Month: January 2019

REVIEW: Lock In by John Scalzi

REVIEW: Lock In by John Scalzi

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When a flu-like pandemic swept the world, a lot of people got sick. One percent of those who contracted it found themselves “locked” inside their immobile bodies. Their bodies continue to live, but their consciousnesses are trapped inside. The condition is called Haden’s syndrome. Those with Haden’s cannot interact with the physical world any more without the assistance of a mechanical suit that serves as a personal transportation device. The other option for those with Haden’s is to work with an “Integrator,” others who had the illness but did not get locked in. Instead, their brains developed the ability to work with hardware installed in their skulls to allow a locked in person to push their consciousness into the Integrator’s brain in order to take over the body for a time.

On Chris Shane’s first day with the FBI, Chris is partnered with a former Integrator named Vann. They stumble into a weird case involving an Integrator and a dead man. While the Integrator seems guilty, if he was hosting someone with Haden’s at the time of the murder, there’s another culprit to find. Things get even weirder with an explosion at a Haden’s research lab and also an assassination attempt. Recent legislation is changing the world for the locked in. There’s been a walk out and a march, and the march organizer seems to be tied into everything that’s happening in Chris’ case. Since Chris is locked in (Chris uses a mechanical suit to get around)and Vann is a former Integrator, they are perfectly positioned to understand some of the intricacies of this case and figure out what is really going on!

Review

This was amazing! The world building with the disease and the technology pieces is exceptional. And behind all of the tech is a fantastic mystery. I loved every bit of this. There’s some terrific humor through the story that I enjoyed, too. It’s hard to give a good summary and explain the differences in the world that are central to the mystery without giving anything important away. Just trust me – this was excellent.

If you love an intricate science fiction world and a just-as-intricate mystery, run right out and pick this up! The sequel, Head On, is just as fantastic – with a football-ish spin to the Haden’s story. There’s also a prequel about Haden’s that I am eager to read. If audiobooks are your style, this one is read by Wil Wheaton, who does a terrific job with audiobooks. Don’t miss this one! I had my husband read it last summer for our family reading challenge, and he loved it, too! (Language, some violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

REVIEW: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Coyote and her dad live in an old school bus that they’ve turned into something of a mobile home. They come and go as they please, living life on the road. They have a few rules for their nomadic life. Before they pick up any passengers, they ask them about their favorite book, place and sandwich. Also, Coyote calls her dad “Rodeo,” never “Dad.” And they never talk about the life they had before – before Coyote’s mom and two sisters died in an accident.

After five years on the road together, Coyote’s gotten really good at managing Rodeo. She knows what to say or how or when to say it to convince him to do almost anything. She used these skills to get her kitten, Ivan, for example.

So when Coyote finds out from her grandmother that the park near their old house is about to be dug up, she knows it will take some epic finessing to get her father to leave Florida and get to Washington before the park is destroyed. And she can’t come right out and tell him why they need to go, because it would break the rule of never talking about their loss. But Coyote and her mom and sisters buried a time capsule in that park just days before the accident. Now, Coyote absolutely has to get back to that park and save those last memories before they are destroyed forever.

Review

Oh, this was lovely! Dan Gemeinhart is an amazing writer! I have enjoyed several of his other books. He develops these fantastic characters. And he really knows how to get to the heart and soul of a story. This book is a perfect example of that skill. Coyote and Rodeo are amazing. They have developed an extreme coping strategy for their loss. But as Coyote gets older, and when the park situation comes up, it’s no longer enough for her. But Rodeo won’t give up his coping mechanisms easily. Watching the two of them walk through this challenge was fantastic.

They pick up some awesome passengers along the way. I loved the whole ensemble. Each one was on his or her own journey of identity or self-discovery or a scary new start – and they became something of a family on the journey.

