Blog Tour and Giveaway: Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom

You all know by now that middle grade fiction is one of my favorite genres. There’s just something about a good coming-of-age story that tugs at my heartstrings—and if it includes a dog, I’m sold.

That’s exactly the case with the new novel I’m featuring today, Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom by Claudia Mills. The story follows Calliope, a “difficult” student who joins a philosophy club in hopes of finding answers for how to handle her even more “difficult” dog. This heartfelt novel by acclaimed children’s author Claudia Mills has already received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection. It’s one you won’t want to miss!

 

About the Novel:

 

Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom

Written by Claudia Mills

Ages: 9+ | 272 Pages

Publisher: Holiday House (2026) | ISBN-13: 978-0-8234-6050-2

Publisher’s Book Summary: “Difficult” student Callie joins a philosophy club seeking the wisdom she needs to keep her beloved but equally difficult dog in this hilarious, heartfelt middle-grade novel for underdogs and dog-lovers alike!

Once Callie (Calliope Callisto Clark) starts saying something, it’s hard for her to stop. The opinion gets bigger and bigger, her voice gets louder and louder—and she gets in more and more trouble. She’s in trouble with her teacher, who likes order and not Callie. She’s in bigger trouble with her Grampy, who blames Callie and her dog (a.k.a. Best Ever Friend) Archie for his ever-rising blood pressure. Then there’s the biggest trouble of all… just one more strike, and Callie could lose her beloved Archie forever.

When she turns to Greek philosophy for answers on how to solve her problems, she only gets more questions: What is justice? What is fairness? And as her problems get bigger, so do her questions: Is it Callie’s fault when Grampy has a stroke?

Told in Callie’s endearing, energetic voice, Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom is sure to speak to any student who’s ever been called “disruptive.” Acclaimed children’s book author and retired philosophy professor Claudia Mills delivers a heartfelt middle-grade novel for misunderstood readers who feel like they’re living their own Greek tragedies. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection."

Readers can purchase their own copy of Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom at Barnes & Noble, Bookshop and Amazon. To learn more about Claudia Mills, visit her website and connect with her at Instagram, Facebook, and Blue Sky.  

 

The Giveaway: 

I've partnered with Claudia Mills to host a giveaway for Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom. Enter for the chance to win one of 10 signed hardcover copies of Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom. One grand-prize winner will receive two additional signed books by Claudia Mills, plus an unforgettable one-hour Zoom visit with the author!  

Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom: Book Giveaway  

 

Good luck,

Book Review: More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen

Pages: 256

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: February 24, 2026

Publisher: Random House

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "High school English teacher Polly Goodman can talk about everything and anything with the women in her book club, which is why they’ve become her closest friends and, along with the support of her veterinarian husband, the bedrock of her life. Her private school students, her fraught relationship with mother, her struggles with IVF—Polly’s book club friends have heard it all.

But when they give Polly an ancestry test kit as a joke, the results match her with a stranger. Despite it seeming clear that this match is a mistake, Polly cannot help combing through her own family history for answers. Then, when it seems that the book club circle of four will become three, Polly learns how friendships can change your life in the most profound ways.

Written with Quindlen’s trademark warmth, humor, and insight into the power of love and hope, More Than Enough explores how we find ourselves again and again through the relationships that define us."

 

Polly Goodman is living a seemingly average life in New York; she is an English teacher at a private school and is longing to have a baby with her husband. Things have been difficult on that end, though, and she worries her difficulties around conceiving a baby are from bad "genes." So, her good friends decide to gift her a DNA test, partly as a joke, but also to put her mind at ease. Not long after she submits her DNA, she is matched with a relative she has never heard of, Talia Burton. She is a sixteen-year-old in Vermont, and they are closely related. So, Polly agrees to meet with Talia, who is desperate to connect with family, and from this a mystery unfolds. How is Polly related to Talia? Talia is a young black girl, and at first glance, they shouldn't have much in common. As Polly tries to figure out their connection, secrets unfold. Anna Quindlen's More Than Enough is a smart and reflective novel that's perfect for readers seeking a character-driven story, complete with ample self-reflection.
 
