How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly In Love (4.22.14)

I read How I Got Skinny, Famous and Fell Madly In Love by Ken Baker
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
4 stars

Emery is a fat teenager. She has a fat boyfriend and a skinny family. Her dad is a professional athlete turned workout guru. Her mom is a former model. Her sister is well on her skinny way to becoming a professional model herself. Emery is just fat. She's okay with it though. That is, until her mom signs her up for the reality show "Fifty Pounds to Freedom." Is she okay with it? Definitely not at first. A camera crew following her and her family around all of the time and her not getting the money unless she actually loses all that weight in that ridiculously short amount of time is very stressful. Plus, she's okay with herself the way she is. But the money is more important than she knows, and she starts liking it a bit more when she actually starts losing the weight. Will the show change more than just her looks? Will she meet the weight loss deadline? Will it ruin her family?

I loved Emery. She was real. She was funny. She was sarcastic. I loved her boyfriend. I hated everyone else, but that was kind of the point of the story. I have read a couple of other reality TV stories, and they have definitely fallen flat. The people didn't learn, or were very unlikable, or the plot was just stupid. This story had a strong main character, some real drama happening, and an interesting conclusion. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I got a bit bored in the middle of the book, and I was slightly disappointed with the ending. I didn't think enough was explained at the end. I like what happened, but I would have liked just a few more answers. I really liked the writing and the real-ness of a very unlikely main character. I got annoyed with what happened between Emery and her boyfriend, but even that turned out interesting to me. I would definitely recommend this one to many teens.

The Dark Lady 2/1/14

I read The Dark Lady (Sherlock, Lupin, and Me) by Irene Adler, Iacopo Bruno Illustrator, Chris Turner translator
I received a free ARC from Capstone through NetGalley (2/1/14)
4.5 stars (rounding up to 5 when necessary)



A young girl, Irene Adler, is on summer vacation in Saint-Malo in 1870. With not much to do and a lot of adventure in her spirit, she comes across William Sherlock Holmes, who introduces her to his friend Arsene Lupin. The three quickly get caught up in a murder case when they find a dead body on the shore. The police aren't having much luck in figuring out who the dead man is, let alone what happened to him. Thankfully the three young friends are also quite great detectives. Will they be able to solve the case?

This is a fun new series for middle readers. The publisher recommends ages 9-13, and I agree. It will appeal to the older kids who know who Sherlock is, but the story itself stands alone as a good mystery. Even if the reader figures out part of what is going on, I am sure the ending will still be a surprise. I love mysteries. I am not the best at solving them, so the fact that I didn't figure it out doesn't mean that no one will, but I still think it was a good surprise ending.

The author, Irene Adler, is actually Sherlock's love interest. I do not know the whole back story behind this, but it has definitely made me want to look into it. The history, the mystery, and the characters will draw the young readers in. I am definitely looking forward to more from this series.

SAR: Powderhounds (4/1/14)

I read SAR: Powderhounds by Heather Kellerhals-Stewart
I received a free ARC from Lorimer through NetGalley (April 1, 2014)
4 stars

Luc wants to take the last run of the day by going out of bounds, and Cass doesn't want him to go alone in case he gets lost in the deteriorating conditions. Good plan, because it happens. They are in near white-out conditions and can't figure out which way to go. Chic is a 17-year-old training to help with the Search and Rescue team with his brother. He gets to go out on his first mission to help find Luc and Cass. Will his inexperience and naive bravery cause more problems or be just what the team needs in order to find the missing skiers. And will they be found in time?

Powderhounds is a very fast-paced look into a search and rescue mission in the ski slopes of Canada. It is told from two perspectives, a young man helping in his first search and one of the skiers that is lost. It is a very quick read. I read it in one night mostly because I really needed to know what was going to happen. When I finished, I was so full of adrenaline that I had to do something else before I was able to go to sleep. I was so nervous for the missing skiers. The ending was good, a bit confusing, and left me ready to read more.

This book will be great for young adventure seekers. It isn't too long or too in depth for middle grades, but will appeal to many teens as well. It is a good, clean story that parents will appreciate as well.

Six Months Later

I read Six Months Later by Natalie Richards
I received a free digital copy through NetGalley
5 stars

Chloe fell asleep in study hall as a procrastinator that didn't want to start studying yet, even though she needed to. She was dangerously close to bad grades. When she woke up, it was 6 months later. There is no way she slept that long. Of course she didn't. And in that six months, she became a popular honor student that is dating the most popular boy and no longer speaks to her previous best friend. Something is seriously wrong. Figuring out what is wrong and why it happened becomes a fast-paced, crazy ride for Chloe and the reader.

I was pulled into this book from page one. It is a mystery as well as a romance. I'm not normally a big romance fan, but I enjoyed the romance in this one. The mystery part was the one that clinched it as a winner for me. I could not put this one down because I just had to know what was going on. I had ideas, and I figured a few things out, but overall I was guessing until the end.  The ending was very intense and well thought out. The main characters were developed well.

Warning to parents, there was some mild language and rule breaking, nothing too major though. In the end there is a lesson about right vs. wrong and admitting when you make mistakes, as well as mending friendships.

Clara's Crazy Curls (4/1/14*)

I read Clara's Crazy Curls by Helen Poole
I received a free digital ARC from Capstone Young Readers through NetGalley (4/1/14)
4 stars

This is a beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about Clara and her crazy curls. Even though Clara is a small girl, her hair makes a big impact on people. Her hair is so large that she can store her school supplies in it. She dreams of having the largest hair in the world. When she comes across some hair growing cream, she goes a little overboard, and she gets her wish. Sometimes getting what you wish for doesn't turn out as great as you imagine, as is the case with Clara.

I am a sucker for rhyming tales. I think I will be able to read this one to older preschoolers for story time. It is a bit long for younger ones. There are a couple of rhymes that seem forced or don't quite work in this one, but the overall story is cute and the rhymes are mostly pretty great. The illustrations are adorable, in colors and a style that I really love. Plain and simple, this is a cute rhyming story with a good lesson.

Eddie and Dog

I read Eddie and Dog by Alison Brown
I received a free digital copy fromm Capstone Young Readers through NetGalley (2/1/14)
4 stars

An adventure-seeking boy and an adventure-seeking dog find each other. After playing, they head to the boy's home. Unfortunately, his  mom says he can't stay; the yard isn't big enough. He leaves, comes back, leaves, comes back, etc. until they come up with an interesting way to solve the problem and let him stay.

I enjoyed this one, and I could see me reading it in story time. It seems like one of those sweet stories that has just enough fun-ness to it to work. It isn't completely interactive and engaging that way, but the story is sweet. I am confused why it seems like the boy stole the dog from the airport though. If you look past that or come up with a creative answer to it, it is a fun adventure for a boy and his new best friend.

Little Monkey Calms Down (2/1/14)

I read Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Oriol Vidal
I received a free digital ARC from Capstone Young Readers through NetGalley (Pub. 2/1/14)
5 stars

This is a nice, simple board book about feelings. Little Monkey is not happy and doesn't want to stop crying. With simple suggestions like singing a song or cuddling with a blankie, Little Monkey is able to calm down. Little babies will like the colors and simple pictures. Older toddlers will begin to understand the concept of the story. With different background colors on each page, parents will also be able to talk about colors with their little ones. A great board book for many ages.