Happy New Year Julie

Title: Happy New Year Julie

Author: Megan McDonald

Summary: The Christmas season starts out bumpy as she realizes that things are so different this year, it is so different without her whole family together on Christmas. Things get even worse when she realizes that she isn't going to Grandma and Grandpa's house and she isn't even going to see mom on Christmas. Things get worse when older sister Tracy doesn't want to spend Christmas with dad, and dad doesn't even get a real or big tree for the occasion. Julie begins to feel that nothing will ever be the same, but preparing for Chinese New Year with the Lings makes her forget her thoughts. Until, she realizes that everyone in her family is invited to the Happy Panda, - Ivy's grandparents Chinese restaurant - and Tracy and Dad haven't been getting along at all. Things aren't looking up for Julie, until the night of Chinese New Year, when things turn magical.

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: None.

Comments: Amazing Book! I've read it 9 times! It is pretty short though.

Julie Tells Her Story

Title: Julie Tells Her Story

Author: Megan McDonald

Summary: Julie finds out that she has to do a project called, "The Story of My Life" and she is really excited, until she realizes that she might have to include her parents' recent divorce in her project. Julie suddenly becomes worried, but all thoughts about that are put aside when she gets injured during a basketball game. Her parents and sister start to rally around her, and Julie realizes that her family is still happy, and sometimes, things are better how they are now.

Rating: 5 stars!

Complaints: None.

Comments: Such a good book, I liked the part where Julie got injured, because I thought it was interesting. The way Julie deals with the unfortunate situation in the book (her parents' divorce) is quite inspirational, I think, and relatable too, for girls who are going through similar situations.

Meet Julie

Title: Meet Julie

Author: Megan McDonald

Summary: Julie Albright is so upset when she finds out that her parents are getting a divorce, and she is going to move into a cramped apartment over her mother's shop Gladrags. Moving means spending only weekends with Dad, and hardly getting to see her best friend forever, Ivy Ling. But, things begin to get better when Julie finds out her school has a basketball team - something that her old school didn't. She also meets a new friend T.J. that loves to shoot hoops. But things go downhill again when Julie finds out that the basketball team has a no girls allowed rule. Julie tries to do everything to get Coach Manly to change his mind. Will Julie be able to fight for her rights? Will she ever even feel at home?

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: None.

Comments: What a good book. I love the 1974 setting and I have the Julie doll, so it is really fun to read! This book will certainly appeal to any girl who loves American Girl or/and historic fiction.

Freckle Juice

Title: Freckle Juice

Author: Judy Blume

Summary: Andrew wants freckles SO bad. Everyone he knows has them, and he wants them so bad. A girl in his class named Sharon offers to sell him the secret "freckle juice" recipe, so that he can get freckles right away. Andrew buys the recipe and follows it, but he ends up very sick, and his mom has to call the doctor. Andrew gets mad at Sharon, but he draws freckles on himself, though his teacher, in the end, gives him a "removal for freckles" wipe.

Rating: 4 stars

Complaints: Too short and too easy.

Comments: Pretty easy and really short (I read in half an hour) but still really good! Judy Blume is an amazing writer - I have read nearly all of her books and I love them all. Freckle Juice is one classic that will not disappoint.

Fudge-A-Mania

Title: Fudge-A-Mania

Author: Judy Blume

Summary: Just when things are seeming okay (except for the fact that Fudge wants to marry Shelia Tubman), things go down hill. Pete and Fudge's parents are planning on renting a house out in the country with Shelia Tubman and her family! How will Pete survive the summer with Fudge wanting to marry Shelia (even though he is five) and Shelia and all her "cooties?" Things don't turn out so bad at first, but when Pete and Fudge's grandma wants to marry Shelia's grandfather, Pete realizes something - Shelia and he will be related! NO!

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: None.

Comments: Hilarious, Funny, and just downright AMAZING! I have read this book 6 times! The book makes me laugh out loud each time, as do all of the Fudge books. Judy Blume is really an amazing writer.

