The Sun Will Come Out by Joanne Levy

 I'm going to take a brief break from YA to talk about this little book by Joanne Levy entitled The Sun Will Come Out.

I recently sat for a webinar that focused on books for Hi-Lo/Reluctant and Struggling Readers.  Orca Book Publishers presented during the webinar and a few of the titles that they were discussing, I was definitely interested in.  When purchasing for my juvenile collection, I want to make sure that there are titles that appeal to a wide variety of readers, not just in topic but also in the way that they are written when it comes to "decoding", if that makes any sense. 

I don't remember if this title came up in the presentation or if I found it on my own from searching our book vendor but either way, I found the title and I decided to put it on hold to give it a read. 

Orca Book Publishers is a publishing company based in Canada.  They have a goal of publishing books that present and illustrate the experiences that represent the diversity that is seen within the human population (which I love!).  Orca Book Publisher also publishes five different series for readers who may face literacy challenges.  That being said... I thought this book was from a series within one of those five but I guess not? Regardless, I still found this book to be a wonderful read!  

The Sun Will Come Out follows 11 year old Bea (Beatrice) as she spends 4 weeks away at sleep away camp.  The story starts off with Bea finding out that her best friend, Frankie will not be going to Camp Shalom with her.  Bea is devastated to say the least!  Then when Bea gets to Camp Shalom, she easily makes friends with a girl named Regan.  Already anticipating the worst, Bea has a series of terrible run=ins and experiences at camp... within the first 3 days!  She makes quick friends with a girl named Regan, who becomes to be the girl that Bea's crush, Jeremy (who also happens to be Frankie's older brother) likes.  Two girls in her cabin start to pick on her on the first day of camp.  

What I liked about The Sun Will Come Out is that it's realistic.  Bea has stressors that she's encountering at camp (outside of school) and they are completely relatable.  She's upset that the boy she likes, doesn't like her back.  She has bullies and she's afraid to vocalize it to an adult because she's afraid of what happen (which isn't right but understandable) but the topic of being courageous and doing the right thing - ometz lev - is a belief that Bea embodies toward the end of the book.  As the reader, you see Bea work through these and you see how she handles them; from the beginning and what may or may not change as the story goes on.  Levy tells a story that is much needed because it talks about everyday things that sometimes get lost in the sauce; you have bullying, anxiety, and diseases.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! 

- Jillian

In the Blink of an Eye... It's Reading Log 5- Juvenile Corner

Hello all, 

I want to thank you for coming here and visiting the posts for one of my first classes in graduate school... Sadly, my first semester is drawing near and this is my last reading log.

This reading log focuses on chapter books! Some new and some old; some non-fiction and one is fiction. 

Like before, they are listed in alphabetical order. I hope you enjoy!

It All Comes Down to This by Karen English
Published by: 
Category: Juvenile Fiction, Historical Fiction
Major Awards Won: Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2017, Kirkus Prize Finalist, Kirkus Starred Review, Booklist Top 10 Books of 2018, Historical Fiction for Youth, Horn Book Fanfare List 2017
Age Range: 10-12 years
Pages and Spreads: 368 pages, 0 spreads

Taking place during 1965 in California, It All Comes Down to This tells the reader about 13 year old Sophie during the summer before 9th grade.  There is a lot going on that summer,  Sophie sees for herself just how cruel the world can be at times.  English paints the picture of what it was like getting grew as an African-American during that time.  How unfair it was, to be prejudiced against based on the color of your skin.  How people make awful and baseless assumptions.  the riots that were happening at the time in LA- not far from where Sophie and her sister, Lily live.  At the beginning of the book, the reader sees that Sophie is somewhat naive but at the end of the story, the reader knows that Sophie has grown up.  If you're looking at the age range for this story in terms of Sophie and Lily being older and the growing that Sophie goes through, then I think that it's appropriate.  I would say that it's realistic because Sophie ends up learning a lot from Mrs. Baylor and she's witnesses what goes on between her mother and father (how her father is in an extramarital affair) and how Nathan is arrested, even though he's done nothing wrong. 


Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls' Rights by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McMormick
Published by: Little, Brown and Company in 2018
Category: Juvenile Autobiography, Juvenile Non-Fiction
Major Awards Won: The Amelia Bloomer Book List Awards in 2019
Age Range: 7-10 years
Pages and Spreads: 166 pages, 0 spreads

At the age of 15, Malala Yousafzai was a victim of gun violence by the Taliban on a bus ride from school.  In 2008, Malala's entire world started to change with Fazlullah entering and taking over Pakistan.  Backed by the Talbian, Fazlullah decided that having access to an education was not acceptable for girls.  Refusing to accept this notion (and speaking out against the Taliban and Fazlullah), Malala stood up for education for girls, women and boys.  As an individual wise beyond her years, Malala is strong and inspirational.  She allow what happened to define her and continues to advocate for what's right.  Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls' Rights is the abridged version of I am Malala.  This book is a chapter book but it's only 166 pages and while there not spreads of illustrations, there are standalone illustrations.  The book also features a glossary at the back and it some chapters highlight specific terms for the give more information on a person mentioned or an organization, a religious holiday, etc.  The age range provided by the publisher is appropriate for this book. 

World War II on the Home Front: An Interactive History Adventure by Martin Gitlin 
Published by: Capstone Press in 2012
Category: Juvenile Non-fiction, World War II
Age Range: 8-11 years
Pages and Spreads: 112 pages, 0 spreads

On December 7, 1941; the world was forever changed when Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan.  For the next 4 years, the United States, England and the Soviet Union would be fighting a war against Germany.  World War II on the Home Front is an interactive adventure book.  As the reader, you're able to pick 1 of three different characters: a housewife, an African American war veteran or a 12 year old boy.  Each character teaches the reader about the different things that they had encountered during this time.  The reader is able to choose a proactive direction for the character or a passive direction.  At the end of the book, there is the outcome of what happened with the war.  While the book lacks spreads, there are several photographs of different people at the time and picture of propaganda and newspaper articles.  The age range on this book is appropriate as it was recommended by the publisher.  

- Jillian

Easy Readers- Juvenile Corner

Hiya everybody, 

This reading log for the juvenile corner will be focusing on Easy Readers.  An easy reader is a book that supplements the reading skills a child is taught in school.  Which is why these books usually are leveled by numbers or letters.  Depending on the publisher of the easy reader series, there are different levels within that series.  Across the different publishers, easy readers are not made to be universal!

You will find 6 easy readers reviewed down below from varying publishers of varying levels.  The easy reader books will be listed in alphabetical order just like they have been in the other reading logs posted here.  On the reviews, I included the guided reading level (in addition to the age range), I felt that the reading level was helpful to include since these are easy readers.  There was only one book that I read that did not have any major awards attached to it and that was the non-fiction book.  It was very difficult to find a children's non-fiction boo that won an award.


Hi Fly Guy!
Written and Illustrated by Tedd Arnold
Published by Scholastic, 2005 
Category: Easy Reader, Boy oriented
Major Awards Won: Theodor Seuess Geisel Honor Book in 2006
Age Range: 4-8; Guided Reading Level I
Pages and Spreads: 32 pages, 3 spreads

With it's humor and wit, Hi Fly Guy! tells the story of how a boy named Buzz, adopts a fly as his pet.  It has 3 chapters, white backgrounds and large typeface.  The story is simple and the words are high frequency sigh words.  The sentences were also short.  What I liked about the story was that it was funny.  Something else that I liked about the story was in terms of the text and the illustrations.  Arnold incorporated the illustrations as action words into the text.  The illustrations had a cartoon-ish vibe to that and they were done with softer colors.  I felt that the age range from Scholastic was off a little bit.  I didn't feel that this book would have been good for age 4.  I felt like that was a little too young.  I said that this book was boy-oriented because of Buzz.




I am Helen Keller (Ordinary People Change the World)
Written by Brad Meltzer and Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015
Category: Children's Biography, Non-fiction
New York Bestseller Series
Age Range: Grades 1-2; Guided Reading Level O
Pages and Spreads: 40 pages, 8 spreads





If anyone has watched Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum on PBS, then you may or may not know that the show was based on the biography series Ordinary People Change the World by Brad Meltzer?  I am Helen Keller is a book from Meltzer's Ordinary People Change the World series.  Telling the story of Helen Keller, Meltzer tells Keller's story as if Keller was a young child.  The book is a biography for children, focusing on the main points of Keller's life but in light of that fact, I found this book to be very wordy.  There was a lot of text on the pages, thus resulting in a lot of words. I was looking at the book less within the publisher's age range and more within the reading level and the information that it contained.  With help, I feel that a child would be able understand the material- I just think that unless the child was a strong reader, they might need to have an adult read it to them.  There were many lines and the typeface was not bold, nor was it large.  A feature that I thought was unique to the book was that it included the alphabet in Braille.  By adding the alphabet in Braille, it added a way for the reader to interact more with the story.  At the end of the book, there were real photos of Helen Keller and it included her timeline.  






