The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

Title: The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

 

Author: Brenda Woods

 

Summary: Violet Diamond is a brown haired, brown skinned, and brown eyed girl who lives with a mother and a sister who are both blonde haired and blue eyed, because she is biracial and looks like her father, who died before she was born.

Violet has never met her father's side of the family, but when she hears her grandmother is coming nearby for an art show, Violet urges her mother to let her reach out, despite hard feelings between her grandmother and mother.

Violet meets her grandmother and things aren't great at first, but Violet is glad they met, and they soon form a great bond.

 

Comments: I really liked this book! It was fun to read about Violet, who is just a fun girl who likes to do exciting things and likes to wish. She was hopeful and full of energy, despite her disappointment in never meeting her father's side of the family at first or her father, which I found refreshing.

There are a lot of race questions, so this may be suitable for kids around Violet's age (11). So, I would recommend this book 10+.

The Rising Star of Rusty Nail

Title: The Rising Star of Rusty Nail

 

Author: Lesley M. M. Blume

 

Summary: Franny Hansen, is a resident of Rusty Nail, and also a piano prodigy. She is by far the best piano player in the small town; and she has even surpassed the talents of Rusty Nail's resident piano teacher.

Then, one day, a Russian lady comes to town. Franny and her friend and partner in crime, Sandy are fascinated by the lady, who turns out to be a professional piano player. Franny pushes to have lessons with her, and eventually, gets her way. However, the town is worried about the lady, calling her a "commie" and all sorts of other nonsense.

While the lady does have her secrets, she decides to show everyone that she is not a "commie" but a wonderful pianist who may just help Franny get to be the famous prodigy that can be.

 

Comments: I really enjoyed this book. Franny was a likeable character, and her town enemy, Nancy, was just so easy to hate, as were a lot of the mean characters in the book. While I don't know if everything was totally accurate for the 1950s, I don't think it matters, because it was such a good book with an interesting plot. There is talk of wars and "commies" that younger children may have more trouble understanding, so I would recommend this for 10+.  

 

Rating: 5 stars!  

The Center of Everything

Title: The Center of Everything

 

Author: Linda Urban

 

Summary: Ruby Pepperdine has just recently gone through the loss of her grandmother, Gigi. However, she has some regrets about her last day with Gigi, and she continues to wish in hopes of setting things right again.

On the day of her town's festival, she believes she is going to get her wish due to a town legend involving donuts, which the town is also famous for. At first, she doesn't think she got anything, but then she realizes that maybe her wish really was answered.

 

Comments: I really liked this book. It was short and powerful. Some of the flashbacks to Gigi may be scary or sad for younger children, so I'm going to suggest this as a 10+ book. It is short, and is mainly a book that covers one day and fills in the rest of the book with flashbacks, which I thought was interesting approach. I also liked the perspective it was written in, with the author narrating the whole time, instead of Ruby.

Another Day as Emily

Title: Another Day as Emily

Author: Eileen Spinelli

Summary: Suzy is an 11 year old girl whose brother has just been pronounced the neighborhood "Hero" for calling 911 for a neighbor. Suzy is feeling left out as her friend makes the cut for an audition for a play, her birthday gets ruined, and her brother gets more attention than ever.

Suzy finds excitement in Emily Dickinson and her poems, and decides that she is going to become reclusive just like Emily. She tries it out and succeeds for a while, but soon realizes that maybe it isn't the best idea after all.
Comments: I loved this book. It was refreshing to see a girl who wasn't afraid to be herself and who stood up for herself and marched to the beat of her own drum. I loved her interest in the Phillies (I have Phillies Fanatics cousins! XD, I'm an Oriole, personally!). I also enjoyed her interest in poems and in wondering how it would be to live as Emily Dickinson or any other famous person. Suzy was and is a likeable character, and the book could apply to anyone and be read by anyone too. Whether a bedtime story book or a 12 year old looking for a somewhat short and relaxing read, this book really steals the spotlight, with its discussion on different topics that hit home for most families (& mine too!); sibling rivalry, friendship troubles, not getting your way, and a love for history. Good for every reader everywhere!