Superfudge

Title: Superfudge

Author: Judy Blume

Summary: Things seem so bad when Peter Hatcher finds out the family is moving to Princeton for the year to see what they think of it there. But things just get worse when he finds out that there is another baby on the way. Peter is annoyed. Suppose this baby turns out to be another Fudge? Peter can't even imagine that! When Fudge starts acting like a baby again just so he can get more attention, things just take a turn for the worse. But will things really turn out as he thinks?

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: None.

Comments: Great book, but if you read Double Fudge first, it is not quite as good as that, so it may not seem like 5 stars. But I definitely still recommend it, because while it is not as "laugh-out-loud" funny, it helps to make the other books in the series make sense.

Double Fudge!

Title: Double Fudge

Author: Judy Blume

Summary: Pete's little brother Fudge has suddenly become super obsessed with money. He has even started making his own money, his Fudge Bucks, and his own bank, the Farley Drexel Hatcher Bank! But when they run into the long-lost cousin Hatchers in a trip to Washington D.C. Fudge and Pete's dad isn't exactly into meeting up with them, and the cousin Hatchers end up taking over the apartment, and when Mr. Feather comes down with some kind of illness and no longer talks, and Fudge is upset. What will happen?

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: None.

Comments: Such a funny book, I laughed out loud so many times that my family thought something was wrong. I'm pretty sure that this book was banned from being read in quiet waiting rooms and the like. :P So funny that I even read parts of it out loud to my family, because sometimes everbody needs a good laugh! For Judy Blume to make a book that can make a family of people ranging from adult to toddler/baby laugh...That is some excellent writing! Love this book that can be shared with the whole family!

Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great!

Title: Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great

Author: Judy Blume

Summary:  Shelia thinks it will be the craziest worst summer ever with the Hatchers, but it turns out that it will be a great summer. She meets a new friend Mouse Ellis, and Shelia tries to conquer her fear of the water, which is a pretty big challenge. She is also excited to be on the camp newspaper reporter, also she is in the Peter Pan play in camp, and she ends up playing Captain Hook. Will this be Shelia's best summer ever? Or will it be bad?

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: It sort of annoyed me that she was afraid of dogs, but it is fine. :P

Comments: Hilarious book! I am glad that Ms. Blume decided to make a book about Sheila, because while she is not often shown as the nicest person in the Fudge books, this book really explained a lot about her. It was also nice, because in her other novel appearances, she was just a little misunderstood I believe.

Henry and Beezus!

Title: Henry and Beezus

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Henry wants a new bicycle so bad. He doesn't know how to raise money though, until one day, he finds some bubblegum, and he starts trying to sell it at school and on the playground. This works at first, but it doesn't keep working! Henry also tries out a paper route, but it just doesn't work. Henry is so upset, and he feels like everything is leading him into trouble, and he doesn't know what to do. But the neighborhood girl Beezus is going to help him earn that bike! Will he end up getting the bike he wants? Or will he end up getting nothing?

Rating: 4 stars

Complaints: It was okay, but it sometimes lost my interest.

Comments: Overall, a good book. But NOT as good as the Ramona series. However, it will probably a book that appears to older readers.

Ramona's World!

Title: Ramona's World

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Ramona is finally nine! She is so ready to take on the fourth grade, and she is determined to make this the best year of her life. After meeting her best friend Daisy, Ramona feels like it is the best year of her life. But once she is made to spend time with the perfect enemy Susan, and to set a good example for her new sister Roberta, Ramona feels it is just too much. After a potentially dangerous accident at her friend Daisy's house, Ramona starts to have other thoughts about this being the best year of her life.

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: It was good, but I sort of thought that she was in a hurry to grow up at some parts. But anways, it is still one of the best books!

Comments: A really good book! Beezus is definitely getting more and more rebellious, as is Ramona (Who am I fooling though? Ramona is always rebellious)! This is great, because young Ramona fans can grow up right along with her!  

