Tag: crushes

REVIEW: Truly Tyler by Terri Libenson

REVIEW: Truly Tyler by Terri Libenson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Balzer and Bray in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases next week on May 4th.]

Summary

Tyler has recently rediscovered how much he enjoys art. And it’s helped him overcome the awkwardness with Emmie over that note. Now they’re friends – and they’re working together on a graphic novel project for class.

But Tyler is getting caught up in the art project, and basketball is suffering – and right before the big game, too. To make things worse, the guys are hassling him about spending time with Emmie. Maybe he should just do his own project and try to get back in the zone, with both his more popular friends and with basketball.

Tyler and Emmie take turns telling this story, as well as telling the story within the story.

Review

This is book 5 in the Emmie & Friends series after Invisible Emmie, Positively Izzy, Just Jaime (♥♥♥♥), and Becoming Brianna (♥♥♥♥). I was surprised this wasn’t told completely by Tyler. Emmie is also dealing with a friendship situation while she negotiates her ongoing crush on Tyler. I think some readers will enjoy watching Tyler and Emmie figure out their friendship from different angles.

I think Tyler’s story, though, could have been enough on its own. He’s noticing how shallow his relationship is with his dad. And when Tyler makes an effort to seek out his older brother about it, it strengthens their relationship and opens communication. Tyler is also dealing with peer pressure about basketball vs art as well as his friendship with Emmie. AND he’s also wrestling with his identity and his own feelings about art and basketball aside from the pressure he is getting from others. This is some great, meaty stuff, and I really enjoyed it. Personally, Emmie’s story felt more like an interruption than an enhancement of that story. Her friendship issue felt forced, like it was there to give her story more depth than just her crush. And I agree, she needed more depth than that. But I think Tyler’s story alone would have made this a better fit for me.

Fans of the series will definitely want to pick this one up. The art work is stellar as always. And the author has a terrific grasp on middle school interactions and struggles!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

BONUS REVIEW: Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin

BONUS REVIEW: Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

It’s Joy’s birthday, but she’s struggling to be excited about it. The memories of last year’s birthday – which started out so well, but ended so tragically – are unavoidable. For the last year, her parents have watched her carefully. No one really mentions Lukas. Joy can’t even think about him in the past tense. She talks to him in her head. How could she let go of her best friend – someone who might have been something more?

Joy and Lukas used to make scavenger hunts for each other for their birthdays, which were only a couple days apart. She has the first clue for last year’s hunt. It’s been in her desk for 365 days. But maybe it’s time to see where the note leads – to see if any of his clues are left. To see if there’s a hint that he heard her last words to him or not.

Review

I have mixed feelings on this book. It’s very well written. But I didn’t love it. I can positively recommend it to the right readers, but I don’t think I was the right reader, if that makes sense.

The authors did a nice job here of balancing what could have been an extremely sad story with some sweet friendship moments and some chuckles. It’s still a sad story. You know all the way through that Lukas – who tells the story of writing and placing his clues – is going to die. You don’t know how until the end, but it’s an ever-present weight on the story. Personally, that anxiety and wondering was a distraction at times from Joy’s journey through the scavenger hunt.

My heart broke for Joy. She comes across as still pretty numb and emotionally flat in her grief. And she doesn’t talk about Lukas or her loss, although she obviously thinks about him a lot. She holds back her tears so often. The stakes on the scavenger hunt are also big. Joy wants to have this last experience with Lukas, but the chances of finding all of his clues after a year are slim. What will she do if she can’t find them? I thought the authors did a terrific job of dealing with this issue in the book.

Because of the seriousness of the story and the crush components between Joy’s last words to Lukas and Lukas’ thoughts of kissing her and declaring his feelings, I would push the age for this up to an older middle grade range – 10 to 14 instead of the traditional 8-12. As I think back to my students, my 5th and 6th graders would have gravitated to this more than my 3rd and 4th graders on the whole.

Readers who want to be moved by their books, who love friendship stories, or who enjoy middle grade stories that wrestle with mature topics like grief and loss should not miss this one. As I said, it is very well written. It just wasn’t a good fit for me as a reader. My personal rating for this is a 3.5, but my official rating is a 4 to reflect the quality of the book outside of my reaction to it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume

REVIEW: What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Maisie and her mom are off for the winter holiday. Her dad is working instead of going to the beach. Maisie’s best friend, Anna, is coming along on the trip which is perfect timing. (She recently caught her boyfriend cheating.) Anna’s mom is going away for the holiday, so Anna was going to be alone.

Maisie is excited to be getting away, even if she does have to do a journal writing/self-discovery assignment for school over the break. The family is going where they always go for vacation. Which means Sebastian will be there.

Maisie and Sebastian’s parents have been friends for ages. The two teens have grown up together. And while Sebastian has gotten hotter as the years have gone on, Maisie has only gotten more awkward. And this trip is no different. If anything, the awkward is dialing up a notch or two.

And through it all – the trip, questions about her parents’ marriage, her feelings for Seb, his new relationship, the arrival of Maisie’s “perfect” older sister and her new girlfriend, and Maisie’s entry into a beauty pageant, she’s journalling her thoughts and feelings for school. Who knows what she might discover about herself by the time the vacation is done?

