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Book Reviews

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West

5/29/2018

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Thank you to @kidlitexchange and @kasiewest for providing me with a free copy of Listen to Your Heart to read in exchange for an unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.
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Kate Bailey isn’t an extrovert.  Instead of hanging out with friends like a “normal” teenager she’d rather be on her family’s lake, alone with her thoughts, the sun, and the water.  Kate finds herself pushed out of her comfort zone when she is chosen to co-host the school’s podcast so she can give advice to her fellow students. Kate is hesitant at first, but finds that she’s pretty good at both listening and giving thoughtful advice, that is until an anonymous caller asks about a topic she has little experience in: love.  Kate thinks she knows the caller interested in her best friend, Alana, and the more time Kate spends with who she thinks is the caller, the more she herself falls for him.  I loved this fun summer romance, and I think you will too! 

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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 Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente

5/10/2018

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Thank you to @kidlitexchange for providing @bookedupblog with a free copy of The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente  in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own. ​
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For all of you who just love a good fantasy about your favorite classic authors, look no further than The Glass Town Game!  Young Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell Brontë find themselves in the middle of their make-believe games after a train-ride whisks them away to a life-size version!  The fictional Glass Town comes to life complete with the Bronte’s favorite toy soldiers! The siblings soon realize their delightful childhood games are much more serious than they initially imagined, and one wrong step could mean life or death.  
A tome of a middle-grade novel, I gave this fantasy three stars. While it’s marketed to grades 4-7 due to the attitudes, adventures, ages of the main characters, I think the language and the length are a bit too daunting for that age range.  This book seems to appeal more to adults who have enjoyed the works and history of the Bronte’s, yet would also like some fantastical fiction based on their lives. While Valente is a beautiful writer, I think this one is better left for a more mature middle-grade reader.  It’s a great challenge for your more bookwormy middle-grade kiddos or for a read-along! 

TL/DR: At 500+ pages, you may need to convince your younger readers to give this historical fantasy a try.  If anything, you’ll enjoy reading it as an adult!

Rating: 3/5 stars
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Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading

5/2/2018

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Thank you to Book Publicity Services and the author, Iain Reading, for providing me with free copy of Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.
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If you were a fan of Nancy Drew but thought the only thing missing was a bit more adventure-look no further than Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold!  Kitty is a brave young pilot with the desire to prove herself. She leaves her small Canadian fishing village to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales from her plane high above.  Little does Kitty know she will encounter more than whales! She faces a motley crew of criminals, stolen gold, and maybe a real-life curse! Kitty’s adventure is full of history, action, and mystery-a perfect combination for any age.  

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Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman

4/27/2018

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I haven’t always been a fan of The Bachelor.  I used to think it was crummy television, but after I moved in with girls that love the show I found myself watching too.  Now I’m knee-deep in roses, fantasy suits, and Neil Lane diamonds (okay, I wish on that last one, but you know what I mean).  The thing is-I don’t think I like it for the right reasons, which is why I couldn’t wait to read Amy Kaufman’s behind-the-scenes look at the franchise.  Read more to see if I gave Bachelor Nation a final rose and why I still watch The Bachelor! ​

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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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Colorblind by Leah Harper Bowron

3/9/2018

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Thank you to Spark Press for a free copy of Colorblind in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.
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Colorblind by Leah Harper Bowron transports readers back to Montgomery, Alabama, 1968, where a small all-white elementary school becomes one of the first to integrate its halls with their first African-American teacher.  Told from the point of view of one of her students, Miss Loomis experiences prejudice and racism like she’s never seen before.  But her student, Lisa, is determined to make her feel comfortable and wanted despite the opinions and actions of the other teachers, students, and even Lisa’s mother.  Lisa knows what it’s like to be outcast and bullied for the way she looks, but she’s never seen the people she knows and loves be so mean before.  Filled with multiple opportunities to talk about prejudice of all shapes and sizes, Colorblind is a middle grade book that takes a look at what one young person can do in the face of adversity.

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Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

3/5/2018

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This is going to be a rare moment where I take the time to share about a book that I did not like.  In 2018, I made a goal to read more graphic novels. No set number and no set parameters. Just more. Fun Home was one that had been on my radar for a while.  After the recommendation of several friends on Instagram to pick it up, I was happy to find it nestled among the shelves of my local library while I was browsing.  It seemed like it was meant to be. Until it wasn’t.

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Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas

3/2/2018

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Thank you to @kidlitexchange for a free copy of Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas in exchange for an honest review.
​ All opinions are my own.
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Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life is a perfect read if you grew up reading or watching Little House on the Prairie.  It brought a flood of nostalgic feelings back to my reading life, leaving me wanting to go back and reread (and rewatch) the original.  Tougas highlights all the ways in which Laura Ingalls Wilder portrays life on the prairie, including many ways in which she misrepresents the people and the experience.  

​The main character, Charlotte, moves to Walnut Grove with her twin brother, little sister, and their dog’s ashes after their mother has a dream about Laura Ingalls Wilder.  As a writer, Charlotte’s mom needs the inspiration only Laura’s childhood can provide, causing upheaval in everyone’s lives, especially Charlotte’s.
When they finally arrive, however, Charlotte’s mom begins to spiral into a depression, struggles to write about the prairie, and breaks her promises to her children.  Blaming Laura for all her family problems, Charlotte expresses her disdain for Walnut Grove in an essay assignment, explaining in detail all the ways Laura has ruined her life.  

Perfect for adults needing a tug on their nostalgic heartstrings and middle-grade readers that want to see how life on the prairie compares to the past, check out why you should read Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life​.

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Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan

2/15/2018

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Thank you to Book Publicity Services for providing me with a free copy of Pigeon-Blood Red in exchange for an an honest review.  
​All opinions are my own.
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Pigeon-Blood Red takes readers into the world of heists, adultery, and double-crossers.  Written as a high-intensity crime thriller, this was totally unfamiliar territory for my reading tastes.  I was excited to see where hitman “Rico” Sanders would take me-and what he would do to whoever got in his way.  Filled with quick-tempers, each character finds themselves in the middle of a con gone wrong.  Ed Duncan writes a story that could easily be set in the early 1900’s rather than the early 2000’s, showing that some stories can stand the test of time.  This would be a good read for anyone who is a fan of the Bourne trilogy. There's action, adventure, shootouts, and crime-everything a thriller could ask for! You can see what I thought of the characters and the plot with the full review!

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