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Monthly Archives: June 2018
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: April 24th, 2018
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Recommended Age: 16+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Nonfiction, Memoir, War, Culture, Africa, Survival
BLURB:
Clemantine Wamariya was six years old when her mother and father began to speak in whispers, when neighbors began to disappear, and when she heard the loud, ugly sounds her brother said were “thunder.” In 1994, she and her fifteen-year-old sister, Claire, fled the Rwandan massacre and spent the next six years wandering through seven African countries, searching for safety–perpetually hungry, imprisoned and abused, enduring and escaping refugee camps, finding unexpected kindness, witnessing inhuman cruelty. They did not know whether their parents were dead or alive. When Clemantine was twelve, she and her sister were granted asylum in the United States, where she embarked on another journey–to excavate her past and, after years of being made to feel less than human, claim her individuality. Continue reading
Circus Mirandus – Cassie Beasley
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: June 2nd, 2015
Publisher: Dial Books
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Magic, Fantasy, Family
BLURB:
Do you believe in magic? Micah Tuttle does. Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather. The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn’t want to keep his promise. And now it’s up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.
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5 to 1 – Holly Bodger
5 to 1 by Holly Bodger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: May 12th, 2015
Publisher: Knopf BFYR
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Dystopian, Feminism, Freedom, Competition
BLURB:
In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife. Sudasa, though, doesn’t want to be a wife, and Kiran, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Kiran thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.
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Flying Lessons & Other Stories
Flying Lessons & Other Stories by Ellen Oh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: January 3rd, 2017
Publisher: Crown BFYR
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Normal/Fast
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Anthology, Diversity, Culture, Life Lessons
BLURB:
Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children’s publishing and popularity as New York Times bestsellers. Continue reading
50 FACTS ABOUT ME 🌺
Snow & Rose – Emily Winfield Martin
Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: October 10th, 2017
Publisher: Random BFYR
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Normal/Slow
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Fairytale Retelling, Fantasy, Siblings, Family
BLURB:
Snow and Rose didn’t know they were in a fairy tale. People never do…. Once, they lived in a big house with spectacular gardens and an army of servants. Once, they had a father and mother who loved them more than the sun and moon. But that was before their father disappeared into the woods and their mother disappeared into sorrow. This is the story of two sisters and the enchanted woods that have been waiting for them to break a set of terrible spells. Continue reading
10 Unpopular Books that Deserve More Love!
LIFEL1K3 – Jay Kristoff
LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: May 29th, 2018
Publisher: Knopf BFYR
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal/Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Action, Robots, Romance, Friendship
BLURB:
Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it. But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past. Continue reading
Kiss Collector – Wendy Higgins
Kiss Collector by Wendy Higgins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: HarperCollins Canada
Published: December 18th, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal/Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Drama, Family, Friendship, Romance, High School
BLURB:
When seventeen-year-old Zae Monroe gets cheated on by the only guy she’s ever loved, then watches her parents’ marriage crumble, she decides to forget about relationships and turn the tables on the boys of the world. It’s time to take what she wants, and what she wants are kisses. Athletes, musicians, poets, and bad boys—their lips are all on her agenda, and it’s time to collect. Zae proposes a contest with her friends to see who can kiss the most boys during spring break. But what starts as a harmless competition leads to a downward spiral she can’t seem to break free of. As family, academic, friend, and guy drama come to a head, Zae is forced to face the reasons behind her boy angst, and starts to wonder if she was wrong about the male race…or at least some of them.
Hit or Miss Books 