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A touching novel about surrogacy, The Sisterhood of Motherhood by Darla Nagel is a sensitively penned and moving work of contemporary fiction. When Ivy Jean finds out that she won’t be able to have any more children due to the onset of aggressive cervical cancer, her sister-in-law Bethany offers to act as a surrogate mother, leading to a complicated new level in their relationship. Legal and medical technicalities, family tensions, and emotional turmoil are all covered with grace and subtlety, in a novel that is at once informative about the process of surrogacy and intimate in its poignant portrayal of […]

A vividly inventive novel aimed at children with learning disabilities, Sally O’Malley and the Pirate Gold by James E. Mullins follows Sally, the charismatic daughter of a pirate captain, and her inseparable monkey, Mister Chitters, as they go on a treasure-hunting adventure. In this modern take on pirate fiction, Sally spies the sinister Patch-Eye Pete sneak into her father’s cabin one night and come out with a mysterious scroll. Luckily, Mister Chitters is ready to pounce, and back in they find a treasure map inside, which leads them on a page-turning, high-seas quest. With special attention to typeface, line spacing, […]

An outstanding first installment of The Rise of Penumbra series, The Valley of Stars by Yona Katz is an original work of fantasy with the symbolic weight of a fable. The novel tells the story of Asha, a young Star who gets thrown out of the sky and lands on Adama, where it is the duty of the stars to brighten the desolate lives of the Adamians, but how can a Star survive in a place so different from home? Both adventurous and emotionally complex, Katz’s storytelling is refreshingly inventive, establishing an elaborate mythical world, which also explores themes of […]

A hilarious, moving, and informative account of motherhood, See the Good/God in Everything: The Secret to Inspire Gratitude, Build Hope and Find Joy in Every Day by Regina Clifford is an inspiring guide, interspersed with prayers and biblical citations. Imbued with the author’s endearing sense of humor and her deep religious faith, the book touches on the most challenging aspects of being a wife, mother, daughter, and friend – touching on issues such as the role of intimacy in married life after the children are born to the literal messiness of raising children. Both a personal diary and a work […]