I See a Cat
Written and Illustrated by Paul Meisel
Published by Balzer + Bray, 2016
Category: Easy Reader, Limited Vocabulary Book
Major Awards Won: Theodor Seuess Geisel Honor Book in 2018, Kirkus Review Starred Review
Age Range: 4-8; Guided Reading Level A
Pages and Spreads: 32 pages, 9 spreads

I See a Cat by Paul Meisel is a very much a limited vocabulary easy reader.  It matches it's guided reading level and it matches the age range provided by the publisher.  The story focuses on a dog and what the dog sees when it looks out the window and it told in sentences that are, for the most part, made up of 3 words.  The dog sees a cat, a bird and a squirrel.  Then the dog sees a boy when he comes home from school.  The illustrations were cute and very colorful, you could that were helping to tell the story.  There wasn't any white space on the pages.  The text was written in white or black, depending on the color of the background and it was a larger but it wasn't bold.  I didn't care for this book so much.  I felt like the story just ended abruptly and the information in the book itself was purely to tell the reader what the dog was seeing on each page; some pages didn't have text.   


Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page
Written by Cynthia Rylant and Illustrated by Arthur Howard
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014
Category: Easy Reader
Major Awards Won: Theodor Seuess Geisel Honor Book in 2015
Age Range: 6-9; Guided Reading Level J
Pages and Spreads: 40 pages, 6 spreads

With it's 5 chapter, Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page is a easy reader that's set up like a chapter book.  The background of the pages are white for the most part (there are times that there are color washed behind the text).  The text is black and large but there isn't a bold typeface.  The pages do not exceed having 6 lines of text on them, when the sentences are longer.  The illustrations are colorful and they do help to tell the story.  The words that are used, are easy to read and to understand.  I do agree with the age range on this book.  I felt that story had length that would make it appropriate for a child older than 6 and I thought that the story was structured well.  I like the chapters, because they offered the ability to take a break.


Oops Pounce Quick Run!
Written and Illustrated by Mike Twohy
Published by Balzer + Bray, 2016
Category: Children's Picture Books, Alphabet book, Easy Reader, Limited Vocabulary
Major Awards Won: Theodor Seuess Geisel Honor Book in 2017
Age Range: 5-7; Guided Reading Level F
Pages and Spreads: 32 pages, 2 spreads

Oops Pounce Quick Run! is a picture book that tells a story using the alphabet, that also falls under the category of being an easy reader.  Twohy's book is a fun take on using the alphabet in a such a way that tells a story.  Each page has one word starting that letter in the alphabet, so it read from A-Z.  Twohy's illustrations help to tell the story.  The background on all the pages is white and the typeface is bold and large.  The illustrations are simple and anything in the background of the illustrations are done in black and white with bold lines.  The dog and the mouse are colored and the capital letter on each word is colored as well.  I can see why this book was a 2107 Theodor Seuess Geisel Honor Book!  I liked how creative it was.  I agree with the age range given by the publisher- I feel like it matches with the story. I just thought that it might be a little too immature for someone who's age 7.


Penny and Her Marble
Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Published by Greenwillow Books, 2013
Category: Easy Reader, Girl oriented
Major Awards Won: Theodor Seuess Geisel Honor Book in 2014
Age Range: 4-8; Guided Reading Level J
Pages and Spreads: 48 pages, 0 spreads

I found that Penny and Her Marble was a chapter book easy reader.  The book told that story over the course of 4 chapters and it was a longer book at 48 pages.  I used this book as a girl oriented book because of Penny.  Penny and Her Marble told the story of young mouse, Penny and the marble she found on the front lawn of Mrs. Goodwin.  There is small pictures that help to tell the story but there story lacks any spreads.  The background of the pages is white and at most, there were 9 lines to a page.  I think that Henkes is a wonderful artist, so I really enjoyed all of the illustrations in the story (including the little mice in the basket!).  They were colorful and they did a nice job of supplementing the story.  The grade range on this book is very very wide.  According to Scholastic, it's pre-k to k, grades 1-2.  I actually don't agree with this!  When I was reading it, I felt like the story was more identifiable to an older child, because of how it talks about finding an item and claiming it as your own without asking.  There is a sense of guilt that's presented in this story that I don't think a small child would be able to understand.  To me, this story is more appropriate for a child in grades 1-2. 

