Month: November 2019

BOOK NEWS: November 19, 2019

BOOK NEWS: November 19, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

Be sure to come back next week and pick up my annual Holiday Hint List for the readers of all ages in your life! You can find previous years’ lists here.  Let’s take a look at some of the new books out this week.

Books for Kids

Finding Narnia: The Story of C. S. Lewis and His Brother Warnie – Picture book biography of Jack (C. S. Lewis) and Warnie Lewis and the childhood story that inspired the Chronicles of Narnia.
Greta and the Giants – A symbolic story inspired by teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
World Cup Women: Megan, Alex, and the Team USA Soccer Champs – Highlights the story of the 2019 Women’s World Cup soccer team.
Frankie Sparks and the Big Sled Challenge – Book 3 in the awesome Frankie Sparks, Third-Grade Inventor series. Frankie gets to use her skills in a sled designing competition.
Winner Takes All – Book 2 in the DC Super Hero Girls chapter book series. Wonder Women is disguised as Diana Prince when she goes to school in Metropolis. I’m still trying to track down book one in this series so I can check it out. It’s on my list.

 

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Disney Frozen: The Hero Within (Graphic Novel) – Olaf makes a friend at the orphanage who is dealing with bullies. I’m eager to see this one in person.
Frozen II: The Deluxe Junior Novel (November 22) – Novelization of the new movie.
Power of a Princess – Book 2 in the More Than a Princess series. I will be reviewing this one tomorrow, and you can read my review of book one here.
A Talent for Trouble (Older Middle Grade – 10-12) – An off-the-grid adventure turns into a survival story when three kids take on the wild, some storms, and international jewel thieves.
Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History – The next volume from Vashti Harrison looks STELLAR. Includes John Lewis, Prince and Gordon Parks.
Make Your Mark: A Journal for Capturing Big Dreams – A guided journal that includes brief biographies of influential women.
Science Comics: Skyscrapers: The Heights of Engineering – The next addition to the Science Comics series.
We Are Makers: Real Women and Girls Shaping Our World – The MAKERS documentaries are now in book form.
The Wonder of Christmas: 25 Days of Advent Journaling for Girls – A Christmas devotional with writing and drawing space.
Blood Heir – First in a new series. The crown princess hides a terrifying power. When she is framed for her father’s murder, she must flee the safety of her home and trust a crime lord to help her find the truth. Sounds amazing! I’ve got this on hold at the library.
Crying Laughing – A high school student looks for distraction and laughs in the improv troupe when her father is diagnosed with ALS. I’ll be reviewing this one later this week.
Star Wars: Force Collector – A teen boy with visions leaves his home to find out everything he can about the Jedi to see if that information will help him make sense of this power he has. This sounds fantastic!

 

Books for Adults

Firefly: The Sting (Paperback Graphic Novel) – An original graphic novel. The women of Serenity plan a heist.
A Minute to Midnight (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Atlee Pine series. Atlee, an FBI agent, returns to her home town to investigate the 30-year-old cold case of the kidnapping of her twin sister.  The only part I really liked from the first book was when Atlee and her assistant took an unsanctioned road trip. As the two women are teaming up again, I might have to give this one a try.
The Princess Plan (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 1 in a new series. When the secretary of a visiting prince is murdered, the prince and a gossip columnist who had a scoop about the event team up to investigate. I’ll be reviewing this one in December.
Advent: The Story of Christmas (Hardcover Gift Book) – Thirty-one retold Advent stories make up this holiday devotional.
The Art of Frozen II (Hardcover) – Art for the new movie.
Becoming: A Guided Journal for Finding Your Voice (Hardcover) – A guided journal for finding your voice based on the former-First Lady’s book Becoming.
The Countdown to a Cozy Christmas Cookbook: An Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of Hallmark Movies (e-book) – 100 recipes inspired by Hallmark Christmas movies.
Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame – The Art of the Movie (Hardcover)
The Plant Paradox Family Cookbook: 80 One-Pot Recipes to Nourish Your Family Using Your Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Sheet Pan (Hardcover) – The Plant Paradox promotes a lectin-free diet. In the fifth book from the cardiologist who wrote about the paradox, families can find recipes everyone can enjoy.

