Tag: family

REVIEW: The Reckless Club by Beth Vrabel

REVIEW: The Reckless Club by Beth Vrabel

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

  • Jason, The Nobody
  • Lilith, The Drama Queen
  • Wes, The Flirt
  • Ally, The Athlete
  • Rex, The Rebel

Five teens spend their last free Saturday before starting high school at the Northbrook Retirement Village. This is their penance. Because of their choices at the end of eighth grade, they have “detention.” This day of service will be their punishment and will hopefully teach them something so that they make better choices in the future.

The kids may have gone to the same middle school, but that doesn’t mean they are friends. Jason rarely strings a whole sentence together, but his sketch book tells a lot of stories. Lilith is hoping to redeem the day by developing character ideas from some of the elderly folks at the Village. Wes turns on the charm and has everyone eating out of his hand. Ally has her father’s words ringing in her ears – complaints that this is a lost day of practice, and admonishments to make up for it wherever she can. Rex is the one they all know. Her anger is legendary around the school.

What will happen when these five students come together for a day of service and senior citizens?

Review

This is The Breakfast Club meets The Golden Girls. And it’s outstanding! I loved everything about this – the characters, the humor and the heart. A slam dunk from start to finish.

The kids take turns telling the story, like a Rob Buyea novel (Saving Mr. Terupt, The Perfect Score, etc.), which is a structure I love in middle grade novels. It allows the reader to be in the head of a variety of characters and personalities. But the students in this weren’t the only great characters. The elderly folks at Northbrook were so fun! Agnes was my absolute favorite, although there were several close seconds. And the dynamic between the facility manager and the kids’ principal was a hoot!

For 80% of the story, the reader is learning the characters, watching them warm up to each other and then push each other away. The reader is putting the various puzzles together. And just when you have a good feel for everyone, the author hits you with the heart. All the build up pays off. I was surrounded by a pile of tissues for the ending. It was perfect. I was sad to see the story come to an end. I would love to spend more time with these characters – both the elderly ones and the teens. There are several nods to The Breakfast Club, but they are subtle and clever and fit right in without being a distraction.

This is my new favorite middle grade for 2018. It’s been a great year for middle grade, and this is a terrific addition to the collection.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

REVIEW: The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas

REVIEW: The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Abby Hamilton knows more about the superheroes around the town of Morriston than most people. And she’s not impressed. When you’ve known the Red Comet your whole life, because he’s your older brother, some of the mystique is lost. Rather than an awe-inspiring superhero, he’s just the same goofball she’s always loved.

But there’s a new superpowered guy in town. The Iron Phantom. At least that’s what they are calling him on the news. After finding video of him setting fire to the mayor’s office, they’re also saying he’s a supervillain. Abby’s not sure what to believe.

Iron Phantom saved her from a mugger with a knife. He fed a homeless guy. How can that same guy be this awful villain the news says he is?

Iron Phantom insists he isn’t a villain. He was in the mayor’s office because he thinks the guy is up to something. (The mayor happens to be Abby’s dad.) But the other things he’s being blamed for weren’t him. Abby wants to believe him. She even thinks she might know who he really is! But the sister of the city’s biggest superhero really shouldn’t be falling for a villain.

Review

This was fantastic! This lived up to and exceeded all my hopes for this based on the description. I love superhero stories and teen romances, and this was a great example of both. It’s smart, funny, romantic and engaging.

Abby is awesome. She’s bright and strong yet cautious with this new super in town. But the chemistry between them is too strong for her caution to hold out for too long. I enjoyed the puzzle of Iron Phantom’s true identity. The author did a good job of keeping the reader guessing, although I think most will have a favorite they hope it will be. I loved that Abby is a hero in her own way without any of the powers the other supers around her have.

The mystery/conflict is not complex or especially intricate. The first question is who Iron Phantom is and if he is a good guy or a bad guy. Then it’s what’s up with the city government. Finally it’s the kids’ efforts to foil the bad guy plot. But I was along for the ride with these terrific characters no matter what happened.

Aside from a couple minor plot questions and my frustration with the cover photo (which doesn’t match Iron Phantom’s description at all), everything else about this was perfect for me. Highly recommend. (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Pros of Cons by Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar and Michelle Schusterman

REVIEW: The Pros of Cons by Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar and Michelle Schusterman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Vanessa is attending the We Treasure Fandom con where she is hoping to enjoy some fanfiction with her fellow Wonderlandia fans. It will also be her first chance to meet her fanfic writing partner – and online girlfriend – in person.

Phoebe is attending the Indoor Percussion Association convention with her percussion team from school. While they don’t have the resources that their competition does, the team is really talented. They have a chance to perform really well this week – until a mishap in the hotel lobby with a xylophone.

Callie and her dad are at the World Taxidermy Championships. Things have been rough since Callie’s mom left.  But Callie keeps hoping that by working together her dad will remember she’s his daughter and not just his assistant.

