Book Review - The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Kate Winters has taken her ailing mother home to upstate Michigan to die. It is a long way from New York City where she spent the first 18 years of her life. There are no Starbucks, Taco Bells, not even a McDonald's. It is what her mother wishes and that is what counts to Kate. So now Kate is starting over in a new house, new city and new school. This is not all Kate is having to face. After a tragedy with a new friend causes Kate to make promises she is not sure she can keep, Kate finds herself having to handle challenges even a goddess might not be able to pass. She must aid a mysterious man named Henry in a trial whose ultimate outcome could be immortality.
I find myself with quite a dilemma. While I really wanted to like this book, I could not stop thinking how the whole plot felt forced. I did not feel the love between Kate and Henry. Nor did I find myself even caring if Kate made it through the trials or not. It was all very artifical feeling. So I am sorry to say I did not enjoy this book like I thought I would.

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Book Review - Yesterday I Had the Blues by Jeron Ashford Frame

Yesterday I Had the Blues by Jeron Ashford Frame

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Yesterday I had the blues... but today I got the greens." What does having the blues mean? How do you have the greens anyway? Frame brings us a whole rainbow of colors to feel in this wonderful story of one boy, his family and their range of moods and emotions.
This books screams to be read aloud. Read aloud in a slow, soulful voice. I loved it enough to read outloud in the middle of the Children's Department so everyone could hear me. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as they listened to all the different descriptions of the moods - blue, green, gray, etc. I think we all have felt each different description at one time or another. But the best part is the ending - "the kind of family makes you feel like it's all golden." RIGHT ON!!!



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Mystery & Suspense Challenge 2012

Even though I love children & YA books, my first big love has always been mysteries. So I am going to enter Book Chick City's Mystery & Suspense Challenge for 2012 to see if I can keep up with the type of books that got me reading in the first place. Believe it or not, I was reading Happy Hollisters, Alfred Hitchcock & even some Ellery Queen way before I found out about Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew. They were actually kind of lame after reading Ellery Queen!

Ramblings

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. My resolution to sit back and read while my now grown daughter cooked also came and went. While she is a wonderful cook, it is so very hard for me to just sit back and watch and not jump in to help as well as add my "way" of doing things. Plus it was at my home and after a few near misses, I was concerned about my cooking equipment. So I got a total of 1 book read this weekend. I am not happy with myself about this. I will be stronger in my resolve for Christmas!

Book Review - Croak by Gina Damico

Croak by Gina Damico

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Lexington Bartlby is having a bad day. Well, make that a bad year. Okay, make that a bad two years. Since she turned 14, two years ago, Lexi has been working very hard to turn her squeaky,clean image into one of a troubled, trouble-making teen. The problem is, Lexi just can't figure out why she is doing the things she does. Lexi's parents have put up with the fighting, swearing, and even petty thieving that have become everyday occurrences around the Bartlby house. But with her senior year staring her in the face, they have decide it is time for a change. For Lexi this means being shipped off to Croak to live with her Uncle Mort. When Lexi hits Croak, she quickly finds out Uncle Mort has an agenda of his own. He is going to train Lexi in the family business, reaping souls. Lexi soon finds out there are worse things out there than her.
I really enjoyed this book. However, for the first couple of chapters it is really hard to like Lexi no matter how much you try. There is no explanation as to why she is so bad. But once Uncle Mort roars in on his motorcycle things started to pick up. He gives back to Lexi as much as she dishes out. The other quirky characters who live in Croak also bring humor to the story. Through her interaction with them and Uncle Mort we see why Lexi acts as she does and gain understanding and a little more sympathy for her. I am now anxiously awaiting the next installment of Croak.
For teen readers 12+ due to violence and language.



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Book Review - Agent Amelia: Zombie Cows by Michael Broad

Agent Amelia: Zombie Cows by Michael Broad

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Amelia Kidd is once again saving the world from evil geniuses and criminal masterminds. This time she is up against zombie cows; mad music teachers; and ex-supermodels turned bakers. With the help of her trusty backpack, crazy gadgets and truly terrific disguises, she foils her enemies plans for world domination time and time again. Always on the lookout for people carrying black briefcases (because evil geniuses and criminal masterminds always carry briefcases to keep their fiendish plans in) she protects the world day in and day out, even though she doesn't work for the government of anything.

Amelia is a fun character for those intermediate readers who may not be ready for Matilda just yet but want some adventure. With short chapters, these books are also good for emerging readers who want chapter books but are not ready for the longer fiction books. I recommend these books for ages 8 - 10.



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Book Review - Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Clearly Brian Selznick has created his own type of storytelling. With the use of pictures and words, he takes us through a story that tugs at our heartstrings and makes us look at the world a whole lot differently than when we began reading Wonderstruck. Using pictures, he tells us the story of a young girl in 1927 Hoboken, New Jersey. Her emotions are so plainly drawn, we feel her fear and loneliness through the pages. Using text, Selznick also tells us the story of Ben, a young boy growing up in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977. Ben is also a lonely, frightened child who finds himself searching for where he belongs. Wielding his usual magic, Selznick carries through each child's story, bring them together in an ending which will make your heart sing and your eyes cry at the same time.
I recommend this book for people of all ages, old and young, who love a good story.



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