The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye

Title: The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye

Author: Bonnie Shimko

Summary: Amelia (Earhart) Rye is growing up in the 50s' with only her mother and grandfather. Her father ran out with another woman before Amelia was even born. Her mother is not necessarily nice and does not show love for Amelia in any way. Then, something tragic happens to her grandfather and Amelia feels lost in her outdated clothes and old glasses, and doesn't seem to make any friends at school; until Fancy Nelson comes along. Fancy is free-spirited and the first black person that Amelia has really met. They become friends and the book takes you through the struggles and excitement of their friendship. Then, the woman that Amelia's father ran off with shows up and Amelia doesn't know what to think. The woman turns out to be much, much different than Amelia expected. Towards the end of the book, Amelia's brother comes back and something very tragic happens to her mother, changing Amelia's life forever.

Comments: The storyline was full of tragedy. A lot of mean people do horrible things to Fancy because of her color and Amelia deals with a lot of tragedy, sadness, and disappointment. However, Amelia is a very likeable character and some girls may relate to the smaller pieces of her personality and story (having trouble making friends, something happening to a grandparent or parent, etc.) However, I have one big problem that makes this book stand out in a bad way.

There are cuss words in it.

Now they aren't on every page, there are only in the book here and there, but my family does not allow me to read, see, hear, etc. bad words, and most families I know feel the same, so this could be a deciding factor in whether you read the book or not. I don't want to turn you off the book or anything, the words aren't that bad (except for one "s" word - you know what I mean; I do not mean "stupid" of course).

Rating: 4 stars. The plot was great, but the occasional bad word could have been done without.

May B.: A Novel

Title: May B: A Novel

Author: Caroline Starr Rose

Summary: May B., age 11, is sent away from home to help a couple who has just moved out to their farm. She doesn't want to go, but she does, leaving her siblings and parents. They keep reminding her that she will be picked up at Christmas - no sooner and no later. However, the people she stays with are not who she thinks, and the wife is mean and cruel and the husband is too busy trying to show his wife how good life in the country can be. One day, soon after May comes to stay with them, the wife runs away secretly and the husband runs off after her, leaving May all alone. May struggles through keeping herself alive throughout the winter and the hardships of living alone on the prairie are showcased greatly. As a side story, May has trouble reading, and continues to teach herself how to read from her reading book throughout her survival months in the "soddy."

Comments: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a darker Little House on the Prairie in a way. It is written in a poetic form, but do not let this scare you away if you do not enjoy poetry! The book is well written and it is very descriptive and tastefully written. There is nothing questionable for readers in this book and this is a novel that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Rating: 5 stars!

 

The Meaning of Maggie

Title: The Meaning of Maggie

Author: Megan Jean Sovern

Summary: Maggie Mayfield is a girl growing up in the early 1990s (I think). She is very smart for her age and sees herself as the future president. She writes throughout the book on the year that changed her life. She has two sisters and life with them is NOT always easy. However, the biggest issue in her life is her dad who is now suffering from MS (multiple sclerosis), and how she goes through the scariness of her dad's body shutting down more and more. She deals with everything nicely and has such a funny wit about her that she is a character that you will all be sure to love!

Complaints: There was a bit of harsh language in the book, which I thought was completely unnecessary - I think the author's point could have been conveyed another way. It is very mild and only appears once in the book, so this could still be a read for an 11-12 year old (a girl around Maggie's age).

Comments: I loved this book! Maggie sounded a lot like me (Into studying and striving to get as smart as possible) and the book cover is relatable to me. (the candy corn, the pencils, the eraser, the fish, the student of the month, etc.) I really enjoyed this book and Maggie was such a relatable character and I felt myself truly seeing things the way she saw them throughout the book. I loved this book and I think those who would get the most enjoyment out of it would be around 11-12 (Maggie's age).

