Talented Saints Around the World - Meg Hunter-Kilmer and Lindsey Sanders

Talented Saints Around the World

Meg Hunter-Kilmer

Lindsey Sanders (illustrator)

Emmaus Road Publishing

ISBN 9781645853817

eISBN 9781645853824

I recently received the 6 volumes in this set to review. This is the fourth that I have read. The volumes are:

Adventurous 

Ordinary 

Royal and Warrior

Talented 

Unshakable 

Young Saints 

These 6 volumes are geared for younger readers. They are a very high quality picture book. The six books are available individually or as a set. There is a volume that was released in 2021 by the same author and illustrator called Saints Around the World, that could be read to the same audience as this volume but it is much more in-depth and has significantly more information on each of the 100 saints covered in the volume. The description of this volume states:

““Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.” Colossians 3:23

Banish the image of solitary saints hidden in their monasteries: these fifteen saints used their remarkable gifts to spread God’s love in many times and places.

This hardcover book includes sturdy laminate pages suitable for young hands. Talented Saints Around the World features the stories of:

Blessed Denis of the Nativity

Blessed Dina Bélanger

Blessed Benedict Daswa

Blessed Concepción Cabrera de Armida

Blessed Nicolas Steno

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

Blessed Francisca de Paula de Jesus

Blessed Hermann of Reichenau

Saint Hildegard of Bingen

Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara

Blessed María Romero Meneses

Saint Martin de Porres

Saint Jerome

Saint Macrina the Younger

Saint Thorlak Thorhallson

Recommended for ages 4-8.”

About the author we are informed:

“Meg Hunter-Kilmer is a speaker, a writer, and a missionary who has lived out of her car since 2012. Meg loves telling stories, learning about Saints, reading the Bible, and watching the Olympics. She is a proud godmother of ten and aunt of an ever-increasing crew of incredible nieces and nephews.”

About the illustrator  we are informed:

“Lindsey Sanders is the creator of AlmondRod Toys, an online shop that sells Catholic toys designed by Lindsey herself. She has seven kids who she homeschools in Grand Rapids, Michigan.”

There is no table of contents nor even pages numbers which are the only draw backs I see to this book and the 6 in the series. If you wanted to find a specific saint you would need to flip through looking for them. That being said this is an excellent volume and series. We have given a set of them to our Catholic School Library. The physical books are well made, and designed to last a long time and for heavy use. They are beautiful hardcovers with solid stitching. I bent the books flat to scan a couple sample pages and there is no indication I did so. I believe the artwork is either watercolours or water colour pencils. The artwork is stunning. The artist sells blocks with images from the books, for teaching children, and other resources to support learning about saints. I wish she sold a set of them as prayer cards, I would buy a set for myself and 2 of my teen children who love collecting prayer cards. I would also love prints of a couple of the images to be able to hang in my den.

Each 2 page spread includes:

Name of the Saint or Blessed

Pronunciation Guide to the name

Brief introduction to them

A key point to learn from them

Then the country, dates and feast day.

A world map with a star marker for where they were from.

There is also available a Saints Around the World Map & Sticker Set that contains stickers for all the saints in the series. The inside cover of each volume shows where the saints for that volume come from. It would be an excellent supplement for home or classroom use. 

There were a number of saints in this volume I had never encountered before. They were a few I was familiar with. And a few were long time favourites and friends in heaven. I look forward to tracking down more information about some of those new friends in heaven. Only 4 of the 15 was I very familiar with prior to reading this volume.

I have had the longer version of this book for a few years now, as well as Meg’s volume Pray for Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered, and Struggled on Their Way to Holiness but after reading just one of these they have jumped way up in my ‘to be read’ pile. I look forward to reading the other 5 volumes in this set as well as Meg’s other works. I can easily recommend this book and series for home, school, and church library. They are excellent for introducing children and even us older folks to a wide range of friends in heaven. A great book and series sure to become a family favourite!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Meg Hunter-Kilmer:

Pray for Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered, and Struggled on Their Way to Holiness

A Year in the Word Catholic Bible Journal

…

Saints Around the World Books:

Saints Around the World

Saints Around the World Map & Sticker Set

…

Saints Around the World For Younger Readers:

Adventurous Saints Around the World

Ordinary Saints Around the World

Royal and Warrior Saints Around the World

Talented Saints Around the World

Unshakable Saints Around the World

Young Saints Around the World

…

Saints Around the World Early Reader Collection

...