Bring your tissues for this one. I absolutely loved the heart of this. This is an emotionally rich and complex story, which is awesome for middle grade readers. There’s lots to think about and talk about with this one. I could see this being great for a book club or discussion group.

I would steer this one to older middle grade readers. That’s my gut for this one, first because of the emotional intricacies. Some younger readers won’t have the life experience and empathy yet to really “get” Coyote and her story.  There’s also some language which might catch younger readers – or Christian readers – off guard (g-damn, “lord,” etc.). For the older crowd – upper elementary, middle school – this is a story and a character that is not to be missed!! (Language, LGBTQ)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: January 15, 2019

BOOK NEWS: January 15, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s a small release week for me, but there are plenty of fun things for kids to get excited about.

Books for Kids

Chicken Talk – In this new book, illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, the chickens are leaving messages scratched out all around the farm.
Sleepover at the Museum – A birthday celebration takes place at the natural history museum. This looks terrific!
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré – Picture book biography of New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian who advocated for bilingual literature.
The Cat Who Ruled the Town – Part of the Tails of History series, this one about a cat who was elected mayor.
A Spring to Remember – The fourth and final book in the Orchard chapter book series about a group of friends who live and work at a New England apple orchard.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Fastest Finish – Book 2 in the Junior Ninja Champion series about a group of kids competing in a reality TV obstacle competition.
Famous in a Small Town – When a town’s marching band has the opportunity to perform in the Rose Parade, one of the teens tries to convince a local-turned-country-singer to perform for their fundraiser. I have this on my wish list for the library.
Genesis Begins Again – A teen keeps a list of all the things she hates about herself – she’s up to 96 things on the list. While I find the premise of this so sad, I absolutely have to believe that in the end she finds something positive to hang onto. I’ve requested this one from the library.
Pretty in Punxsutawney – Described as “Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink.” Yep, I’ve requested this one, too!
Stain – A mute princess is cast out of her kingdom and rescued by someone who steals her memories and raises her as a boy.  Her betrothed is dying and can only be saved by marrying her. An imposter princess is trying to steal the prince and her crown. I’m intrigued by this one.
A Life of Lovely: The Young Woman’s Guide to Collecting The Moments that Matter – A teen version of Looking for Lovely by Annie F. Downs. There’s a companion journal that releases this week as well.

REVIEW: Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson

REVIEW: Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

It was raining, and he was walking. His truck seemed broken down at the side of the road. Brooke could have ignored it. There was too much history there. It would probably be easier if she kept driving. But she stopped and offered Heath a ride.

Cal, Heath’s older brother was dead. Jason, Brooke’s older brother, was in prison for Cal’s murder. When Jason was arrested, Brooke was absolutely convinced of his innocence. But when Jason confessed, every aspect of her life crumbled. Her mom lost her job and had become almost manic in her efforts to keep the family together. Brooke’s dad withdrew into his work, and her younger sister became a shadow of her former self. Brooke’s boyfriend at the time sold her out to the tabloids. They had to leave their church. Everyone treats them as if the whole family is guilty.

And Heath actually has an idea of what that’s all like. While his family gets pity where Brooke’s gets suspicion, they, too, are living every day with the fall out of whatever happened that night between Jason and Cal. And while both Brooke and Heath know no one would understand how they could even look at each other much less be friends, there’s something between them they just can’t let go.

Review

This was stunning. This is an emotionally messy, complicated story. And it’s told remarkably well. I loved Brooke and Heath. The ups and downs in their relationship are completely believable, but there’s also tremendous chemistry between them. The emotional fall out for Brooke’s family is raw and painful. How do you balance the love you have for your family with the guilt and shame from the crime? Each family member takes a role – and Brooke’s is that of the caretaker. She can only let her guard down with Heath, and even that is dangerous. The emotional complexity of this is excellent.

There’s a suspense element to this, too, as Brooke tries to figure out what really happened the night of the murder. This part of the book was also especially well done. And all the pieces of the story were tied up in a satisfying way without a perfect – and unbelievable – happily ever after.