Rating: 5 stars 

 

 

Hope is a Ferris Wheel

Title: Hope is a Ferris Wheel

Author: Robin Herrera

Summary: Star Mackie lives in a trailer park with her mom, her older sister Winter. Her mom's friend Gloria, who also lives in the park, is often over. Star is her own person, with a layered hair cut (that the kids make fun of) colored blue with a dye. Star, in order to fit in starts her own club, but it doesn't work out, so she starts an Emily Dickinson poetry club instead. She has a few members and things are going somewhat alright. One day, Winter invites her on a secret trip to meet their father, who Star has never met. However, she is in for very surprising news upon seeing this man. Then, to top it off, something surprising happens to her sister. Things in the end do not turn out great, but they don't turn out bad either. The book ends with hope, relating to its title.
Comments: Star was a great character who every child should meet. It can teach empathy for others who may be in more difficult situations than yourself, and Star is inspirational in that she is her own person and I think that she is pretty comfortable in her own shoes. The book also has excerpts in it of her homework sentences which she never really ends up turning in when they are due. It is fun to read her sentences because it gives more "direct insight" to the character's feelings and thoughts.
Complaints: This was a really good book, but there were some "iffy" parts. There is some potty humor in the book (XD I feel so weird writing that :P) and not everyone will agree or like what happens to Winter in the end (I would tell you, but I'd hate to spoil the book!)
Really, I think that children should be over 10 to read this and be mature readers to handle somewhat mature topics. (Otherwise, besides a few minor mature topics, the book is a compelling read!
Rating: 5 stars

 

One for the Murphys

Title: One for the Murphys

Author: Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Summary: Carly Connors has been separated from her mom who is recovering in the hospital and is sent to live with a foster family; the Murphys. It turns out that her mother wasn't a good parent and her mother's boyfriend was extremely abusive. Carly comes to the Murphys' home mad and angry at the world, but slowy becomes the person she never thought she'd be and gets the life she never dreamed of having. She has friends, goes to school, has brothers (or not real brothers; just the Murphy boys), and finally gets a loving mother and father. However, at the end, she gets surprising news from her mother, creating a dramatic and sad ending.

 

Comments: I LOVED this book! It was really powerful and conveyed a wide range of emotions beautifully. I was crying at the end (or almost), because it was just so sad and emotional. I wouldn't recommend this to children under 10, just because it is sort of sad, it deals with a flashback to her mother and boyfriend abusing her and all that, so it is a bit scary and of course, sad. It's a great book though, and besides being emotional, it is appropriate.

  This book is the perfect book for a day that one just wants to read a dramatic, sad and happy well written novel!

 

Rating: 5 stars!

The Year of the Fortune Cookie!

Title: The Year of the Fortune Cookie (Anna Wang Series)

Author: Andrea Cheng

Summary: This is the third book in the Anna Wang series, where Anna and her friends start middle school. Laura is going to a different school now, so Anna feels a bit lost with only 1 of her friends with her, but now Anna is making different friends and everyone is having a pretty good time. However, it is also around this time that Anna begins to question whether she really likes being Chinese and she begins to feel a bit insecure. Anna's old teacher is going to China to adopt a baby just like Anna's family did for Kaylee! Anna is given the chance to go with them to China to help them, and she accepts the offer. However, on the plane ride there, she begins to wonder if it was the best idea to accept, since she won't be with her family for the Christmas season, and she starts to feel homesick. It's getting better though, when Anna meets a new friend in China - a waitress in the hotel, and things get even better when Anna gets her wish to go and see the orphanage that Kaylee was adopted from, and to give cute crochet hats for each of the orphanage babies.

Anna then realizes that in the end, things are alright.

Comments: I really liked this story! I love when authors make age-appropriate books for middle schoolers (it is an easy read, but Anna is a 6th grader). The book also teaches you Chinese and is pretty educational! Anna is a relatable character that most kids are sure to love! (I know I do!)

Complaints: I sort of feel like it was a bit unrealistic that Anna got to explore the town and go to the park and down to the hotel lobby without any adult supervision, especially in a big city, but otherwise, the book was really good!

Rating: 5 stars!

The Year of the Baby

Title: The Year of the Baby (the Anna Wang Series)

Author: Andrea Chang

Summary: This book features all of the characters from The Year of the Book (I reviewed that one too!) - it's a sequel. Anna's family has adopted a baby girl from China (by the time the book starts, the baby is already home - they do not go to China in this book). However, Baby Kaylee won't eat and the doctors are starting to worry about her health. For their school science project, Anna and her friends see if she will eat when different songs are sung to her or when no songs at all our sung to her. Their science experiment is smart, and their results are quite interesting.

