What I Did Over Winter Break!

I love winter break!  I am lucky enough to have two glorious weeks off from work to hang out with my kids, play in the snow, bake tasty goodies, sing Christmas songs, and read (of course!).  I had big plans of getting a ton done over break, but alas!  I was blessed with the flu instead...

Lucky for me I was only down and out for 3 days.  Although the cough still lingers, I had time to figure out what books I wanted to read over the break.  Some of my E-ARC's had to go on the back-burner because I finally received the green light to start a Project LIT chapter at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy, one of the middle/high schools here!  More on that in another post...

One of the books I decided to read was an unusual one for me to choose: Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  I had seen this book everywhere and a friend of mine had persuaded me to read it.  I picked it up at Target (of all places!) and it sat on my nightstand for several weeks.  I typically do not read "self-help" or "inspirational" books, but after staring at the tagline at the top of the book night after night, I finally decided to pick it up.

Do you see that tagline?  "Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be."  I just kept staring at that phrase and wondered who I was meant to be.  I thought I already knew who I was!  Why was I so focused on this phrase?  Well it's because in the back of my head, I know that I still have a purpose worth working and fighting for.  Am I happy with my life as it is?  YES!  Do I feel like I can still do more and make a difference in the world?  YES!

So I opened up the book and began reading it...  I loved it.

I had no idea who Rachel Hollis was (other than that she is the author of this book), still don't really know who she is, or who she's married to, or what her blog/media company is called.  I don't really care.  What I did like was her "in your face" way of helping women to empower themselves, to focus your strengths on your life goals, to see failure as opportunity, and offered ways to enhance your life even if you may see your life as peachy-keen.

I loved this book.  After reading it, I dug down deep and really thought about my old goals in life and made them my new goals.  Now I am in the middle of cleaning off my desk and creating a vision board, so that those goals can be realized.  I also feel that it's important for my husband and girls to see my vision board, so that they see that my purpose on Earth is to not only be a good wife and mother, but to also go back to school to get my masters in education; to become a teacher-librarian one day.

I didn't think that this book would have such a profound effect on me, but it did, and I'm glad that I read something new.  That's one less book in the book stack!  Happy New Year!

So many sticky flags!  I guess I needed more guidance in my life than I thought!

Book Review: Born Scared

Born Scared by Kevin Brooks sounded like an interesting book from the description, however after reading it and weighing what I liked and disliked, I decided that it just wasn't the book for me.

Elliot is a boy who is scared of everything.  He has been that way since he was born.  When an awful snow storm prevents the delivery of his medication, Elliot decides that he must take matters into his own hands and do something about his predicament.  Will Elliot finally get over his debilitating fear or everything?

I had high hopes for this intriguing story and was disappointed upon reading it.  I felt it moved from oddly fascinating to downright strange.  I understood where the author was going with the book, but I just couldn't jive with it.  The book is well written, though, and I would be interested in reading another book by Kevin Brooks.  I just think that Born Scared was a little too strange for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for this e-ARC!  All opinions are my own.

A Perfect Conclusion to the Track Series: Lu by Jason Reynolds

It started with Ghost and ended with Lu…  What can I say?  I absolutely loved this book!  Lu is a wonderful conclusion to Jason Reynolds’ Track Series.  The only thing I would wish for is a stand-alone book featuring the Defenders’ Team Coach Otis Brody.

Even before I knew that Lu was going to have his own book, (before I knew that Ghost was the first in a book series) I remember laughing out loud at Ghost’s description of Lu.

“A weird-looking kid, I can’t really explain what he looked like, well…  let me try.  You know how I said Mr. Charles looked like James Brown if James Brown was white?  Well, this kid looked like a white boy, if a white boy was black.  Wait.  That doesn’t make sense.  Let me start over.  His skin was white.  Like the color white.  And his hair was light brown.  But his face looked like a black person’s.  Like God forgot to put the brown in him.  Wait, is that like Mr. Charles or not?  Forget it.”

(Don’t you just love the way Jason Reynolds writes?  I do!!)

Lu is albino and although that is not the true heart of the story, it’s important because being albino is what makes Lu, Lu.  It’s the thing that sets him apart and the driving force behind his track talent.  Before every track practice and meet, Lu has a ritual to get him pumped up and ready to shine on the track.  It actually revolves around his skin…  As he rubs sunscreen over his body and face, he chants to himself:

“I am.

