Tag Archives: young adult fiction

Book review: The Handle and the Key

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Seldom do we find books written from the perspective of a foster child. In The Handle and the Key, one of the few adoption books for children in between the picture book stage and the teen novel stage, John Neufeld manages to get inside the head of the young boy, Dan, who is being adopted. He shows us little things, like Dan not knowing what is meant when other boys ask him to play “tag”. Indeed Dan is not sure what to do when told to “play” at all. In his previous foster homes he had to work. He longs … Continue reading →

The Books of Jack Weyland

Jack Weyland is the pioneer of LDS fiction. Back in 1980 when he wrote and published “Charly,” his most famous novel to date, LDS fiction was scarcely heard of. Suddenly, with the success of that book and its sequel “Sam,” published in 1987, LDS fiction came to life, blooming where it never had before. Those early seeds planted by a daring author have grown into trees, with books on every limb created especially for the LDS market. “Charly” tells the story of a young woman who is full of life and fire, and Sam, dull as dishwater. Sam was raised … Continue reading →

Author Interview — James Dashner

I recently reviewed “The Jimmy Fincher Series” by James Dashner, and am delighted to say that I was able to contact the author for an interview exclusively for Families.com. James, thank you for joining us today. We’re all very curious – how did you get the idea for “The Jimmy Fincher Series?” The first idea, for “A Door in the Woods,” came from a childhood memory. I actually saw a door that some goofball had dumped in the woods, and imagined that it had something cool underneath. From there, it can all be attributed to my psychotic brain. I get … Continue reading →

Interview with Author, Julie Wright

Deseret Book author, Julie Wright, is an intriguing individual. With a fulfilled lifelong dream of owning a grocery store, she and her husband live in a small Utah town. From her website: “To give a little background on me, I was raised in Salt Lake City and attended Brighton High School where I met the love of my life. After a few detours at BYU and “dear-Johning” him while he was on his mission to Sweden, he came home and we got married. We moved to a little town in west central Utah, and opened up the only grocery store. … Continue reading →