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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories, #6) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I hate that this is the last book in the series. The entire series is so well written & so easy to lose yourself in! The last installment was no exception. This series is a marvelous addition to the world of middle grades books. Chris Colfer is an amazingly talented human being! I for one sure hope he writes more books!
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Kneebone Boy in Books
Jan 15, 2018
What a fantastic little book! I will admit that it took me a few chapters to be hooked in, hence the 4 stars, but once it got going it was a great read. It is definitely a middle grades book but it deals with some rather heady issues...mental illness, abandonment, self perception, confidence. The Hardscrabbles are fascinating characters with all the problems a normal family deals with...even if they do deal with them Ina rather over the top way. I will admit I was surprised by the ending. I can usually figure books like this out and to my delight there were a few surprises in there. Worth the read for sure.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1) in Books
Jul 24, 2019
Fantasy Horror Book marketed for middle school/middle grades
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Katherine Arden is best known for her adult/young adult fantasy novel, The Bear and the Nightingale. With Small Spaces, Katherine Arden ventures into writing for middle school-aged children. This creepy horror book brought me back to my childhood where I stayed up late reading Lois Duncan, Richard Peck, and Joan Lowery Nixon. Those authors, among others, wrote horror books for children that were able to scare you without being gory.
The description of Small Spaces brought to mind the movie Jeepers Creepers 2 - a school bus full of children breaks down and they are in danger of something in the night/dark. That is where the similarities end. Arden teams up 3 students who are classmates but not friends. They leave the bus for the safety of the forest...
This story is tame compared to many of the horror movies children have seen in recent years. It is the innocence of the story while being scary and suspenseful that makes it such an interesting read.
Small Spaces is the first book in her Small Spaces series. The 2nd, Dead Voices, has a release date of August 27, 2019. I preordered it and will review it as soon as possible.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/24/19.
Katherine Arden is best known for her adult/young adult fantasy novel, The Bear and the Nightingale. With Small Spaces, Katherine Arden ventures into writing for middle school-aged children. This creepy horror book brought me back to my childhood where I stayed up late reading Lois Duncan, Richard Peck, and Joan Lowery Nixon. Those authors, among others, wrote horror books for children that were able to scare you without being gory.
The description of Small Spaces brought to mind the movie Jeepers Creepers 2 - a school bus full of children breaks down and they are in danger of something in the night/dark. That is where the similarities end. Arden teams up 3 students who are classmates but not friends. They leave the bus for the safety of the forest...
This story is tame compared to many of the horror movies children have seen in recent years. It is the innocence of the story while being scary and suspenseful that makes it such an interesting read.
Small Spaces is the first book in her Small Spaces series. The 2nd, Dead Voices, has a release date of August 27, 2019. I preordered it and will review it as soon as possible.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/24/19.
Kyera (8 KP) rated Rise of the Isle of the Lost (Descendants #3) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Rise of the Isle of the Lost is the third book in the Descendants series, a collection of books about the kids of the most infamous Disney villains. It is based on the Disney Channel Original Movie by the same name and Rise occurs just before the events of the second movie. It follows the villain kids Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos in Auradon, as well as Uma and her pirate crew on the Isle of the Lost.
The book is a middle school reading level, so it is very simply written. I wasn't particularly impressed with the story or the writing, although the book was enjoyable enough. I chose to read it because I am a fan of Disney and found the premise to be intriguing. The execution was underwhelming, but I feel that younger readers would really enjoy this book. It is perfect for those in grades five to seven. I would recommend it to those that are fans of the movie and suggest that you read it before seeing the second movie, as that is where it falls chronologically.
The book is a middle school reading level, so it is very simply written. I wasn't particularly impressed with the story or the writing, although the book was enjoyable enough. I chose to read it because I am a fan of Disney and found the premise to be intriguing. The execution was underwhelming, but I feel that younger readers would really enjoy this book. It is perfect for those in grades five to seven. I would recommend it to those that are fans of the movie and suggest that you read it before seeing the second movie, as that is where it falls chronologically.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Jerry's Mystery in Books
Jun 18, 2018
Jerry's Mystery by W.W. Rowe is the 3rd book in the series. The book is about Jerry, who is now in 7th grade. This year there is a new kid in the school who is from France. The girls go crazy over his accent and good looks. Jerry has to deal with jealousy and revenge. Jerry's friend, Wilcox, helps him through the difficult time with meditation and looking for the Higher Self. Jerry soon realizes that not everything needs to be dealt with and to always be his better self.
A wonderful book for those in the middle grades having to deal with not being the popular kid anymore, or just dealing the jealousy. This book also helps to teach compassion, even when it is thought it should be given.