Contributed to:

Living the Word Catholic Women's Bible

The Ave Catholic Notetaking

…

Cymbeline - Movie Review - William Shakespeare

Cymbeline 

Year: 2014

Director: Michael Almereyda

Writers: Michael Almereyda William Shakespeare

Run Time: 98 min.

Production: Grindstone Entertainment Group

Benaroya Pictures

Distributed by Lionsgate

A few years ago my son discovered a love of theatre, and I rediscovered it from my own youth. Since then we have been to numerous productions at the Stratford Festival in Stratford Ontario. We both try and read the plays before going and often watch other productions before going to see the play live. This was a stunning production that is very hard hitting, done in the style of the 1996 Romeo and Juliet. In that it is filmed with modern sets, weapons and vehicles, but keeps the Shakespeare language and pacing.

The description of the DVD of this movie states:

“Academy Award nominees Ethan Hawke (2014, Best Supporting Actor, Boyhood) and Ed Harris (2000, Best Actor, Pollock) lead a powerhouse cast including Milla Jovovich, John Leguizamo, Penn Badgley, Dakota Johnson, Anton Yelchin, Bill Pullman, and Delroy Lindo in a gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. When extortion, betrayal, and fiery passions threaten his criminal empire, a drug kingpin (Harris) is driven to desperate measures in this explosive, modern retelling of Shakespeare's timeless tragedy.”

And the synopsis states:

“Based on the play Cymbeline by William Shakespeare, the story revolves around a war between dirty cops and a biker gang. The king of the bikers has lost his sons and needs his daughter to marry royalty to maintain the bloodline. The new Queen wishes to kill the king and her step-daughter in order to install her own son as the new gang leader. The step-daughter has married a penniless gang member, who is banished from the gang territory by the King. The banished son-in-law is tricked into believing that his wife is unfaithful through a photograph taken while she was sleeping. These many intertwined players will travel through desperate straits before all is resolved.”

Key Cast:

Ethan Hawke as Iachimo

Ed Harris as Cymbeline

Milla Jovovich as The Queen

John Leguizamo as Pisanio

Penn Badgley as Posthumus

Dakota Johnson as Imogen

Anton Yelchin as Cloten

Peter Gerety as Dr. Cornelius

Kevin Corrigan as The Hangman

Vondie Curtis-Hall as Caius Lucius

James Ransone as Philario

Spencer Treat Clark as Guiderius

Bill Pullman as Sicilius Leonatus

Delroy Lindo as Belarius

Harley Ware as Arviragus

Diego Cortez as Frechman

Mauricio Ovalle as Fu Manchu

This is an excellent production. Since watching it I have mentioned it to numerous friends and family. And it has come back to mind often. After seeing the play version of Cymbeline from Stratford twice now I can say both are excellent productions. This production keeps true to the play very closely. The play version gender swapped the roles making it Queen Cymbeline but it worked very well. 

In this version I came to have a greater appreciation for many of the actors who were in the production. Ethan Hawke as Iachimo was outstanding as the villain. 

And Ed Harris’s portrayal of King Cymbeline is masterfully played. I was surprised by Milla Jovovich as The Queen and her cunning and guile. But a stand out performance was John Leguizamo as Pisanio.

This has taken over as my favourite film production of a Shakespeare play. It is a near perfect execution. The cast, the music, the action it is all very well done. I can easily recommend this production for fans of Shakespeare, or to be honest anyone who wants an incredible drama action movie to watch!

Reviews of Stratford Shakespeare Productions:

The Tempest - Stratford Festival 2019 

Richard III – 2022

Hamlet – 2022

King Lear – 2023

Goblin MacBeth - 2023

Something Rotten – 2024

Romeo & Juliette – 2024

Cymbeline – 2024

Twelfth Night – 2024

Macbeth - 2025 

As You Like It - 2025 

The Winter's Tale - 2025  

The Tempest - 2026  

Something Rotten – 2026 - Bottoms Up!  