Other than the dark subject matter with the murder, this is a “clean” book for teens. No language or other mature content other than the emotional complexity of the story and the murder case. I highly recommend this one for teens who want to dig into a rich story with great characters in complicated scenarios.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep

BONUS REVIEW: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Lady Everleigh has lived at Seven Spire palace since her parents were killed when she was a girl. As 17th in line for the throne – and a “mutt” with barely any magic – her life at the palace was less than spectacular. Queen Cordelia tolerated her. She sent Everleigh to any event where a royal was required, but none really wanted to attend. If there was a crummy task to dump on someone – like making 13 pies for a luncheon – it was dumped on Everleigh.

The crown princess was even worse. Vasilia was hot and cold to Everleigh. She ignored her or looked down on her as less than dirt, unless she could humiliate her instead. At 27, Lady Everleigh is ready to leave palace life behind, return to her family home, and live her own life.

She hopes to approach Queen Cordelia about that plan at the luncheon. But Vasilia launches a murderous attack on every other member of the royal line, and Everleigh barely escapes with her life. If Vasilia finds out she’s alive, she will destroy Everleigh in the most brutal way possible. Especially as Everleigh is one of the few who can tell what really happened the day of the massacre.

Review

This was AMAZING! I loved everything about this. The characters, the world building, the story. It was all a perfect fit for me! It is my favorite book that I read in 2018.

While the reader knows from the book summary that the massacre is coming, the build up is slow and deliberate. The author doles out great details about the characters at Seven Spire and the worlds of politics and magic so that when the action kicks up, you already have a good handle on the situation and you care about the people.

But at the same time, the author doesn’t tell everything. There are great details sprinkled throughout the whole book – and some questions are still unanswered at the end to drive readers to book 2 (Protect the Prince – summer 2019).

The magical world in this was fascinating. I loved Everleigh from the start, and the friends she makes along the journey are terrific. I’m a huge fan of displaced royalty sorts of stories, and this is the epitome of everything I love about them. I can’t wait to read more! Highly recommend! (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Mild Wide by Brandon Hatmaker

REVIEW: A Mild Wide by Brandon Hatmaker

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

The core of this book is the idea of taking your faith deeper. Too often we feel “a mile wide but an inch deep.” Hatmaker challenges readers to not only let the gospel save them (one time), but let it transform them (all the time). Topics in the book include Biblical identity, community (both in the church and outside it), the Kingdom, social justice, and mission.

I found this both challenging and encouraging. I underlined something on almost every page. I really grabbed onto the idea of the gospel as transformational. It’s not one and done. And if the goal is to be more like Jesus, I know I have a long way to go. But at the same time, Hatmaker spends a good amount of time reiterating that God loves us – right now – no matter how transformed or not transformed we are.

While one clear message is that doing more – adding more Bible studies or showing up at church activities more days of the week – doesn’t make us more lovable to God, there are suggestions for ways to engage in Jesus’ name that will help in our personal transformation and help us be a light to others. I loved the questions and the practical steps suggested throughout the book. This is one to revisit and keep close at hand. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Friendship War by Andrew Clements

REVIEW: The Friendship War by Andrew Clements

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Grace spends a week with her grandpa during the summer before 6th grade, she stumbles onto an unusual treasure in an old building he bought to renovate – buttons. Thousands of buttons – all colors, shapes and sizes. Grace has always been a collector of trinkets, so she immediately falls in love with all the buttons. So her grandpa ships them to her on a pallet when she gets back home.

When Grace later shares with a class about the building her grandfather bought, she shows a handful of the buttons she found there. And that’s where the button fanaticism begins.

