Why am I passionate about this?

I have been reading and writing Children’s books for many years. I have an MLS and have worked in school libraries and recreation departments. I have a strong connection to people. My passion for book writing and reading began the moment I learned to read. I've been in this business for over 30 years and have six books published. Probably my biggest accomplishment was the three years I worked as a freelance book reviewer for Scholastic Books. To this day I continue to dream, read, imagine, meet, and create new worlds that will be available for everyone. My passion for books and writing go beyond the physical but also the emotional and spiritual.   


I wrote...

The Portal

By David D. Bernstein,

Book cover of The Portal

What is my book about?

After falling into a time portal during a little league baseball game in Trinity, New York, eleven-year-old Andy finds himself…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Lord of the Rings

David D. Bernstein Why did I love this book?

I really loved this collection of books by J.R.R Tolkien from The Hobbit to The Return of the King for many reasons. I grew up in a fantasy world living my own dreams in my head and I just love the concept of a random group of strangers getting together and saving the world. The words in this book are beautiful and very meaningful. Just like in The Lord of The Rings, my characters Andy, Zack, and Wendy go on a quest through a shattered world and work as a team to save the earth. This same concept is found in J.R.R Tolkien’s books. We are all heroes and as writers we can all save or create new worlds. I have to rank this set of books as my number one pick, I just love them so much that words can not explain why. 

By J.R.R. Tolkien,

Why should I read it?

52 authors picked The Lord of the Rings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of…


Book cover of His Dark Materials

David D. Bernstein Why did I love this book?

Just the world that Mr. Pullman created pulled me in. The magic, the whole idea of daemons and that each of us has a soul animal always beside us as we grow and become better people. The idea of three magic items that guide our main heroine Lyra is just fascinating and blows my mind. I loved these books so much that in my series, which consists of three books so far, I took that concept of magic items and placed them in my books. Just like in Pullman’s trilogy the items play a major role in my books. Right now, I am working on my final book in my series which will be a prequel to my trilogy. I also choose these books because I just love to create my own worlds just like Pullman.     

By Philip Pullman,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked His Dark Materials as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Now a major critically acclaimed BBC series

This special collection features all three titles in the award-winning trilogy: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

Northern Lights
Lyra Belacqua lives half-wild and carefree among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle - a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armoured bears.

The Subtle Knife
Lyra finds herself in a shimmering, haunted otherworld - Cittagazze, where soul-eating Spectres stalk the streets…


Book cover of The Phantom Tollbooth

David D. Bernstein Why did I love this book?

This was one of the first chapter books I read in fourth grade, and I still love it to this day. It is not only funny and a well-developed world but it also is one of the best classics of its time. I love the concept of the whole book about entering a whole new world through a tollbooth that appears mysteriously in Milo’s room and he drives through it because he has nothing better to do. Yes, we all get bored or have hard times we face but it is books that help us escape just for a few hours from our lives. This book is the perfect escape for anyone. I always love books and believe they will always be with us in both hard times and fun times. They will always let us escape to a unique world that has been created. The Phantom Tollbooth does this. I also had the greatest honor of meeting the illustrator and hearing his side of the story in an SCBWI conference about 5 years ago. Each writer or illustrator will have unique stories to tell, and it is so important we listen and experience all these various worlds out there. 

By Norton Juster, Jules Feiffer (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked The Phantom Tollbooth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer’s splendid illustrations, the wit, wisdom, and wordplay of Norton Juster’s offbeat fantasy are as beguiling as ever. 

“Comes up bright and new every time I read it . . . it will continue to charm and delight for a very long time yet. And teach us some wisdom, too.” --Phillip Pullman

For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only…


Book cover of The Last Gardener

David D. Bernstein Why did I love this book?

I just finished reading this book from a friend of mine and I loved it. I recommend it for several reasons. First of all, this book is about a young inventor Dameon Gardener who is looking forward to summer break to tinker with his beloved gadgets ends up traveling many years into the future to a dystopian world that is falling apart. He does not know it, but this journey puts him on a quest to save the bleak world of the future of time. That concept is also found in my books, and it is a kind of basic outline of most Fantasy and Science Fiction books.