Review

This was so good! I really enjoyed Maisie’s evolution through the story. While it covers about a month of time, a LOT happens for Maisie, her family, and her friends.

The central story is really Maisie’s self-acceptance. As a plus-sized young woman, Maisie feels self-conscious. She won’t wear a swimsuit on the beach. She’s been hurt by others who have judged her by her weight – including people in her own family. And she’s developed a protective response of assuming the worst to defect against her fear of rejection. The pageant pulls all of that to the front of Maisie’s awareness and forces her to deal with some of it.

The other major piece of this is Maisie’s crush on Seb. When he starts dating someone else, Maisie pretends to herself – and to others – that she doesn’t care. She misses the signs that there might be someone interested in her because she thinks her size makes that impossible. While parts of this plot line were predictable, at least to me, I still loved watching it play out.

There’s a lot to enjoy here –  a romance, a body-positive thread, some amazing characters (Leila is my favorite), and tons of family and friendship pieces. Be sure to check it out. (Language, sexual references, underage drinking)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Taxonomy of Love by Rachael Allen

REVIEW: Taxonomy of Love by Rachael Allen

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Spencer meets Hope when they are both 13. He’s never met anyone like her. She loves to climb trees, she stands up to bullies, and she doesn’t freak out about the tics Spencer experiences because of Tourette’s.

They are neighbors. And best friends. And Spencer hopes it might one day be even more than that. But time takes a toll on the two teens. Personal loss. Misunderstandings. Other romantic relationships. Through it all, there is an ebb and flow in their relationship of closeness and distance. But Spencer holds onto hope that something more might develop. Someday. Or that maybe he could at least get his best friend back.

Review

Spencer and Hope are a delight. At times, I wondered where the story was going, but Spencer and Hope kept me engaged and turning pages.

Spencer is especially endearing. I loved that the Tourette’s was a fact of life and not just an issue to be used as a plot point. It was fully integrated into the story at many levels, most of them relational. The author did a terrific job with this.

The story takes place over 5 years – taking the kids from 7th grade through their senior year. The evolution in ALL the characters over time was really well done. As I read an electronic ARC, I was not able to see some of the taxonomy pieces the way they will look in the finished book. I am curious to see those in person. (Some language and other mature content.)

Thanks to Netgalley and Amulet books for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson

REVIEW: Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Emmie is a quiet, introverted 7th grader. She used to talk more, when her older siblings were at home. But since they left for college, Emmie’s gotten more reserved.

She has a best friend, but they don’t see each other much during the school day. So Emmie keeps her head down and focuses on her art. Drawing helps her with her lonely feelings and the knots she gets in her stomach at times.

When a note about her crush becomes public, Emmie wants to withdraw even more. What if he sees it? How can he miss it when it gets texted to everyone?!

Review

This was great. Emmie’s a terrific character. She reminded me of several girls I know – definitely on the quiet side (although the young ladies I know are more confident than Emmie and have bigger social safety nets). These things that Emmie goes through are pretty typical for middle school. I think most kids will be able to identify with the highs and lows of school at this age.

There’s an interesting twist to the story that I enjoyed. I won’t spoil it, but I would love to discuss it with some students and get their take on it.

Put this in the hands of kids who like books like Smile, Sisters, Roller Girl, Sunny Side Up, Real Friends and other books like those. They’ll feel right at home with Emmie!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Well, That Was Awkward by Rachel Vail

REVIEW: Well, That Was Awkward by Rachel Vail

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Gracie is a fairly typical 8th grader. She has a couple best friends and a larger circle of kids she hangs out with. Her parents are mostly okay, except they are overprotective. She can’t really go anywhere alone, she’s not allowed to have a pet, and she doesn’t feel like she can show anyone her true feelings. She’s smart, a reader, and she cares about charity, raising money for turtle rescues and book charities.

But things start to change in 8th grade. Gracie starts wondering about her parents and how they survived what happened to her sister. And she wonders what her role is in her family in light of her sister. Then there are the crushes. Gracie finds herself in a Cyrano DeBergerac-like role between her best friend Sienna and Gracie’s own maybe-crush AJ. And, in typical middle school fashion, there’s a stuck up mean girl and plenty of questions and doubts about physical traits and identity. When all of those pieces collide – family, friends, crushes, and mean girls, Gracie may find herself standing alone.

Review

I ADORED this! When I tried to summarize it, I realized how much is going on in this story! It’s hard to put it all together and keep it concise. But in the reading, it all hangs together perfectly!

Gracie tells the story in first person, so you get her stream-of-consciousness thinking, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Her “voice” is excellent! It has a funny, fast pace to it that really clicked for me. If this book existed when I was a teen, I would have read it over and over until it fell apart. I would have completely identified with Gracie.

I enjoyed the whole ensemble in this story. The development between Gracie and her parents is lovely and touching. I liked the evolution in the group of girls around Gracie, watching them wrestle with growing up and identity. And her other best friend, Emmett, is so cool and endearing.

This was an absolute delight! I hugged the book when I finished. I will be recommending this one often and reading it again in the future.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