Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers: September 2025

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Happy BOOK BIRTHDAY to... HOLLY JOLLY KITTY-CORN by Shannon Hale, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham - REVIEW!

It's TIIIIIIMMMMMMEEEEEE!

That's right!

The calendar may say AUTUMN, the temp where I'm at may say SUMMER, but the READING we're taking in today SCREAMS HOLIDAY... and there's no better series to kick it off with! Ladies and gents, prepare to don your cat ear, unicorn horn headbands in celebration of today's newest arrival via Abrams Books for Young Readers...

HOLLY JOLLY KITTY-CORN

Shannon Hale

Illustrated by

LeUyen Pham

9781419768798

Abrams Books for Young Readers

This dynamic friend duo is back and ready to celebrate the holidays together. I mean there are SO MANY THINGS to do, and experiences to share, and since they always agree, it'll be like gliding on a smooth frozen lake... right? Umm, about that. So just because you're friendship seems written in the twinkle lights, it doesn't mean you necessarily have the same favorite things on your must do holiday list... which they quickly discover. What they also find out is that simply bending to the other's interests won't actually keep the peace on earth alive.

Unicorn may love the music, and Kitty may enjoy the gingerbread houses, but it doesn’t mean they can't still have the merriest of holiday seasons! The best way to celebrate TOGETHER is to actually take both your worlds and share them. It's hard to feed that holiday spirit when you're constantly worried about the other person being happy, and neglecting yourself. You talk. You share. You experience each other's traditions, and make new ones TOGETHER.

A great addition to the series, and a wonderful treat this holiday season. Filled with the gorgeous stylings we've come to love, and the heartfelt messages the world needs, readers of all ages will reach for this one time and again...perhaps making it a new tradition of their own!

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About the authors...

LeUyen Pham and Shannon Hale are the team behind the bestselling picture book Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn, the bestselling graphic novels Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever, and, with Dean Hale, the early chapter book series The Princess in Black. They’ve made a bunch of other books, too. They are both: moms of kids who aren’t afraid to get messy, wives to husbands who make art, Honor award winners (Caldecott and Newbery), caretakers of cats, and believers in unicorns. LeUyen lives in Los Angeles, Shannon lives in Utah, and with each other, they know they can be—and make—anything.

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Special thanks to Mitch at Abrams for the copy for review. (THANKS.. and yes, that's my pupper getting in on the Kitty-Corn fun!) For more information on this title, the authors, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is newly available TODAY, so click on over to your favorite online retailer or visit your local brick and mortar to get YOUR kitty-corn on!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Monday, September 22, 2025

SPOTLIGHT ON... the stars of WICKED FOR GOOD!

Hitting bookstore shelves THIS TUESDAY via Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, we've got two GLITTER-TASTIC true stories that even the youngest of fans can DANCE THROUGH LIFE with! So whether you're prepping for the release of WICKED FOR GOOD, or looking for inspiration to follow your own dreams, you need to tune to it these two new releases heading your way...

SPOTLIGHT ON ARIANA GRANDE

SPOTLIGHT ON CYNTHIA ERIVO

Hunter M. Green and Elizabeth Dennis

Illustrated by

Ruth Barnes

9781665990592

9781665990622

From a little girl with a BIG voice and dreams to match, to a powerhouse performer who danced and sang to her own beat, these charming releases in the SPOTLIGHT ON series are sure to please and inspire both kiddos and fans alike!

Did you know Cynthia's first on stage performance was singing Silent Night in her school Christmas pageant, or that she changed her study plans from music to drama? Did you know Arianna dreamed of playing Glinda all her life and is an advocate for mental health? There's so many things we think we know about big stars, and yet there's always something more, and, in this case, that something more may just help you find your own way to SHINE! So go ahead, DEVY GRAVITY, dance through life, be that girl, or don't. Just be you... the best possible you.... because that's the best way to show the world the remarkableness that is yours and yours alone.