Soon kids are raiding the family sewing kit for buttons. They’re telling family stories with old buttons. Buttons are traded and turned into jewelry. Kids are playing games with buttons. And scientifically-minded Grace is loving it. She’s watching the fad develop, categorizing how kids are getting involved, and trying to trace the sub-trends. But when Grace is ostracized from her best friend because of buttons, she’s ready for the whole fad to just go away. But how do you kill a fad?

Review

Andrew Clements has written some of my favorite books for kids – Frindle, No Talking, The Last Holiday Concert, The Loser’s Club. In The Friendship War, he has captured kid- and school-culture perfectly once again!

Anyone who remembers the fads of their childhood – or who has raised kids or worked in a school – has seen a fad (or 10) come and go. And Clements describes the process – from Grace’s perspective – perfectly. Grace is probably more analytical than most kids in the middle of a fad, but she owns that. And I think it gave the story a fun and unusual thread that readers will enjoy.

I loved Grace! She’s so bright. And she works hard to be a problem solver. Her choices aren’t always the best, but her intentions are good. Most of all, I loved the things Grace learns in the book, especially about what it means to be a friend.

I highly recommend this – and the rest of Clements’ school stories – for the middle grade readers in your life!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: January 8, 2019

BOOK NEWS: January 8, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy 2019! Already the year is shaping up to be a great one for readers. Here are some of the books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

 

I Am Captain Kirk AND I Am Mr. Spock – Little Golden Books takes a look at these two iconic characters from Star Trek The Original Series.
Sealed With a Kiss – A seal new to the zoo tries to make some friends. This looks adorable!
Turkey’s Eggcellent Easter – I have enjoyed Turkey’s Thanksgiving story, Turkey Trouble, for years. Now Turkey has an Easter story. Turkey wants to win the Easter Egg Hunt, but animals aren’t allowed to enter the contest. This looks fun.
The Duchess and Guy: A Rescue-to-Royalty Puppy Love Story – There was another picture book about Guy that released back in November of 2018 that was cute. Now there is a new one that looks just as sweet!
A Gift for Goose – An early reader starring picture book pals, Duck and Goose. I love their picture books, and I’m excited to read this new story.
The Secret of Shazam! – The live-action Shazam movie will debut this spring, but now is a great time for kids to learn more about the character. This new early reader has Shazam teaming up with Wonder Woman and Superman for an adventure.
Meet the Pilots (SW Resistance) – The latest Star Wars animated series now has books, too, with this new early reader that looks at some of the characters.
Breaking the Piggy Bank – Book 6 in the Craftily Ever After early chapter book series. In this story, the kids decide to start a lemonade stand.
Dr. Snow Has Got to Go! – First in a new My Weird School series by Dan Gutman – My Weirder-est School.
Everybody Is Somebody – Book 12 in the Here’s Hank series about a younger Hank Zipzer from the original series. In this one, Hank and his friends get to escort an author around the school for a visit, but Hank doesn’t want to admit that he’s never finished one of her books because of his reading struggles.
Warriors in Winter – Book 31 in the non-Merlin Mission line of Magic Tree House books where Jack and Annie go back in time to ancient Rome.
Sleepover Scientist – Book 3 in the Jada Jones series. Jada is hosting a sleepover, and she has all sorts of cool science experiences planned. But what happens when her friends get tired of the science “lessons?”

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

 