REVIEW: It Started with Goodbye by Christina June

REVIEW: It Started with Goodbye by Christina June

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It starts when Tatum’s best friend asks for a ride. Before Tatum really knows what’s happening, she’s being arrested because her best friend’s boyfriend decided committing grand larceny was a terrific idea. While Tatum was only there to keep an eye on her friend because she didn’t trust the boyfriend, she now has a record, a fine and community service. And she’s completely lost the trust of her dad and step-mother.

At home, Tatum’s punishment is a loss of most of her freedom. Her step-mother checks her mileage before and after she drives to work. She also denies Tatum any chance to socialize outside of her community service hours. Her step-mom even called her own mother to stay with them for the summer to help watch Tatum while she works and manages her daughter’s dance career. And Tatum’s father leaves the country for work right after everything falls apart, leaving her at the mercy of her critical, demanding, helicopter “step-monster.”

Tatum has a lot of time this summer for contemplation. And she has a lot to consider – her relationship with the people in her house, her friendship with the “best friend” who got her into this mess, and questions of who she even wants to be. One saving factor for her summer is the graphic design business she starts. Not only is the work a nice, creative distraction that will help her pay off her fine, but it also puts her in touch with a talented, flirty musician in need of a website. His emails definitely make her summer more enjoyable!

Review

This was so sweet! I loved it. The family and friendship pieces of this Cinderella-esque tale are terrific. The dynamics between Tatum and her step-mother and step-sister are fascinating. There’s a lot to overcome here, but also some things that maybe Tatum isn’t seeing or reading correctly. There are issues with Tatum’s dad, too, frankly, but those are more in the background since he’s gone for most of the book. Tatum’s step-grandmother, though, is a breath of fresh air in a tension-filled home where control, authority and propriety are the name of the game.

But the romance is what delighted me. It’s warm and sweet and builds perfectly. I loved every moment of it! I would have read five more chapters of just the happy couple together – along with the two other potential couples from the story. They were adorable.

I have really enjoyed the books published by Blink YA in the past. I read this author’s book No Place Like Here earlier this year and loved it. But it wasn’t until I finished this that I realized No Place stars Tatum’s best friend from this book and is the third book in a collection. Now I’m going to have to read that book again to put it in its proper context. And I have to track down the second book, Everywhere You Want to Be, that stars Tatum’s step-sister. I need to get the full story on these young women!

So far, this is my favorite of the two Christina June books I have read. But I recommend both of them for readers who love contemporary YA with some romance. Obviously the books stand alone, which is good for clueless readers like me. But I am eager to read them in order to get the full picture of the teens and their lives as things develop for all three of them.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Novice Dragoneer by E. E. Knight

BONUS REVIEW: Novice Dragoneer by E. E. Knight

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Ileth was seven, she met a dragon named Agrath and a dragoneer named Annis. Ileth was at the well to gather water for the “orphan lodge” where she lived. She was immediately drawn to Agrath. Annis even invited Ileth to sit on him. And most amazing of all, Annis told her when she was 14 and old enough to apprentice, she should come to the Serpentine and ask for her so she, too, could become a dragoneer.

And that’s exactly what Ileth does. Only, she arrives at the Serpentine after the gate has been closed and all the apprentices have been accepted. Annis and Agrath were both killed in the war, so Ileth has no sponsor to get her inside. She has no invitation or “name” that would grant her access. But her determination eventually attracts the attention of the Master of Novices who agrees to let her in the door. But she’ll have to work very hard if she hopes to stay at the Serpentine and eventually become a dragoneer.

Review

This is Ileth’s story of her early days at the Serpentine – her friends, her enemies, her adventures, her failures, and her triumphs. There’s a full story arc, but there’s not really a clear problem to solve or one trial to overcome. This is her journey during her novice season. I struggle with books like this because I just don’t know what goal I am reading towards. This made a long book feel that much longer to me.

Thankfully, there was Ileth. I loved her. And that redeemed some of the factors that might have caused me to leave this one unfinished. I was attached to this determined, kind, bright girl, and I wanted to see what happened to her. (There’s a LOT.)

There’s one big twist in the end that shook things up a bit. And the fall out of that will likely be a big plot factor for the next book. I enjoyed the surprise and the race to the end of the book. But this is really just the start of Ileth’s journey to become a dragoneer.

