It's a 5 Star Review for OCULUM ECHO!

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"A very well-written and an imaginative description of a future world struggling to survive, the story ends on a positive note and a hint, at least to this reader, there could be more to come. 5/5, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

CM Magazine September 30/2022

Well, a wonderful review for OCULUM ECHO is out, and it's a FULL 5/5 STARS! 

Thank you to CM Magazine, a review site dedicated to reviewing Canadian books for young readers. In 13 years of publishing books, this is my first 5/5 star rating from them. Although I've come close before, it's pretty special to get a top shelf rating from them, they seldom give five stars.

Waiting for reviews of your new book is always a study in patience and fortitude, so I'm very appreciative and grateful for this review for OCULUM ECHO. Thank you to my wonderful publisher DCB Young Readers, for inviting me back into this world!

Author signs copies at Book City, Oct 2022
(Toronto, Bloor West)

As the cover suggests, ECHO is an intelligence created by us, a robot, part Mr. Data from TNG (iykyk), part Shelley-an creation, part Murderbot, part every AI I've ever met or read in a lifetime of reading, watching and absorbing literature and science fiction. I hope you are fascinated and moved by Echo1, Peregrine (Echo's video drone falcon), and Guide, Echo's teacher and well, guide.

Call me Echo ... and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. I'm feeling very cryptic today!

Here are all posts about OCULUM and OCULUM ECHO on this blog, books 1 and 2 in The Children of Oculum series.

 

CM Magazine Recommends Alex and The Other

"The realities of middle school life combined with a creepy mystery adventure story make Alex and the Other a fun and fast-paced tale that fans of spooky stories will enjoy. RECOMMENDED" 

-- CM Magazine, Feb/2018

This review for my creepy, middle-grade, doppelganger horror story, came out this time last year. Alex and The Other is book 4 in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, and is being showcased at an upcoming Battle of the Books event for schoolkids in Ontario (April, 2019).

Still a great review!

Here's the complete review: 
Alex and The Other

Resource Links Review (E for Excellent, and Kid Summer Read List Selection)
More Reviews on Goodreads
Here's the Booktrailer with illustrations by series illustrator Shawna Daigle
ORDER Alex and The Other on Amazon

All Posts about Alex and The Other and Weird Stories Gone Wrong on this blog.

CM Magazine Review, Blackwells and the Briny Deep

BOOK 5, Weird Stories Gone Wrong,
Now available! Click for order info

"Fans of the short fiction series Weird Stories Gone Wrong will enjoy this fifth installment.

Dowding spins another yarn exploring the weirdness lying just beneath the surface of a seemingly normal everyday existence. The realities of sibling rivalry combined with a spine tingling, mystery-adventure story make Blackwells and the Briny Deep a fun tale that fans of spooky stories will enjoy. 

RECOMMENDED, CM Magazine, NOV/2018"
Thank you for the lovely review for my latest book, CM! 

Full CM review here: Blackwells and the Briny Deep

NEW: Weird Stories Gone Wrong 5-book OMNIBUS

Blackwells and the Briny Deep, BOOKTRAILER
(featuring illustrations by series illustrator Shawna Daigle)

All posts about Blackwells on this BLOG

Quill and Quire loves OCULUM!

OCULUM hanging out with the other 'bots

"Oculum’s tone has a folksy and whimsical quality ...  

Both Miranda1’s and Mannfred’s worlds, though very different, feel like something from a fairy tale. The details the reader is given about the time of the Olden Begones (before the apocalypse) are fun to reconcile with our own present-day, and when characters find broken pieces from computer keyboards or reference the works of William Shakespeare, it creates a satisfying connection between this fictional future and our current reality... 

... rich world-building and determined characters give it an originality that sets it apart..."

Well, that's a very fine review from Quill & Quire, thank you! 

OCULUM now has two trade reviews, and both are extremely good. When you write a new book, it seems like a long time between publication and the first professional reviews (although it's usually only a few weeks or months). You learn to think about other things as you get more books under your belt, but the wait is always a bit nerve-wracking regardless of how many times you experience it.

So thank you to both CM Magazine and Quill & Quire for the close and careful reading of OCULUM, and for the kind words! And thank you to my publisher, Dancing Cat Books, for letting me tell this "folksy and whimsical" dystopia for younger kids.

More about OCULUM:

Full Quill & Quire Review
Full CM Magazine Review, Highly Recommended
Goodreads Reviews
All BLOG POSTS about OCULUM on this BLOG

What kids think my characters look like...

Sydney, with her squid hat

"These kids are so excited by this story...eyes lighting up...great discussions and ideas are generated... great predictions. One day I hope you can meet these 'uber' enthusiastic students and deep admirers of yours." 
KU, Library Services, Ontario

Sometimes, when you're really lucky, you get to connect with a librarian or teacher, who loves your work and promotes it in their school.

Arthur, the lost boy, looking for his Mom

Yesterday I got a huge envelope of drawings from a wonderful librarian. She's been reading my books in her schools, and she has just finished reading an ARC copy of Carter and the Curious Maze (Aug. 2016) to one of her grade 3/4 classes. The pictures are so fun! It's hugely rewarding to see your story actually connect with kids, in a way that makes them want to draw pictures of your characters.

Cool Carter

Creepy Leaf Girl

Glam Sydney with her hat

So... here they are! Thanks all!

Mr. Green and his creepy green thumb!

the whole gang!

Here's a youtube video another teacher made: Kids talk about Carter and the Curious Maze

And some great early reviews of Carter and the Curious Maze to find out more:

CM Magazine (4/4 Stars, Highly Recommended)
Kirkus Reviews
Goodreads

And,of course, the creepy book trailer: Carter and the Curious Maze

Enjoy!

CM Magazine Recommends The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden!

 CM . . . . Volume XX Number 5. . . .October 4, 2013

The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden. Philippa Dowding. Toronto, ON: Dundurn, January, 2014. 200 pp., trade pbk., PDF & EPub, $9.99 (pbk.), $12.99 (PDF), $8.99 (Epub). ISBN 978-1-4597-0735-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4597-0736-8 (PDF), ISBN 978-1-4597-0737-5 (EPub). Grades 3 and up / Ages 8 and up. Review by Stephanie Dror. *** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

CM Magazine has given my forthcoming book, The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden,
3 out of 4 stars and their much-coveted "Recommended" status. Thank you CM, I'm very honoured!

It's a good review. Here are some of the highlights:

"Gwendolyn Golden is an average kid with average kid problems. She is going through puberty, has anger management issues, and problems fitting in at school, but it all becomes even more complicated when she discovers that she is a Night Flyer. Waking up on the roof is not normal, but then her body does not feel normal any more either. Undergoing the initiation as a Night Flyer is not easy. Gwendolyn has to learn to trust her body and control her mind. There are dangers that threaten to eat away at her self-esteem and destroy her, but she has help. Gwendolyn has to grow up fast, and she just isn't quite ready yet.

     

The story of Gwendolyn Golden's coming of age is engaging – the kind of book you cannot put down. Gwennie narrates the story, which gets up close and personal with what it feels like to grow up, and to learn how to fly. Gwennie is a regular, relatable kid. She is funny, dealing with issues as they come. While the book focuses on Gwennie’s new ability, she also helps her single mother, struggles with her family's past, deals with her best friend, and everything else that goes along with life as a young teenager....

... The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden is an engaging realistic fantasy. It would be wonderful to read aloud to children; it may be a valuable suggestion for children dealing with loss, and it is great for middle graders who love stories with a little magic, a modern setting and which are a quick read.

Recommended." 

Thanks again, CM! You'll find the complete review and more here.