Ramona Forever!

Title: Ramona Forever

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Ramona is so excited when her Aunt Beatrice shows up, but little does she know that Howie's uncle Hobart was actually Aunt Beatrice's old boyfriend. Howie's Uncle Hobart comes back as well, and Beatrice and Hobart decide to get married! Ramona is so excited, but other things are making her upset. Her sister Beezus is SO moody, and Picky-Picky is dying, and if her dad has the chance at a job of a lifetime, they may just have to move. Also, when it turns out her mom is having a baby......well....Ramona doesn't know exactly what to think. Ramona is excited and upset at the same time, making it a really good book!

Rating: 4 stars

Complaints: I really think the part about Picky-Picky dying could have been left out. It made the book so sad. All the other good stuff made up for it though.

Comments: I hate the part about Picky-Picky dying. I really do. I hate it with a passion, as I do with all scenes where an animal dies. But other than that scene, this book has an interesting course of events and I certainly recommend reading it.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8!

                                               Title: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

                                               Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Ramona is finally 8, and she is feeling so grownup now that she gets to ride the school bus and be in third grade! But it is hard being 8. She isn't old enough to ride around with the older kids, but she isn't young enough to play with pesky Willa Jean. Third grade isn't exactly like it seems, though, and she feels like never going back to school after throwing up on the floor! But to make things even worse, Ramona is forced to stay at the Kemps' house now that both her parents are away during the day. This is annoying for Ramona, considering that Willa Jean, Howie's little sister, is always ruining everything.

Rating: 5 stars!

Complaints: none

comments: None. I'll let the reading of this classic novel speak for itself.

Ramona and Her Mother!

Title: Ramona and Her Mother

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Ramona is finally seven and a half! Her father has a job, and she's growing up a little more each day, or at least trying to. Ramona is really jealous of her mother and Beezus's grown-up relationship, and Ramona longs to have the same kind of relationship. This book is full of even more silly "Ramona style" things!

Rating: 5 stars!

Comments: So interesting to see Ramona and her mother's relationship explored a little more in-depth. Each Ramona book is so perfect for children of all ages, and is full of such clever content too.

Ramona and Her Father!

Title: Ramona and Her Father

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Ramona is now seven years old and in the second grade! She is feeling very grownup and happy, until one tragic day when her father loses his job. Now the family barely has any money, and Ramona is trying to make a million bucks by starring in a commercial. Things don't go as planned though. Also, her sister Beezus and her are trying to get their father to quit smoking, but it isn't working. Now, her father is grumpy all the time, and smoking more than ever.

Rating: 5 stars!

Complaints: None! I love the Ramona series!!

Comments: Ramona rocks! I can't even think of anything else to say. The book, the cover, the author, it all speaks for itself.  

Ramona the Brave!

Title: Ramona the Brave

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Ramona has finished kindergarten, and is now excited to tackle first grade as well. But things don't always go as she expects them to. She has a teacher who just doesn't understand her at all, a whole in a wall that could have a monster in it, monsters under her bed, and, worst of all, she gets in trouble for defending Beezus while she was being bullied in the park by some big boys. Ramona was only trying to help! Possibly even worse than all that, Ramona has a classmate that is copying her. Can Ramona manage to survive this year?

Rating: 5 stars!

Complaints: NONE!

Comments: Possibly one of the best books in the Ramona series. Ramona is the girl that just gets more and more likeable as she grows. She gets more and more wild too.

Ramona the Pest!

Title: Ramona the Pest

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Ramona has heard tons of things about kindergarten, but never had she gotten to experience it for herself. Finally, the day comes and Ramona automatically loves Ms. Binney and the rest of her class, she is also automatically the silliest person in the class. So many things happen to her in that kindergarten year. She gets stuck in the mud, gets to school late, plays an overly scary witch for Halloween, springs Susan's curly boingy curls, snores at naptime to show what a good rester she is, and most of all gets called a pest by her parents, Beezus, and other children and some teachers. No one understands that she has to be a bit of a "pest" to be noticed and heard at all. How will Ramona survive her kindergarten year?