The man.

The guy.

The kid.

The one.

The only.

The Lu.

Lucky Lu.

Lookie Lu.

Lu the Lightening Bolt.”

He chants his mantra to himself until his skin has absorbed the sunscreen.  Then he proceeds to don his gold chains and diamond earrings and when he’s done, he’s ready to roll.  That’s Lu!  He’s got swagger!

Lu’s got swagger, and rightfully so!  He’s the best sprinter on the Defenders track team, but Coach decides to add a new event for Lu- the 110-meter hurdle.  Not wanting to let his team down, Lu starts training and it isn’t pretty.  This new event isn’t the only hurdle that Lu has to overcome.  Everything from picking the right name for his soon-to-be brother or sister to confronting a former bully, Lu’s got some choices to make and a lot of life lessons to learn.  A great coming of age story and beautifully written, Lu should be on your list of books to read now!

-->

Book Review: Otherwood

The first Pete Hautman book I read was Slider, a humorous realistic middle grade novel about a boy and a competitive pizza eating contest.  So when I stumbled upon another book by Hautman, I jumped on requesting it from NetGalley!  Little did I know that I would be taken on a ride to a new world called Otherwood...

Creative, whimsical, and utterly mind-blowing!  Otherwood by Pete Hautman brings to life the story of best friends Stuey and Elly Rose.  Upon learning that they have the same birthday and the same secret place in the woods, they declare themselves soul mates.  The two friends have an unbreakable bond and play in the deadfall where their imaginations run free.  When Elly mysteriously vanishes right in front of Stuey, he’s not sure what to think.  And when no one believes what Stuey saw, he begins to believe that all of his grandfather’s ghost stories of the forest and his ramblings about alternate realities are true.  Stuey is drawn to their secret place and to his surprise, he and Elly can see each other.  Elly seems to be living in another world, the same but different.  In Elly’s world, Stuey is the one that is missing.  How did their worlds split apart?  And most importantly, how can they bring it back together?

I loved the imagination of this book!  While the overall story focuses on two different worlds on the same timeline, the book is also a coming-of-age story.  Both Stuey and Elly come to terms with the loss of a friend, but also grapple with growing up and no longer playing make-believe. 

"As soon as she turned her back on the deadfall, Elly felt two conflicting emotions: sadness and relief.  It was the same way she'd felt three years ago when her real cat, Meowster, died after several weeks of piteous meowing.  Instead of a new cat, her mom had given her Grimpus.  Now it was Grimpy's time, and the castle's time.  It seemed only right that they should go together."

"The deadfall felt different now.  Maybe Deshan was right.  Magic was for little kids."

The book also takes a peek into family feuds and how those feuds affect one generation after another. 

"Pop never finished high school.  He fought his way up from nothing, and sometimes he cut corners.  He resented educated people like Rosen, and Rosen had no respect for my dad or what he'd accomplished.  It was like they came from different worlds, and neither one of them was willing to accept the other.  I think those two men hated each other so bad they just hated themselves out of existence." 

"... My history is your history, and your history is Stuey's history... We're all connected.  My father might be gone, but he left something of himself behind.  You spend enough time out in those woods, you'll see him."

A unique story of parallel universes and converging realities, Otherwood is a book I’d recommend to middle grade readers who also enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time.  I hope that you will enjoy this book as much as I did! 

A special thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for allowing me to read this E-ARC.  It’s definitely one I enjoyed and will never forget! 

-->

Book Review: One of Us is Lying

WOW!  What an awesome debut novel from Karen M. McManus!  Definitely one of those "edge of your seat" murder mysteries.

When five Bayview High School students walk into detention, they didn't know that by the end of the day, their lives would be changed forever.  Addy, Cooper, Bronwyn, and Nate become suspects in the death of one of their classmates, Simon Kelleher, when authorities believe that Simon's death was not an accident.  Each student comes from a different social background and each student had secrets to keep...  Secrets that Simon somehow knew and were about to be posted on his gossip app.  Someone is lying and is willing to kill a classmate to keep their secret buried.

If I had the time, I would have read this book in one sitting.  The book is written like a journal, with each suspect writing an entry.  Each character has one motive or another for killing Simon and you will find yourself trying to piece the puzzle together as you're reading.  First you will say to yourself, "Oh yeah, ___ definitely did it!"  But then in the next journal entry, you will think, "Eh, maybe ___ did it."  It's like the Breakfast Club meets Clue in a novel of Whodunit?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and so will any high school student who enjoys a good mystery.  Put it on your list of books to read!  You won't be disappointed!