A Midsummer's Night Dream - 2026 

Othello - 2026   

...

Reviews of Shakespeare Movies:

Cymbeline – 2014

The Hallow Crown 2012-2016

Macbeth - 2015

…

Related Posts:

A Weekend of Three’s A Trip to Stratford

Romeo & Juliet - Oxford School Shakespeare 

MacBeth - Oxford School Shakespeare 

King Lear - Oxford School Shakespeare 

Cymbeline - The Pelican Shakespeare

Something Rotten – Stratford 2024

Macbeth - Pelican Shakespeare 

As You Like It - Pelican Shakespeare  

The Winter's Tale - Pelican Shakespeare

The Tempest - Pelican Shakespeare 

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Pelican Shakespeare 

Othello - Pelican Shakespeare 

The Sonnets - Pelican Classics Edition 

The Dark Lady and Pandora: Two Plays - Jessica B. Hill 

…

Books by Ted Neill:

Post Apocalyptic Space Shakespeare Series:

Hamlet

Othello 

Twelfth Night

As You Like It

A Mid Summers’s Night Dream

…

Shakespearean Shorts from Pettyfeather Publishing:

Hostile Takeover: A Macbeth Remix -  Rex MacDuff 

ERROR 404: LOVE NOT FOUND: A Romeo and Juliet Reboot - Ty Balt 

…

Guy Hale's Shakespeare Murders Series:

1. The Croaking Raven  

2. All Our Yesterdays 

3. Put Out the Light 

4. Sleep No More  

…

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone - Benjamin Stevenson - Ernest Cunningham Book 1

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone

Ernest Cunningham Book 1

Benjamin Stevenson

Penguin Random House

ISBN 9780063307728

eISBN 9780063279049

ASIN B09Y94K74X

I picked up the eBook of this to read because my youngest daughter (13) and my niece (16) had each picked up copies to read at the same time. They wanted to read three chapters a week of this, then 3 a week of Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect, to finish for the launch of Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret. I ended up getting ahead of them. Benjamin is one in a long list of Australian authors;  Marianne de Pierres, Sally Murphy, Scot Gardner, Jack Hath and more; I have discovered and greatly enjoyed. The description of this volume states:

“Knives Out and Clue meet Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club in this “utterly original” (Jane Harper), “not to be missed” (Karin Slaughter), fiendishly clever blend of classic and modern murder mystery.

“A witty twist on classic whodunits… Stevenson not only 'plays fair,' he plays the mystery game very, very well.” -- Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let’s get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me”

The sections in this book are:

Prologue

My Brother

My Stepsister

My Wife

My Father

My Mother

My Stepfather

My Aunt

My Wife

My Sister-In-Law (former)

My Stepfather (again)

My Brother

My Uncle

Me

Epilogue

The sections have between 1 and 7 chapters and there are a couple of chapters with a .5 numbering, specifically 14.5 and 27.5 where Ernest breaks the fourth wall to make sure we are all caught up and give us some times. And the one specifically mentions reading having bought either the book or eBook of the story.  

I struggled with this story, it was good but it really did not grab me until about the half way mark. If I had not been reading it with 2 others, it might have ended up on my ‘did not finish’ pile. That would have been my loss.  But by the end it was a solid 4/5 stars. And the girls absolutely love it. We are looking forward to the next volume in the series.

Whenever the trope of breaking the fourth wall is used it is hard not to compare it to Deadpool, the comics, the graphic novels and the famous or infamous movies. It takes deliberate effort to not try and compare Ernest with Pool,, For there is no comparison. But Stevenson does use the style well. It is engaging and witty. Reading books by authors from the UK, Ireland, Scotland, and Australia is very different than reading most authors from North America. I find that life crime television it is just done better. And by the end of the story I felt that way about this volume. 

It is an intriguing story. Ernest is telling us the tale of his family history, and their present circumstances with bodies turning up at a resort where his infamou8ns family is having a reunion as his brother has just been released from jail. He gives us hints and clues along the way, and like the Knives Out stories is leading us to discover the truth. Some of his clues are overt and some he draws attention to knowing they might be misread.