Fantasy fans who enjoy a story with good character development as the focus should check this one out. I enjoyed the dragon pieces, especially Ileth’s relationship with one particular dragon in the story, but the focus here is really on Ileth. (Trigger Warning: assault)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: You Are Awesome by Neil Pasricha

REVIEW: You Are Awesome by Neil Pasricha

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a review copy of this book from Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

The author’s third book, after The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation, looks at resilience. Resilience is the ability to keep moving forward no matter what comes – success, failure, or more of the daily grind.

Mr. Pasricha says there are nine secrets to resilience including

  • shifting the spotlight from a focus on yourself,
  • seeing failure as a step toward your future, and
  • reframing your story.

A good bit of the advice falls into the category of reframing your circumstances which is a strategy I have always found helpful when facing trials.

As an optimist by nature (sometimes to the annoyance of my family), I enjoy books like this. I find them affirming and encouraging. I enjoyed the personal stories the author shared here (generally one story per secret, although several of them built on one another across the whole book). Those show that he knows what he’s talking about from experience. I feel like the conversational tone of this will appeal to readers. He also cites several studies to back up his assertions, which I also appreciate in a self-help book.

My favorite chapter was Secret #4: Tell Yourself a Different Story. The reframing here is obvious, but Mr. Pasricha asks three interesting questions to help readers with that process. I especially enjoyed the pages where he digs into those questions.

I read this because the topic of building resilience is fascinating to me as a parent, a former teacher, and someone who still works with kids. I wasn’t personally looking for solutions to the struggles addressed by the book. Yet I found several take-aways here. I believe the target audience will find many as well.

I do wonder, though, if folks who are less optimistic by nature will enjoy this as much as I did. I can think of some people who could benefit from the material here, but who might eye-roll their way past some of the secrets. As with any self-help book, though, you will get out of it what you put into it. If you are searching for techniques and strategies to adjust your thinking about challenges and failures – as well as keeping successes and opportunities in perspective – you will find some here! (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: More Than a Princess by E. D. Baker

REVIEW: More Than a Princess by E. D. Baker

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Aislin is half fairy and half pedrasi. She may not be able to do the sorts of magic her fairy best friend Poppy can do, but her pedrasi connection to various stones gives her strength and magic all her own.

Long ago, the fairies left the human lands to live as a people set apart in their own lands protected by magic. But one day as Aislin and her friends are playing, the forest animals announce there are humans in their forest! Princess Aislin places herself in danger to save her friends. And she is “rewarded” when the human king she saves in turn take her to his kingdom.

Aislin is willing to do almost anything to keep her family and her people safe from the humans. So she endures taunts and thinly veiled insults from the nobility of Morain. But it becomes clear that the king is planning for war with another kingdom. And Aislin’s people could be caught in the middle.

Review

In the first few chapters, I was worried about keeping up with all the names and figuring out the magic of this world. But I was quickly caught up in Aislin’s story, and all the rest fell into place.

Aislin is a fantastic heroine! Smart, fiercely protective and confident. She might play things cool to gather information, but she also feels secure enough to stand up to the bullies, both adults and teens. I loved watching her fight for her people and learn what her magic could do along the way.

There’s a ton of action here. I loved the pacing of this – never too fast or too slow. And Aislin rises to each challenge she faces. Fantasy fans should be sure to check this series out.

I picked this up at the library when I was approved to review book two, Power of a Princess, which releases next week. I’ll be reviewing book 2 next week as well. Be sure to come back and see what I thought.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: November 12, 2019

BOOK NEWS: November 12, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

I’m posting a few minutes later today since it is Veterans Day, and there’s usually a moment of silence at 11 am to honor those who have served in our nation’s military. Thank you, veterans, for your service!

Here are some of the books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

Caveboy Crush – A caveboy gets a crush on a cavegirl. This looks darling.
The Perfect Seat – Parent and child look for the perfect seat so they can start story time.
Pluto Gets the Call – Pluto gets the call that he’s not a planet anymore, so he treks to Earth to find out why. This is illustrated by the fabulous Laurie Keller (Scrambled States of America, Arnie the Doughnut), and I cannot wait to get this one!
Sisters First – A picture book from the Bush daughters about sisterhood.
The Truth About Hawks – Illustrated non-fiction book about hawks. The sample pages I have seen are gorgeous!
Rebel Girls Chapter Books – Ada Lovelace Cracks the Code AND Madam C. J. Walker Builds a Business – Early chapter book biographies.

