East Dragon lives like royalty in a palace with his eight brothers and sisters and the emperor’s family. He and his siblings are beloved by the emperor who values their advice and provides a beautiful home for them. West Dragon lives in a cave, but he’s happy there… until his cave becomes overcome with kings and knights who try to prove their worth by “waving their silly swords.” West Dragon drafts a plan to get them all out of his hair so he can take a long nap, and soon, the lives of the dragons intersect. Unfortunately, not everyone sees dragons in the same peaceful light, and these different perspectives soon cause trouble for everyone. Can two dragons from opposite sides of the world see past their preconceived notions of each other in order to join forces?

I’m a big fan of this book for its small details and large-scale ideas. (Get it, large-SCALE? Ha!) Scott Campbell’s whimsical illustrations bring to life two very different environments, and depict both dragons in an adorable fashion. The story itself is fun and will bring out giggles from young children, while also presenting the idea that differences aren’t things to be afraid of. No judgment is cast for which dragon is better or right, they simply live in different worlds, which is just fine.

East Dragon, West Dragon will make for a spirited read aloud with children of various ages, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with my own preschool and kindergarten aged children.

Dawn is fascinated with children’s lit, and her life as a mom and a preschool teacher leave her immersed in it on a regular basis. She blogs at my thoughts exactly.

But other then having an overactive worrying imagination, he’s a perfectly normal kid. He and his best friend Gigs have a made-up language and made-up games that, along with time, has cemented their friendship. He’s waiting for the switch to turn on that will make girls interesting and attractive, and that might be happening when free-spirit Sydney moves to his class and they are partnered up on a project.

No one really talks about Ma — not his siblings, not Uncle George (who is really his father with just an odd name that has stuck), but Frankie worries about her too. He worries why she doesn’t leave the house, and begins to wonder if he might end up like her. But Sydney asks a lot of questions. At first he does everything he can to avoid them, but in the end letting himself get to know her and be known by her, helps him to figure himself out a little bit more.

I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but this book feels firmly like a book for middle schoolers and above. It doesn’t have a lot of swearing or any activities that would worry the parent of a child younger than 13, but there are some mature themes mentioned. I love that there is a true coning-of-age YA book that should appeal to ages 13 and up out there that isn’t full of explicit language and sex.

It’s also one sure to appeal to adults who are fans of the coming-of-age tale (like me!). I like that it has a boy protagonist, but because the emotional quotient is very high it will also appeal to girls (and of course he has a girl best friend/perhaps more than a friend).

And if you like quirky — this one has just enough to keep you smiling, though not enough to annoy you if you don’t like quirky (although if that’s your opinion, I strongly feel you are missing out). A father called Uncle George? A cat named the Fat Controller? A made-up language? It’s all there.

AUDIOBOOK NOTES: The accented reader Stig Wemyss added to that element of place (New Zealand) that resonated loudly with this American listener.

Jennifer Donovan realized that she was addicted to audiobooks when she knew she had to replace her lost/stolen ipod within weeks — and not so she could get her groove on. She blogs about other likes at Snapshot.

Jolene Zarkades lost her parents in a car accident when she was 17. With no family and no money, she turned to the Army, where she found a different kind of family. 12 years later, she’s married to Michael, a successful lawyer, mother of two girls, and flying helicopters with her best friend for the National Guard. Jolene and Michael’s marriage has hit a rocky patch. Jolene is strong, self-reliant and refuses to ask for help. Michael, following in his father’s footsteps, spends too many hours at work and his family suffers for his seeming lack of interest in them. But when Jolene’s unit is deployed to Iraq, her family’s world is turned upside down. While she lives in constant fear of IEDs, attacks on the base and her Black Hawk getting shot down, Michael finally puts his family first and wonders how he can repair the marriage that’s broken partly (mostly) because of his selfish behavior.

In the year that Home Front covers, each member of the Zarkades family goes through major changes, which is what makes good character-driven fiction, in my book (no pun intended!). Most of them start out pretty unlikeable — even Jolene, the seemingly perfect mother, has her flaws — and while Jolene’s going to war is a less than ideal situation they all come out having grown and learned from the experience.

I will warn interested readers that the content in Home Front is not light or warm and fuzzy. A family torn apart by war is emotionally unstable and the language used in times of anger and frustration only added to the realism for me but others may disapprove.

Notes on the audiobook: Maggi-Meg Reed is becoming the narrator of choice for popular women’s fiction, and for good reason. She conveys emotions in ways that evoke a strong reaction from the listener. This is not a book to listen to while driving because tears caused by the many heartbreaking moments are not conducive to safe driving.

Macmillan Audio is providing us with an audio copy of Home Front for one winner, U.S. addresses only. Please leave a comment to enter to win. The winner will be announced on February 22.

• The winner of the A Wrinkle in Time 50th Anniversary giveaway is #14 Cindi
• The winner of the Four Letter Words giveaway is #3, Emily C.

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Nancy couldn’t imagine leaving her family and going off to war, but is thankful to those who do serve their country. She writes about her 2 boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books.

Hannah Benson fled her abusive home as a teenager and has worked hard to move past the pain and dysfunction that defined her early life. Now the owner of a small insurance company, she is surprised one day by a phone call informing her that her mother and sister are both dead, leaving a niece, Anna, to her care. Joe, her mentor and former boss, pushes her to return to a town she had planned never to see again and to at least meet Anna before making a decision, so Hannah reluctantly makes the trip back to Clearfield.