Rating: 5 stars!

Complaints: None.

Comments: Amazing Book. A profound classic. Enough said. :P

Beezus and Ramona!

Title: Beezus and Ramona

Author: Beverly Cleary

Summary: Small 4-year old Ramona Quimby is creative, imaginative, bright, and funny. She loves to create things, and is often using her imagination to do silly and sometimes exasperating things. Older sister Beatrice - or Beezus as her family calls her, often finds Ramona so exasperating she wants to scream. Also, Beezus is a bit jealous of all that creativity and imagination Ramona has, because Beezus feels like she is always overshadowed because she always go by the rules and is reserved and proper. But things get worse when Ramona invites random preschoolers to the house without permission, takes one bite out of all the apples in the box and eats no more, almost ruins Beezus's birthday party, and so much more. Beezus is so exasperated, and it feels like it gets worse everyday, though Beezus often feels guilty, because she feels like she out to love Ramona, not be exasperated with her. Will she ever truly love Ramona?

Rating: 5 stars!!

Complaints: None.

Comments: I thought this was a really good book. It was funny, and it seemed like every chapter had a new main event. It wasn't exactly like a story that had one main problem, there were a bunch of little problems that became solved by the end of the story! What a good book!

Number the Stars

Title: Number the Stars

Author: Lois Lowry

Summary: 10 year old Annemarie is living in Denmark in 1943 during World War 2. Her best friend Ellen and her family are being threatened by the Nazis who are now lurking around every corner, and no one knows who to trust. When the Nazis begin to go after Ellen and her family, Annemarie and her family must help Ellen and her family get out of the country in secret, because the Nazis could kill or hurt Ellen and her family. Will Ellen and her family survive? Will Annemarie ever see her friend again after she flees the country?

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: None! It is a bit tragic and possibly scary at parts, but World War 2 was a tragic and scary time, so that is to be expected. I would recommend it for 10+ just because of some of the events. This book is very well written and profound.

Because Of Winn-Dixie!

Title: Because of Winn Dixie

 

Author: Kate DiCamillo

 

Summary: 10 year old Opal has just moved to Naomi, FL with her father who is the town preacher. She feels all alone and has no friends, and knows no one. On a small run to the local Winn-Dixie store for her father, she finds a stray dog running lose around the store. Opal claims him, and takes him home to live with them in their small and cramped mobile home, she decides to also name him Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie starts to get Opal thinking about her mother for some reason. Opal's mother left her when she was very young. Opal has always wondered who she is and what she was like. Opal makes her father tell her 10 things about her mother. Not only does Winn-Dixie help her learn more about her mother, he also helps her to make friends with various people throughout her town, such as a local librarian, a strange and nearly blind woman who has a dark past, and an ex-con who runs a local pet supplies store. For the rest of the summer, Opal learns more about her friends and her mother, and learns to open up towards new people, making her happy to live where she is living.

 

Rating: 5 stars!

Complaints: None.

Comments: If you read Moon Over Manifest (I have a rating for that on here too) then you will probably like this book as well, as it is sort of similar in a way. This is a true classic and I enjoy reading it over and over again. It brings something that the movie just couldn't really do for me. Does anyone else agree?  

Dork Diaries Book #2: Tales From a Not So Popular Party Girl!

Title: Dork Diaries Book #1: Tales From a Not So Popular Party Girl

 

Author: Rachel Renee Russell

 

Summary: Nikki Maxwell finds out she hasn't been invited to Mackenzie Hollister's birthday party - not that she cares anyway! She also volunteers to do a Halloween Party, and to do a little kids birthday party on the SAME night! Nikki has to switch from her gross costume for the birthday party to the cool outfit for the Halloween party, and then back again! Will Makenzie ever let her hear the end of it?