The Adventurer’s Guide to Treasure and How to Steal It – Third and final book in the Adventurer’s Guide series. This time, the Saint Lupin’s Completely Ordinary School Where Nothing Bizarre Ever Happens is invaded by pirates. This series sounds absolutely delightful! I have this on my list.
The Friendship War – A girl shares at school about her discovery of a closet stuffed full of buttons and starts a button fad. I love Andrew Clements’ books, and this one is no exception. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow.
Kim Possible Junior Novel – I am a HUGE fan of the old Disney Kim Possible animated show. I’m not sure how the live-action version will live up to the original, but I am absolutely going to be checking it out!
Lizzy Legend – A girl who loves basketball makes a wish that she’ll make every shot she takes. That wish will take her farther than she ever imagined. This sounds great!
Max and the Midknights – From the author of the Big Nate series comes a new book about a kid named Max who wants nothing more than to be a knight, and about his adventure when he has to save his uncle who has been kidnapped. This looks fun.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise – Coyote and her dad have lived life on the road in their renovated school bus since Coyote’s mother and sisters were killed in an accident. But now she is desperate to get back home before her last moments with her mom and sisters are lost forever. This was lovely! I’ll be reviewing it next week.
Supergirl: Master of Illusion – The third and final book in this series based on the CW television series. I haven’t read these, but I have enjoyed the Flash series in this line. Suggest this series to the super hero fans in your life!
The Unteachables – The latest from Gordon Korman (Ungifted, Swindle, Restart) is a school story about a teacher who just wants to make it to the end of the year so he can retire and the self-contained class of “troublemakers” he’s given. This was a treat to read! I’ll be reviewing this one as soon as I have an open date.
The Wishbreaker – Ace and his genie, Ridge, are back to try and correct some of the trouble that happened at the end of their last adventure. This series looks like a lot of fun – I have book 1 on my library list.
Never Caught: The Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha  Washington’s Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away – This is the young reader’s edition of the book Never Caught. This looks like a great middle grade nonfiction title for home and school use.
Standing Up Against Hate: How Black Women in the Army Helped Change the Course of WWII – Another non-fiction book specifically for middle grade readers! I have both of these titles – Standing Up and Never Caught – on my list for this month.
Even If I Fall – A stunning story of grief. A young woman whose brother is in jail for murder starts spending time with the victim’s younger brother. This was fantastic. I’ll be reviewing this one Thursday.
The Girl King – Two princesses – one expecting to rule and the other expecting a quiet life in her sister’s shadow – are stunned when their father sets their cousin on the throne instead. This sounds amazing! I’ve already requested this one from the library!
Match Me If You Can – When her matchmaking best friend refuses to set Mia up with her dream guy for homecoming, she takes things into her own hands and finds herself at a crossroads. This sounds fun!
Slayer – Set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A girl whose gifts and personality lean more towards healing instead of slaying is chosen as the last slayer ever.
Two Can Keep a Secret – From the author of the spectacular One of Us Is Lying comes a new twisty tale. A new girl moves into a town known for missing or murdered high schoolers, and it seems everyone around town is keeping secrets. I have this one on hold at the library already!
You Won’t See Me Coming – Third and final book in the Black Angel Chronicles series about a girl raised to be a spy. I have this series on my list!
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America – It’s a great week for nonfiction for kids! This book for teens is a collection of essays from bestselling Black authors. I have this on my list, too.
We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World – Yep, this book, by Malala Yousafzai, is on my list, also.

Books for Adults

In Dog We Trust (Paperback) – Book 5 in the Black Dog Bay series. A woman is named guardian of a pack of pedigreed dogs in their owner’s will, but she has to battle his son who thinks he should have received what was left to the pups. This sounds great! I haven’t read any of these before, but this one sounds fun.
A Literal Mess (Paperback/Kindle*) – First in a new series. A New York literary agent is back in Indiana following the death of her father where her best friend is accused of murder. This sounds like a lot of fun! It’s on my list.
Murder Likes It Hot (Paperback) – Book 6 in the Downward Dog yoga series. When Kate tries to get a yoga class started at a center for homeless youth, she’s pulled into another murder case. This series looks fun, but I haven’t tried one of the books, yet, but I have picked up book 1 for my Kindle.
Seven Deadly Zins (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Wine Country mystery series. When an inspector is found dead at a local vineyard, Taylor and her friends are convinced the owner is innocent. Sounds like a great mystery!
The Way to the Stars (Star Trek Discovery) (Paperback) – Book 4 in this line of books based on the CBS series Star Trek Discovery. Tilly is my favorite character in this new series, so I can’t wait to read this story of her years as young cadet. I already have this on hold from the library.
The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington (Hardcover) – Brad Meltzer releases a nonfiction book about treacherous soldiers in George Washington’s inner circle  who conspired to kill him. I am pretty excited to try this one, too.