As of the writing of this review there are 69 editions of this volume, in numerous languages, and with a wide range of covers. It is a good novel that sets up a series. looking forward to give the other two a try.

Books by Benjamin Stevenson:

Fool Me Twice Find Us

Don’t Hang Up

Last One To Leave

She Lies in the Vines

Greenlight

…

Ernest Cunningham Series:

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

…

Jack Quick Series:

Trust Me When I Lie

Either Side of Midnight

…

The Neck Romancer - Declan Finn - Honeymoon from Hell Book 1

The Neck Romancer

Honeymoon from Hell Book 1

Declan Finn

ISBN 

eISBN 

ASIN B0DHV5FJ86

 

This is the 49th volume I have read from the pen of Declan Finn, I read most in under a year after first discovering his works. I read them at the pace of about a book a week. This is the first story in the Honeymoon from Hell series, and the fifth story featuring Marco Catalano and Amanda Colt and it is an amazing story. And I believe it is the first of 5 planned in this series. And from where we leave off in this one I am not sure which city the two will be unleashed upon next. 

The description of this volume states:

“They're going to make it to the Church on time. And God help anyone who gets in their way.

Marco Catalano and Amanda Colt have survived vampires legions, unkillable demons, supernatural assassins and a full on army of darkness. With their allies, they have taken down a paranormal Illuminati called simply "The Council."

Now they have to deal with their next threat: marriage.

Can Marco and Amanda survive the preparations for their own wedding? And if they manage that, can they fight their way through their honeymoon?

But the biggest question of all: Who invited the zombies to the ceremony?”

The chapters in this volume are:

Prologue: The Wedding

We Need to Talk (2 Years ago)

Talk Later

Murphy

When in Doubt

Follow the Screaming

Breaking the News

Invites

Cards

Area 51 is Not Enough

Out in the Open

Incense and Iron

Rehearsal for Murder

Uninvited Guests

Offers You Can’t Refuse

The Morning After

Night Train to Chicago

Railroaded

Off the Rails

Zombie Jamboree

Walk, Don’t Run

Sex and Death

Clean up

Tourists

Bad Boys

Cabrini-Green Zone

On Fire

Firing Range

Shake Hands with the Devil

Amen and Attack

Emergency Holy

Dancing with the Dead

Dead Beat

Last Dance

Death Warmed Over

Loose Threads

Epilogue: Playing the Field

The chapter Area 51 Is Not Enough appeared previously in the anthology Storming Area 51. But other than that I believe the novel is an entirely new work. This story also ties this series into other works by Finn that I had not known were previously connected. Especially finding out that Galadren was a cousin or uncle to Marco, and that his full name is Galahad Wren. And that he works for Sean A.P. Ryan And Associates, private security company. We have a convoluted cast of characters in this story and it ties to many of Finn’s other series in one way or another. Our main cast includes:

Marco Catalano – the groom,  a physician assistant. Killer of evil, brilliant with a supercomputer like mind, and like Kirk does not believe in no win situations nor does he know how to back down.

Amanda Colt – 100 year old vampire, force for good. Takes communion, goes to confession, and has fought in almost every war for a century and is a spy with top clearance.

Jennifer Bosley – 400 year old vampire, president of the New York Vampire Association, mentor to Amanda,.

Raymond Wilson – Police Commissioner – Bosley’s plus one.

Enrico – crime family contact for Marco.

Galadren – relation to Marco, most dangerous man in middle earth. 

Merle Kraft – spook specializing the weird, strange and unusual. Runs a team out of San Francisco, has previously worked with Marko.

Doctor Panda – you will find out.

Rory – aka Sean Allis Treacy, a vampire who fights for good, an Irishman who still reminisces about eh old days. 

Father William Rodgers 

Vatican Ninjas

SpecOps

Street Gangs – loyal to Marco in NY Tigers and Dragons

Mafia

…

Foes:

Wendigo

Ahanu Achak – with some powerup amultes and such.

Zombies

Chicago Street Ganges – The Latin Kings and The Gangster Disciples

A corrupt politician – the jokes write themselves.