Until next time... Happy reading!
- Jillian

More Picture Books- Juvenile Corner

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope those of you who read my first post about picture books so much, you were hoping that I'd do a second one.  If you fall into that category, than you're in luck!  
This picture book post focuses on picture books that are wordless, published originally in another country- before being published in the United States and a book that's all about the ABCs.

Like the post before, the books are listed in alphabetical order.  I hope you all enjoy!

                                  The Boring Book

Written and Illustrated by Shinsuke Yoshitake
Published by Chronicle Books in 2019; Hakusensha in 2017 (Japan)
Category: Children's Picture Books, International
Major Awards Won: New York Times Best Illustrated Book, Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
Age Range: 6-8
Pages and Spreads: 40 pages, 4 spreads

The Boring Book was published in 2017 in Japan.  What has to happen in order for something to be considered boring? What is the fine thin between boring and fun?  The Boring Book poses those questions with answers in only a way a child could imagine.  The child in the book does a great job of working through what boredom could be and how it works because let's be honest, who hasn't been bored before.  Adults and children alike!  I liked how the colors used in the illustrations were very bold but simple- the primary colors were used and there was a lot of gray.  I feel like this book would make an excellent book for a circle time.  I think that it would a great way to engage children and to get them talking about boredom and how to have fun when it seems almost impossible.  


Flora and the Flamingo 
Written and Illustrated by Molly Idle
 Published by Chronicle Books, 2013

Category: Children's Picture Books, Wordless
Major Awards Won: 2014 Caldecott Honor Book
Age Range: 3-6
Pages and Spreads: 32 pages, 10 spreads

Flora and the Flamingo was bother written and illustrated by Molly Idle.  Idle uses colored pencils to illustrate her story about a young girl and her encounter with a flamingo. This book is wordless but it also has flaps!  I found that the flaps added an extra dimension to the story.  They allowed for the more actions to occur on the same pages.  The drawings were done with what looks like colored pencils- they were on bright white pages.  Without words and a bright white background definitely makes the drawings stand out and take center stage.  It was very easy to feel the emotion that Flora and the flamingo were experiencing throughout the story.   I felt like this book would be best for the one on one interaction between adult and child.  I just don't know how flap books would work in terms of a story time. 


Jerome By Heart
Written by Thomas Scotto and Illustrated by Oliver Tallec; translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick and Karin Snelson
Published by Enchanted Lion Books in 2018; Actes Sud in 2009 (France)
Category: Children's Picture Books, International
Major Awards Won: Batchelder Honor Book of 2019 and Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2018
Age Range: 4-8
Pages and Spreads: 32 pages, 4 spreads


Originally published in French in 2009, Jerome by Heart follows the story of two young boys, Raphael and Jerome.  Raphael is telling the story, which encompasses his feelings for Jerome.  It's a sweet story and it shows how deep friendships and connections can go.  I know that the book was recognized by GLBTRT group as 2019 Rainbow Book Selection.  I don't know if I would say that Jerome and Raphael were in love like that, their connection ran deep, yes.  The characters in the book, I feel, are too young to know what love is on that level.  I think that this book is a great for the theme of friendship.  I felt that the age range was appropriate.


Wolf in the Snow
Written and Illustrated by Matthew Cordell
Published by 
Category: Children's Picture Books, Wordless Book
Major Awards Won: 2018 Caledcott Award Winner
Age Range: 2-6
Pages and Spreads: 48 pages, 12 spreads


Without words, Wolf in the Snow tells the story of a little girl who's on her home from school during a blizzard.  At the same time, the reader sees that there is a pack of wolves who are traveling in the blizzard, where the wolf pup falls behind.  The girl and the wolf cross paths and she carries the pup through the blizzard until she finds their family to reunite the pup.  There is a moment of despair when the girl curls up in the snow- defeated by the blizzard.  The ending brings a sense of peace to the story, the wolves help the girl reunite with her family.  The illustrations are outlined with a heavy hand in ink, which makes them standout against the watercolor like colors.  Even though the book was wordless, the animal sounds are written out. I agree with the age range from the publishers. 