All three conventions are happening in the same convention center at the same time.

When the convention week becomes a disaster for each of the girls, they find each other. And when their relationships from their regular lives are at their worst, this new friendship  may be what each girl needs to redeem her convention experience.

Review

What a fun story! I loved the three girls. Each one was distinct and yet all were endearing in their own ways. Their interpersonal issues – Vanessa with a “girlfriend” who is flirty online but distant in person, Phoebe whose friendships are changing, and Callie who wants to feel like she matters to her dad – are rich and complicated and realistic. I can’t even pick a favorite. I loved each of them for different reasons.

My favorite feature of the book was the way each of the girls found her voice or her place. Vanessa found the confidence to confront the mixed messages. Phoebe’s injury early on opened up an opportunity to find out she’s gifted in a way she never recognized before. And Callie asks for what she wants and needs (after trying a more passive-aggressive approach first). And when each girl finds her voice, she has something to contribute to the new friendship that is developing between them.

Con stories are my new favorite theme in books for teens and young adults. Our family loves going to cons, and I felt at home in the setting the author created for this book. There’s a fourth con interwoven in the story which made for a fun ending. I love what these authors created with these three characters!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: After Zero by Christina Collins

REVIEW: After Zero by Christina Collins

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Elise is the “quiet” one. It’s almost become a game for her. How can she get through the school day with as few words as possible? Unfortunately her teachers love things like group discussions and oral presentations. But a bathroom pass can do wonders to help her avoid those projects, at least for awhile.

Elise was homeschooled for elementary school. And she missed out on things other kids seemed to take for granted like birthday parties and negotiating social relationships. Now Elise is in a public middle school. She skipped ahead to 8th grade while her one neighborhood friend is in 7th. But Elise struggles even to talk to her.

At the beginning of the year Elise talked some. But a few false starts left her feeling exposed and awkward. It felt safer to just keep to herself.

But when Elise discovers a secret her mom has been keeping, things start to spiral out of control for Elise. And if she won’t – or can’t – speak up, how can she ever find out the truth or find help?

Review

For most of the book, I struggled to figure out where things were going. I cared about Elise and felt desperate for her to speak – to get help or stick up for herself. There were some out-of-the-ordinary moments that left me wondering if the book was somehow in the fantasy genre and I missed it in the description. If I hadn’t agreed to review this, I might not have pushed through to the end. And that would have been a shame.

This is the sort of book that you can’t evaluate except from the end. You have to press through all of your questions and frustration for Elise. Because in the end, everything ties together and becomes clear.

I learned a lot in this story about Elise’s situation. I don’t want to give anything away by saying more. I will say this will fit with the collection of middle grade books exploring mental health, but it brings an entirely new piece into the discussion. I don’t know of another book that looks at kids like Elise. And the author told the story in such a way that the reader was desperate for Elise to get her answers even if the reader doesn’t know how they are going to come about.

This would be great for upper elementary and middle school readers, especially for fans of books like Finding Perfect, Still a Work in Progress, Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes, and The Seventh Wish.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Planet Grief by Monique Polak

REVIEW: Planet Grief by Monique Polak

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Abby is furious with her father. She does NOT want to spend her weekend at some grief retreat. She’d rather be at soccer – with friends, running around, not thinking about how it is almost Mother’s Day and her mother is dead. If only a heart transplant had come through for her sooner, or if she had not even gotten sick at all.

Christopher isn’t quite as reluctant about the grief retreat as Abby. His main worry is that someone will find out exactly HOW his father died. His mom assures him that the retreat leader, Eugene, is the only one who will know. But Christopher still walks in with his defenses up.

The other kids in the group are Gustavo who has been to grief retreat before because of his father’s death. As a seasoned participant, he helps Eugene with the group activities. Antoine and his moms are grieving the loss of Antoine’s little brother who died from SIDS. And Felicia is there because both of her parents died.

As Abby and Christopher experience grief retreat and participate in some exercises to help them with their losses, they are surprised by the things they learn about their fellow group members – and about themselves.

Review

This is an emotional and touching story. And it is so well written. I felt like the grief and emotions expressed by the characters were completely on target. I felt them and understood them. The complicated experience of grief was portrayed in a way that middle grade readers can understand. I think kids who have experienced loss could read this and feel understood. They might even get some new insights into their own grief experience. Kids who have not experienced death have a chance to gain insight and empathy by reading the experience of these characters.

I think this book could find a home in every single classroom and school library as well as home libraries. For those who tend to avoid books with gay characters due to religious reasons, I think the two moms in this story (who are never in a scene together due to the extreme grief of one of the women) are a small part of a much larger – and much more important – story. I think the value of this book to grieving kids and their friends far outweighs any questions the kids might have about a character with two moms.