A necromancer

And a demon 

…

With all the characters dropped in this story I was surprised not to have seen either Father Richard Freeman or Father Michael Pearson appear, but then we are in the first book of this new series. In an older edition of Madeline L’Engle’s Space Quartet there was a family tree that included her Kairos, Chromos Series as well as other volumes including her non fiction. I am beginning to feel like someone needs to make such a character tree for Finn’s ever expanding canon of work. But back to the book at hand.

The events in this story take place over more than 2 years and they appear to begin shortly after the last novel in the Love at First Bite Series. The main story is Marco’s and Amanda’s engagement, and upcoming nuptials. It also includes the beginning of their honeymoon a tripped planned to take months and travel across America by train from New York to the west coast. It involves many who Marco has worked with in the past. And they make some new allies along the way. When a Zombie hoard attacks the wedding all who care about the newlyweds jump to action to find the best way to try and protect them. Then an attack on the night train to Chicago, and the fun really begins.

This story if full of Finn’s usual action. Improvised weapons, the normal weapons of Marco and a new toy sent as a wedding present. Battles with multiple Zombie hordes, more than one encounter with gangs including almost an entire gang at once. An evil fae, and a necromancer whose job you just will not believe because it is typecasting. And an old foe in a summoning circle. 

We have Marco, Amanda and those who care for them and have worked with them coming together to fight the good fight. There are a few surprises and some interesting twists. It was nearly impossible to put this book down. I stayed up way too late on a work night finishing it. And it leaves you desperate for the next volume. 

Another amazing read from the masterful pen of Finn. The first in what looks like an amazing new series. A book I can easily recommend.  

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Declan Finn:

Love At First Bite Series:

Short Stories:

Blood Stained Cliffs of Dover 

Bad Date 

Mad Dog Moon

…

Novels:

Honor at Stake

Demons Are Forever 

     (Murphy's Law of Vampires)

Live and Let Bite

Good to the Last Drop

…

Honeymoon from Hell Series:

The Neck Romancer

Blood Country

Wyverns Never Die

Cross Over

Fae'd to Black

...

The Last Survivors Series:

Codename: Winterborn

Codename: Unsub

…

Convention Killings Series:

It Was Only On Stun!

Set To Kill

…

Pius Series:

A Pius Man

A Pius Legacy

A Pius Stand

Pius History

Pius Tales (Anthology)

…

Pius Trilogy Short Stories:

The Pirate King

...

St. Tommy Series:

Hell Spawn

Death Cult

Infernal Affairs

Lupus Dei

They Burn Witches, Don't They

City of Shadows

Crusader

Deus Vult

Principle Necromancy

Coven

Hussar

Destiny

Lightbringer

Dark Web

Blue Saint

Vessel

…

Top Secret Service Series:

Too Secret Service

Too Secret Service 2

Too Secret Service 3

…

Too Secret Service: Omnibus Edition

...

Dances with Werewolves Series:

Dances with Werewolves

Dances with Werewolves Volume II

…

Dances with Werewolves: Omnibus Edition

…

White Ops Series:

White Ops

Politics Kills

Main Street D.O.A.

Gathering Storm

Eye of the Storm

…

Land&Sea Season 2:

On Tiber's Edge

...

Other books:

For All Their Wars Are Merry

Arresting Merlin

Sad Puppies Bite Back

Clerical Error: The Death of Fr Timothy A. Lessner (with John Konecsni)

...

Anthologies contributed to:

Astounding Frontiers 1

Storming Area 51 - Bayonet Books Anthology Book 2

Pluto: Planetary Anhtology Series Book 1

Luna: Planetary Anhtology Series Book 2

Supernatural Streets

Starflight: Tales From The Starport Lounge

Tales of the Once and Future King

Mercury: Planetary Anthology Series Book 4

Venus: Planetary Anthology Series Book 5

Mars: Planetary Anthology Series Book 7

Places Beyond the Wild: A Z-Day Anthology

Shoot the Devil: Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic

Fire for Effect - Bayonet Books Anthology Book 7

Fantastic Schools, Volume 6

Swords and Maidens: Eleven Tales of Chivalry and Valor

The Monster Within - Bayonet Books Antholohy Book 8

Thirteen Stories of Horror: Volume 1

Fantastic Schools Staff 7 Staff

Shoot the Devil 2 Dark Matter

Pinup Noir 3

Beast Hunt Volume 1

...

