Misguided: A Mackinac Island Novel by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone

Book cover featuring a silhouetted figure of a man in colonial attire holding a rifle, looking into the distance. The title "MISGUIDED: A Mackinac Island Novel" is prominently displayed. Author names Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone are at the bottom.

Review by Sharon Brunner Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone’s “Misguided: A Mackinac Island Novel” revealed a lot of plot twists, adventure, and humor. The main character, Jack McGuinn, steamrolled his way into serving as the youngest tour guide at the historic Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. He joins three other…

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2084: The Obesity Farms, by Edd Tury

The cover of a book titled "2084: The Obesity Farms" by Edd Tury. The background features a rustic wooden wall with an old wagon wheel and a tree trunk. A small creature with glowing eyes peeks out from the foliage at the bottom of the image.

Review by Mack Hassler   “…so 1984 teaches us, the danger with which all men are confronted today, the danger of a society of automatons who will have lost every trace of individuality, of love….                                              Erich Fromm, “Afterword to 1984” (1949) I think good writers feel safe when they…

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Lakenenland: The U.P.’s Most Unique Junkyard Art Park by Tom Lakenen

Cover of a book titled "Lakenenland" with the subtitle "The U.P.'s most unique junkyard art park." Shows artwork made from scrap metal amidst a snowy forest. The book features art and text by Tom Lakenen and is designed and edited by Nancy Barr.

Review by Sharon Brunner Tom Lakenen and Nancy Barr’s book Lakenenland: the U.P.’s Most Unique Junkyard Art Park is packed with interesting and creative pictures of artwork made from scrap iron and other metals collected from various sources. Lakenen was born and raised in Marquette, Michigan. He pursued his interest…

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Gift Horse, A Kat Wilde U.P. Mystery, by Terri Martin

Book cover for "Gift Horse" by Terri Martin. The cover features a silhouette of a horse walking in a sunlit forest with rays of light filtering through the trees. The title is in large white letters at the top, and the author's name is in smaller white letters at the bottom.

Review by Mack Hassler                                     “It is a poetry where the world becomes                                     writing and language becomes the double                                    of the world.”                                                                 Octavio Paz I think Terri Martin is a clever and witty writer who comprehends the dynamic link of language to her world, not only as…

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The SideRoad Kids Book 3: Life as U.P. Adults by Sharon Kennedy

The cover of a book titled "The SideRoad Kids: Life As U.P. Adults" by Sharon M. Kennedy. The image shows a rural side road leading into the distance with greenery on both sides. A bridge is visible in the foreground. It is marked as Book Three.

Review by Jon C. Stott Although Melville in Moby-Dick “Sailed the seven seas,” Whitman in Leaves of Grass embraced the entire United States, and Jack Kerouac in On the Road crisscrossed and re-crisscrossed the continent, many important American writers have explored their themes by setting their characters in specific locations….

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Off The Hook Too! Off-Beat Reporter’s Tales from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) by Nancy Besonen

An image shows a book cover with the title "Off The Hook Too!" in large yellow text. The cover features a young child in pink pants and a patterned top and an adult in a red shirt sitting by the edge of a lake, with dense green trees in the background. The author's name, Nancy Besonen, is at the bottom.

Review by Sharon Brunner Nancy Besonen’s “Off the Hook Too!” book was thought-provoking, extremely humorous, and down to earth. She demonstrated the ability to connect so well with the Yooper culture. A true  Yooper is someone who has lived all their lives in the scenic and rustic Upper Peninsula of…

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Beaches, Boats, and Birds: A Lake Michigan Alphabet Book By Julie Dickerson, Illustrated by Rhonda McKinnon

Cover of the book "Beaches, Boats, and Birds: A Lake Michigan Alphabet Book" by Julie Dickerson, illustrated by Rhonda McKinnon. The illustration shows a woman and a child sitting on a sandy dune, overlooking the sea with gentle waves.

Review by Deborah K. Frontiera This wonderful adventure of a day at the beach, told through the letters of the alphabet, not only involves words beginning with each letter but exposes children to a lot of natural science and wonder about the world around them. It even includes bits of…

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