Hold Fast

Title: Hold Fast

 

Author: Blue Balliett

 

Summary: Early and her family (Sum & Dash her parents, and her little brother Jubie) live in a small apartment, and while they are not rich in money, they are all very rich in love. The whole family enjoys quotes and words and reading, especially her father who even works at a library.
Then one day, Dash goes missing and is suspected of committing a crime.
With a link of their family missing, Early, Sum, and Jubie fall into even harder times. Overnight they lose their home and are thrust into the shelter system. Each of them struggles to survive, each wondering whether Dash will ever be found.

Comments: I enjoyed this book. I must admit that the cover and title did not quite appeal to me, but that does not matter - it is the content beneath that cover and title, and this content was quality for sure. The book did not peak my interest in the first few chapters, but at least 5 or 6 chapters in, I began to really enjoy the reading. I find some of the best books can end up like that.
Early was likeable, as was her little brother, and Early was truly remarkable in the way that she wanted to solve the mystery - to find Dash. The way she took matters into her own hands.
The mystery aspect of the story was great too - it was not so predictable. There were some scary parts, so I would recommend this for children 10+.

Rating: 5 stars  

The Great Good Summer

Title: The Great Good Summer

 

Author: Liz Garton Scanlon

 

Summary: It is summer vacation, and Ivy is home with her dad, worrying about her mother who has run away with a preacher, Hallelujah Dave, to the Florida Panhandle for the summer, to "grow more religious" but after not hearing from her for weeks, Ivy begins to wonder why she really left.

As Iris goes through her boring summer days, consisting of babysitting for a neighbor and going to the park to watch Paul Dobbs, a classmate, fly his model aircrafts.

But then the summer takes a turn for the better and less-boring. Ivy and Paul get together and begin hatching a plan to go and find Ivy's mother and to visit a space launch before the whole launching idea is put away for good. Together they escape to the Florida Panhandle and go on a wild adventure to find a missing mother and to fulfill a dream of seeing a spacecraft.

 

Comments: I liked this book a lot. I liked how the author was able to get across that Hallelujah Dave was a scam, without making it seem like all preachers are like that. I also like how Ivy was her own person and was not afraid to take an adventure, and I also liked Paul because he was not the totally stereotypical boy classmate. Another thing I liked was that Ivy and Paul never really got "romantic" with each other in that way - they were able to have a boy-and-girl friendship without any of that "love" stuff. :P That seems few and far between in a lot of books nowadays, so I was pleased.

The book would be great for 8+ probably, because other than the mother running away with the preacher (nothing inappropriate occurs, and Ivy's mother does indeed have every intention of coming home again), there is not really any "iffy" content to be had.

 

Rating: 5 stars

The Forget-Me-Not Summer

Title: The Forget-Me-Not Summer

 

Author: Leila Howland

 

Summary: 3 sisters, 12 year old Marigold, 11 year old Zinnia and Lily, age 5, are growing up in California, and living a very rich life. Marigold is a natural actress and a natural beauty too. She is noticed everywhere she goes - not only for her beauty, but also because she co-stars on a popular television show.

Zinnie is the middle sister with the kinky brown hair, stuck in her sister's shadow. She isn't a natural actress like Marigold and she doesn't really believe that she is good at much of anything. 

Zinnie and Marigold are not so very close - they are sisters and rivals after all. But when the girls are forced to spend the summer with their Aunt Sunny in a small beach town in Cape Cod, they slowly come together. Together the girls organize a talent show and the summer is full of surprises and lots of new excitement as the sisters go on their own journeys, leading them closer together.

 

Comments: I really enjoyed this book! Each sister is portrayed vividly, and even though each girl has her moments, they are all likeable. The beautiful shore and small town of Cape Cod were described so well that I felt like I was really there - no details were left out of any scene - it was like watching a movie as I read; I could envision everything clear as day.

The book is suitable for 8 or 10+. There are many lessons to be learned about a variety of subjects; first crushes, sister relationships, and learning to have a good time. There is a sister to appeal to every reader! While the book characters are slightly stereotyped (the pretty older actress sister, the overshadowed middle child, the angelic little sister), that doesn't make them less likeable in my opinion. Those stereotypes actually worked in this book.

Oh, and for fans of this amazing novel - a sequel to it is being published this year! Now that is something to look forward to!

 

Rating: 5 stars   

Sure Signs of Crazy

Title: Sure Sings of Crazy

 

Author: Karen Harrington

 

Summary: 12-year-old Sarah Nelson is a one-of-a-kind girl living with her father who struggles with alcohol related problems. As her summer project, she writes letters to her hero and ideal father, Atticus Finch, writes the definitions to unfamiliar words in her diary, and her closest friend is a plant.

But Sarah and her father are two people with a secret; Sarah's mother, is in a mental asylum/prison and has been since Sarah was only about 2. The case with Sarah's mother is so famous, that they are continuously moving once people find out who they are.

But this summer is different for Sarah. As she is growing up more and more, and beginning to get her first crush and maybe even friend-who-is-a-boy, Sarah longs for her mother more and more, and is saddened that she has no relationship with her. Sarah decides she wants to meet her. Sarah navigates towards her goal and tries to find answers, but with so much working against her, Sarah wonders if things will ever be the way she wishes they were.