Book Review: Inkling

Imagine being in school, tasked with a group project of creating a graphic novel.  Everyone has a job and because your father is a talented artist, you automatically get the job of drawing every panel in your graphic novel.  The problem?  You can’t draw a thing to save your life!

This is the dilemma that Ethan Rylance is in.  So imagine his surprise when he discovers a funny little blob of ink that seems to be alive and has a mind of it’s own. He learns, he eats ink, he can hear, and communicate!  His name is Inkling!  Inkling agrees to help Ethan with his group project by drawing the panels and even agrees to teach him how to draw.  But when a profit-hungry publishing company looking for the next best seller discovers Inkling, they steal him with the intention of using him to create a new graphic novel series.  What will Ethan do and how will he be able to rescue his little friend? 

Great themes of friendship and family are interwoven with the creative storyline.  Ethan struggles with the responsibility of helping take care of his little sister, who has Down syndrome, and coping with the loss of his mother.  Inkling seems to be the relief that Ethan needs in his life, which is why their bond is so strong.  I loved that Ethan cared for Inkling, feeding him novels like The BFG, The Old Man and the Sea and Anne of Green Gables, so that Inkling could learn and become intelligent.  And I loved that Inkling cared for Ethan by being a sounding board when Ethan had worries on his mind.

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel is one of the most imaginative books I’ve read in a long time!  It will be a treat for middle grade readers age 8-12!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this E-ARC!

Audiobook Review: The War That Saved My Life

I had been meaning to read this book for a while and since I never got around to it, I ended up listening to the audio version.  I was not disappointed!  I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, but this book and it's narrator have changed my point of view.  I was so hooked on this audio book, that it only took me 2 days to listen to the entire thing!  Not a bad way to spend 7 hours and 38 minutes!  😄

This powerful story is about a young girl named Ada and her little brother, Jamie, who escape an abusive mother in the midst of Hitler's takeover in London.  The siblings find themselves in the English countryside where a woman named Susan apprehensively takes them in.  Though Susan never had any children herself, she is a kind woman and takes care of Ada and Jamie.  Susan pays special attention to Ada, who has a club foot and is determined to learn to walk and even ride a horse.  As Hitler's war ravages through England, Ada learns what true strength is and that her voice is a powerful thing.  Heartbreaking, uplifting, and emotional, The War That Saved My Life is worth a listen!

Jayne Entwistle does a wonderful job of narrating the book!  Every character has a distinct voice, so you always know who is speaking.  She also has a very pleasant accent, which immerses you into the setting of the book.  Even my kids were stuck to their seats listening to what would happen next!  This was an excellent audio book and I'm looking forward to listening to the next one in the series!

Read It: The Track Series by Jason Reynolds

Maybe it's the way he is able to write the way most kids speak.  Maybe it's the fact that I can hear the character's voice so clearly while I'm reading.  Maybe he just writes real books written from the heart.  There hasn't been a Jason Reynolds book that I haven't liked! 

 

 Lu, Jason Reynolds' fourth book in the Track Series is on bookstore shelves everywhere today!  I picked up my copy and instantly regretted not re-reading Ghost, Patina, or Sunny before Lu's debut.  But you can only read so many books at one time, am I right?  Anyhow, this is bittersweet for me because Lu is the final book in the Track Series.  With each character, I have learned so much about them and grown so attached that you don't really want the books to end, but they should at some point.  In this case, I trust the author's judgement... 😊

Track 1: Ghost
Castle Cranshaw, AKA Ghost, is fast!  So fast that he won an impromptu race with the city track team's star sprinter just to see if he could win.  With a little encouragement from their coach, Ghost makes a plan to get his life on track and make his teammates proud.  But living life on the straight and narrow is easier said than done.  Ghost is nominated as one of PBS's best-loved novels in the Great American Read and was also a 2016 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.   Tagline: Running For His Life, Or From It?

Track 2: Patina
Patina "Patty" Jones is the fastest girl on the city track team, the Defenders.  She also has a lot on her plate.  Everything from fitting into a new school where the girls are all "hair flippers" to taking care of her little sister; worrying about her diabetic mom and adjusting to her step-mom.  Running is her relief and she's never going to give that up.  Tagline: Patty Ain't No Junk.