 

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Sherlock Academy: Moriarty’s Final Threat – Book 4 in the Sherlock Academy series. A group of kids work to take down Moriarty’s Underground Society. At the time of this writing, this is available for free through the Kindle Unlimited program for those who subscribe to the service.
Star Wars: Secrets of the Jedi – Picture book for middle grade readers about the Jedi.
All-American Muslim Girl – A Muslim girl has kept her faith a secret from her boyfriend because his dad is a conservative “shock-jock” on the radio. But when Islamophobia starts to grow in her community, she starts to dig into her faith and practice it in earnest. This has been getting rave reviews, so I requested it from the library.
Crown of Oblivion – In a world where those without magic are considered inferior to those who have it, an indentured servant decides to compete for her freedom in a Hunger Games/Amazing Race style competition where her memory is wiped before she competes. This sounds amazing. I have requested this one, too.
Otherlife – Book 3 in the Otherlife series from Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother, The Muppets) and Kirsten Miller. In a virtual world, players can enjoy anything and everything they can think of because there are no rules. But some teens have discovered the truths about Otherworld, and they are determined to take it, and The Company which built it, down.

 

Books for Adults

The Body on the Train (Hardcover) – Book 11 in the Kate Shackleton Mystery series. When a dead man is found on a train, Scotland Yard calls in Kate Shackleton to help them solve the mystery.
Cupid Claus (November 13, e-book) – Mrs. Claus is working to marry off her only son while he has no interest in finding love. He just wants to focus on taking over the family business. This sounds light and fun.
The Family Journal (Trade Paperback) – A single mom moves her family back into her rural childhood home in an effort to disconnect from the barrage of technology and reconnect with one another. While she is there trying to ignore the handsome renter in the house, she discovers a family journal cataloging five generations of her ancestors. At the time of this writing, this is available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
Memories and Murder (Trade Paperback) – Book 10 in the Tourist Trap Mystery series which focuses on a case of possible elder abuse and a con artist who might have his eye on Jill’s aunt.
Not the Girl You Marry (Trade Paperback) – A journalist and an event planner endure a fake relationship for the sake of their careers, but after a little while, it’s not feeling very fake anymore. I have this on hold from the library already. I love fake-relationship stories.
Twisted Twenty-Six (Hardcover) – The latest from Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie’s grandmother decides to get married again, but her new mob-boss husband drops dead right after the wedding. His business partners think the new widow is holding out on what’s owed to them.
Nothing Wasted: God Uses the Stuff You Wouldn’t (Trade Paperback) – A personal story of how God can use our past to redeem our future. This sounds powerful! There is a study guide to go with this  as well as a DVD.
Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves (Trade Paperback) – Focuses on 12 Bible stories that illustrate how God is always with us.
When Less Becomes More: Making Space for Slow, Simple, and Good (Hardcover) – Good things come when we say yes to the right things.

REVIEW: Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

REVIEW: Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Sawyer is still reeling from the things she discovered about her family when she, Lily, Campbell, and Sadie-Grace worked together to make sure Campbell’s father was held accountable for his crimes (Little White Lies). She finally knows who her biological father is, and it changes everything – her relationship with her mother, her grandmother, and with the rest of the family she lived with for her debutante year.

But now that it’s summer, and the family is spending time at their lake property, there’s a new distraction. The White Gloves is a secret society that takes in a select number of young women from the best families each year. And Sawyer, Lily, Campbell and Sadie-Grace have all received invitations. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Sawyer’s recent discoveries make things awkward at her grandmother’s house. Campbell’s mother is in a downward spiral after the fallout from her husband’s arrest.  Sadie-Grace knows her step-mother is faking her pregnancy, but she doesn’t know if she should confront her or let the charade play out. And Lily has her up-in-the-air relationship with Walker to figure out. The White Gloves are a perfectly timed distraction.

