From one coloring book to the next, most are about the same. Large, simple line drawings the kids can color in. As kids get older, they tend to "grow out" of the coloring books and feel too old for them. But, if they're anything like my husband, they still find joy in coloring.

Meadow Brook Hall's Executive Director, Geoff Upward has "written" a new coloring book that can cater to older kids. Not only are the illustrations more sophisticated and detailed, but the coloring book tells a story. Actually, the story is a work of historical fiction and all the people and animals mentioned in the story really lived at Meadow Brook Farms.

I reviewed two books here - one is called Soul Surfer Rise Above which is a 90-Day Devotional and the other is called Soul Surfer Ask Bethany which is an FAQ on Surfing, Faith and Friends.

If you don't recall Bethany Hamilton, she is the teenaged surfer in Hawaii who lost an arm to a shark in 2003. Despite loosing an arm at 13, Bethany came back strong and was back in the water surfing within weeks and competing within months. Soul Surfer the movie was released back in April of this year and is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton and how her determination and unwavering faith helped her overcome all odds to become a champion again.

What I Saw on Mackinac
A Counting Book by Jennifer Margaret Powell

What I Saw on Mackinac is a uniquely illustrated book that teaches counting while at the same time incorporates a bit of Mackinac history. It's a rhyming book that counts from 1-10 and relates the counting to historial landmarks in Mackinac. What I Saw on Mackinac is a great book for kids ages 2-6.

Strike One! is a novel written by Lake Orion, Michigan author Andrea Prostko about a bullying situation among a group of fifth grade boys. Andrea Prostko introduces a group of three main characters in Strike One! - a bully (Jacob), his target (Timmy), and the bystander (Billy).

Heroes A2Z is about three children from Traverse City, Michigan who are extraordinary heroes. Abigail and Andrew are twins, and are teamed with baby Zoe in a different adventure for every book in the series.

My son read #9 Ivy League All-Stars and #10 Joey Down Under. He liked them both and his interest was piqued by the references to the local cities and sights.

Paula Tutman, news reporter for WDIV-TV Local 4 News in Detroit, is also a local published author of a suspense thriller series, "Deadline." The first book is completed and is about a reporter who gets to the murder scene and does not realize the killer is still there. The murderer, in love with the reporter, continues to kill hoping the reporter will appear at each murder scene so he can see her again.

I had an opportunity to work with Paula Tutman on a WDIV news piece covering the Republican Gubernatorial Debate (click here). I admired how she worked the segment and asked questions that made a difference in the outcome of the coverage. Now, I had the opportunity to do the asking as I interviewed Paula about her published work as an author.  I soon realized Paula is just as good at answering the questions as she is at asking them.

Not only is this a Michigan local author, but Josef Bastian has written a story that takes place in Michigan as well. As I was reading Nain Rouge by Josef Bastian, I was entertained by a mix of Detroit history and modern day fiction with fact.

The author starts the story off with a field trip at the DIA and doesn't waste time jumping right into excitement and thrill by introducing the Nain Rouge within the first 10 pages. The Nain Rouge, an urban legend red devil, is said to appear in advance of negative events.

I figured a good way to review Lukas was to have my six year old daughter read it while I watched to see how she reacted. First off, she loved and commented on the Lukas illustrations frequently. She would chuckle here and there and point them out to me. She enjoyed the Lukas

One of the first series books we introduced to our son was the Michigan Chillers series, written by local author Johnathan Rand. We loved how the author creatively paired a Sci-Fi story with a Michigan city. Some titles include: Poltergeists Of Petoskey, Dinosaurs Destroy Detroit, and Mayhem On Mackinac Island. (Johnathan is also the author of the American Chillers and Freddie Fernortner