 

*The Kindle price for this is $3.99 which leads me to believe that Kindle is the primary format and the Paperback is secondary. Most Trade Paperbacks that are offered as e-books are priced around $10 or so.)

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2018 Favorites

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2018 Favorites

Posted on by Jaymie

I read a lot of books every year.  I like to keep track of what I read every year and see how it stacks up to years before. Here are some of my reading statistics for 2018.

2018 Stats

Through the course of 2018 I read 418 books.  There were 66 more that I started but did not finish. My stated goal for the year was 250, but I was hoping to get to 365. My highest number since I started keeping track was around 340. I’m pretty proud of all the reading I did this year, and even more proud of walking away from books that aren’t working for me.

Of those 418, the break down for target audience is

  •     36% adult (151 books)
  •     21% middle grade (87 books)
  •     20% teen/young adult (83 books)
  •     18% picture books/early readers
  •      5% transitional chapter books
    And of those, 27 were graphic novels for various ages.

The main genre breakdown is

  • 39% Fantasy
  • 19% Realistic/Contemporary
  • 14% Mystery
  •   9% Science Fiction
  •   6% General Nonfiction (26 books – my goal was at least one per month)

This year most of the books I read were from the library (30%). I read 93 books from my To Be Read shelves (which are overflowing), including brand new books, as well as 110  advanced reader copies from publishers. I also re-read 60 favorites this year. Next year I want to split out my new books and my truly “TBR” books that have been on my shelves for awhile. I’d like to make more progress getting through the books that I’ve had for awhile in 2019.

When someone asks me my favorite genre, I automatically answer “mystery,” but my actual reading did not reflect that in 2018. Last year my genre reading was more balanced between Fantasy, Mystery and Realistic/Contemporary. This year I really went all in on Fantasy, although my top three genres were the same. I’d like to read more mysteries this year. I really focused on adult books again this year, but  my reading for kids – middle grade and teens – was more balanced. I’d like to keep this balance in 2019.

This year I discovered that I do better reading nonfiction if I have a physical book. To stay focused, I need to be able to underline and dog-ear and make notes. In 2019, I want to keep reading 1-2 nonfiction books each month. I am also going to add a spreadsheet to my tracking process to see if I can better track authors and characters of color and other factors.

2018 Favorites!!

At the end of the year, I love to pull the titles of all of my 5 star favorites and then compare them to come up with my favorites for the year. I might not remember every detail about them, but I remember how I felt about them. These are the books I recommend time and time again, the ones I re-read and long to re-read.

You can see my list of favorites from 2016 here and 2017 here. Last year I had one middle grade book, five YA books, and four books for adults (including two nonfiction). When I went back through my list of the 400+ books I read in 2018, I came up with about 35 that were candidates for the best of the year. I whittled that list down to ten – 7 books for adults and three middle grade books. And here they are:

10. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl – I adored this middle grade novel about a girl who was struck by lightning, which made her a genius. You can read more about it here.

 

 

 

9. Aliens Abroad – Book 16 in the Gini Koch series that I adore. I read the whole series once or twice a year. I read this book twice in 2018, and it was excellent both times! You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

8. The Reckless Club – I felt like this was a mash up of The Breakfast Club and Golden Girls. The elderly folks in this novel are just as engaging as the kids. This was a book I wanted to hug. You can read more here.

 

 

 

7. Six Cats a Slayin’ – Book 10 in the awesome Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James/Dean James. Right now this is my favorite book in the whole series. Read a full write up on this one here.

 

 

 

6. Captain Superlative – I have been talking about this book to everyone I know – kids, teachers, booksellers. I even wrote about it for another blog about books for kids.  I fell in love with the characters in this one. Read about them here.