💚 💖 💚 💖 💚 💖 💚

Special thanks to Alex at Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the copies for review (THANKS!). For more information on these titles, the series, the authors, the illustrator, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. These two celebrate their book birthday tomorrow, so be on the lookout for them on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing!

Until next time, remember... if it looks good, READY IT!

Monday, September 15, 2025

AWARENESS TOUR: The Mazecutter, Book 3: THE INFINITE GLADE by James Dashner - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

I don't binge read very often; in fact, the last time I did was when the final book of the Michael Vey series was preparing to release. That being said, it's not a practice I mind doing, just something I don't have the chance to do, so when this FINAL installment was announced AND it was going on tour...I knew I had to try and take part!

An email sign up later, and TADA...here we are! I read not only the featured title, but the first two as well and I'm ready to share. So, ladies and gents, readers of the Young Adult Fiction genre of all ages, LET'S DO THIS! Joining in The Children’s Book Review AWARENESS TOUR, make room on your to read list for today's featured title...

The Infinite Glade

Written by

James Dashner

Ages: 12-17 | 268 Pages

Akashic Media Enterprises (2025) 9798988421535

About the book...

The Infinite Glade is the explosive finale of The Maze Cutter trilogy—and the epic conclusion to The Maze Runner saga.

War has finally ignited. The Remnant Nation is done waiting. Their mission: destroy the Godhead and everything she stands for. But as Sadina and the islanders fight to protect the Goddess—who claims to be their only hope for Evolution’s survival—the battle reveals unfathomable truths leaving behind devastation that will change the islanders’ future forever.

Determined to save their friends, Isaac and Ximena—along with Old Man Frypan and Jackie—struggle to find their way back to the others when two strangers intercept them, throwing everything they thought they knew about the Cure into doubt. Following the strangers into the unknown, Frypan unearths the shocking truth behind the Cure and the secrets so many have died to protect. But what they uncover is only the beginning.

The descendants must decide between risking their lives and the safety of those they love back home to expose the painful truth behind the maze trials, or walk away from history’s darkest secrets and let the truth remain buried in the Glade forever.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Bookshop.org

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The first book... we're brought back to the island with which the original series ended. We meet families, and friends, and generations that grew up in relative safety without influence from the outside. But the one thing that never goes away and can always be counted on to crop up at the most unexpected (and unwelcome) of times is change... and it arrives here by the boat load.

The second book... we've traveled far from what we know, met people we've never imagined, and sought means to meet an end we didn't even know to look for. Division in the ranks began, and there are several agendas being served, but the goal of a cure, of helping others however they can, is still shining faintly in the distance.

The third book. Today's featured book. The one that just came out this past week and is ready and waiting for you to scoop up for a read. This book brings everything full circle, reveals things that were buried so deep they might never have seen the light of day, answers questions readers may not have even known to have that were raised in the original trilogy, and settles us somewhere between fully satisfied yet desirous of more. Oh yes, it ends and it's well worth the read... all the moments where your breath was held, that had you puzzling, hoping, and reaching for more...but do you get everything you're wanting...I think that depends on the reader, depends on the level of investment you give to what you're reading.

I liked it, but could've used more. I had unanswered questions, curiosities I wanted to see play out, and quite frankly wasn't ready to let them go. These relationships have been built to last, despite the body count rising significantly in this one, and I was fully invested. Now, the ending worked, don't get me wrong, and many get their comeuppance deservedly, but I know I'll still be thinking about this one for quite a while to come!

A great trilogy for fans of the original series, but an equally great way for new fans to cut their teeth (so the speak) on a story they won't forget.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Dashner is the #1 NY Times Bestselling author of over a dozen books, including The Maze Runner series (movies by 20th Century Fox, now owned by Disney). He grew up in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his wife and their four children.

For more information on him and his books, events, etc., please visit jamesdashner.com.

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

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GIVEAWAY

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Special thanks to Bianca of The Children's Book Review for the chance to bring this title to you and for the ecopy for review! (THANKS!) This post is sponsored by James Dashner. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view. For more information on this author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links above. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, September 1, 2025

The Children’s Book Review