Coming Of Age

Review: Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody by A.A. Freda

★★★★½ Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody by A.A. Freda

Growing up as a teenager in a big city is hard for the youth of any generation, but being an immigrant from Italy growing up on the mean streets of New York City in the 1960s was a bigger challenge than most. In Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody, author A.A. Freda gives us a picture of his own life as an immigrant in the Bronx from that historic time period. This semi-autobiographical tale is strikingly heartfelt and has the ring of deep truth, which makes it difficult to put down.

Joey is an innocent kid trying to make his way […]

2019-01-22T04:36:41+02:00November 2nd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |

Review: I Am Ed by R.A. Akerlund

★★★½ I Am Ed by R A Akerlund

An intensely moving story of loss, survival, and brotherly love.

The prospect of losing a parent is a fearful part of every child’s reality as they grow up, but to lose both parents, as the nuclear family of brothers in this novel did, is something particularly tragic. Readers are given an intimate glimpse of teenage life through the eyes of orphans, and the resultant story is nothing less than heartfelt and inspiring.

When Fred, Ben, Steve, and Ed lose their mother, they are faced with a difficult decision: report her passing to the authorities and risk being separated or […]

2019-01-22T04:36:49+02:00March 22nd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |

Review: TJ’s Last Summer in Cape Cod by Garfield Whyte ★★★★

TJ’s Last Summer in Cape CodA sexy summer saga of growing up and falling in love

The stumbling journey of young love is often the core subject of great stories, and this amusing and compelling novel by Garfield Whyte certainly falls in that category. It is the story of growing up, making mistakes, and defining your identity as a teenager faced with all the temptations and troubles of adulthood.

TJ initially seems like your average teenage boy – easily influenced by older male role models, hungry for knowledge and eager for experience with women. Uncle Peter, on the other hand, is a wild and passionate […]

2016-02-25T05:21:00+02:00February 15th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: My Ladybird Story by Magus Tor

★★★½ My Ladybird Story by Magus Tor

John Bird is your typical suburban American kid in many ways, and yet secretly, he knows he isn’t. His dad tries to beat it out of him with sports, and his words cut almost as sharply as the taunts his schoolyard bullies chant at him every day: “ladybird.” Everyone knows John is different, but nobody knows why, exactly. It’s only when newfound kindred spirit Aureus enters John’s life does he start to understand “himself” in My Ladybird Story: The growing pains of a Transgender by Magus Tor.

The author has a wide variety of other titles available, mostly romance […]

2019-01-22T15:38:11+02:00January 28th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , , |

Review: Chasing Paper Cranes by Courtney Peppernell

★★★★½ Chasing Paper Cranes by Courtney Peppernell

Chasing Paper Cranes, by Courtney Peppernell, is an inspirational coming of age novel that teaches an important message: when the world crumbles at your feet, the people who help you rebuild are your true friends.

Layla’s father left when she was a young child, but he left behind a book of Japanese legends. Layla always felt drawn to one legend that says if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will be granted.

Layla meets Sam online and a relationship flourishes. They plan to meet in London and she brings 1,000 paper cranes to give to Sam.

However, […]

2019-01-22T04:37:15+02:00October 27th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Wonderboy by Tom Conyers

Wonderboy by Tom ConyersThe year is 1975, and Jack Bennett is living with his parents and older brother in the Adelaide Hills of Southern Australia. Despite their problems, his family are good enough company most days, if not very trendy or well-off. Still, secretly, his greatest pastime remains make-believe, despite burgeoning adolescence threatening to dull his creative spark. When a new teacher and a fast friend begin to encourage his imagination, old wounds begin to open up in the adults around them, and his relationships and ideas start to change. Rumors spring up, arguments break out, and there’s something about Jack that just […]

2019-01-22T15:51:41+02:00December 29th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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