 

Comments: The whole book is a great, wholesome read that any child read about. Anna's love for her sister is so sweet, and Kaylee is just sweet in general. Anna is a great character that most people can relate to in many different ways. Anna is also a great role model for kids of today, and it's fun to watch her do such interesting and smart things with her friends in this uniquely written book!

 

Complaints: None! I feel like this book was a bit longer than Year of the Book, and my complaint for that book was it being too short, so this book is perfect!

Rating: 5 stars

Family Tree: Book #2 The Long Way Home

Series: Family Tree

Title: Book #2: The Long Way Home

Author: Ann M. Martin

Summary: Dana is an aspiring artist living a rich life in New York City. True to  the series name, "Family Tree", Abby, from Book #1 is her mother, and Zander is her father. Abby is very close to her Aunt Adele (Abby's sister). She also has two siblings, a twin sister and a younger brother who has Down Syndrome. Dana ends up publishing a book with Zander (she illustrated it), who is a famous author. One night, on a ferry while coming home, her father, who drinks too much quite often, had too much to drink while at a special event, and when his hat flies off of his head and into the water, he without thinking, jumps off the boat to grab it, and dies. Abby's family suddenly becomes poor and her mother works several jobs in order to keep the family in their house. Eventually, they lose their wonderful house, and they are forced to move from place to place just to survive.

Around the end of middle school for Dana, she realizes that she wants to go to an arts school in New York, so she is shipped off to live with her Aunt Adele who still resides in the city. Dana becomes distanced from her siblings and mother, and loses her relationship with them. Later, when she tries to go back to them, things do not go so well.

 

Comments: I really liked this book, but I think it was even sadder than Book #1. This series is really turning out to be deep, and I would definitely not recommend this for anyone under 10 years. The ending, for me, was really, sad (not the epilogue at the end - the end of the actual book). In fact, I was almost teary eyed (I am 12). There is so much faced in this book; death, relationships, standing out, and so much more. What the book deals with is much more low key than Book #1, but the way it is presented can make everything a bit sad or scary for some readers.

 

Complaints: I just didn't like the end of the book. It was sad, and I felt like it could've ended a bit better, but I do have to hand it to the author for creating such a shocking, dramatic ending (I am not talking about the epilogue or whatever, remember, I am talking about the ending of the actual book).

Rating: 5 star (I still liked it a lot!) 

                                                   

 

Family Tree Book #1: Better to Wish

Series: Family Tree

Title: Better to Wish Book #1

Author: Ann M. Martin

Summary: In the 1930s/1940s, Abby is growing up in Barnegat Point, a small town on the coast. She has a younger sister (and soon another younger sister and a brother). Her mother is very soft spoken and her father, her Pops, runs the show. The book is done in diary entries on a particular date (down to the day of the week and everything). There are about 2 diary entries per year of Abby's childhood starting from 7 years old and going up to her graduation day in high school.

Her Pops behavior is very rough. He doesn't like certain races or religions and even forbids Abby from seeing one of her friends (a boy he doesn't approve of). Her Pop is into his public image and is cruel at times. He even sends his five year old son (who has a few developmental disabilities) away to a "special school" without telling anyone - not even Abby's mother.

Her mother is very depressed because of the loss of her two children (they died before the book started) and she keeps rose bushes in memory of them. Eventually, her mother does end up dying and her father remarries to Abby's school nurse. The step-mother turns out to be terrible, and the book sort of wraps itself up from there.

 

Comments: Overall, the book was really good. Abby has seen it all at such a young age - siblings, moving, cruelty and abuse, prejudice, and even death (of her mother and friend and the two siblings that died before the book started). Abby and even her sister are so unique that I connected with them and they really did come alive for me, I felt like I knew them. This book is great, however, it is pretty deep and covers harsh topics throughout the book, so I wouldn't recommend it for children under 10. The death of her friend, for me, was very tragic. It's still a great book though, it can just be a bit scary or harsh for younger children at times.