In Clearfield, we meet a cast of characters, featuring Anna and her best friends Cal and Lucy, children of Hannah’s first love, Grady Steadman. Grady’s mother is also a fixture in their lives – as she has helped raised his kids since their mother took off years ago. Although Hannah arrives with a plan to clean out the house and move Anna to Baltimore within two weeks, she finds herself torn between her need to escape the place where she endured so much pain and Anna’s evident desire not to miss out on her upcoming track meets, as well as the high school prom.

Even as she allows the present day drama to unfold, McComas artfully weaves in Hannah’s memories of her childhood and adolescence, often showing the same event from Grady’s perspective as well as Hannah’s. As they gradually come to trust each other again, the truth about the circumstances surrounding Hannah’s disappearance also begin to emerge from the shadows, testing their tenuous relationship.

I truly enjoyed this novel. Despite the serious subject matter, I found myself picking up the book at every opportunity to find out more of the story and see What Happened to Hannah.

A galley copy of this book was provided by William Morrow Publishing. See what else Trish has been reading at her blog, In So Many Words.

I would imagine that everyone out there has heard of The Hunger Games, in some fashion. At least “I sure hear a lot about this, but I don’t know what it is.” You might know that the Hunger Games movie releases March 23. You might not know that it’s a wildly popular Young Adult series by Suzanne Collins, that has fans from tweens up through adults. You might not know that it’s dystopian literature. If you don’t know any of this, I’d suggest you brush up, because I think that this movie and these books are going to continue down their path of wild success, and you don’t want to be the last one in the know.

Keep reading my review at 5 Minutes for Mom, where you can enter to win a copy….

Kate Sanford lives on the hope that she will someday become a writer for the music magazine she adores. She knows music, and she’s fairly certain she’s got the writing chops to make it, but the puzzle pieces haven’t exactly fallen into place yet. But when the gods smile upon her and she lands the interview, she ends up sabotaging her own future with her partying ways. But, as a result of her drunken appearance at the interview, she is called back for an assignment… one that most people would consider dark and amoral. In her desperation, Kate accepts the assignment, not thinking it through, but only seeing the possibilities it could bring about. Little does she know that thirty days in rehab, supposedly there to get the scoop on a celeb best known for her appearances on the covers of gossip magazines, will really change her life in ways she never could have expected.

McKenzie presents these characters with all their flaws on full display, yet readers may find themselves liking Kate even as they want to shake some sense into her. Scenes that should be full of pain somehow manage to play to a dark sense of humor, so that I was laughing even while trying not to judge Kate too much. Personal transformation is a key theme here, and McKenzie also makes a fairly strong statement about how we all– celebrity or not– present ourselves in ways that may not be true to who we are.

Spin is a quick read, full of laughs and true heart, and even a little peek into the surreal world of celebrity.

Dawn’s lives in a world far from celebrity, but doesn’t mind a literary trip now and then. She can be found in her online world at my thoughts exactly.

For me, variety is good — both food wise and in my literary pursuits. I love reading fiction that makes me think, and feel, and cry. I return to deeply-drawn characters again and again in my mind. I also am affected by reading people’s true stories in memoir or biography form, learning from both their successes and failures. Interesting nonfiction presents information in a way that rewards my time with knowledge. Books help strengthen my faith or my knowledge of the things of God.

But sometimes I just want to be entertained. I want to read a page-turning suspense novel or a mindless romance. They are often formulaic and won’t likely stick with me for longer than the handful of hours that it might take me to finish it. But they are enjoyable. Like candy, they sometimes leave me craving more. Like candy, they are easy and pleasant to digest.

We were staying at my in-laws’ house at Christmas. They are both readers, and so there are newspapers and magazines, paperbacks, and library books all over the house. I noticed a Dean Koontz title in a stack of my father-in-law’s books. It looked interesting, and I used to enjoy his books, so I picked it up. Pretty soon I was immersed in The Good Guy.

It was suspenseful, interesting, and entertaining — perfect for sitting in the living room with the family and reading a chapter here or there.

My father-in-law’s mother is also a big reader, and usually gives books at Christmas. This year she gave me a Nicholas Sparks book, Safe Haven. I have read a few of his novels, but it’s been a while. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this one, because like Koontz’s novel, it had some danger and suspense and was a bit of a thriller, instead of 100% romance.

There was a time in my life that these types of books made up the vast majority of my reading diet. They became routine and expected. Can you eat too much candy? Maybe. All I know is that after not having read anything like these two in a while, I genuinely enjoyed them.

What’s more, just like the sweet and delicious chocolately goodness, they left me craving more.

Jennifer Donovan blogs at Snapshot about life in Houston in her house full of bookworms.

We Belong Together celebrates those perfect matches we find in the world around us, from peanut butter and jelly to hot chocolate and marshmallows and chocolate cookies and milk, from pencil and paper to a fork and a spoon. “Because some things are just better together,” says the back.

You Are My Cupcakeis an adorable homage to all the sweet silly names moms call their little ones; sweet pea, gumdrop, cutie pie, pumpkin. The last page reads, “I could just eat you up!” Super cute and sweet.

Both books are high-quality, and will stand up to multiple rereadings. The drawings are oversized and enticing, with happy faces that will entice your baby to smile back. Smooth and shiny textures will draw chubby toddler fingers to the page. Perfect for toddlers, their mommies, and more, these sweet, happy books are a great addition to any library.

Elizabeth has 3 teens so she rarely reads board books anymore. She read these two to her 14-year-old daughter who said, “That was weird,” but agreed the books are super cute. Learn more at her blog Planet Nomad.