But the Gloves’ competition also gives Sawyer a chance to dig into one more mystery from her debutante year. Whatever happened to her mom’s best friend Ana who also got pregnant when Sawyer’s mom did – and who disappeared almost twenty years ago?

Review

This was absolutely stunning – dizzying! The twist and turns in this left me in knots – and I loved every minute of it. I couldn’t stop thinking about this for 24 hours after I finished the final page – I even had dreams about the book! When I think about where the book starts vs where it ends, it’s almost like two whole books. What a wild ride! Masterful plotting in this one!

I missed some of Sawyer’s sass and spunk from the first book. In Little While Lies, she’s an outsider; she uses her words as armor to protect herself. In this book, that edge isn’t as sharp. She’s found family to a degree, and she has her crew of friends. It’s a necessary evolution to the character, but I missed the snark. I also missed the fellas. Walker and Boone are absent for a lot of this since the White Gloves is only for the ladies. Again, necessary, but I missed them.

I love the core group of girls in this. They have distinct, fascinating personalities and family situations. And I loved seeing them as more of a team than they could be in book one.

The structure of this is similar to Little White Lies. In that book, the story starts with the girls in jail and then goes back in time around a year to fill in the story. Periodically there’s a paragraph, or a few sentences, from the jail timeline so you don’t forget where everything is headed. This time there are three timelines. This book starts again with Sawyer and a friend in some danger. Then it goes back a few months to the start of the story. The third piece is from 25 years ago, and that is also threaded into the larger story. The author does a great job of cuing where the timing changes so just watch the headings and you’ll be fine. I loved trying to figure out how the three pieces would come together in the end.

As I said, the plot of this is dizzying. I can think of six major twists/revelations without even trying hard, and I’m sure there are more. I had to write them all out when I finished the book just to help my mind take it all in. WOW! I loved it. So many great surprises. I’m not sure there are unanswered questions to prompt a third book, but if Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes one, I am here for it! She is still one of my favorite YA authors.

These books definitely need to be read in order. If you love suspense and mysteries, or if you love books with some unexpected twists, be sure to check out the Debutantes series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey

BONUS REVIEW: Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Winona Mae Montgomery is trying to save the Smythe Orchard. It’s been in her family for decades, and her grandmother has been trying to keep it afloat on her own for three years since the death of Winnie’s grandfather.

Winnie is close to finishing her business degree, and she has great ideas about year-round activities they could run at the orchard to help bring in money. Her main goal is to start a cider shop with her own special recipes. She just has to convince the loan officer at the bank to trust her instincts and plans.

The dead body in the apple press doesn’t do anything to help Winnie’s loan application.

As the victim was their neighbor, and Granny Smythe’s nemesis, the new sheriff pegs Winnie’s grandmother as his primary suspect for the murder. If Winnie is going to protect her grandmother, save the orchard, and secure her bank loan, she’s going to have to find the real killer on her own.

Review

Fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed the kickoff to this new series by Julie Anne Lindsey. The West Virginia setting – a small town, an apple orchard, etc. – was nice. Winnie and her grandmother are great cozy characters – great neighbors, people everyone cares about and wants to help. The potential romance has a nice start up here (although I hope the distraction disappears soon – maybe in book 2!). These are definitely characters I would spend time with again.

The mystery was top notch! I felt like all of my questions were answered in the solution. My guesses were completely wrong, so I enjoyed the end reveal. The situation escalated for Winnie at a perfect pace to ratchet up the suspense. I never felt like it was too much or too fast or too slow or that the story elements were out of balance with the mystery.

I became a fan of the author with her Geek Girl Mystery series, and this just reinforced that. Don’t miss this Christmas season mystery. And be sure to watch for book 2, Pulp Friction, out next spring.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

REVIEW: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

On a random Tuesday, on her usual mid-day walk, Chloe Brown almost died. If she had been just a couple feet in the other direction, the drunk driver would have hit her instead of that coffee shop. She was unhurt, but in shock. The whole thing sent her chronically ill body into a tailspin. But it wasn’t only physically jarring. She also realized her life is bland, and she has nothing to show for her years on this earth. Maybe it’s time for Chloe to get a life!

