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Book Reviews

This is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew

6/1/2020

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Thank you Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the free advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
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This is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew is a part of the Pocket Change Collective Series.  This tiny book is packed with anecdotes and lessons on how to take a passion, like art, and turn it into activism.  Drew reminds her readers that "art and protest will forever be bound together.  And the beautiful thing about art, like activism, is that it allows us space to be curious and learn."  She is humble in her explanation, reiterating that one person can contribute, but it takes a collective to truly start change.

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The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

5/1/2020

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Thanks Libro.fm for the free copy through your Educator ALC program!
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I literally devoured this book in one setting as I did yard work this afternoon. I was hesitant about if I would like this book narrated in a 10 year old’s voice, but once I got into the story I loved it.  It's full of heart and great talking points for any middle grader going through a transition time in his or her life.

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Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder

4/26/2020

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​First and foremost, thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a free copy of Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder.
You’ve really made me love being a #penguinteenpartner with this latest read!
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Dancing at the Pity Party is a graphic novel I wish I had been given years ago.  Having lost my dad nearly 13 years ago (only 2 years before Feder lost her mother), I could relate to so many emotions and moments in this story.  I’ve never been able to articulate how it feels to meet someone who is also a part of the Dead Parents Club, but Feder does it perfectly.  The way she explains the connections you find by meeting people who “know” what those experiences are like because they’ve been there too is the most relatable thing I’ve read in a long time.  There is an unspeakable bond that you find with those friends, and I found it again while reading this book.

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Guest Review: The Grand Tour by Ben Bova

6/26/2018

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Photo taken by RAN
I think we all can agree that book people are the best people, and you should definitely date one if you get the chance.  Lucky for me, I snagged someone who is almost as much as a bookworm as I am.  A few weeks ago he finished a series he has been reading for the better part of my knowing him.  In today's guest review, he covers that series and a genre I have been neglecting lately: science-fiction.  I'm very excited to share his thoughts on this series (especially since it was my library card that was used to check out many of these titles).  

​Without further ado, please welcome my first guest reviewer, Rayce, with his review of Ben Bova's The Grand Tour!

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When the Beat Drops by Anna Hecker

6/25/2018

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Thank you to BookSparks and author, Anna Hecker, for sending me a free copy of When the Beat Drops in exchange for an honest review in the #readbythesea2018 blog tour. All opinions are my own.
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If I could describe When the Beat Drops in just a few words, I’d have to choose friendship, sisterhood, unconditional love, personal trials, and, of course, music! Best consumed while listening to your favorite EDM DJ, it’s perfect for fans of Love, Hate, and Other Filters and Listen to Your Heart! Read more to find out why I found myself unable to put down this lovely YA novel.

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The Dead Inside by Cyndy Drew Etler

5/21/2018

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Thank you to @kidlitexchange for providing me with a free copy of The Dead Inside to read in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.  All opinions are my own.
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The Dead Inside is not like any other book I’ve read for Kid Lit Exchange.  It’s heavy and heart wrenching, providing a glimpse into the 16-month stay the author, Cyndy Drew Etler, had at a place called Straight Inc.  Straight Inc. is described as a horrific place, where all free will and reason were thrown out the door. After a few wrong decisions and years of conflict in her home, Etler’s mother and step-father sent her to the “rehab” facility, telling her she was going to boarding school.  What follows is Etler’s degrading and painful account of the ways Straight Inc. attempted to change who they thought she was into an unfeeling, emotionless lemming.

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The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

3/26/2018

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Thank you to @kidlitexchange for providing @bookedupblog with a free copy of The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own. ​
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One of the most delightful middle grade reads I’ve read in a long time, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser takes us into the heart and home of the Vanderbeekers at Christmastime.  All is merry and bright, until the family learns their landlord is refusing to renew their lease and they must be out by the end of the month. The 5 Vanderbeeker children take matters into their own hands, showing their unique personalities and talents in an attempt to change their Scrooge-like landlord’s mind before it’s too late.  Each character is charming in their own way. Great for the classroom or for independent reading, this middle grade novel will teach kiddos never to give up when faced with the impossible and to never judge a book by its cover.

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Sit by Deborah Ellis

1/19/2018

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Thank you to @kidlitexchange and Groundwood Books for a free advanced copy of Sit in exchange for my honest review.  
All opinions are my own.
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Sit is a powerful collection of stories, all connected by one theme: the ways we sit and observe the world.  Author Deborah Ellis shares the experience of seven children as they try to understand the situations they find themselves in and the world at large.  Each is faced with a choice: to continue to sit or to stand up and take action.  I truly enjoyed this collection and found several ways in which older middle grade and young adults could connect and relate.  Read on to hear what I loved, what I didn't enjoy, and my rating!

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

11/29/2017

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I have to admit, I was more than hesitant to pick up Celeste Ng’s sophomore novel, Little Fires Everywhere.  Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You, left a bad taste in my mouth with the narrative style, the characters without redeeming qualities, and just the plot as a whole.  When my in-person book club chose it as the November pick, I begrudgingly picked up a copy to read.  I even put off reading it until the day of the book club, but by the time I was through the first chapter I was kicking myself for waiting so long.  Little Fires Everywhere shines everywhere I felt Ng’s first novel fell flat.  I’m not usually a fan of complicated family novels, but this is one I truly enjoyed.  There’s at least one character in here for everyone, and the plot was built for discussions.  It only took me 24 hours to read this book, and it’s going to be in my top ten of 2017 at least.  I’m going to spoil my review and tell you that I’m giving it 4.5 stars, but you can check out the full review to see why.

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The Bug Boys vs. Professor Blake Blackhart by Stewart Hoffman

10/29/2017

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Thank you to @kidlitexchange for providing the free copy of The Bug Boys vs. Professor Blake Blackhart by @shoffman3572 in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.
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In this second installment from author Stewart Hoffman, The Bug Boys vs. Professor Blake Blackhart continues the adventure of Alex and Ian, two boys who gain special abilities of every bug they ingest.  This time around, they face Blake Blackhart, a disgraced Oxford professor who has discovered the boys’ secret and is using it to commit dastardly deeds all over the village!  Before his plan to take over the galaxy using the alien technology, Alex and Ian must find a way to use their abilities and their tiny alien friends to stop their first real villain.  Another laugh-out-loud novel from @shoffman3572, I really enjoyed reading more about Alex and Ian’s story.  Hoffman takes the best parts of his first novel and amps them up in the second, leaving me wanting even more from these unlikely heroes.  (Yes, I even enjoyed the footnotes in this one!)  I said it once and I’ll say it again, The Bug Boys novels are great for all kiddos that enjoy superheroes, robots, bugs, and aliens!  There’s even humor for the adults reading along too.  I’m giving it 4 out of this world stars out of 5!
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