Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs was a page turner!! I couldn’t set it down. Imagine being a mermaid. Okay, that in itself is somewhat strange. But then imagine that you are living on land trying to win the heart of the boy that will be your eternal life partner! Needless to say that Lily’s life is not easy, but then when Childs adds Quince into the story, the whole thing gets upended.
The story has great characters that you want to see succeed. Childs is also the author of the Oh, My Goddess, series and I am definitely going to have to read that one! Check out her website at: http://www.terralynnchilds.com. You won’t be disappointed.
This edgy first novel written by Brooke Taylor skyrocketed to the top of my favorite books for High School Kids by about the third page! Kori and Serena are best friends and couldn’t be more different. The girls have to make a list of 5 things that they think would never really ever happen, seal it in an envelope and turn it in to their teacher. At the end of the year, their teacher will hand it back and see if any of the things that the wrote down actually come true. Only Serena’s life gets up-ended when Kori’s list finds its way into her hands in the aftermath of tragedy. Can Serena make Kori’s “never happen” list a reality?
I really enjoyed this book. It has quite a bit of profanity, but it isn’t out of place. It fits with the story. To find out more about the author, her website is: www.brooketaylorbooks.com
Ben Campbell is mad when he and his two dads move from the gritty city streets where temptation to act out is abundant to Rough Butte, Montana where life is as slow as molasses. Ben is even more stymied when they move in and he meets his next door neighbor, Billy.
Billy’s dad is not treating Billy right and Ben is determined to find out what is behind all of the angry words and actions. In the midst of all of the turmoil next door, Ben makes friends, and enemies, in the small town as he lets his hair spikes and guard down and opens himself up to new experiences.
It was difficult to say what I liked most about this book. Ben is a very like-able character who is obviously trying to figure out where he belongs. His dad is struggling with his own identity in this small town. His new Grandma is also one tough old bat, but she is just watching out for Ben. Or if I liked Billy the most. Sweet, misunderstood, obedient Billy who just wants someone to love him. For a first novel, Harmon has done a spectacular job of creating a believable story line with endearing characters. I picked it up and didn’t set it down until I was done! Spectacular!
Check out Michael Harmon on his website at: http://www.booksbyharmon.com
Oh my goodness! I forgot how much I absolutely love summer vacation! I have been reading like a crazy woman and have been so wrapped up in the books that I haven’t been able to get them written up to get out to you! Here are the titles I have finished and will be sending your way in the next few days:
**Lifted by Wendy Toliver
**Zen and the Art of Faking it by Jordan Sonnenblick
**The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
**The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
**Savvy by Ingrid Law
**Wolves, Boys and Other Things that Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler
**Riker’s High by Paul Volponi
**American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Lang
What is sitting on my nightstand still to read?
** Undone by Brooke Taylor
**The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
**Gifts by Ursula K. LeGuin
**Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
**The Sky Village by Monk and Nigel Ashland
**The Boy who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
**Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
**Names Will Never Hurt Me by Jaime Adoff
**Box Out by John Coy
**Birdwing by Rafe Martin
Plus my buddy Wendy Toliver has let the YA authors out there know that I love to read and tell you about it so they are sending me their names, websites and some of them are even sending me a book (for our library!). In exchange I get to tell you all about them. The authors that have contacted me are:
–Stephanie Hale www.stephaniehale.com
–Melissa Walker www.melissacwalker.com
–Tina Ferraro www.tinaferraro.com
–Jessica Brody www.jessicabrody.com
I should start getting titles from a couple of these authors at the end of the week, the rest I will hunt down on amazon or at the bookstore! Once I read them, they go into the library! (Either mine or PVHS-depending on the content!!) Either way you will be able to get your hands on them! Really looking forward to reading some great titles!
Let me know what you are reading. Is anyone taking the summer reading challenge??
Written at a reading level that will reach and encourage the most reluctant readers, this steamy first book in an on-going series is an excellent introduction into a new picture of vampire society. Rose is a guardian and she is in charge of protecting the Moroi princess Lissa. But the two of them have placed themselves in peril by running away from the Vampire Academy in remote Montana. Early on in the story they are captured and returned to the school where they must live up to the ramifications of running away. Their return isn’t easy and they must endure a series of related incidents that put a strain on the strong bond that formed during their time away from the academy.
This book is approved for the upper grades by all of the review magazines. It most definitely appeals to the PG-13 crowd with steamy love scenes and some really brutal teen hazing and bullying. But in light of all of that, the story is a lively one with the bad guy being one that no one suspects with a plan that even I didn’t anticipate. Highly recommend this to the high school readership out there!
The devil is in the details…That is the truth in the case of Bug Smoot, also known as Eunice, when Beals the repossession agent comes to take back the Cadillac her Papa C left her when he died. Bug also gets evicted from her apartment and loses her job on the day that Beals enters her life. But when she teams up with “her boy” Pesto, life starts to look up for her. With the help of NADS and a lawyer named E. Figg, Bug’s life starts to turn around.
This book was a fun read with many unpredictable turns. The street language is well used as it the author’s use of spanish. I would recommend this book to mature middle grade readers. It has some romance and a serious dose of humor!
Francie is a lovesick 9th grader who loves to bake. Her aspirations in life are to bake the perfect confection, to be recognized on Cooking with Lorenzo for the baking genius that she is and to finally have Tate, the boy of her dreams, realize her existence. But all of her hopes and dreams are dashed by the appearance of the underhandedly wicked Darlene. She steals Francie’s best friend, turns the boy Francie adores against her and makes fun of her baking at every turn.
With the same fantastic wit and style that Fergus crafted Exploits of a reluctant (but extremely good looking) hero, Francie’s fun and unfailingly fabulous story is a blast to read and a page turner from start to finish. The dialogue and Francie’s monologues are well-written and quick moving. I, without hesitation, recommend this book to romantics looking for a good read, teenage girls who are just getting ready for relationships and finally to a person wanting a fun, lighthearted story with heart.
The whole time I am reading this book, I am thinking to myself, its vampires…BUT it wasn’t. I was intrigued by the plot between Ever and Damen, but I kept thinking vampires!! The twist on the plot will keep you reading, wanting to find out more, the romance involved is addictive, you want them to get together, the “other woman” is spiteful and vengeful. This was a fabulous book! Can’t wait to read more of this fabulous author!
I been monopolizing the board with the young adult fiction that I have been reading all summer and I have barely given you a chance to get a word in edgewise. So to my readers, tell me what you have been reading, what you liked about it and if you are going to read more by that author. I can’t wait to hear what has been in your hands this summer.
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs was a page turner!! I couldn’t set it down. Imagine being a mermaid. Okay, that in itself is somewhat strange. But then imagine that you are living on land trying to win the heart of the boy that will be your eternal life partner! Needless to say that Lily’s life is not easy, but then when Childs adds Quince into the story, the whole thing gets upended.
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