Z is for Moose 
Written by Kelly Bingham and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinksy
Published by Greenwillow Books in 2012
Category: Children's Picture Books, ABC
Major Awards Won: Kirkus Starred Review, School Library Journal Starred Review, Booklist Starred Review, Publisher's Weekly Starred Review, Horn Book Starred Review
Age Range: 4-8
Pages and Spreads: 32 pages, 2 spreads


I think this book would make an excellent one for a story hour.  The interaction between the moose and the zebra were just too funny.  Bingham presents the ABC in a fun way, letters A, B, and C are explained perfectly; A is for apple, B is for ball, C is for cat and D is for Moose. But wait a second, that doesn't sound right!  From letter D to Z, Moose makes appearance and voices his concerns about how Zebra is directing this shoot.  The illustrations were cute and fun.  Between the illustrations and the dialogue between the moose and the zebra, the reader didn't need to focus on the alphabet.  It was easy to guess what the letters would have been for, even when they weren't focusing on that.  The age range from the publishers is accurate.  

- Jillian

Emmie & Friends by Terri Libenson - Tween Nook

Helloooooo everybody! 

Back at it again with a another Tween review. 

Or 3 rolled into 1.... 

I’m going to start off this review with two words: graphic novels. 

Now, if you’re like me; when you hear the words “graphic novel”, you might think of comic books or comic strips; the “funnies” in the Sunday morning paper.   Up until I started working in the library, I didn’t count graphic novels as being books. I thought, well, that they were ONLY graphic novels. That the lack of words in them and the plethora of pictures made them less like books. That’s so not the case! I also found comic books to be a little too busy with all of the pictures and thus, made me feel nauseous :/ 

Do you know someone who isn’t into reading or maybe they’re reluctant? Have them try a graphic novel! The story is told through pictures, and not as many words. The imagery might be better than a book because of the visual detail that’s shown right then and there. 

Link to cover art on Amazon

In 2017, Terri Libenson released the graphic novel, Invisible Emmie. Emmie is a middle schooler who feels as if no one notices her. She keeps to herself and draws a lot in class. She’s not the best at paying attention in class; you could say that she’s flying under the radar. Emmie has one friend, a girl named Bri.  Since Bri is so smart, she’s placed into honors classes, so Emmie doesn’t get to see her outside of lunch. 

The lunch table. Queue where our scene is about to happen!

Emmie and Bri decide to write letters to their crushes. One little note is the catalyst for embarrassment for Emmie. 

While the story focuses on Emmie and what’s going on during that day, the reader also learns about a girl named Katie. Libenson uses two different ways to tell their stories. Emmie’s story is told differently from Katie’s- Katie’s was in true comic form; while Emmie’s story involved sentences and some pictures. 


Positively Izzy is the 2nd book in the Emmie & Friends series.  Positively Izzy flips the way the characters are presented.  Meaning: the comic featuring Brianna is first and then the more wordy story with the little drawings about Izzy is second. (Yes, this Brianna is the same Bri from the first book).

Link to cover art on Amazon

This one was showing the contrast between Brianna and this Izzy girl.  It's not until the end of the story do you learn who Izzy is.  

NOW.  I haven't been in high school in a little over 10 years, let alone middle school in waaaay over 10 years. 

I thought that Libenson's books were realistic and therefore, relatable.  They were also presented in a way that would keep any young reader interested.  The messages held in both books were important too.

For anyone wondering, Emmie was definitely my favorite character. 

Definitely giving these two graphic novels 5 coffee beans out of 5!

- Jillian

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass- Tween Nook

Welcome everyone to our new Tween Nook tag!

Today's first official review for the Tween Nook is 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.

This was a really cute book. 

The premise of the book was that Amanda was waking up everyday and re-living her birthday.  In the beginning, she was repeating the same actions and she was getting the same outcomes. Until the fifth day, there was a change - Amanda noticed that Leo had acted differently then he had in the days before!  Thus, their communication started and they were able to mend their relationship. I’m not entirely sure that this is the word I’m looking for, but I would say that there is a sense of “whimsy” in this book for sure. It's up to you, if you want to call this book a fantasy. But it adds an element that would pull in any dream driven tween. 

After 11 days, there is no change and Amanda and Leo are still re-living their birthdays.  Through some simple investigation, Amanda and Leo are able to speak with the woman who happened to have united them on the day of their birth. (Imagine living the same day over and over again and not having anything change?! Ugh. Talk about uncomfortable and not a whole lot of fun). 

That’s where the whimsy comes in! This woman, Angela has been around for a looooong time.  There is family history between Leo and Amanda’s family. Something that has to be explained to them by Angela. 

Leo and Amanda fought over an understandable reason: Leo made fun of his friendship with Amanda. When you’re almost 11, it might not always be the coolest to be best friends with a girl (but who knows now in 2019! This book might be a little dated?). 

