Middle Grade Monday: Books Set in Ireland

 Happy Monday and Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘

Here are a few middle grade books set in Ireland

Lost in Ireland (formally titled Lucky Me)

Artemis Fowl

The Ministry of Suits

Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles

Where the Heart Should Be

Breda's Island

Have you read any of these?

Review: Lucky Me

For eighteen year old Gia Winters, having a movie star for a father, a former Playboy bunny as a mother, a Hollywood mansion, and a closet stocked with Chanel is simply another day in the life.

But her world is turned upside down when her father mysteriously hires a group of bodyguards to trail the family 24/7 and threatening phone calls from a "Dr. D" start buzzing daily.

When Gia scores the coveted role of Miss Golden Globe, she is forced to strike a deal with her bodyguard, Jack, who is almost as arrogant as he is attractive. Juggling Gia's romantic failures, fashion faux pas, and celebrity obsessions, the duo investigate a series of clues with the help of a police cadet, who has a special set of skills and an even better set of dimples.

But with the Golden Globes just around the corner, danger levels rise higher than her stilettos as Gia learns that the biggest secrets might be the ones buried in her own home.

In a place where the hills have eyes, high school nemeses, bad hair days, raging parties, and stolen kisses, there can only be trouble for a girl who was just starting to consider herself lucky. ~ Book Summary from GoodReads

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It was pitched as a similar read to Meg Cabot's Airhead. I didn't find that to be true, but it did remind me of Meg Cabot's style of writing. Lucky Me was filled with drama, a character making questionable choices and lying to her family and friends - a lot, and a romance. It reminded me more of the Mediator series (minus the ghosts). Gia is dramatic, her life in ruined, and she can't confide her troubles with her friends. Everything changes the minute her bodyguard enters her life. The banter between her and Jack was entertaining. He was my favorite character in the book. I liked the climax of the book and how it brought everything together. I'm looking forward to Gia's next adventure. 

Cover: Cute
Source: ARC sent for Review
Be sure to check out my Q and A with the author from earlier this week for insider details on the book.

Blog Tour: Lucky Me

ABOUT THE BOOK:
For eighteen year old Gia Winters, having a movie star for a father, a former Playboy bunny as a mother, a Hollywood mansion, and a closet stocked with Chanel is simply another day in the life.

But her world is turned upside down when her father mysteriously hires a group of bodyguards to trail the family 24/7 and threatening phone calls from a “Dr. D” start buzzing daily.

When Gia scores the coveted role of Miss Golden Globe, she is forced to strike a deal with her bodyguard, Jack, who is almost as arrogant as he is attractive. Juggling Gia’s romantic failures, fashion faux pas, and celebrity obsessions, the duo investigate a series of clues with the help of a police cadet, who has a special set of skills and an even better set of dimples.

But with the Golden Globes just around the corner, danger levels rise higher than her stilettos as Gia learns that the biggest secrets might be the ones buried in her own home.

In a place where the hills have eyes, high school nemeses, bad hair days, raging parties, and stolen kisses, there can only be trouble for a girl who was just starting to consider herself lucky.

Come back Saturday for a review of the book (spoiler alert: I really liked it!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in India, Saba Kapur spent her childhood in Indonesia and Kiev, Ukraine. Her passion for storytelling developed at a young age, born from a deep seated love of books.

Saba is a 20-year-old writer currently in her final year of college, studying International Relations and Criminology at Monash University. She hopes to one day become a fabulous lawyer in New York City, with a closet full of stilettos. Lucky Me is her first novel and an ode to her favorite things: fashion, romance and mystery.

In her spare time, Saba enjoys reading, watching anything to do with Ryan Gosling and pretending she’s Beyoncé. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with her parents, her older sister and a large supply of chocolate.

Social media handles:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saba_kapur 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabakapur1/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabakapur/

AUTHOR Q AND A

 What inspired you to write Lucky Me? Where were you when the idea came to you? When did you decide to write it?  The idea for Lucky Me actually came to me in the shower! I was in tenth grade, and had been spending a lot of time in the library. High school drama was at its peak, and I found my solace amongst books. I think that’s where most of my urge to write came from. This idea just popped into my head and I typed up a rough first chapter, and decided to continue from there. I never wrote it with the intention of having it published; it was initially just a hobby. The idea for the book developed from various places. I had noticed that, particularly amongst my generation, the focus on young celebrities was growing in Hollywood, which really intrigued me. I wanted to write something that was funny but also had an element of mystery, as those are my favorite kinds of books to read.