In this novel, jealousy, deception, revenge and betrayal are explored in this novel.. Advice is given that helps Jerry come to grips with his feelings. There is also more exposure to what the soul is. This story gives one the opportunity for the reader to think about what to do if in the situations that Jerry has.
A wonderful book for those in the middle grades having to deal with not being the popular kid anymore, or just dealing the jealousy. This book also helps to teach compassion, even when it is thought it should be given.
In this novel, jealousy, deception, revenge and betrayal are explored in this novel.. Advice is given that helps Jerry come to grips with his feelings. There is also more exposure to what the soul is. This story gives one the opportunity for the reader to think about what to do if in the situations that Jerry has.
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated The Secret Sisters Club (Ginnie West Adventures, #1) in Books
Feb 24, 2021
Going into this book I was not sure what to expect, as I do not often read books where the main character is in middle grades. It is the first book in a series about Ginny West and the adventures she goes on while growing up (think Christy Miller Series by Robin Jones Gunn, only geared toward a younger audience. So, the book is filled with real-life examples, valuable lessons, and interesting dialogue between Ginny and her crew of characters. This book deals with Ginny figuring out how to get a new mom and making a packed with her best friend Tilly over how to accomplish this goal. It was cute and a good lesson in second chances, dealing with your emotions and growing up.
I enjoyed this story, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series to learn more about Ginny’s adventures. 4 out of 5 stars for the creative storyline, fun characters, and applicable life lessons.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
I enjoyed this story, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series to learn more about Ginny’s adventures. 4 out of 5 stars for the creative storyline, fun characters, and applicable life lessons.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The New Enchantress (Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions #3) in Books
Jun 5, 2021
Suppose you're looking for a good fantasy or girl hero for your middle-grade children. This book "The New Enchantress" is a good one to have. It is about a girl named Alyssa who gets caught with lasting powers that she can not lose.
The first two books are must-reads and introduce us to Alyssa and her adventures. This book is the third in the series and continues Alyssa's journey with her newfound powers. She seems to signify hexing with uncontrollable forces.
Will Alyssa learn lessons and find a way to figure out how to control her newfound powers? Simon tells her that she will need to learn how to control her emotions and her magic promo. Or she will be enslaved to Boo Champ Cory. Will she and her friends learn the lesson they need to know. Will their friendship end?
Alyssa occurs put to the test. How will the magical mission do and take for Alyssa to succeed? Or will Alyssa start to forget her loved one and never remember? Boo Champ Cory and allies seem to have a plan, but will it work?
The plot gets more interesting once the twist and turns start to happen. When chaos strikes, will Alyssa and her allies come out on top, or will they not. This book is excellent for teens and girls alike. There is some trouble that you will be hoping for Alyssa to figure out her problems but will see in time. Will she beat her enemies, or will she not.
The story starts slow, but it gets more entertaining as it goes. My rating remains based on that which is a 4.5 stars (Moons) rating. There are several twists and turns and somewhat starts at the beginning. I do wonder what will happen and if the author will add another book. This series is good to have on your teen bookshelves or middle-grade child or children bookshelves. It does seem to deal with what some middle grades need to deal with friends and even their own emotions and feelings.
The first two books are must-reads and introduce us to Alyssa and her adventures. This book is the third in the series and continues Alyssa's journey with her newfound powers. She seems to signify hexing with uncontrollable forces.
Will Alyssa learn lessons and find a way to figure out how to control her newfound powers? Simon tells her that she will need to learn how to control her emotions and her magic promo. Or she will be enslaved to Boo Champ Cory. Will she and her friends learn the lesson they need to know. Will their friendship end?
Alyssa occurs put to the test. How will the magical mission do and take for Alyssa to succeed? Or will Alyssa start to forget her loved one and never remember? Boo Champ Cory and allies seem to have a plan, but will it work?
The plot gets more interesting once the twist and turns start to happen. When chaos strikes, will Alyssa and her allies come out on top, or will they not. This book is excellent for teens and girls alike. There is some trouble that you will be hoping for Alyssa to figure out her problems but will see in time. Will she beat her enemies, or will she not.
The story starts slow, but it gets more entertaining as it goes. My rating remains based on that which is a 4.5 stars (Moons) rating. There are several twists and turns and somewhat starts at the beginning. I do wonder what will happen and if the author will add another book. This series is good to have on your teen bookshelves or middle-grade child or children bookshelves. It does seem to deal with what some middle grades need to deal with friends and even their own emotions and feelings.