Rating: 5 stars!
Complaints: None!

Love, Aubrey

Title: Love, Aubrey

Author: Suzanne LaFleur

Summary: 11 year old Aubrey's dad and sister, Savannah have just recently died in a car crash and the book starts out with her living alone, as her mother just took off one day. After a week, her grandmother finds Aubrey and insists that she be her caregiver until Aubrey's mother can be found. Aubrey packs up to go live with her grandmother.

Things start out a little rough, and Aubrey still has obvious pain from the death of her family members and it comes in waves at the worst times. However, she meets her next door neighbors, two girls, and one is Aubrey's age. They become pretty fast friends and things begin to look up. Eventually, her mother is found and Aubrey is left to make a choice - and chooses what she probably would not have chosen in the beginning.

 

Comments: I loved this book. In fact, I read straight through it (It took me 2 hours, but I had the time, thankfully!). Aubrey is such a likeable character. It is easy to feel upset right along with her, and when she writes letters to her dad and sister and her sister's imaginary friend, I was nearly in tears. It was such a powerful book and everything was dealt with nicely. It was tragic, but there were boundaries that I did not see in another specific book (Nest).

I would recommend this for kids 10+ just because it is a little heavy.

Complaints: None!

 

Rating: 5 stars!

 

 

Listening for Lucca

Title: Listening for Lucca

Author: Suzanne LaFleur 

Summary: Siena and her family (Mom, Dad, & 3 yr. old brother Lucca) move from their NYC apartment to an old Victorian house on the ocean in Maine. She is finally making friends and shedding her "weird girl" image because of her obsession with collecting old things and her strange ability to see into the past. 

She finds a special pen and begins to write with it in a journal; but finds that when she puts pen to paper, she cannot control what she is writing and from the mysterious pen, a story of a girl from the 40s' and her brother who previously lived in the house. However, she finds out something troubling about how the girl and her brother end up and she knows she has to go back into history to change things. 

Meanwhile, her brother, Lucca, hasn't talked in about a year, and she realizes that the story that unfolds is the key to Lucca's voice. 

Comments: I really liked this book! It really made you think and the story was just so interesting. The idea was good, however, it reminded me a bit of Harry Potter or The Magic Half (2 separate books). 

It gave me the chills, the way she was able to go back and try and change things, and the story of Sarah and Joshua. I loved this book!

However, it is a bit deep, so I'd suggest this book to 10-11+ just because of some more dramatic themes. 

Complaints: The ending was nice, but it was, i thought, a bit of a weak end with Lucca just suddenly talking. However, I did enjoy seeing the problem resolved, so this isn't a big complaint. 

Rating: 5 stars!!!

Tuck Everlasting

Title: Tuck Everlasting 

Author: Natalie Babbitt

Summary: In the 1880s, one August, Winnie Foster, a young girl, stumbles upon the Tuck family - a family that once drank from a spring in the woods and all of them will live forever. Winnie comes to be good friends with them; especially one of the Tuck boys in particular, who gives her water to drink for later when she is older and then they can live forever together. However, in the end, Winnie makes a choice that is surprising to the reader; a decision that you would most likely least expect. 

Comments: I LOVED this book. It was a short read, but a deep read too. It was written beautifully and everything was described in such detail. I even began to imagine myself as Winnie; I really got into the story. The ending was so surprising and the afterwards or whatever after the book where they come back to Treegap years later, was so sad that I got tears in my eyes. This book is such a powerful one and I recommend it to all ages. There are bits of romance in it between Winnie, but because she is so young and he is so good, it is totally light and extremely innocent, so there is nothing "iffy" in this book. READ!

Complaints: None! 

Rating: 5 stars!