They have a hero who journeys on a quest to save a world, a person, or even a creature. This is universal and used by these kinds of books. My books are also set in a dystopian world. I also like the voice and the characters in her book. They are like real people thrown into a situation that they can only change and control. I just love this idea and concept all around. I like to share the quote, “We are the dream makers and the Imagination creators.” That is what authors do we make dreams and create worlds that are in this wonderful world we live in.      

By Tracy Wilson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Gardener as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Young, inventive Dameon Gardener is looking forward to his summer break when he can spend all day tinkering with his beloved gadgets. At least that was his plan until his workaholic dad came home unusually early and announced that his grandfather had passed away, leaving him his massive estate. Eager to explore their new inheritance, the Gardener family embarks on their first-ever vacation with great anticipation.
Dameon, his schedule-loving mom, and video-game-obsessed younger brother are appalled when they arrive at the decrepit Victorian mansion situated on top of a mountainside overlooking a secluded, rundown, ocean-side mining town. However, Dameon soon…


Book cover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

David D. Bernstein Why did I love this book?

I just love this series of books, the world she created, and all the hidden stuff she put in that adults will get while children will not. I also love her rags to riches story is not only inspiring to me, but it gives me hope for a better future. The books themselves are so powerfully written and open people’s eyes to hidden worlds that are all around us, we just have to stop for a moment and notice them. In today’s world, I believe there is a hidden world surrounding us that only some people can access. I think Harry Potter made this a main concept and why these books did so well and opened millions of eyes to the truth. It is kind of similar to The Matrix one of my favorite movies, up there with CS Lewis and other great films made from books. I love to read and write and have been on this journey a very long time. Yes, it is a job full of blocks and struggles but it is also a very rewarding experience especially if my audience gives me reviews or emails on how my books changed their lives or their family lives   

By J.K. Rowling,

Why should I read it?

39 authors picked Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Galloping gargoyles ... 2022 is the silver anniversary of J.K. Rowling's magical classic Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone!

The boy wizard Harry Potter has been casting a spell over young readers and their families ever since 1997. Now the first book in this unmissable series celebrates 25 years in print! The paperback edition of the tale that introduced us to Harry, Ron and Hermione has been updated and dressed in silver to mark the occasion. It's time to take the magical journey of a lifetime ...

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping…


Don't forget about my book 😀

The Portal

By David D. Bernstein,

Book cover of The Portal

What is my book about?

After falling into a time portal during a little league baseball game in Trinity, New York, eleven-year-old Andy finds himself transported to a ghostly version of his hometown—101 years in the future. Twisted metal, rotten wood, and garbage litter the seemingly empty streets, but Andy will soon discover that the city is controlled by CORT robots…and that this reality is Earth’s possible future.

When thirteen-year-old Zack receives a strange letter that guides him through a portal, he and his brother are reunited, and together they must journey through a nightmare world that only they can change. But how can two young boys alter the present by saving the future?     

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Brigitta of the White Forest

By Danika Dinsmore,

Book cover of Brigitta of the White Forest

Danika Dinsmore Author Of Brigitta of the White Forest

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Teacher Poet Tree whisperer Bird lover World builder

Danika's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

For those who enjoy fantasy adventure, the Faerie Tales from the White Forest series offers a new twist on the traditional faerie tales so loved by young readers.

From devastating curses to death-defying quests, Brigitta and her growing collective of misfit friends face greater and greater challenges when destiny calls upon them to “make the balance right again” after the Great World Cry has left their world in elemental chaos.

Brigitta of the White Forest

By Danika Dinsmore,

What is this book about?

Briggy, what happens when the Hourglass runs out?

Brigitta wished she had paid more attention to her Auntie Ferna's lessons. Being able to string a thunder-bug symphony wasn't going to help them now. She didn't know exactly what would happen when the Hourglass ran out, since no living faerie knew a time when the Hourglass didn't protect the forest . . . But even though she couldn't remember the details, she did know that without the Hourglass there would be no White Forest . . . A charming middle-grade fantasy series, "Faerie Tales from the White Forest" watches the journey…


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