 

Comments: The Dork Diaries series is very popular amongst girls right now and it has been for a while - I think it is due to the fact that it is basically just Diary of a Wimpy Kid, except there is a girl protagonist/main character. At times, Nikki is annoying and whiny and she is extremely upset when any little thing doesn't go her way. The book itself is okay, but some children - especially younger children who may mirror or try to be like the main characters in books, and Nikki is really not the type I think anyone would want a child of any age to emulate. Nikki is nice and sweet at times; but only when things are going her way and she usually wants something out of everyone. I think that the first book (this is the second one) showcased Nikki as even more ill-behaved.

This book is probably best for 10+ because of the talk about being "cool" and "crushes" and "middle school bullies". Anyone under 10 or 9 maybe, could be too easily influenced by all this ridiculous talk.

 

Complaints: I really don't like how a part of Nikki's life is just centered around being popular and "cool".

 

Rating: 5 stars

Dork Diaries Book #1: Tales from a Not So Fabulous Life

Title: Dork Diaries Book #1: Tales from a Not So Fabulous Life

 

Author: Rachel Renee Russell

 

Summary: 8th grader Nikki Maxwell ends up getting a stupid diary instead of the cell phone she has dreamed of, for like, forever! Nikki begins to like that diary though, and soon, she is writing and drawing the highlights from her days. She writes about her passion and love for art, mean girl Mackenzie, the embarrassing job her dad has, her crush, and her strange sister and family. She also writes about her two new friends Chloe and Zoe!

 

Comments: This is the book where the reader meets Nikki. This is the first Dork Diaries book I've read so far and I truly wanted to relate to Nikki (the main protagonist) and to like her. But I just couldn't like her. She spent too much time giving herself self-praise and putting down her poor parents who the reader can tell are just trying to do what is best for her. (I can already tell that Nikki would probably not be a good candidate for that cellphone she desires so bad - I doubt she'd ever get off it) She is extremely pessimistic at times when things aren't going her way and she is sometimes optimistic, but only when things aren't going wrong.

Nikki is not exactly the ideal character for a younger child to emulate - and with the crushes, middle school, and race to be cool and popular, I think that this book would be best for 10+, those who are about to enter that dangerous zone themselves.

Complaints: All said in comments...

Rating: 3 stars

Confectionately Yours Book #3: Sugar and Spice!

Title: Confectionately Yours Book #3: Sugar and Spice

Author: Lisa Papademetriou

Summary: Haley has finally gotten all the way used to living above Gran's tea shop and she now is happy to call it home. Haley has now found a new friend Meghan, and they are both becoming great friends. Things are going good with them, until Artie steps in and starts interfering with their friendship. Meghan and Artie just don't fit together, and Haley has to learn how to keep her frenenemy happy, but still manage to keep herself happy as well.
 

Comments: Haley is a likeable character in this small series, however, like all other trending books about middle school, this book is plagued with talk about "crushes" and "enemies" and the like. However, Haley is a sweet girl and the book is not over-the-top. I read this series first when I was 10, however, anyone above 8 could probably find something in it to relate to.

 

Complaints: This wasn't my favorite book, that is for sure, however, the series is pretty good considering what it is marketed as (trendy, tweeny, etc.).

 

Rating: 5 stars

Confectionately Yours #2: Taking the Cake!

Title: Confectionately Yours Book #2: Taking the Cake

Author: Lisa Papademetriou

Summary: Haley has sort of gotten used to living above the tea shop, and she finds it a bit fun to be able to go down and bake in the kitchen whenever she wants. But Artie has been acting even stranger then ever, and is now dating some dude. Haley suddenly begins to crush on Artie's boyfriend, which just makes things even worse between them. Will Haley be able to deal with all this stress?

Rating: 5 stars!

Complaints: none!!!
Comments: This little trilogy series is good, though drama filled in unnecessary parts. But it is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, I think.

Confectionatley Yours Book #1!