 

 

 

5. ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas – This Christmas series is a staple for me every November/December. Both books so far have had fantastic mysteries, and I adore the setting and characters. Read more here.

 

 

 

4. A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder – I just got around to reviewing this one this week, but I have loved this since I first read it last summer. The mystery is fantastic. I already have book two on my wish list for summer 2019. You can see my review here.

 

 

 

3. Lark the Herald Angels Sing – Book 24 in one of my all-time favorite cozy mystery series. I didn’t get to do a full review of this one in 2018, but it was an excellent combination of Christmas cheer, a great mystery, and the quirky characters I adore. You can read a little more in this post of Christmas books from 2018.

 

 

2. Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella – I have adored this entire series, but Ella is my favorite of the three books. I’d love to see more books in this series, but I don’t know if that is the publisher’s plan. You can read these in any order, and I highly recommend all of them, including Belle and Sadie. You can read more about Belle and Ella here.

 

 

1. Kill the Queen – The cover is what first caught my attention on this one, but the book was even more fantastic than the cover promised. This is my favorite book from 2018. I already have book 2 on my wish list for 2019. I can’t believe I never had a chance to post a full review on this one in 2018!! I’ll be posting a full review as soon as I have an open spot, but you can read the Book News summary here.

 

 

Honorable Mentions

None of the Young Adult Books I read this year made my top ten, but here are my three most favorite YA books from 2018:

Grace and Fury

More Than We Can Tell

Fire and Heist

 

None of the Nonfiction I read made the top 10 either. Here are my top three Nonfiction reads from 2018:

The Path Between Us

Braving the Wilderness

I’d Rather Be Reading

 

My top three picture books from 2018:

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates

Can I Be Your Dog?

Santa Bruce

 

What were your favorite reads in 2018?

REVIEW: Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

REVIEW: Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Sky is a wyvern – as are her brothers and her parents. Wyverns are were-dragons – humans who can shape shift into dragons. Although modern wyverns have lost the ability to shift, they can still breath fire. And they are crazy about gold!

On the night someone tried to steal her mother’s 24-karat gold piano, Sky was supposed to be at the movies, drowning her sorrows in buttered popcorn. Her mother had disappeared while on some sort of job, and Sky’s boyfriend, Ryan, and the entire wyvern community had shunned Sky’s family. But Sky wasn’t feeling up to a movie and burning the mementos of her broken relationship, so she went home early. And stumbled into a heist in her own home.

Then, she ruined the heist (yay!) only to later discover it was her brothers, trying to prove to their father that they were up to the task of a major heist (oops!). But all of that made Sky realize how tired she was of trying to live as though her mother’s disappearance was no big deal. So when she finds out what her mom was trying to do, Sky puts together a crew for a heist of her own.

Review

I loved every bit of this! It was the perfect book for me – a smart and sassy protagonist, a fantasy world, and a heist/mystery. I read it in one sitting and as soon as I finished, I ordered my own copy of the book. This was fantastic!

I loved the “voice” of this from the first page. It begs to be read out loud (as my family discovered because I kept reading passages to them). And Sky is a huge part of that voice/tone. She’s smart and funny – sarcastically honest. But she was only the first character I fell in love with. Gabriela and Sky’s brothers and “Worm”  were some of my other favorites – so many great personalities in this one!!

The fantasy world for this really worked well for me. It feels 75% normal with 25% dragons. And I love dragon books. The heist was fairly simple. Once Sky and her crew had it planned, they just had to execute it several times flawlessly for things to work. The issues in the story had little to do with the planning and more to do with self-confidence and determination during execution. Well, that and traps.

Another great selling point for this book is it is “clean” teen. I can recommend this to any kid who enjoys fantasy without having to worry about mature content. And I adore finding terrific stories for teens that will appeal to all audiences. I highly recommend this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