expressions as Katie enjoys the day with her father. The last page is a lined journal page for an adult to write a special note, memory or "love you more" message. This is a great book for a father and daughter to share snuggled up and reading together. I think it would be a wonderful springboard for fathers to plan a special day with their young daughters just like Katie and her father did. A sweet follow up activity would be to create a book about the special day the dad and daughter spent together. What a precious memory for your little girl to keep as a reminder of her father's unconditional love.
Buy My Little Girl for your daughter or for a dad of a daughter....It's the perfect Christmas or Valentine's Day gift.