Track 3: Sunny
The 1600m event is Sunny Lancaster's game and wins every time.  Sunny is used to winning, but to him, winning is boring.  So when Coach sets him up for a new event, the discuss throw, Sunny isn't sure what to do.  Being "that kid" who walks to the beat of his own drum, Sunny has to humble himself and think outside of the box to become a winner again.  Tagline: Can He Make The Move To Make New Moves?

Track 4: Lu
Tagline: Sometimes You Gotta Jump Anyway...

I can't wait to sit down and read Lu!  Read this series.  You will fall in love with each of these characters and really enjoy reading how 4 kids from different backgrounds come together to form an unbeatable team. 
 

Book Review: Speechless

What can I say? This book left me... Speechless.

 

13-year-old Jimmy remembers his relationship with his cousin when he is forced to speak at his wake.  This is not an easy task, as Jimmy felt he had nothing in common with his cousin Patrick.  In fact, Jimmy believed that Patrick hated him his whole life.  But as Jimmy recalls the time spent with his cousin, he slowly realizes that perhaps he did have more in common with Patrick than he thought and through this process, he learns more about himself and his family.

Speechless was a book that kept me engaged and it was so well written, that I probably could have read the book in one sitting!  Every chapter introduces a new memory, as Jimmy struggles to find the right one that doesn’t end with Patrick losing his temper or destroying something.  What I enjoyed the most about the book was the little bits of humor that the author sprinkles in to lighten up the theme of a teenager’s death.  The book begins with Jimmy talking about his uncomfortable dress pants and those pants end up haunting him throughout the book.  I also enjoyed how every memory that Jimmy thought about offered a small nugget as to who Patrick really was, especially since his poor behavior overshadowed his intentions most of the time.  This book was a tear-jerker, so make sure to have tissues at the ready!

Fans of Wonder by RJ Palacio, Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt or Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli will enjoy this book.   Thought provoking, honest, and heart breaking, Speechless by Adam Schmitt is a book middle graders shouldn’t miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for allowing me to read this E-ARC.

-->

Book Review: Cogheart

I'm not really sure how or when I became fascinated with steam-punk novels, but I do know that author Cherie Priest is my favorite!  Her Clockwork Century series is not to be missed if you like that Victorian steam-punk, weird historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi sort of thing.  It's been a while since I've read a steam-punk novel, so you could imagine how excited I was to learn about Peter Bunzl and his series the Cogheart Adventures!  

It's Victorian steam-punk for middle grades!  Cogheart by Peter Bunzl is an action-packed mystery that will keep you on your toes!  Young Lily has just learned that her father is missing after his airship mysteriously crashed.  When Madame Verdigris, Lily’s guardian, brings her home from boarding school, everything at home is different and she soon fears that Madame Verdigris is not to be trusted.  Sure enough, Lily finds herself being chased by two mirror-eyed men who mean to do harm if Lily doesn’t answer their questions.  But what do they want?  And why do they want Lily?

A deep, dark secret begins to unfold as Lily, her friend Robert, and her mechanical fox Malkin begin a quest to find Lily’s father and reveal the truth behind the mysterious Cogheart!

Imaginative and full of adventure, I thoroughly enjoyed Cogheart.  There are so many unexpected twists and turns; it will keep you guessing.  There is also a glossary of words for young readers to refer to in case they are unfamiliar with steam-punk terms.  This book will be great for 8-12 year olds and fans of The Series of Unfortunate Events. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Jolly Fish Press for this E-ARC.  I’m looking forward to this book series (Cogheart, Moonlocket, and Skycircus) to be released in the US!

I'll for sure be heading to my local bookstore for this one!  Pick up your own copy of Cogheart on 2/12/2019. 

From THUG Life to HUG Life: Swing is Here!

Today is the day!!  Swing has arrived!!

Now if we weren't in the middle of flooding and torrential rain here in AZ, I would probably already have the physical copy in my hot little hands right now...  But alas!  I must wait a little longer for the UPS man to show up.

Swing is a wonderfully written YA book-in-verse about best friends Walt and Noah.  Walt loves playing baseball, even though he's terrible at it, and he also loves jazz music.  Walt is a positive thinker, a do-er,  a talker.  He's the kind of kid that could make friends with a wall.  His positive attitude is inspirational, so much that he gets a phrase tattooed on his shoulder that expresses his life philosophy: HUG Life.  Not THUG Life, HUG Life!

"You must embrace life with a metaphorical hug, and sometimes a literal hug, to really squeeze the life juice, the goodness, out of living."

Noah is wrapped up in girl troubles.  He has a crush on Samantha, who he and Walt have known since they were kids.  Noah has always been too shy to ask her out and now that Sam is dating the star baseball player, Noah feels like he will never get the chance to tell Sam how he feels.  But Noah is a gifted artist and his art (along with some old love letters) may be his saving grace to finally capture Sam's heart.

"YOU DREW THIS FOR SAM?

No, not for her.

You know what I mean dude. WOW! This is not just a drawing. This is game-changing, paradigm-shifting-ish stuff, Noah!"

This book has everything I look for in an "unputdownable" YA book!  It is written in-verse, so you are able to read a few pages at a time (say, like in a school carpool line) without having to re-set the tone or mood of the book.  It is also written in the language of your typical teenager, which makes the characters very relatable.  The the nervousness of high school crushes keeps you laughing, instances of politics and social injustice keeps you thinking (and questioning), and an unreliable narrator keeps you guessing.  The book also has pictures.  Yes!  Pictures and poetry that help bring everything together.  If you've ever read a Kwame Alexander book, you really look forward to the blackout poetry and other unique nuances that help tell the story.  The way the friendship between Walt and Noah is written is genuine and that is what made me want to read the book straight through.

Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess really have a connection when writing books together.  They co-authored YA novel Solo, as well as a non-fiction book titled Animal Ark: Celebrating our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures.  When reading Swing, you often forget that the book was written by 2 different authors.  I really hope they collaborate on another book soon!

Read Swing and share it with others!  Embrace the HUG Life!

"A setback is a setup waiting for a comeback"

~ Walt Jones in the book Swing ~

THUG Life and Ghost Boys

 I know I am totally late in the game, but I finally managed to pick up The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  It was sitting in my bookshelf for months when I finally decided that it was time to read it.  And yes, I admit that the fact that the movie is coming out soon encouraged me to choose it over something else!

I'm not going to go too much into what the book is about.  Most of you already know!  All I can say is that I don't think I was fully prepared for what The Hate U Give was going to dish out.  Being used to middle grade books, where everything wraps up into a neat little package, THUG didn't quite do that.  We are given answers, but I still had questions.  Ain't that the way life is...

Months before I read THUG, I read Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes.  It's along the same lines, but this is a book geared toward middle grades.   A young black kid named Jerome is shot and killed by a white police officer who mistook a toy gun for a real one.  Jerome comes back as a ghost and meets Emmett Till, who guides Jerome through his life story in order to prevent history from repeating itself.  The twist in the story is that Jerome can be seen by someone living.  Another young person whose life is affected by Jerome's death.  Sarah, the daughter of the white police officer, can see Jerome.  

And so, we have a very complex story about some very serious, very real current events.  

I loved Ghost Boys and so did my youngest, Sophie.  The book made her critically think about the world around her.  She, being 12 years old, is the same age as Jerome when he was killed.  The fact that something similar could happen to her is jolting.  But the difference for me between Ghost Boys and The Hate U Give, was that I still felt uneasy when I finished THUG.  Why is that?

After a long time of processing what I'd read, I resigned to the fact that The Hate U Give is a book for young adults.  It is meant for you to continue asking questions about what you've read.  I suppose I've spent so much time reading middle grade books, that I was looking for that firm closure.  

The main question that kept me thinking was whether or not Officer One-Fifteen felt any remorse for his actions.  How did his life change?  Did he have a family that was affected?  I won't get answers to these questions because this is Starr's story and no one else.  But they are things to think about either way.  The bigger picture...  What can we learn by looking beyond the headlines?

I would LOVE to start a Project LIT program at my kids school!

Our young adults need books like The Hate U Give.  They need to ask themselves questions about the world around them.  They need to look at the bigger picture.  They need to know that there are many sides to one story.  They need to speak up, to have a voice.  They need to read books outside of their comfort zone.  They need to know that there are books about kids like them.  They need more diverse books.

Obviously I need to expand my kid lit to include more young adult.  After all, these are the books that my own kids are reading.  I've already added to my bookshelf One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, and Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I know that each one of these books will keep me guessing, keep me questioning, and keep me engaged.  

Book Review: Astrid the Unstoppable

Astrid: The Little Thunderbolt of Glimmerdal!

Like a beautifully crafted fairy tale, Astrid the Unstoppable by Maria Parr will transport you to a hidden mountain town where anything can happen!  9-year-old Astrid is a spirited child that lives on the snowy hills of Glimmerdal.  In fact, Astrid is the only child that lives in Glimmerdal.  Her best friend is her 70-something year old godfather, Gunnvald, and Astrid wouldn’t have it any other way.   Told in 3rd person, we follow Astrid as she drives the owner of Hagen’s Wellness Retreat crazy, befriends some kids vacationing in Glimmerdal, and discovers a huge secret about Gunnvald; a secret that could damage their friendship forever.  Quoted as a cross between Pippi Longstocking and Heidi, middle grade readers will love adventuring with Astrid!

The first time I read a Maria Parr book was last year when her book Adventures With Waffles was nominated for the Grand Canyon ReaderAward here in AZ.  Her books are translated from Norwegian to English and beg to be read out loud.  Parr’s descriptive writing, along with Guy Puzey’s translation, will take you to another place and before you know it, you are completely engulfed in the story! 

The best part of this book is the friendship that Astrid has with old Gunnvald.  They are both fiery and stubborn, but love each other like family.  Like true best friends, they indulge in each other’s crazy ideas and comfort each other in times of need.

I would recommend this book to kids ages 7 – 12 or 2^rd graders with a high reading level (if reading independently, because of some difficult Norwegian names & words) up to 6^th graders.  I would also recommend this book to parents to read aloud to their children of any age! It is such an enjoyable book!

Astrid the Unstoppable comes out on November 13^th!  Just in time for the holidays!  Pre-order it here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for this E-ARC!  I always love the opportunity to read and review.

Graphic Novel Review: Phoebe and Her Unicorn in Unicorn Theatre

Years ago, Sophie was given a gift from some family friends and the gift was the first two books in the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series.  Ever since then, Soph has been a huge fan of the easy-to-read graphic novels.  They were also AR books, so that was a plus!  These books remind us of Calvin and Hobbes where a little kid gets to go on (mis)adventures with their magical friend.  Even though Sophie is now in 7th grade, she still continues to enjoy the series.  They're fun to read and a great way to give your brain a break from daily life.  

With seven books in the series, Dana Simpson continues to charm graphic novel readers with her newest one: Phoebe and Her Unicorn in Unicorn Theatre!  In this book, Phoebe and her unicorn, Marigold, are headed to drama camp.  But Phoebe is irked when Marigold invites her sister to join them.  Marigold ends up spending all of her time with her sister instead of Phoebe and that’s when the green-eyed monster rears its ugly head.  How will Phoebe fix her friendship with Marigold?  It’s real life drama at drama camp!

Simple illustrations lend a hand in the storytelling in this book.  That, along with large word bubbles will make this a fun read for 2^nd – 4^th graders.  The theme of friendship and dealing with jealousy is straightforward enough for any young reader to understand and take to heart.  Another entertaining one in the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this E-ARC! 

Add book 8 to your collection on October 23rd!  Pre-order Phoebe and Her Unicorn in Unicorn Theater here!

SWING is Almost Here!

I am SO excited that Swing comes out next Tuesday, October 2nd!  Being on the Swing Launch Team has been an awesome experience.  I've talked this book up mostly in person to other kids, but its pretty awesome to see how social media was also able to promote this book. 

I know, your book list is getting longer and the days are getting shorter and you don't have a lot of time to carve out for another book...  Well, I've got some good news for you!  You can now pre-order Swing on Audible!  Audible has just published it's list of The 100 Best Audiobooks for the Fall and Swing is on that list.  Check it!  There are a few on there that I plan to purchase, especially Blended by Sharon Draper.

I'm anxious to hear about what people think about Swing, but I think I'm more excited to finally hold the book in my hands.   I hope you all have had a chance to pre-order a copy for yourself!  If you haven't, it's not too late!  Pre-order here! 😄

Book Review: Beauty and Bernice

What a fun and unique book!  Beauty and Bernice by Nancy Viau follows 12-year-old Bernice, a grungy skater girl with zero social grace.  When Odelia, a real-life princess, and her godmother move into the neighborhood, Bernice can’t help but roll her eyes at this strange girl who wears fancy gowns and a tiara on her head.

Odelia’s godmother insists that she make friends with Bernice, but Bernice is too embarrassed to be seen with a princess.  Odelia flutters around Bernice with a notepad filled with lessons from “Odelia’s Guide to the Social Graces,” making sure that Bernice is always using her manners, making conversation, and using perfect posture.  When one of Odelia’s lessons helps Bernice talk to her skater boy crush, Wyatt, Bernice finds that she could learn a thing or two from Odelia… And soon Odelia finds that she could learn a thing or two from Bernice.

The first thing I thought of as I was reading this book was the Odd Couple.  It was so funny to picture Bernice swatting Odelia away when things got embarrassing, but it was also very heartwarming to see how both girls changed and balanced each other out as their friendship grew.  Two girls from two totally different backgrounds find similarities about each other in more ways than one!

This book is lighthearted and humorous and I would recommend it to 3^rd and 4^th graders or 8-10 year old readers.  It’s a great middle grade book because it focuses mostly on the theme of friendship with a light sprinkle of boy drama. 

Thank you to Schiffer Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this E-ARC.  It is greatly appreciated!

Beauty and Bernice can be pre-ordered here!  It comes out September 28th, 2018.

-->

Book Review: Knock Out

I have no idea how I have never read a K.A. Holt book!  I love books in verse and for some reason I was never exposed to Holt's books.  At another of the many book workshops I attended last year, Knock Out by K.A. Holt was mentioned as a great book for those hesitant 5th - 8th graders.  Not just because it is a book told in verse, but because of things like this:

And this:

Levi was "medically fragile" when he was born and for most of his life, he was treated as such.  Now a 7th grader and virtually cleared of all symptoms from his disease, Levi is ready to take on the world with his best friend, Tam.  But his family and friends fail to see the new and improved Levi.  His brother, Timothy, continues to be overprotective of him and Tam's friend circle expands, leaving Levi feeling like the odd one out.

When Levi's dad encourages him to take up a sport, Levi isn't sure what to choose.  And there's a catch: Levi has to keep his new sport a secret from his mom and Timothy.  Dad suggests boxing and Levi decides to give it a try.  What Levi didn't expect was how much he would love it!  All of the problems he has with his mom, with Timothy, with Tam, with himself... disappear when he's in the ring.

Life gets even better for Levi when he finds out about Xaviers, a school with a competitive boxing team.  And the prospect of creating a new friend group where no one will think of Levi as fragile is tempting.  How will Levi come clean about his new found sport and convince his mom and brother that this school is the place for him?  How can he prove to everyone that he isn't as fragile as they think he is?

Knock Out is a companion novel to House Arrest, which I didn't read before KO.  In my opinion it isn't necessary to read them in order either.  I just fell in love with everything about Knock Out!  The writing, the characters, the word art!  Levi is perennially a positive thinker and although he makes many iffy decisions, you find yourself rooting for this kid the whole way.  I really like how honest Levi is with his emotions, which will make middle school kids relate to his character and his quest for independence.  Knock Out is fast paced and should appeal to 4th - 8th graders or 8 - 12 year old readers.

Book Review: Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas

Boy crushes!  Friend drama!  Annoying twin brother!  Cancer?!  Author Andrea Pyros has an incredible gift of speaking the language of your typical tween.  You can hear that voice in her newest book, Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas.  Josephine and her twin brother, Chance, have just learned that their mother has Stage 2 breast cancer.  While Chance reacts with asking their mom a million questions and trying to understand the disease, Josephine turns inward for fear that saying the word “cancer” out loud will be their mom’s death sentence. 

Josephine refuses to tell anyone, even her best friend Makayla, about her mom being sick.  After all, she hates being the center of attention.  Having a sick mom is a big deal, but so is the fact that Josephine and Chance have been invited to the biggest 7^th grade party of the year!  Josephine struggles with keeping her mom’s cancer a secret from her friends, especially when there’s a big party to plan for.  But when Chance dyes his hair bright pink in support of their mother, Josephine is mortified.  Now EVERYONE knows the big secret!    

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book!  These kinds of books usually aren't my cup of tea.  At first I thought that Josephine was just being a bratty tween, but as you get to know her, you begin to understand her.  It was like peeking into a 7^th grade girl’s head.  The book is well written in the language that many tweens will relate to and the subject of cancer is also written in a modest manner.  This will be a great read for grades 4-7 or ages 9-13.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for providing me with this E-ARC.   Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas will be released on 2/01/2019.  Pre-Order your copy of here!