Louise (64 KP) rated Beautiful Broken Things in Books
Jul 2, 2018
This is Sara Barnard's debut novel and a good one at that! Beautiful broken things is an emotional rollercoaster, you are literally up and down on this suspenseful ride, With friendship, self discovery, school, family and abuse this novel certainly packs a punch!
Caddy has been best friends with Rosie for over 10 years despite attending different schools. Calling each other throughout the week and spending the weekends together they couldn't be closer, until Caddy is introduced to Suzanne a new girl from Rosie's school. Jealous of Rosie's new friendship she doesn't instantly take to her, Suzanne is pretty, bold, exciting and totally different from what Caddy is used to. Slowly Suzanne starts to reveal things about herself and the issues that she is hiding from her friends. With this new found knowledge Caddy suddenly sees Suzanne in a different light and wants to help her but also be involved in this interesting girls life and so their friendship blossoms but threatens to break them all apart for good.
Caddy goes to Esther's which is an all girls private school, she is on a tight leash with her parents, paying thousands of pounds per term for her education they are expecting A grades. With all work and no play nothing significant has happened in Caddy's life, she makes a vow for that to end this year and Suzanne is there to help. People around caddy don't think their friendship is a good idea as Suzanne is 'troubled' and leading her astray. Caddy is very naive and hasn't really be involved with boys or been to house parties but with her new-found friend and wanting to fit in she gets more involved and really comes out of her shell.
Suzanne is beautiful, funny and also a "troubled" teenager, living with her aunt starts speculation as to why this is. With a history of abuse, Suzanne is broken and is what people would call a bad influence, she drinks, she goes around with any boy who will have her and when things get tough she runs away. As she becomes friends with Caddy she is pulling her towards her way of life. Caddy would never have dreamt of climbing out of her window in the middle of the night or randomly catching a train without knowing the destination. But in her bid to help Suzanne she feels she has to be with her every step of the way.
This book explores the true meaning of friendship and love between teenage girls. This is a coming of age story with no romance involved and scarily realistic. It portrays mental health and teenagers sensitively and honest.
I loved that this book was set in the UK it felt so more relatable and exciting when your hometown gets referenced in the book.
There things that let down the book for me were the details of the abuser, there wasn't really any detail whether the abuser had been arrested or why Suzanne had or hadn't reported the abuser. It was sort of just glimpsed over this and neither Caddy nor Rosie questioned it which I thought was a little odd. Caddy was very annoying at points and was making some stupid decisions,I felt like shaking her and telling her to stop! JUST STOP!
I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a realistic portrayal of mental health in young adults.
I rated this 4 out of 5 stars
Caddy has been best friends with Rosie for over 10 years despite attending different schools. Calling each other throughout the week and spending the weekends together they couldn't be closer, until Caddy is introduced to Suzanne a new girl from Rosie's school. Jealous of Rosie's new friendship she doesn't instantly take to her, Suzanne is pretty, bold, exciting and totally different from what Caddy is used to. Slowly Suzanne starts to reveal things about herself and the issues that she is hiding from her friends. With this new found knowledge Caddy suddenly sees Suzanne in a different light and wants to help her but also be involved in this interesting girls life and so their friendship blossoms but threatens to break them all apart for good.
Caddy goes to Esther's which is an all girls private school, she is on a tight leash with her parents, paying thousands of pounds per term for her education they are expecting A grades. With all work and no play nothing significant has happened in Caddy's life, she makes a vow for that to end this year and Suzanne is there to help. People around caddy don't think their friendship is a good idea as Suzanne is 'troubled' and leading her astray. Caddy is very naive and hasn't really be involved with boys or been to house parties but with her new-found friend and wanting to fit in she gets more involved and really comes out of her shell.
Suzanne is beautiful, funny and also a "troubled" teenager, living with her aunt starts speculation as to why this is. With a history of abuse, Suzanne is broken and is what people would call a bad influence, she drinks, she goes around with any boy who will have her and when things get tough she runs away. As she becomes friends with Caddy she is pulling her towards her way of life. Caddy would never have dreamt of climbing out of her window in the middle of the night or randomly catching a train without knowing the destination. But in her bid to help Suzanne she feels she has to be with her every step of the way.
This book explores the true meaning of friendship and love between teenage girls. This is a coming of age story with no romance involved and scarily realistic. It portrays mental health and teenagers sensitively and honest.
I loved that this book was set in the UK it felt so more relatable and exciting when your hometown gets referenced in the book.
There things that let down the book for me were the details of the abuser, there wasn't really any detail whether the abuser had been arrested or why Suzanne had or hadn't reported the abuser. It was sort of just glimpsed over this and neither Caddy nor Rosie questioned it which I thought was a little odd. Caddy was very annoying at points and was making some stupid decisions,I felt like shaking her and telling her to stop! JUST STOP!