Complaints: While the book may have been harsh at times, I wouldn't have had it any other way. The harshness wasn't too much for a child to handle, and it was just kind of eye opening. I loved it, so therefore, I have no complaints.

Rating: 5 stars

Luv Ya Bunches: A Flower Power Book!

Title: Luv Ya Bunches: A Flower Power Book

Author: Lauren Myracle

Summary: This book is about a group of girls, Milla, Katie Rose, Yasamin, and Violet. They all have pretty different personalities but are all close friends. This book tells the tale of their first few weeks in the new school and all the exciting and not so exciting challenges that await them. From being bullied to trying a new thing, these girls experience it all. 

Comments: I think this is a very unique book and the characters are well developed and each one has their own little thing going on and something they are particularly interested in. I also like how the group of girls is very diverse, unlike most books. The book is told through the girls instant messaging together, Katie Rose videotaping, and through regular narrative book format. However, I feel like it is a bit of an "iffy" book for younger girls because there are a few parts of it that I didn't find completely age appropriate. It's still a great book though, and is a good read that is fairly long. 

Complaints: This book has a few not so age appropriate lines in it, but I wouldn't completely rule it off the "read list" because of that, but just be careful (it's nothing super bad - it's just a little weird - nothing like, bad words or anything, though.) 

Rating: 4 stars! 

Love Puppies & Corner Kicks!

Title: Love Puppies and Corner Kicks

Author: R.W. Krech

Summary: Andrea's father is going to be an exchange teacher in Scotland, so the family goes off to live there for a year. Andrea loves soccer and tries to impress the girls on her team. She makes some friends and meets some other not-really-her-friends type of people, and she goes off on adventures - some of them including a haunted castle! She also deals with her crush and learns a lot about Scotland and its culture.

Comments: I really liked this book. It was cool to hear about a normal everyday girl who gets to go on a life changing trip to Scotland for the year. The romance part or "love puppy" part isn't a huge part of the book, really; so if you are looking for a romance novel, the cover of this book could possibly be misleading. I liked that though, because it is perfect for the person who wants a little love in the book but not necessarily "romance".

Complaints: I don't really have any. It was the perfect length book, and was everything any regular girl looking for a good, adventurous book could want!

Rating: 5 stars! I really liked this book and I am thankful to have stumbled upon it at the library.

 

The Year of the Book!

Title: The Year of the Book

Author: Andrea Cheng

Summary: Anna Wang, a fourth grader, loses her only friend, Laura, to two girls named Allison and Lucy. Anna is lonely, and life is sort of hard. Her mother is still learning to speak English, she is struggling in Chinese school, has to go along with her mother to her job as a maid, and she misses Laura. Anna reads lots of books, and is one of the biggest readers ever, she also likes to sew drawstring bags and hats. Finally, Laura, who's parents are going through a really tough divorce comes to stay with the Wangs', Laura and Anna start to become friends again, and Allison and Lucy turn on Laura. Anna is happy by the end of the book and she finally gets her friend back, but still loves reading more than anything.

Comments: This was a really good book, but my only complaint is that it was too short - it took me 25 minutes to read, but it is a great quick, easy, fun, and interesting read. on the back of the book, it shows how to make a drawstring bag - I am definitely going to try it! :)

Rating: 5 stars!

Glitter Girls and the Great Fake Out!

Title: Allie Finkle Book #5: Glitter Girls and the Great Fake Out

Author: Meg Cabot

Summary: Allie is excited to find out that Uncle Jay is going to watch her brothers and her for the weekend, but is later disappointed when she finds out she has to go to Brittany Hauser's birthday party. At Brittany's party, they are going to sleep in a suite in New York City, go to Glitterati, and go out to Cheesecake Factory to eat. Allie doesn't get excited though, even after hearing of the extravagant limo that they will ride around in. Allie gets to the party and automatically doesn't like it. Finally, after a while, and a lot of trouble, Allie calls and desperately tries to get Uncle Jay to come pick her up.

Comments: This is one of my favorite Allie Finkle books. Allie Finkle is the type of girl who makes a very appealing series character. All of Ms. Cabot's writing about Allie and a girl of Allie's age - well, it is spot-on. Allie Finkle has for a long time been one of my series favorites.  

Ratings: 5 stars