 How did your love for fashion influence the characters and story? Fashion is something that I’ve always been interested in, and because of the setting of the novel, it was easy to incorporate it throughout the book. There is no singular definition of fashion, and I love that it’s so subjective and fluid, because it allows you so much opportunity for fun and creativity. I tried to integrate this sentiment into Gia’s personality, but of course tailored (no pun intended) to suit her lifestyle. The importance of looking good is extremely influential amongst my generation, especially with young celebrities as role models. I felt that Gia would be incomplete or unauthentic without including her love for fashion.    

Did you base Gia’s character off of anyone in particular? Gia is a product of many influences. I tried to develop her as a combination of some of real-life celebrities and my favourite female characters, taking a few personality traits from each one. Gia definitely has elements of Cher Horowtiz (from one of my favourite movies, Clueless) with her love for fashion, and Blair Waldorf (from the books and TV show, Gossip Girl) who I spent most of high school pretending to be! In reality, Gia is really a heightened depiction of my own personality. We are different in so many ways (namely, I don’t make as many poor life choices and do not own a single pair of Louboutins). But we are very similar through our sarcastic and witty personalities. Gia also shares my love for Audrey Hepburn, who I have idolized ever since watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s, in seventh grade. 

Who would you imagine Gia’s celebrity best friends (squad) would be? I think in reality, Gia would hate to be friends with young models; purely because she’d be worried they were prettier than her. Maybe Gia would be lucky enough to join Taylor Swift’s squad, which seems like a lot of fun. She would probably befriend someone fashionable but also fun, like Selena Gomez. But truthfully I’m only saying that for selfish reasons (I’m secretly hoping Selena wants to be my best friend). 
 I love the idea of having a girl squad.

 What authors do you look up to and why? This may sound a little clichéd, but I try and learn something from every book I read. If there’s a particular writing style I like, I try to incorporate it into my own writing. I have such respect for so many authors, particularly those who write in my preferred genre, such as Meg Cabot, Janet Evanovich and Sophie Kinsella. They have completely mastered the art of mystery, humor and romance. Those are some of my favorite authors too!!

 Do you plan to write a sequel? I am currently working on the sequel! Lucky Me ended with a few unanswered questions, and I just felt that I couldn’t fit it all into one book without taking away from the main story. I always intended on writing another book, and I’m having so much fun exploring what’s next in Gia’s life, now that she’s graduating from high school. I feel like the characters are growing up alongside me.   Oh, I'm so glad! 

Tween Tuesday Review: Lucky Me

Meghan believes in luck - and now thanks to the forwarding of a chain letter through email, she's cursed. With bad luck following her around, she's determined to break it. Her BFF tells her the only way to break the bad luck is to explain what happened to everyone in the chain and ask their forgiveness. If they say it's no big deal, than a double handshake is in need. Once that's completed the curse will be lifted.

The chain letter came from Ireland - luckily Meghan and her family are headed there on a family vacation. While her family makes it, they're luggage doesn't.

Meghan can't wait to sneak away from her family and track down the people from the chain letter and change her luck. Could it all really be that easy?

My Thoughts: I loved Cindy's previous books (They're now on the Summer Reading List for the the 6th graders), so I wasn't surprised at devouring this book. While the bad luck that descended upon Meghan wouldn't be funny in real life, it was amusing in book life. The poor girl had too many things go wrong for just one day. I love how she and her family traveled to Ireland to visit newly discovered family members. I loved how Meghan took off with two guides to track down the senders of the chain letter - it was a great way to see Ireland. I loved the descriptions of the country-side and the people. It made me long for green mountains and close-knit communities. Travel, luck, family drama, friendship, and a little romance make this book hard to put down. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: Sent for Review

About the author: 

Cindy Callaghan is the author of the middle-grade novels Just Add Magic (2010) and 2013’s Lost in London (Simon & Schuster). She is a full-time writer, animal advocate, and supermom. A native of New Jersey, Cindy lives, works, and writes in Wilmington, Delaware, with her family and numerous rescued pets. She loves hearing from fans, speaking at schools and conferences, and zip-lining.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindycallaghanauthor

Website: http://www.cindycallaghan.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyCallaghan