Month: June 2018

REVIEW: Bodyguard: Recruit by Chris Bradford

REVIEW: Bodyguard: Recruit by Chris Bradford

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Connor Reeves is a teenaged martial arts champion. He lives in the shadow of his dad who died a “hero” even though Connor doesn’t know what happened to him. But Connor has a similar nature evidenced by his coming to the aid of a boy being mugged in an alleyway.

Connor’s rescue attempt puts him on the radar of the Guardian program. Guardian trains kids to serve as bodyguards to other kids. Another kid can blend in, seeing things that other professional security might miss.

This makes Connor a perfect candidate for protecting the President’s daughter. Bristling from being under constant surveillance, Alicia Mendez can be unpredictable and difficult to protect. She knows the need for her Secret Service team intellectually, but she doesn’t see the danger around her that makes them essential. But since she thinks Connor is only an English exchange student, he will be able to stay close enough to her to hopefully keep her safe. And that will be important because Alicia is definitely in danger.

Review

I first heard about this book when I read about the publicity campaign. The first four books in this series were released simultaneously. (In fact, originally, it seems these were published in the UK as two novels, but they were split into 4 for the US release.) I appreciate not having to wait 6-12 months to see what happens next.

Connor is a fantastic character. I would have loved more time with his full team at Guardian, but I know it was important to get Connor onto his assignment in the US.

The First Daughter is a typical teen. And her frustration over her limits is understandable. But her flippancy over the need for her protection was really frustrating for me as a reader. I know it makes for a fun story, but it was aggravating to watch her risk everything to rebel and push back against her limits.

I was chomping at the bit to get to book 2. You can tell this was originally part of a larger story arc. This ends on a major cliffhanger and a twist. If you are getting this book for a kid, be sure to get the books two at a time so the reader can enjoy the full arc. I enjoyed book two – Hostage – just as much. Tons of great action. The First Daughter is still extremely frustrating, but it makes for good suspense. I enjoyed both of the first two books in this series (in the US) – the whole series is likely to be very popular with readers who enjoy action and suspense.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: June 12, 2018

BOOK NEWS: June 12, 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

Welcome to another week of new books! It’s stunning to think of the sheer volume of books releasing each month, on top of the ones already out in the world. Sometimes it can get overwhelming, but I just can’t squelch the excitement of new stories being discovered week after week. Here are some of the books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

Don’t Eat That – A bear is trying to find just the right snack to quiet his rumbling tummy. This looks adorable.
Fruit Bowl – Tomato wants to join the rest of the fruits in the fruit bowl. This is the picture book I am most excited about this week – and there are a lot of fantastic picture books on the list!
Play – Little Bobo is supposed to be getting ready for bed, but he would rather play with the other animals. We read Hug to my son when he was little along with the Teddy and Freddy books, and they became family favorites. I’m looking forward to seeing this latest book in person.
Pretty Kitty – A counting book about a man who finds a kitty on his doorstep. Then there are two kitties. So excited about this one.
Stegothesaurus – From the author of Mustache Baby and Mustache Baby Meets His Match comes a new book about a dinosaur who loves words. Yes, please!
Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain – A picture book biography of an 18th century mathematician who overcame many obstacles to do the work that she loved. Sounds fantastic! I adore picture book biographies, especially of people I’ve not heard of before.
Silverlake Art Show – Book 13 in the Adventures of Sophie Mouse series for kids ready for chapter books. I loved this series so much, I put the books into the school library, and my students loved them too. This time Sophie decides to host an art show. If I was still teaching, this would already be in my Amazon cart for school books.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Legend of Greg: An Epic Series of Failures – A boy who loves being ordinary discovers he is anything but when he finds out he is a Dwarf. He is whisked away to the underground land of Dwarves (under Chicago) and discovers a history of his kind filled with failures. But all of that may be about to change. This looks like just the sort of fantasy book I adore. I’ll be looking for this one!
The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair – A girl and her family move to Iowa hoping the familiar surroundings will aid her mother in getting her memories back. This was lovely and heartbreaking. I’ll be reviewing this one later this summer.
The Wizard’s Dog Fetches the Grail – Book 2 in the Wizard’s Dog series which has been compared to the delightful Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. In this book, Nosewise the dog, his pack, his Wizard, Merlin, and others are on the hunt for the Holy Grail. I have book one in this series on my library list because this looks fantastic!
Science Comics – Rockets: Defying Gravity – The latest science-based graphic novel in this series focuses on Rockets
All That I Can Fix – A young man from the family that everyone in town talks about shares his story of family, friends and the exotic zoo animals that have been set loose in his town. I’m curious to see how this one plays out.

Books for Adults

The Body in the Ballroom – Book 2 in the Alice Roosevelt Mysteries. Alice Roosevelt was the wild child offspring of Teddy Roosevelt. I have loved reading about her in historical references, but I haven’t yet tried this mystery series starring Alice. Book one is on my list. (Hardcover*)
Death and a Pot of Chowder – A woman discovers a sister she never knew before and the two team up to look into a murder. I love this idea of these two strangers getting to know one another while trying to find justice for someone’s murder. This is on my library list. (Hardcover*)
The Love Letter – From the author of the fantastic The Writing Desk comes another story told from two perspectives in different time periods. In this book, one perspective is from an actress in a contemporary movie based on an old love letter. The other perspective is from the Revolutionary War. I’ll be reviewing this one in a couple weeks. (Trade paperback*)
The Spook in the Stacks – Book 4 in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. This book is about a Halloween homicide and a set of rare historical documents. I haven’t tried this series yet, but I have book one on my TBR shelves. (Hardcover*)
A Study in Treason – Book 2 in the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series. I enjoyed book one, so book 2 is definitely on my wish list! The focus this time is on a missing treaty between England and France. (Hardcover*)
Switch and Bait – A woman running an online dating service for the most eligible bachelorettes in Washington DC swears off love for herself. In fact, she is so confident in her singleness, she’ll match a client with one of her own exes. This sounds like a fun romantic comedy. Sometimes I like to set the mysteries aside for a fun love story.
Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again – I have been following Rachel Held Evans on social media for awhile, and I really like her style. I might not agree with her on everything, but she is someone I am willing to listen to and consider her perspective. I am especially looking forward to her new book on the Bible. This is already in my Amazon cart!

 

*I’ve noticed that publishers have shifted some of their new mystery series to Trade paperback (full size paperback with a sale price around $15 or $16) or hardcover (with a sale price around $25) instead of Mass Market paperback which runs around $8. When I think of it, I’ll try to note the format so readers can plan their book budgets – and trips to the library – accordingly.

REVIEW: Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner

REVIEW: Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Ever since her brother Nick’s death, everything in Brynn’s life has been falling apart. Once a strong student, Brynn’s grades have dropped so low she can’t do the school newspaper, the only school activity she ever really cared about. Brynn’s girlfriend broke up with her, citing “too much drama.” And she can’t do anything right at home. Her step-father is horrible, her mom never stands up for her, and her father is so disconnected he didn’t even show up for Nick’s funeral.

Brynn’s focus is mostly on getting to her 18th birthday so she can move out of her house and maybe even quit school.  But some local events have her longing for the days she was working on the paper, reporting on the truth.  To get that back, she has to get her grades back up. Towards that end, Brynn starts writing emails to TV personality Rachel Maddow for a school assignment. At first she picks Maddow because it infuriates her conservative mom and step-father. But Brynn finds comfort in composing the emails though she only sends the first couple for the official school assignment. She knows that she feels better when she can write out her thoughts. But the exercise awakens new skills and passions in Brynn that take the school – and Brynn – by surprise. And nothing at Westing High will ever be quite the same again.

Review

This book was not a great fit for me as a reader. If I had not committed to reviewing this, I probably would not have finished. But then I would have missed a few great moments, so I am glad I stuck with it.

I enjoy the email storytelling format; I’ve seen that used a lot lately, and when it is done well, it’s lots of fun. And this book used the format fairly well. There were occasionally some emails thrown in that were not between Brynn and Rachel, which was jarring to the reading process – I had to stop and figure out who was writing to whom because the voice and tone changed – but it ultimately helped tell the larger story. I also enjoyed watching Brynn get fired up about school politics and being a voice for the voiceless at her school. This was the piece that made the reading time worthwhile for me.

Unfortunately I didn’t really connect with any of the characters in this except for the English teacher and the janitor. And characters are everything for me as a reader. The romantic storyline wasn’t a good fit for me. It wasn’t any different than a heterosexual romance in another book except when the characters in this one tried to make Brynn’s sexuality scandalous. The matter-of-fact nature of Brynn’s sexuality will be affirming to readers looking for books with gay romance in the storyline.

This is a well-written story that will really click with the right audience. There is a lot of foul language – both swearing and crass references – that may impact some readers (although the English teacher’s response to the language is amusing).

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies by Darci Hannah

REVIEW: Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies by Darci Hannah

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Midnight Ink in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Whitney is a little stunned to think one feminine hygiene ad could cause so much trouble. But sure enough, here she stands, in front of her old agency, selling cherry treats that she baked in her kitchen, begging her old boss to give her her job back. To no avail.

When Whitney’s mom calls to say someone has been murdered in the family cherry orchard – and Whitney’s dad is the prime suspect – Whitney drops what little bit of a life she has in Chicago to head home to Wisconsin.

There’s a lot to love about Cherry Cove. The family inn and cherry orchard are precious places to Whitney. Her two best friends and her parents and grandmother live in Cherry Cove. On the down side, so does Tate, the guy who broke her heart, and Jack, her high school nemesis. But the only thing that really matters is finding out what’s going on with her family’s business and clearing her dad of murder charges before it ruins both her family and their business. So Whitney is willing to ignore Jack’s encouragement to stay out of police business and start digging into the people around the inn and the mishaps that started up a few moths ago. Somewhere in all of that is a murderer.

Review

What a fun story! The Wisconsin setting is terrific. I also enjoyed the cherry pieces woven throughout the book. Part of the fun of cozy mysteries is the different themes that set the series apart from the rest. I enjoyed this theme. There were no recipes in my review copy of the book. I don’t know if there will be in the final published product, but it would be a big oversight if there aren’t.

Characters are a huge factor in my enjoyment of a book, and these characters were a lot of fun. I enjoyed Whitney, her best friends in Wisconsin, and her gay best friend from Chicago who drives up to help. Whitney is spunky and smart, and I enjoyed her somewhat reckless antics. I could have done without the love triangle which is often a part of cozy mysteries. That’s the only part of this I didn’t enjoy. That’s just a matter of personal preference.

The mystery was excellent. The tension and suspense were distributed throughout the story and amped up to a great climax. The wrap up to this was everything I love from a great cozy mystery. I will definitely be sticking with this series in the future. A great kick off to this series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Breakout by Kate Messner

REVIEW: Breakout by Kate Messner

Posted on by Jaymie

[Thanks to the folks at Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Nora is breaking out her journalism skills for the Wolf Creek Time Capsule project. Five letters for the time capsule will get her extra credit for 8th grade English class in the fall.

Elidee and her mom just moved to Wolf Creek from New York City to be closer to Elidee’s older brother who is in the prison at Wolf Creek. Elidee hates being the new kid for the last two weeks at school. If that doesn’t make her stand out enough, she’s also only the second African American in her grade. It doesn’t take long before the whispers start following her down the school halls.

All of Nora’s expectations for writing about Wolf Creek Traditions like the Middle School field day vanish when two inmates break out of the maximum security prison that employs most of the folks in town.

The prison break changes everything. Nora’s dad, the prison supervisor, is under a lot of pressure to explain what happened. Elidee and her mom are cut off from her brother when the prison goes into lock down. The whole town is on edge, afraid the inmates are still in the area, armed and dangerous. The break out shows Nora, her friend Lizzie, and Elidee things about the “quiet, friendly town” they never experienced before.

Review

This was exceptionally good! The three main characters were a delight. Elidee has a great perspective on life in her new town. Her affinity for Hamilton and poetry was a great piece of the story. I loved Lizzie’s humor and her satirical news articles. But I connected the most with Nora. The “stages” she goes through regarding the racial issues in the story – oblivious to questioning to wanting to change – felt a lot like my own experience over the last couple years. It’s honest, and I loved it.

The time capsule is the vehicle that makes the story possible. It gets the kids writing – something else I loved about this story. The whole story is told in letters and transcripts of conversations or news reports. It’s such a fun format! The escaped inmates are hardly in the story, but they impact every character as well as the town’s sense of self.

This is the perfect sort of middle grade book for me. There are fantastic characters learning and growing through challenging life experiences. There’s an emphasis on writing as well as great pop culture tie ins. And the story makes me think.  This would be a great fit for any 5th to 8th grade classroom and school library as well as home collections. I highly recommend this book.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: June 5, 2018

BOOK NEWS: June 5, 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy June! I don’t know about where you live, but where I am, I think we skipped Spring altogether. It’s toasty and humid, so I think it is best to stay inside where it is air conditioned and enjoy a good book. Here are some of the titles coming out this week:

Books for Kids

Don’t Tell – Another book that breaks the fourth wall by the author of Don’t Blink.
Neck & Neck – A giraffe who is used to being the star of the zoo faces off against a giraffe balloon. This looks hysterical.
Niblet & Ralph – Two cats become friends across a courtyard, but when each decides to go visit the other, their owners mistake them for one another. This looks adorable! Can’t wait to read this one.
Harriet Tubman – The latest in the Little People Big Dreams series. Also out this week is Georgia O’Keeffe and Jane Austen
Peanut Butter’s First Day of School – I love the creative illustrations for this whole series, which is branching into Early Readers after picture books and board books.
Buggin’Out! (Marvel Superhero Adventures) – An early chapter book starring Marvel’s Spider-Man, Ant-man and Wasp. If I was still teaching, this is a series I would have in the library. Great for kids who love superheroes and who are ready to dive into chapter books.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

 

Annie B, Made for TV – A girl with a best friend who seems to always win everything has a chance to shine in a local web show.
Breakout – The latest from the fantastic Kate Messner is told in letters, emails, and transcripts from three girls whose summer plans change when two inmates escape from the local prison. I’ll be posting a review of this one tomorrow.
Cardboard Kingdom – Graphic Novel about a group of kids who transform their neighborhood with cardboard during their summer vacation. Can’t wait to read this one!
Guardians of Taiga – Wild Rescuers – Illustrated Middle Grade book about a girl raised by wolves whose mission is to help those in the forest. This sounds like an interesting blend of fantasy and environmental conservation.
Lions and Liars – A group of boys at disciplinary camp are just starting to break down barriers and build friendships when a Category 5 hurricane moves their way. The illustrations by Dan Santat got me to put this book on my list. The story makes this a must read for me. I’ve requested this one from my local library.
The Seismic Seven – Seven kids working at Yellowstone race to save the world from a supervolcano. Sounds like a perfect action adventure story for summer reading!
Who Is Pele?
Who Was Leif Erikson?
City of Bastards – Sequel to the fantastic Royal Bastards. While Tilla and her friends are relatively safe in their new home, danger lurks around every corner and things aren’t as they appear. Tilla is attacked and a classmate is killed. Tilla is determined to find out what is really going on. I loved the first book, so this one is at the top of my reading list for the week!
Dear Rachel Maddow – A teen struggles after the death of her brother, but a class assignment to write to a famous person starts to change things. I’ll be reviewing this later this week.
Eden Conquered – The conclusion of the story started in Dividing Eden about twins fighting one another for control of their kingdom. This is the other book at the top of my reading list for this week. I’ve already requested this one from the library, too.
Invisible Ghosts – Girl-meets-boy and boy-meets-girl’s-ghost-brother. This sounds terrific. I have this on my summer reading list, too.
Jacked Up – Ghosts must be a theme this week as this book is about a boy whose parents send him to “Jesus camp” after the death of his sister, but the dead poet Jack Kerouac is following him around. After the poet convinces Nick to place his deepest secret in a locked box at the camp, the box is stolen and campers’ secrets aren’t so secret anymore. This is just quirky enough for me that I will definitely be putting this on my library list to check it out.
Little Do We Know – Former best friends can’t seem to get over their past until an accident brings secrets to light. I have this on my list, too.
Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe – When the school quarterback comes back from a near-death experience and says he saw God, he says God gave him a list of things to do to make their high school less awful – and that Cliff – “Neanderthal” – is supposed to help. Yep, another quirky one that is totally going on my list.
Opposite of Here – A missing person on a cruise ship? Yep, I’m going to need this mystery, too.
Save the Date – A girl hopes her older sister’s wedding will be the chance to put everything in her family back the way it was before they were selling the house and all of her older siblings moved away. But this wedding weekend is shaping up to  to be anything but perfect. Sounds like an excellent summer beach read. This is on my list, too.
What You Left Me – Two teens meet at graduation and immediately hit it off, wondering why they didn’t meet sooner. But a car accident puts one of them in a coma and the other is left trying to put the pieces together. This sounds great, too.

Books for Adults

As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles (June 8) – Book 5 in the Food Lovers’ Village series. In the heat of summer, a Christmas book sounds refreshing. I’ll be reviewing this one soon. (Trade paperback*)
Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies – First in a new Very Cherry mystery series. I’ll be reviewing this one on Wednesday this week. Come back and read all about it! (Trade paperback*)
The President Is Missing (June 4) – I am number 34 on the holds list for this book from the library. This team up between Patterson and the former President is a thriller that supposedly could only be written by someone with insider information. I’m curious to see if this one lives up to the hype. (Hardcover*)
The Solace of Water – A woman who lost her son befriends a reclusive Amish woman who in turn befriends the grieving mother’s daughter. But secrets and hurts abound in these two families and in a community divided by race and by faith. I’m really curious to check this one out. (Trade paperback*)
Star Trek Discovery: Fear Itself – An original story based on the characters in the CBS All Access Star Trek series. This is a series I’d like to try out before I read the books, but I have heard mixed reviews on it. (Trade paperback*)
The Word Is Murder – The author of this mystery puts a fictional version of himself into a story of a woman who plans her own funeral and is found murdered several hours later. This sounds dark and twisty. (Hardcover*)
Isaiah – A Bible commentary on the book of Isaiah. I just finished a study of Isaiah, and I loved it. I am eager to read this commentary and see what new insights it might provide.

 

*I’ve noticed that publishers have shifted some of their new mystery series to Trade paperback (full size paperback with a sale price around $15 or $16) or hardcover (with a sale price around $25) instead of Mass Market paperback which runs around $8. When I think of it, I’ll try to note the format so readers can plan their book budgets – and trips to the library – accordingly.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My Summer Reading Plan 2018

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My Summer Reading Plan 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

Last summer I posted a pretty extensive Summer Reading Plan. This year I’m keeping it simple (for me). I’m continuing our Family Reading Challenge, I’m doing #Bookaday, and I have a Summer TBR collection.

Family Reading Challenge

This will be the third year of the Reading Challenge for my teen and I. Last summer we drew my husband in for the festivities.  This started as a way to convince my teen to read some books I thought he would enjoy but couldn’t get him to try. This year we have only assigned three books to each person, instead of the five we did last year.

These are the six I will be reading; the first three were assigned by my teen. Renegades is the third book in the Randoms series. My son has assigned me each of the books in this series, and I have liked them more than I expected. Both my husband and son have read Ready Player One, and they have been talking about assigning this to me for months. I might also try listening to the audio book since it is read by Wil Wheaton. Neither of us have read the Marissa Meyer Renegades, but it’s been on my list. My husband is a huge Baldacci fan, but I have only read the ones he assigned me last summer so he’s assigned me two new ones. And while I love Jen Hatmaker, I haven’t read anything by her husband, so I am looking forward to reading one of his books.

These six are for my teen; the first three were assigned by me. I am two books into the Darkest Minds series and I have loved them. I think my son will love the first book. You can read my review of Moxie here. Both my teen and my husband will be reading this one so we can talk about the themes. And while my son has been raised to know that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42, he is not yet familiar with the source material. This summer, he will be. My son has enjoyed some adult books in the mystery and adventure genres, so this summer he is going to try some Baldacci, Clancy and a science fiction book about Artificial Intelligence.

These are my husband’s challenge books, the first three chosen by me. If it takes me 20 years, one book at a time, I am determined to show my husband the gloriousness that is the Kitty Katt-Martini series. So this year he gets to read book 3. I adored Scalzi’s Lock In, and I think the premise is just the sort of book my husband will enjoy. I am currently waiting for a library hold to come through for the sequel. And he will also be reading Moxie. My son assigned him book two of the Randoms series and both book one and two of the Scythe series. We both have loved this unusual series, and I’m eager to hear what my husband thinks of it.

#Bookaday

Teachers, Librarians and other book fanatics all over social media (Instagram, Twitter) choose to read a book each day of summer vacation. My #bookaday will run from June 1 to July 31, so 61 books in 61 days. And to help with that I have a Kindle full of Advance Reader Copies and my personal TBR pile for the summer

TBR Shelf

These are the books that I have prioritized for the summer in addition to my ARCs I need to read. There’s a mix of non-fiction and fiction, books for kids, teens and adults, as well as new books and books I have been meaning to get to for ages. Two were gifts – one from a former student – and one is a new edition of a book I read years ago.  It’s going to be a great summer of reading!