Twenty years after WWII, a woman’s life is upended when she discovers a mysterious book set in the imaginary world she created for her sister after being evacuated from war-torn London. Could this book be the key that helps her solve her sister’s disappearance? This moving novel is sure to delight fans of Once Upon a River and The Paris Library. Keep reading to discover the power Patti Callahan Henry sees in books, reading, and stories that speak to the heart.
Pity the poor boys in my life from 1996 on, few as they may have been. That was the adolescent year I first started reading novels by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, and even though at the time I had precious little real-world boyfriend experience, I still knew deep down that an actual teenaged […]
SURPRISE! I know, it’s not your birthday, but it is that most divisive of holidays: April Fools’ Day! As I tend to find most pranks more heart attack–inducing than amusing, I wanted to be sure you got at least one pleasant surprise: Books! I’ve tallied the six most surprising (in a good way) books I’ve ever read. Not a […]
One of my favorite series growing up was Ann M. Martin’s Babysitters Club books, about a group of plucky young girls who managed to go to school, have a social life, and deal with teenage issues while simultaneously running their own small business taking care of the neighborhood kids. I gobbled up the novels when I was […]
In the grand tradition of Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars, and Scooby-Doo, some of the best teen characters are those who solve mysteries, and what better plot for a whodunit than a good old-fashioned murder? Murder mysteries can be written in any tone, any genre, and any voice, giving a singular plot point infinite possibilities for presentation. Some […]