I highly recommend this story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant

REVIEW: Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Cyril MacIntyre likes to say he started law school when he was ten years old.  That was how old he was when his mom started night school, and she couldn’t afford to get a sitter. So he quizzed her for her tests and ran to get her materials from the library. When she finally graduated, he was almost as proud of her as she was of herself.

But Andy MacIntyre is brusque and abrasive and loud. She had a hard time finding a job. Eventually she became an “articling student” for a local lawyer who was always trying to help the underdogs. It’s a perfect place for Andy. She and Cyril are finally pulling things together for a more positive life.

Then Byron shows up. He pushes Andy’s buttons worse than anyone Cyril has ever met. And he holds something over Andy’s head because she let him move into Cyril’s room but she never wanted Cyril to talk to him. Just when Cyril starts doing some investigating into Byron and his history with Andy, they both disappear. Cyril is alone. He knows if he calls the police he’ll end up in foster care, so he’ll just have to solve the mystery on his own.

Review

This was a great mystery! Cyril is a smart, resourceful kid. He really has to work to get all of the pieces to come together. Some of the clues – like Andy’s notes – can be puzzled out by the reader. The legal terms at the start of every chapter are a great way to convey information and keep the theme of the story going.

Andy is a pretty rough-around-the-edges parent. She’s aggressive and foulmouthed (although all her swearing is bleeped out in the book), but underneath it all you know she loves Cyril and wants to do right by him.

I’d recommend this for older middle grade readers – middle school age – due to the bleeped out swearing, the older protagonist (Cyril is 13 or 14 – the ARC was inconsistent on his age), and some components of the mystery. This will be great for kids who love a first rate mystery and those who want to be a lawyer some day.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Royals by Rachel Hawkins

REVIEW: Royals by Rachel Hawkins

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Daisy’s life in Florida is relatively normal. Sure, her parents are from England, and her dad used to be a rock star. But Daisy is just a normal high school kid with a crappy job (grocery store clerk), a best friend, and an ex-boyfriend. What makes Daisy stand out from the crowd is her sister Ellie – who is dating the crown prince of Scotland.

When Ellie and Alex get engaged, things get a lot more complicated for Daisy. Her ex has already tried to sell the paparazzi their prom pictures. And then he sells them a lie that Daisy broke up with him because she has her sights set on bigger fish – Alex’s younger brother, Prince Sebastian, the wild child of the royal family.

Daisy is whisked off to Scottland – under protest – by “the crown” so they can control the media around Daisy’s family and the upcoming wedding. But Prince Sebastian and his friends – the “Royal Wreckers” – may be a bigger risk than Daisy or her American family.

Review

When I first read the description for this book, I thought it sounded a lot like one of my favorite books from 2017, Prince in Disguise. I approached this with some reluctance because of that. I didn’t want to read anything that might feel like a copycat of one of my favorite stories. But once I got the flavor of this on its own merits, I really enjoyed it!

Daisy is fun and sassy. She tries to hold herself back for the sake of her sister, but her true nature still comes through – and it’s awesome! Prince Seb and his crew are fun, although I would have enjoyed even more time with them. The interpersonal parts of the story were where most of the humor came in. There are many LOL moments in this one!

The story was fun and light. I enjoyed the setting. The uppity royals and high society folks needed to be put in their places. I would have enjoyed even more of it, but what is there is satisfying.

I’d still rank Prince in Disguise higher than this one, but this was a great book in its own right. Read BOTH for a lot of royal romance fun! I know I plan to read both of them again… and again.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Rules of the Ruff by Heidi Lang

REVIEW: Rules of the Ruff by Heidi Lang

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Jessie is spending the summer with her aunt and uncle and cousin “Ann-Marie.” Ann-Marie used to be just Ann and she was fun to hang out with back then. But when she became friends with Loralee, she wanted to be called Ann-Marie instead. She never sticks up for Jessie when Loralee is hateful, cruel or manipulative. Ann-Marie usually doesn’t pay attention to Jessie unless Loralee stands her up.

So Jessie decides to find her own summer fun by pestering her grumpy neighbor, Wes, to let her join his dog-walking business. Wes agrees to take Jessie along only if she learns the Rules of the Ruff – his rules for working with dogs.

Jessie learns a lot about the dogs – and about Wes – through their partnership. When a rival dog walker moves in on Wes’ business, Jessie is incensed. When she hears that the rival doesn’t even love the dogs like Wes does, that it’s just a job to her, Jessie decides to serve up a little vengeance and get Wes’ clients back. But things quickly turn ugly and the Rules of the Ruff might not be enough to set things right again.

Review

This was a cute story with characters that produced some strong emotions in me. Loralee is horrible. She’s a typical, hateful middle grade bully/mean girl, and she’s just awful. Monique, the rival dog walker, really ticked me off, too, with her cavalier attitude about putting Wes out of business. Max and Ann’s inability to stand up to Loralee at times was infuriating. The author did a great job developing characters that incited strong feelings.