Author profile and interview with Declan Finn.

Born to Rock - Gordon Korman

Born to Rock

Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9781484798416

eISBN 9781443124669

ASIN B07TBC5XLV

This book took me completely by surprise. I had not read the description it was just the next I picked in a long list of Korman books I had yet to read. It was a very impactful story for some personal reasons. I have read 48 titles from the pen of Korman, most over the last 5 year. I had read a few back in 2009 when the 39 Clues first came out. I do not recall reading any when I was young, but with my dual form of dyslexia I did not read many Children’s or Middle Grade books. It was only later I learned to really read. My son and I started reading Gordon Korman books together five years ago, when he was given one as an end of year gift by his teacher. She gave the whole class the same Scholastic edition and wrote a note to each student in their copy of the book. Some he reads to me, some we use adaptive technology and listen to in the car, and some I just read on my own. This one I started to listened to in the car with my son on trips to and from his play rehearsals out of town. 

The description of this book states:

“Leo Caraway — high school senior, president of the Young Republicans club, 4.0 GPA, future Harvard student — had his entire future perfectly planned out. That was, until the X factor. As in Marion X. McMurphy, aka King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge, the most popular, most destructive band punk rock has ever seen. He's also Leo's biological father.

When Leo discovers that his real father is a punk rock legend, he is disgusted. Not only is Leo not a punk rock fan, but he believes the X factor (the Maggot blood that is running through his veins) is a dangerous time bomb just waiting to explode.

And sure enough, it does — Leo stubbornly defends the unlikeliest of people, thereby getting himself falsely accused of cheating on a test. Because of the blemish on his record, the once star pupil finds his scholarship to Harvard taken away. So he hatches the crazy plan of going on tour with King Maggot for Purge's summer revival tour, all the while secretly hoping to convince Maggot to pay for his tuition.

But life on the road is even crazier than Leo ever bargained for, and before the summer is out, he will finally discover the surprising truth about his dad, his friends, and most important, himself.”

According to Goodreads there are over 30 editions of this book, as of the writing of this review it lists 34 to be specific, which includes German editions. In Canada the original publisher was Scholastic, in the US it looks like Disney-Hyperion and later reprinted by Little Brown. Interestingly enough most of the North American editions have the same cover, it is only the latest Little Brown edition that has a new cover. To be honest if I had seen that new cover I might have read it much earlier, just saying.

This was one of those Korman stories that has some laughs but also some deep sorrow and it deals with some very serious issues. It is an interesting mix of teen and young adult content. Our main character is just finishing high school and most of the story takes place before he is supposed to start university. He won’t rat out another student even though they are not really friends just because the principal does not like them because they are gay. This ends up costing him a scholarship and a chance at going to Harvard. But then he finds out his birth father is a famous punk rocker and will be back in the area for a reunion tour launch. So he approaches his bio dad at a press conference to give him a letter. This leads to the big adventure of being on the road with a punk tour.

There are some very interesting dynamics in this novel. Leo Caraway and his estranged bio dad Marion X McMurphy aka King Maggot. Also the relationship between Leo and his longest time friend Melinda, and the guy he stood up for Owen. The coming of age, finding your roots, and figuring out who you are and who you want to be are very well done in this novel. 

On a personal note just before my 50th birthday I had a young women approach me stating she thought she was my daughter. She in fact was. And I have been getting to know her the last few years. So parts of this story, a sense of lost years, figuring things out, and how to interact hit very close to home. 

This was an excellent story and one I can easily recommend. It touches on some very deep issues that are big today in our society. It is masterfully written. 

 

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall  (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish!  (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

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The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

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Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

Hypergifted (2026)

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Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003) 

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

Old School (2025)

Snoop (2025)

Sleepless (2026)

The Favorite (2027)

… 

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers 

Gordon Korman Children’s Storytellers - Chris Bowman

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Author Profile and Interview with Gordon Korman

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