JoAn Watson Martin

http://www.joanwmartin.com

After teaching in the public school system for 22 years, JoAn Watson Martin retired, but continued to serve as a reading/writing consultant for Houston area schools.

She taught for several years in the Alpha Gifted and Talented program of Clear Creek School District. She also served as an adjunct instructor in the School of Education at University of Houston at Clear Lake.

Ms. Martin’s published novels are: Yankee Girl (2002), Yankee Girl: A Grand Adventure (3rd edition, 2009), Good Night Mrs. Dinglewall! Sleep Tight! (2006), Inventing Chloe (2009), and Retrieving Morning (Adult Romance, 2009).

For information about Ms. Martin’s historically informative presentations at schools, contact her at [email protected].

Books by JoAn Watson Martin

Image of Retrieving Morning
Image of Goodnight, Mrs. Dinglewall! Sleep Tight!

Book Reviews by JoAn Watson Martin

Image of Miss Martin Is a Martian
Author(s):
Colleen Murray Fisher
Illustrator(s):
Jared Chapman
Genre(s):
5-9, Picture Book

Miss Martin Is a Martian

September 15, 2011
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

“The author no doubt has classroom experience.

Read Book Review >>
Image of 50 Wacky Inventions Throughout History: Weird inventions that seem too crazy to be real! (Wacky Series)
Author(s):
Joe Rhatigan
Genre(s):
5-9

50 Wacky Inventions Throughout History: Weird inventions that seem too crazy to be real! (Wacky Series)

August 20, 2011
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

Weird & Wacky Inventions is an inspiring book for imaginative readers who are captivated by the impossible, the far out, and the really wild.

Read Book Review >>
Image of The Apprentices (The Apothecary Series)
Author(s):
Maile Meloy
Genre(s):
10 and up

The Apprentices (The Apothecary Series)

July 31, 2011
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

“The magic of this book is dazzling: an elixir for invisiblity, champagne bubbles for forgetting, and the surprising twist at the end.”

Read Book Review >>
Image of Plain Fear: Forbidden: A Novel
Author(s):
Leanna Ellis
Genre(s):
Literary Fiction

Plain Fear: Forbidden: A Novel

June 21, 2011
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

“Leanna Ellis skillfully writes quirky, paranormal teen fiction with a splash of romance, nicely gathering up all her plot threads by the concluding pages.

Read Book Review >>
Image of Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck
Author(s):
Margarita Engle
Genre(s):
Poetry, Latin American

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck

January 27, 2011
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

Told in blank verse, this story of the early pirates touches on a universal theme of children growing up without adequate adult role models.

Read Book Review >>
Image of The Lake of Dreams
Author(s):
Kim Edwards
Genre(s):
Women’s Fiction

The Lake of Dreams

December 25, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

Lucy Jarrett receives word that her mother has been in an accident. She feels bound to leave Japan for home after an absence of ten years.

Read Book Review >>
Image of Daisy Dawson and the Big Freeze
Author(s):
Steve Voake
Genre(s):
2-5

Daisy Dawson and the Big Freeze

November 5, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

A girl who holds conversations with animals! A small, female Dr. Doolittle—how fun!

Read Book Review >>
Image of Gabby and Gator
Author(s):
James Burks
Genre(s):
Graphic Novels

Gabby and Gator

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

With a minimum of text, the author spins a Louisiana alligator tale in graphic novel form. His illustrations go modern as he passes over an incandescent light bulb.

Read Book Review >>
Image of Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Author(s):
Greg Mortenson
Genre(s):
Pakistan, War/Military, Diplomacy

Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

With a little background from his Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson continues his unbelievable saga of his quest to build schools in “the last best place.” He insists on working in areas o

Read Book Review >>
Image of The Wife's Tale (Center Point Platinum Fiction)
Author(s):
Lori Lansens
Genre(s):
Women’s Fiction, Contemporary

The Wife's Tale

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

Mary Gooch has heard the comment so many times.

Read Book Review >>
Image of Me and You: An Enchanted New Take on the Goldilocks Story
Author(s):
Anthony Browne
Genre(s):
5-9

Me and You: An Enchanted New Take on the Goldilocks Story

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

The Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has been around forever. In Me and You, Anthony Browne offers his take on the old tale, told from Baby Bear’s viewpoint.

Read Book Review >>
Image of The Help
Author(s):
Kathryn Stockett
Genre(s):
Women’s Fiction

The Help

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

The Brown Decision in 1954 by the Supreme Court ordered an end to segregation. Schools were mandated to integrate. Eight years later, 1962, nothing had changed in Jackson, Mississippi.

Read Book Review >>
Image of Stealing Secrets: How a Few Daring Women Deceived Generals, Impacted Battles, and Altered the Course of the Civil War
Author(s):
H. Donald Winkler
Genre(s):
Women in History, 19th Century, Civil War (U.S.)

Stealing Secrets: How a Few Daring Women Deceived Generals, Impacted Battles, and Altered the Course of the Civil War

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

H. Donald Winkler has researched the lives of nineteen daring women who changed the outcome of Civil War battles.

Read Book Review >>
Image of Ostrich Boys
Author(s):
Keith Gray
Genre(s):
9–12

Ostrich Boys

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

(Random House Paperbacks, March 2010)

Read Book Review >>
Image of A Change in Altitude: A Novel
Author(s):
Anita Shreve
Genre(s):
Literary Fiction

A Change in Altitude: A Novel

October 1, 2010
Reviewed by: 
JoAn Watson Martin

Patrick and Margaret had been together for two years. When Patrick had the opportunity to go to Kenya to study tropical diseases, he asked her to go with him.

Read Book Review >>