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