Title: Confectionately Yours Book #1: Save the Cupcake!

Author: Lisa Papademetriou

Summary: 12 year old Haley's parents just got divorced and now she is stuck sharing a room with her little sister in the cramped apartment above her grandmother's tea shop. Also, her best friend Artie is acting stand-offish, and not very nice to her. Haley feels lost with everything in her life so jumbled up. But then, just when things couldn't get any worse, they do - her dad gets an annoying girlfriend that Haley knows she has seen with him before. As she begins to lose her friend Marco too, Haley is soon left all alone, with her cupcakes, sugar, and spice. Though, for the first time, none of that will make anything nice.

Rating: 5 stars

 

12 Finally!

Title: 12 Finally

 

Author: Wendy Mass

 

Summary: 11 year old Rory is SO excited to finally turn 12. Ever since she was really young, she has kept a whole list of things she can do when she is 12. But once she is 12, Rory changes. She wears makeup, gets a cellphone, gets a bunny, gets her ears, pierced, and attends a boy and girl party. But nothing is ever going the way Rory wants. Nothing is really what it seems. Rory learns that she shouldn't be in such a hurry to grow up, and eventually sits back and enjoys childhood, which is how she really wanted it anyways.

 

Comments: Rory is a likeable character, and I feel like she felt that as soon as she turned 12, she had to change who she was - she was ready to get a cellphone, a pet, ear piercing, etc. and everything goes wrong! In fact, it is pretty humorous at times.

Rory was in a phase of trying to be cool and popular (whatever that is? XD) and I like how at the end of the book, she realized she didn't need to change. Rory was a well developed character who learned continuously throughout the book, which made the end make more sense.

 

Complaints: None.

 

Rating: 4 stars

Out of My Mind!

Name: Out of my Mind

Author: Sharon Draper

Summary: 11 year old Melody Brooks has never been able to walk, talk, or do hardly anything by herself without help. The reason is because she has cerebal palsy that limits her body, - but definitely NOT her mind. She has mountains of things to say, and she can't. It makes her upset and frustrated. In this book, Melody takes you through her life, starting with the day she was brought home from the hospital, to the day she got on the Whiz Kids Quiz Team, and all her experiences in between. Once she finally gets a voice, not everyone is ready to listen.

Rating: 5 stars

Complaints: NONE!! BEST BOOK!! MUST READ!
Comments: This book is wonderful. Beautiful. Well written. Melody is a girl who has everything going against her, yet she still comes out on top. To have the privilege of seeing the world through Melody's eyes was just so amazing and deep. It was also interesting to see that a lot of the people that Melody was with acted different around her, without even meaning to at times. Like her teacher, even her friend Rose. The book takes the reader through Melody's life, from birth to fifth grade. This is a must read for readers of all ages.

Best Buds!

Petal Pushers Series Book #3: Best Buds
Author: Catherine R. Daly!
Summary: Del is excited for her birthday! That is until her enemy is having her birthday party on the same day that Del should be driving up to the beach, and she wants flowers with it! Del is so upset with her family for choosing to do the job over going up to the beach right away. She really isn't happy, and worst of all, she has to help! Will Del stand up for what she wants? Will she end up having the best birthday ever?
Rating: 5 stars
Complaints: None.
Comments: This series really isn't so amazing, but it is a fun read for a young reader searching for a light, carefree read with just the right amount of teen/tween drama without being inappropriate.

The Lemonade War!

Title: The Lemonade War

Author: Jacqueline Davies

Summary: Two siblings Evan and Jessie Treski go against each other in the biggest Lemonade War ever! They are trying to raise more money then the other, and they are both determined to win. Who will win the greatest war in Lemonade history?

Rating: 4 stars

Complaints: I thought that the book was a bit boring at some parts, and at a couple parts I lost interest, but over all, a really good and interesting book! Also, am I the only one disappointed that neither child was making lemonade from real lemons? What has happened to this world!? XD :P