I feel like Quindlen has a knack for creating relatable characters and depicting everyday life, including its ups and downs, very well, to the point where people can relate to her stories, much like Catherine Newman's novels. Polly's struggle to conceive and her dealings with IVF, I imagine, many people can relate to and appreciate the all consuming struggle in More Than Enough. Once she encounters Talia, this also puts a big question mark over her family, and she tries to put the puzzle pieces together. What results is that Polly addresses family secrets with her father, who not only suffers from dementia, but also her mother, who has always appeared to have it together as a former judge. 
 
What I appreciate about Quindlen so much is her writing. It's just fantastic and reminds me of Catherine Newman, Elizabeth Strout, and Anne Tyler in the best way possible. While More Than Enough examines some heavier issues, such as cancer, infertility, infidelity, dementia, and more, she keeps it reflective, relatable, and not too morose.  
 
In the comments below, let me know if you are a fan of Anna Quindlen, and let me know if you plan to read More Than Enough, which is now a Katie Couric Book Club pick.   

 

Book Review: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

Pages: 304

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Pub. Date: February 17, 2026

Publisher: William Morrow

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: The Alice Network,

The Phoenix Crown, and The Rose Code 

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives...inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?"

 

 

Alix Watson has some baggage, and to escape her past and her current disappointments, she has always found respite at the Boston Public Library, specifically the Reading Room. While there, she encounters a different realm, The Astral Library; it's a world where she can travel between books. This sounds like a book lover's dream, am I right? At the Astral Library, Alix meets the Librarian, who is desperate to put lives into books and change their future for the better; however, things do not pan out as planned. Insert the villain, the Library Board. They are unhappy with how the Astral Library is being run and create a lot of problems. The Astral Library by Kate Quinn is a love letter to libraries and books; it had so much potential, but ultimately fell flat for me.
 
I was rooting for Alex from the start of The Astral Library; who doesn't love the idea of jumping into their favorite novel and living within its pages? She gets to brush elbows with Jane Austen in Regency England, wander the shabby alleyways of Sherlock Holmes's London, and hang out with the glamorous Jay Gatsby, among others. It’s a book lover's dream, right? However, an enemy is lurking, and Alex needs to determine whether this threat is coming for her, the library, or both. Once this element of the plot developed, it became challenging for me because the messaging shifted from feeling organic to more heavy-handed. While I agree with the political themes in The Astral Library, particularly regarding book banning, it felt forced rather than a natural part of the story.
 
The Astral Library is a departure from Quinn's usual historical novels, and I enjoyed the magical realism aspect; however, I felt the world-building could have been better. It felt busy and all over the place at times--so much was going on. I prefer Quinn's historical novels overall.
 
Unfortunately, The Astral Library had so much promise, as I am obviously someone who values libraries and books, but overall, it felt disappointing. Have you read The Astral Library? Are you a fan of Kate Quinn? Let me know in the comments below.  

 

Blog Tour and Giveaway: In My Mind

The first day of school… just the thought of it sends some nervous energy running through my veins. It’s a tough day for most kids: they wonder what their teacher will be like, whether the other children will be nice, and they juggle all the racing thoughts that go through their heads. I especially appreciate picture books that address universal experiences like the first day of school, because so many students can relate to them. These stories help normalize big feelings and make kids feel less alone. That’s exactly what the new picture book In My Mind by Carmen Hernández, who has a background in education, sets out to do.

 

Learn More About the Book:

 

 

In My Mind

Written by Carmen Hernández

Illustrated by HV Helmut

Ages: 3-8 | 38 Pages

Publisher: Mascot Kids! (2026) | ISBN: 979-8891382909

Publisher’s Book Summary: "Starting school is both terrifying and exciting for Camilo. He wonders what his new teacher and classmates will think of him. But, as the day unfolds, Camilo has a hard time fitting in. The classroom feels overwhelming, and he battles nerves that make it hard to focus or speak up. He gets distracted, daydreaming about far-away places, and sometimes he forgets that he is in school altogether. But as the day goes on, Camilo discovers unexpected joys.