I loved Jessie’s persistence and self-acceptance. She never tried to be something she wasn’t. And she makes some really selfless choices in the book that were both painful to read and also inspiring.

On one level, this is a dog story but even more than that it’s a relationship story.  Jessie’s relationships with each of the characters tell the reader so much about Jessie and about the people around her. The Rules of the Ruff come in handy with people, not just with dogs. Hand this to your favorite dog lover and be prepared for him or her to really connect with these characters, too.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch

REVIEW: Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch

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

Alexandra Vlodnochek gave up her job as a reporter to pursue a higher paying job at the Coleman and Walters PR firm. No one told her that the new job included expectations that she would take a client up to a hotel room. She thought her loud refusal might get her fired. But she didn’t expect it would get her accused of murder.

Now Alex is trying to clear her name using her investigative reporting skills. But her former coworkers have drunk the Kool-aid and are sharing the company lies with the press. Someone has stolen her identity and is trying to ruin her financially. The one boss who isn’t dead has backed her into a corner where her chances of finding another job that doesn’t involve cleaning toilets are slim. And if that’s not enough to juggle, Alex’s baby brother moves in with his fiancée (who seems to be running a shady business out of Alex’ house) and their un-housebroken puppy. Alex is out of money and out of patience with the hatchet job her former employer is trying to pull on her. She won’t let her entire life be destroyed without a fight.

Review

The sheer volume of things piling onto Alex was overwhelming. It was almost painful to read one more disaster, one more lie, one more manipulation, one more attack on her character.

But Alex was never facing all of that alone. Her family really steps up to help her out in their own unique ways. I really enjoyed the whole cast in this book. Some of the characters are mainly “off stage,” but still bring interesting tidbits to the story. I cannot wait for more books to get to know some of these other characters better.

The mystery wasn’t a big surprise. But I thoroughly enjoyed watching Alex work things out. There were some fantastic, triumphant moments for her that I loved! There were some “sideline scenes” where Alex was trying to earn some money to stay afloat that were enjoyable, even though they had little to nothing to do with solving the murder. Sometimes such things can be aggravating and distracting, but this time they were fun scenes that helped cut some of the tension of the larger story.

This is a fun, sassy story with great characters. I will absolutely keep up with this series in the future! (Some language.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie

REVIEW: The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Guinevere, her sister Elizabeth (Bitty), and their dad move back to Gwyn’s parents’ home town, Crow, Iowa, because of Vienna. Vienna is Gwyn’s mother. Six years ago, when Gwyn was four and Bitty was a baby, Vienna’s heart stopped. Her brain was without oxygen for a long time. While she was eventually revived, her brain was damaged. Vienna doesn’t remember anything now beyond age 13. She remembers her husband because they had been childhood friends. She remembers her mother and sisters, but she can’t reconcile their older, adult lives with her childhood memories. She doesn’t know her daughters at all.

In Iowa, Gwyn and Bitty have Nana and their dad there to help them with the day in and day out activities. They see Vienna at her care facility and on outings, but it is hard to see the person who should love you the most not even know who you are. One saving grace to the whole move is Gwyn’s friendship with Micah and Jimmy. Along with Bitty, the four kids do everything together, including their attempts to solve the disappearance of a local man. Micah’s mom, Gaysie, is Gwyn’s primary suspect. Everyone in town talks about her and whispers about “the accident” that happened when Gwyn’s parents and Gaysie were kids.

Gwyn will learn a lot about her new community, her new friends, her mom and even herself as she experiences these early months in Iowa.

Review

This is a lovely, heartbreaking story of family and friendship. There are several layers to this, and they all worked well.

On the surface, this is about Gwyn and her family, especially her mother. My heart broke for Gwyn (who acts older than 10 in a lot of ways) as she tries to manage her emotions about her mother. The situation is difficult and tragic, but Gwyn’s dad refuses to lose hope. Gwyn’s anger and resentment is understandable; she is grieving in her own way the lost of her mother in a parental role in her life.

This is also about the past. The family moves back to Iowa hoping the familiar people and places will help Vienna regain some of the memories she has lost. There are a lot of references to the past, especially to the friendship between Gwyn’s parents and Gaysie, and the mysterious “accident.”

Then there’s the mystery. Gaysie’s neighbor and friend, Wilber, disappears, and Gwyn is determined to figure out what happened to him. At the same time, there’s also her friendship with Jimmy and Micah which grows while they work on the mystery.

I don’t think the mystery is central enough to put this in that genre. I’d categorize this as realistic fiction. It’s beautiful and emotional. A really engaging story. This would be a great addition to personal libraries, school libraries, classroom libraries and class read-alouds. Just be sure to have tissues nearby!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