 

Comments: This was a pretty good book. Sarah is likeable, though I feel she was in a hurry to grow up when in reality, she is only 12 - not even a teen yet.

Other than that, Sarah's story is heartfelt and is very realistic. From Sarah having to navigate the challenges of growing up, to having to wonder and wonder about her mother, who drowned her brother and attempted to drown her when Sarah was only years old.

I found it a little strange that Sarah was trying to pursue a relationship with a boy who was already much older than her.

But, I did like that her role model and her fictional hero is Atticus Finch. I am such a big fan of To Kill a Mockingbird and I am currently reading Go Set a Watchman, so I know how she feels about being close to a character from those wonderful classics. I enjoyed reading her letters and what she chose to write, and I feel like Sarah could've really been a real girl.

I would recommend this book to 11 or 12+, just because of the mental health themes, and some "girl" themes too.

 

Rating: 4 stars

The Question of Miracles

Title: The Question of Miracles

 

Author: Elana K. Arnold

 

Summary: 6th Grader Iris has just moved to Oregon, and positively hates it. There is always rain, she doesn't like her new school very much, but most of all, her best friend Sarah is not there with her. Sarah will never be with her; Sarah is dead.

As Iris continues to grieve the loss of her best friend, she slowly becomes friends with Boris, a rather socially awkward boy from her school. When Iris finds out that Boris is alive because of a miracle, she begins to wonder why her friend Sarah was not granted a miracle to help her live. Together, Boris and Iris search for answers.  

Iris slowly begins to settle in to her life in Oregon and learns to accept all that has happened.

 

Comments: This book was alright. Miracles are a touchy writing subject to begin with, because of all of the worldviews and different beliefs. I think that Ms. Arnold was able to write about this subject without showing way too much bias to one belief over the other.

Not too much happened in the book. I would've liked for there to be a little more excitement - maybe some more answers. Also, I would've liked for Boris to do even more than he did.

The book was good enough, and I would say that it should be appropriate for 10+, considering that there is some minor talk of death and health issues and stuff like that.

 

Rating: 4 stars

Camp of the Angel

Title: Camp of the Angel

 

Author: Aileen Arrington

 

Summary: 11 year old Jordan and her younger brother, Carson live with their Papa who enjoys drinking but is oftentimes quite abusive in a mental and physical way. Jordan tries desperately to hide the abuse from those around her at school and on the island, even though it is obvious that everyone around her is wondering. But when Jordan suspects her Papa of something very serious, will she have the courage to tell the authorities?

 

Comments: I enjoyed this book. While I could not directly relate to it, which I am grateful for, I still enjoyed reading it and Jordie and her brother are both likeable as are her Uncle Bob and Aunt Viv. The characters were not overly detailed but they were detailed enough to get the point of the book across and still make for a good story. Her Papa is the type that is very unlikeable, but at rare moments he shows a bit of kindness, which makes him more complex; thus making the book better.

This book is not overly descriptive of the abuse, and 8+ would probably be an okay age, but maybe 10+ depending on maturity. The book is a quick read and I finished it in 45 minutes.

The storyline with the white cat is a little weak and thrown-in and I think that storyline in general did not have enough time to go through the action and climax due to the shortness in length of this book.

While it is probably not going to make it on to my list of favorites, it was still worth reading.

 

Rating: 4 stars   

Moonpenny Island

Title: Moonpenny Island

 

Author: Tricia Springstubb

 

Summary: It's the start of 6th grade and things aren't going very well. Flor's best and only friend Sylvie has gone away to a fancy academy on the main land - off the tiny island that Sylvie and Flor have known forever. To make matters worse, Flor's parents are fighting more and more often and something strange is going on with her older sister Cecilia. When it seems like things are getting too much to bear, Flor meets a girl, Jasper, who is visiting the island with her scientist father to search for trilobites and other fossils. Jasper is very factual and a somewhat hard person; she is difficult to get to know. Jasper is more complex than what meets the eye, and slowly, the two girls become closer as situations on the island begin to slowly get solved.

 

Comments: This book was pretty good. The island reminded me of Rock Hall, MD, a place where I greatly enjoy spending my summers. It was a small island town and I could relate to it in a way. I liked the conflict in the book and I can't really complain about the story. It was pretty unique, I suppose. I just felt that the amazing setting deserved to have an exciting summertime mystery or something - rather than a school story about a dwindling friendship. I would've enjoyed learning more about the island, so maybe Ms. Springstubb will consider making this into a series of sorts - I'd love to see Jasper come back to the island while Sylvie is there. I wanted so badly to see one last face-to-face interaction with Sylvie before the book ended. While there was closure, I didn't feel like there was enough of it, but perhaps that will leave an opening for more books from Moonpenny Island.

Overall, it seems pretty appropriate for anyone ages 8+. Cecilia the older sister is suspected of doing something wrong and there are a few words in there that really could've been left out ("sexy" for example).

I would love to see a series called "Tales of Moonpenny" or something similar!

 

Rating: 5 stars