This heartwarming story captures the challenges of a child with ADHD who has to navigate a busy first day at school."

You can purchase your own copy of In My Mind at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Bookshop. Also, you can learn more about Carmen Hernández by connecting with her on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.  

 

The Giveaway:

I've partnered with Carmen Hernández to host a giveaway for In My Mind. Enter for the chance to win one of three hardcover copies of In My Mind by Carmen Hernández, a thoughtful story that captures the ups and downs of a child’s first day of school. Good luck! 

 

In My Mind: Book Giveaway

 

Audiobook Review: The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill

Genre: Adult Fiction/Audiobook

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Pub. Date: September 30, 2025

Source: Personal Copy

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "It’s been years since the three Ryan sisters were all home together at their family’s beloved house on the eastern shore of Long Island. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by an accident on their brother Topher’s boat, a friend’s brother was killed, the lawsuit nearly bankrupted their parents, and Topher spiraled into a depression, eventually taking his life. Now the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, eager to reconnect, but each carrying a heavy secret. The eldest, Cait, still holding guilt for the role no one knows she played in the boat accident, rekindles a flame with her high school crush, Topher’s best friend and the brother of the boy who died. Middle sister Alice’s been thrown a curveball threatening the career she’s restarting and faces a difficult decision that may doom her marriage. And the youngest, Maggie, is finally taking the risk to bring the woman she loves home to her devoutly Catholic mother. Infusing everything is the grief for Topher that none of the Ryans have figured out how to carry together.

When Cait invites a guest to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions boil over and new truths surface, nearly overpowering the flickering light of their family bond. Far more than a family holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive themselves—and one another."

 

Twenty-five years after a family tragedy, the Ryan family returns to their beloved Long Island home for Thanksgiving. There's Nora, the matriarch and a devout Catholic who grew up in an Irish orphanage, and her husband, Robert, who is trying desperately to keep up on the upkeep of the Folly, their sprawling home on the coast. Their three daughters and their families will be coming to Thanksgiving, starting with Alice, who never left the small Long Island town. She is the dutiful daughter who takes care of her parents' needs, her children, and tries to do it all. Cait is returning home from London along with her twins; she is newly divorced. Then there's Maggie, who is dealing with a lot personally and at work, but is bringing home her new girlfriend for the holiday weekend. The only Ryan they are missing is Topher, who died tragically in a boating accident twenty five years ago, and the grief over his death is still weighing heavily on the Ryan family. Each Ryan sibling is dealing with something over Thanksgiving - some kind of heavy secret that is waiting to be exposed. Throw in some usual family dynamics over the holiday, and you've got yourself a pressure cooker waiting to bubble over. The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill is a debut novel with a lot of heart and is perfect for fans of contemporary family dramas.
 
The nice thing about the Ryan family is that you can find at least one family member to relate to in The Irish Goodbye. Each sister is dealing with their own personal struggles, and O'Neill dives into their stories as the points of view alternate between chapters. Alice is dealing with the struggles of midlife as she tries to reinvent herself after focusing on her own family for years. However, something happens to derail her plans. Cait is newly divorced and struggling to "single" parent her rambunctious twins and is wondering about her former crush, Luke, who is back home as well for the holiday. This is complicated because Luke was Topher's best friend, so having him around brings a lot of issues back to the surface. Maggie has a secret she is keeping from her girlfriend she brought home for the holiday - so throw that into the mix with the loud and nosy Ryan family, readers are in for a Thanksgiving that is anything but perfect.
 
I really enjoy family novels, so I enjoyed that aspect of The Irish Goodbye, but I felt that O'Neill really only scratched the surface of the characters. I felt like I could care about them more if she dived into what makes them tick and peeled back some layers. I did enjoy the flashbacks to their childhood as that helped paint a better picture, but overall, I enjoyed the Ryan family and all of their struggles, trauma, and quirks. 
 
The Irish Goodbye is a family story about grief, forgiveness, secrets, and moving on from family trauma. It's about forgiving and accepting people for who they are. I look forward to reading more of O'Neill's novels in the future. Have you read The Irish Goodbye? Let me know in the comments below.