That’s pretty relatable. As is leaving your lunch at home and not having enough lunch money. Feeling let down by your friends and feeling that you’re letting friends down too. I also thought it was important that no matter how hard she tried, Amanda’s mom still lost her job. Some things can’t be controlled and sadly, that’s one of them. 

For my first tween book review, I would give this book 4 coffee beans out of 5! I don’t have anything to go off of but I thought that it was well written and the whimsy of the song was adorable. 

- Jillian

                                         

July Book Haul

Hello everybody!!

August is here! Do you know what that means? It means new books to review for a new month! 

I went on to title this post: “July Book Haul” because these are the books I got this month to read and post reviews for for August. (Bear with me, I’m new at this whole haul thing). 

All of these books are YA. One of them is juvenile fiction- I am trying a new idea here (more on that later). One of these books were sent to us for reviewing; the others I either bought myself or I borrowed from the library (summer reading is still here!)

Ready? Let’s get started! 

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (YA) 
I’m not gonna lie, the cover art on this book totally pulled me in. I wanted to get Bennett’s newest book but it wasn’t available in paperback. I settled for this one. The premise of the story sounds super cute. 
It’s the start of summer vacation for Zorie, she’s working a few shifts at her parents’ acupuncture clinic; which happens to be right next door to an adult shop. Which happens to be opened by her neighbors. Who happen to the moms to her former best friend, Lennon. Who, Zorie HAPPENED to casually date briefly. 

Much to Zorie's dismay, her mother encourages and arranges for Zorie to go on a camping trip with friends.  Unknown to Zorie, Lennon is also going to be on this trip.  How do these two feuding friends handle their camping trip?  After a fight with Reagan, Zorie and Lennon are left to fend for themselves for a week in the woods.  How will they cope? 

The Art of Falling in Love by Haleigh Wenger (YA) *Review Request* 
Haleigh reaches out to us to review her debut release! Claire is spending her summer in Florida like she does every year. This is Year is different because her Opa has passed away. Afer finding a filled-out registration form that he completed, for her to participate in a sand building contest, Claire is forced to enter uncharted territory.   With the help of her new friend, Foster, Claire is determined to fulfill her Opa's wishes. When Foster's past and his present come to light, Claire learns that it's going to alter not only her present but their future.  Can she learn how to navigate this summer without Opa and how to help Foster without hurting herself in the process?

Maybe This Time by Kasie West (YA)
As we know, I am quite the fan of Kasie West.  I've read several of her books and I've enjoyed them all.  This is her newest release. 
Sophie is from a small town in Alabama, she's working to save money for college.  While working an event with her friend, Micah; Sophie meets Andrew Hart, the son of a famous TV chef.  For the next year, Sophie will be running into a lot of Andrew; much to her dismay. During this year, Andrew and Sophie will have 9 encounters to become friends or even something more.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett (YA)
Yes, this is the second book that I will be reading by one author in 1 month.  What is going on? Especially considering that I didn't care too much for her debut novel Alex, Approximately.  But I loooooved "Starry Eyes" enough to want to read this one.  I just reading it and I can tell you that I'm already digging it.  Birdie is 18, having been sheltered by her grandparents for the last 8 years; she convinced her grandfather to let her get her first real job.  As a lover of mystery (including Agatha Christie, Midsomer Murders, old episodes of Columbo and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries); Birdie was excited to get an overnight job working at the front desk of the Cascadia Hotel. Prior to starting her new job, Birdie had an encounter with a mystery magician. There is an element of mystery in this book, not only because Birdie learns of the identity of her mystery man but also because he helps her solve a mystery.

11 Birthdays: A Wish Novel by Wendy Mass (Juvenile Fiction)
Now, this might be a crazy pipe dream that I have but last week, I thought that it would be a cute idea to have a tween section to the blog.  I review enough YA and Jessica reviews enough Adult fiction; that a tween section would make us more well rounded.  I know that this title is a high circulating one within the library where I work.  The synopsis of the book sounds cute enough. At 10, Amanda can't wait to turn 11 but this year, her birthday will be different from past years because she won't be sharing it with her best friend, Leo.  Leo and Amanda aren't talking to each other.  When she goes to bed on her 11th birthday, she wakes up the next day to find out it's her birthday again! Will repeating her birthday, help Amanda fix her friendship with Leo? Well, I won't know until I read this tween book. 

I'll be posting reviews soon!

~ Jillian