I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a realistic portrayal of mental health in young adults.
I rated this 4 out of 5 stars
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated She Was The Quiet One in Books
Mar 11, 2019
Interesting read if a bit predictable
After the death of their mother, twins Rose and Bel Enright wind up at Odell Academy in New Hampshire. They are sent by their wealthy grandmother, who has no idea what to do with the teenagers now foisted upon her. Rose is the good twin--good grades, good friends, good behavior. Bel, on the other hand, is known for going a bit wild. But it was Bel their mother favored--much to Rose's consternation. Floundering after the loss of their mother, Bel winds up with the wrong crowd at school and then turns on Rose when she calls her out on it. Meanwhile, Heath and Sarah Donovan have been brought in to clean up Moreland Hall, the dormitory where the twins are staying. It has developed a reputation for trouble. It's a daunting task, especially since so many of the girls come from storied, rich Odell families. Both Sarah and Heath are Moreland alums--they met at the school--and not all of their memories are pleasant. As for Heath, his dreams extend far beyond teaching high school English. But something in his past holds him back; he's hoping to parlay their time at Moreland into something more. But soon things at Moreland--and Odell--are out of control, with the Enright twins and the Donovans right in the middle of all the trouble.
From the beginning of the novel, we immediately know that an Enright sister is dead, but not which one. The narration from Bel, Rose, and Sarah is interspersed with snippets from police interviews, as we try to piece together exactly what happened to lead to murder. This was perhaps my favorite part of the story--trying to figure out who had been killed--and why the other sister is the prime suspect. The format of the novel is very well-done and extremely compelling.
In the beginning, some of the dialogue seemed stilted: I couldn't imagine the sisters really talking to each other in particular ways, for instance. Rose and Bel's instant fighting seemed rash, and it was hard to take. In fact, the entire boarding school drama seemed a little too much, at times. I understand the fact that girls can quickly turn on each other--especially when they all live together--but the twins threatening to kill each other over a sweater? It was tough and it was a lot of drama, so fast, so often. Rose was incredibly prissy and tough to like for a lot of the novel. And then poor Sarah, who was such a doormat, with an incredible lack of judgement--she was a hard character to find sympathy for as well.
The novel also seemed to march toward a fairly inevitable conclusion. I kept waiting for a big twist or surprise to throw me off and while the epilogue offered a little bit of that, there really wasn't much. The book focuses more on the unraveling of the families than twists and turns, and that was a little disappointing for me. I like to be thrown off the trail a few times.
Still, I really enjoyed the format of this one: wondering and waiting to find out who was dead, along with the pieces from the interviews. I liked the boarding school setting and how it added to the story. While I didn't always enjoy all the characters, I really came to feel for for Bel Enright, and I did sympathize with Rose, as well. Even if things were fairly predictable, Campbell kept me reading and interested the entire time. 3+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
From the beginning of the novel, we immediately know that an Enright sister is dead, but not which one. The narration from Bel, Rose, and Sarah is interspersed with snippets from police interviews, as we try to piece together exactly what happened to lead to murder. This was perhaps my favorite part of the story--trying to figure out who had been killed--and why the other sister is the prime suspect. The format of the novel is very well-done and extremely compelling.
In the beginning, some of the dialogue seemed stilted: I couldn't imagine the sisters really talking to each other in particular ways, for instance. Rose and Bel's instant fighting seemed rash, and it was hard to take. In fact, the entire boarding school drama seemed a little too much, at times. I understand the fact that girls can quickly turn on each other--especially when they all live together--but the twins threatening to kill each other over a sweater? It was tough and it was a lot of drama, so fast, so often. Rose was incredibly prissy and tough to like for a lot of the novel. And then poor Sarah, who was such a doormat, with an incredible lack of judgement--she was a hard character to find sympathy for as well.
The novel also seemed to march toward a fairly inevitable conclusion. I kept waiting for a big twist or surprise to throw me off and while the epilogue offered a little bit of that, there really wasn't much. The book focuses more on the unraveling of the families than twists and turns, and that was a little disappointing for me. I like to be thrown off the trail a few times.
Still, I really enjoyed the format of this one: wondering and waiting to find out who was dead, along with the pieces from the interviews. I liked the boarding school setting and how it added to the story. While I didn't always enjoy all the characters, I really came to feel for for Bel Enright, and I did sympathize with Rose, as well. Even if things were fairly predictable, Campbell kept me reading and interested the entire time. 3+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).