Step one is moving out of the family home and getting her own place. Done! The other six items on her “get a life” list are taking longer. Well, actually, the last one – Do Something Bad – she has technically already completed, too.

Redford Morgan is the supervisor for Chloe’s apartment building. And every time she runs into him there’s some drama going on, and she ends up at the center of it, looking like a fool or a shrew. She tries to avoid him whenever possible. But in the evenings, he often paints in his living room with the curtains open. And his shirt off. His apartment is right across from her’s. She couldn’t help but see him. She knew it was a serious invasion of his privacy to keep watching, hiding behind her own curtains, but she was drawn to the sight of him, lost in his work.

When Red finds Chloe stuck in a tree after trying to rescue a cat, they actually have a couple moments of civility with one another. And Chloe starts to wonder if maybe Red could help her check off a couple other items on her Get a Life list.

Review

It took me awhile to warm up to these two characters, especially Red. They were both abrasive to each other early on, and Red was crass even in his own thoughts and perspectives on things. But as the characters warmed up to one another, I started to like them more, both as individuals and as a potential couple.

While Chloe’s bucket list/Get a Life list launches her journey towards Red and helps move the relationship along, I never felt she was really attached to it. She even admits this over time. So it was a plot device that didn’t ever click for me.

But in the end, I loved Chloe and Red together. I appreciated that they recognized they might need therapeutic help with their individual baggage. I loved how attentive Red was to Chloe, almost intuiting at times how her illness was impacting her. It felt like he was the first, maybe ever, to care about her enough to pay that level of attention. It was awesome. I especially liked that this book honestly and thoroughly (at least as much as I could tell as an “outsider”) dealt with Chloe’s chronic illness.  There were several factors in the story that were a lovely departure from a standard, stereotypical romance novel couple (interracial couple, Chloe’s illness, Chloe’s weight, etc.).

This is going to be the first in the Brown Sisters series, so the subsequent books will address Chloe’s sisters. I was happy to see this because I found myself wanting more interaction with the two women as this novel progressed. I think that would have been a great addition to this story, but it will be good for each of them to tell her own story, too. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Shine! by JJ and Chris Grabenstein

REVIEW: Shine! by JJ and Chris Grabenstein

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Piper’s life revolves around music, although she says she personally can’t carry a tune in a lunch box.

Her mother was a cellist and also a singer. At Piper’s age she had a full music scholarship to Chumley Prep. Piper’s dad has always dreamed of writing musicals and directing orchestras on Broadway, but he never caught a break like that. When Piper’s mom died, he started directing music at Fairview Middle School so he had a steady job to take care of the two of them.

And now, her dad’s a cappella group has won the Winter Sing-Off, beating the Chumley Prep group. It’s a huge achievement for Piper’s dad. And it gets him invited to take the director’s job at Chumley after Christmas. A “perk” is that Piper can go to the school for free. She’s less than thrilled.

At the Winter Sing-Off, Piper overheard the arrogant Chumley kids mocking her dad and his group, but she was too shy to speak up. What is she going to do now when she has to go to school with those kids every day?

Review

“The brightest stars don’t just shine for themselves.”

What a DELIGHT! This is the kind of book I want to hug. I loved this – the characters, the plot, the message. It was a treat to read!

Piper is my favorite sort of middle grade character. She’s bright and sweet and over time she gets comfortable in her own skin. She finds a fantastic crew at Chumley which offsets some of the social issues at the school. Piper’s not perfect. She struggles with the pressure to be a star at Chumley and with her expectations of herself, and that leads her to vent that frustration onto a friend. But she finds her way back, on her own, given some time and space – exactly what you hope kids can do.

The story was almost as excellent as Piper. It’s a new kid story combined with an identity story as Piper is trying to figure out who she wants to be in this new setting. As an outsider, she catches glimpses of what the pressure of a school like Chumley can be like for kids, especially kids with parents who have sky-high expectations and the money to make things happen. And while Piper puts up with some taunting and some unfair treatment, she mostly has the freedom to find her place and be herself while she figures out the Chumley system and competes for an all-school award.

This would be terrific for a classroom read aloud, for book groups, or for family/bedtime reading. Don’t miss out on this one. You can check out my reviews of some of Chris Grabenstein’s other books here.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