Gary D. Schmidt has won my heart with another of his delightful novels about middle-school kids. The latest is a youngster with the improbable name of Hercules Beal. His brother’s name is Achilles.

The Beal brothers live in Truro, a small New England town where they try to carry on following the deaths of their parents. Achilles runs the family plant farm and nursery with the help of his girlfriend, whom Hercules is convinced is a vampire.

One of Hercules's teachers is an ex-Marine who runs his...

Although The Memory Police appeared more than thirty years ago, it speaks to the present moment, when sinister forces work to destroy human freedom and initiative.

A nameless narrator describes how squads of police officials sweep through her island community to remove random objects such birds, ferryboats, and rose gardens. Once the items are gone, most people cease to remember them. Some brave souls provide safehouses for the few people whose memories remain intact. But the Memory Police are...

East of Eden is one of those famous books I've always meant to read but have put off until now. In case you’ve been doing the same thing, here are my impressions.

This is supposed to be a retelling of the Biblical Cain and Abel story, but you might not guess that from the text. It involves two Civil War-era families, the Hamiltons of Salinas, California, and the Trasks of Connecticut. Adam Trask enlists in the Union Army while his half-brother Charles stays home to farm their father’s land....