-->

The Great American Read!

How can you choose just ONE great American read?  If you've been watching the PBS show The Great American Read, you will find that it is so difficult to choose.  Just take a look at the selection here. 

Is this the next Great American Read? I don't know, I never read it... 😂

 Everything from the classics to sci-fi/fantasy to Fifty Shades of Grey?! What's up with that, BTW??  Hey, if that's your thing that's totally cool.  At least you're reading!

My sister and I are totally fascinated with this show, though.  She messaged me last night to see if I was watching and I was so sad to realize that I wasn't tuned in.  Good thing PBS streams the episodes from their website!  I'm going to catch up on it now...  I hope you tune in as well and more importantly, you VOTE for your favorite book!

Learn more about The Great American Read, watch past episodes, and vote!

Book Review: Days of the Dead

Days of the Dead by Kersten Hamilton is a beautiful, complex story about family, tradition, and bravery.  Glorieta Magdalena Davis Espinoza doesn't want the memories of her mother to fade.  No one in her family speaks of her mother, since she is guilty of “mortal sin.”  Now that Glorieta’s father has remarried and her mother’s ashes tucked away, Glorieta decides that her mother deserves a rightful resting place in the town cemetery. 

But tradition prevents her mother from being laid to rest in a proper cemetery. And with Glorieta’s Tia Diosonita as the town’s La Patrona, the boss, there is no way Glorieta will be able to persuade her Tia to give her mother a proper burial.  To make things more problematic, the mounting “odio” (hate) Glorieta feels for her cruel stepsister, Lilith, helps fuel the fire for Glorieta to break tradition.  With the support of her best friend River and her cousin Matteo, Glorieta takes a stand to change the rigid old ways of her town.

I really enjoyed reading this book, even though there are some very heartbreaking parts to it.  It was like peeling away the layers of an onion.  The book touches on everything from grief and fear to religion, folk tales, and tradition.  You really feel for Glorieta because what she wants seems simple: to bury her mother with the rest of the Espinoza family.  It means a lot to her, especially with Dia de los Muertos coming soon.  As the layers of the onion shed, you find out more about Tia Diosonita and why she is so strict in her ways.  You peel even more layers and you find out why Lilith is such a bully.  Even the layers of Glorieta peel away when she experiences something so severe, that it changes the way she thinks about human life.  Once you get to the core of the story, you will find how all of this affects Glorieta and how she uses this new understanding of others to change the town’s deep-rooted ways.  I would recommend this book for grades 4-7.  A great read!

Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing,  Sky Pony Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

-->

A Tour of Our New House!

Well, not really.  Having been a military family, you would think that we would be pros at moving!  But we're not... 😂

The lovely thing about moving, is that you get to purge stuff you don't need or want anymore before they're boxed up.  But in this case, we did a few things out of order.  We found a house up north, put our PHX house on the market, packed everything up, and moved before the new school year began!  We didn't have much time to purge, so we ended up moving a lot of extra boxes of junk that we didn't need.

So here's a partial tour of our new house, as shown to you by our moving boxes!

The basement/office!

The garage!

The kitchen!

The upstairs landing!

Yeah, I know you were probably expecting to see the WHOLE kitchen, or the bedrooms, or the bathrooms, but no.  This is currently my personal hell and I really wanted to share it with you.

But, being the glass-half-full kind of gal, I'm taking advantage of the time I have with these moving boxes.  They won't be here forever!  I successfully sat comfortably inside of a wardrobe box just to see if I could fit.  I put Walter inside of a medium moving box to see if he might like it.  He didn't.  I stacked some bankers boxes filled with books as high as I am tall.  Do you know how many boxes I stacked?  

The answer is 6.  I am as tall as 6 bankers boxes. 😀

I didn't, or haven't yet built a cardboard castle but you never know!  It may seem like I have a lot of time on my hands since I'm not "working," but I don't.  I still spend most of my day reading ARC books and writing reviews, as well as exploring our new neighborhood and town.  So if I can get at least one or two moving boxes opened up and stuff put away on top of whatever else life brings, I will feel successful!

Special thanks to Matt & Kim and their latest album Almost Everyday for being my musical support during this magical time! 🦄

"I'd rather be making memories

Than reminiscing of the past, you see"

~ I'd Rather by Matt & Kim ~