Review: Roommate Agreement

 

Blair's excited about her summer experience with coding at college. She's going to be living with her two best friends and it's going to be amazing. Until she discovers last minute that they don't want to live with her. They don't want to be friends anymore.

Blair's devastated. This was supposed to be the perfect summer; they had it all planned out. She searching for any last minute housing, thrilled to discover an apartment that still needs a roommate. She's less than thrilled to discover that her brother's best friend is living there. 

She begs Jamie not to tell her brother as he will tell her parents and ruin everything. Jamie is not happy keeping a secret, but he reluctantly does, after blackmailing Blair. 

Blair struggles with her intensive class. The only bright spot in her life is her art class. But even that is stressing her out. Can she survive the summer?

My Thoughts: I really felt for Blair. She went through it this summer. But I loved her new relationships with her roommates. I love how she stood up for herself. Blair's fat and she owns it. Her family is terrible - her mother sides with the no nonsense step-father. Her computer class has a terrible teacher and terrible classmates. I hate how the class is set up for failure; that's no way to teach. All this drama made me cry at the end. But the book does have some bright spots. I love Blair's relationship with Jamie. Don't sleep on this one

Cover: Not my favorite 

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your public library teen collection

Picture Book Wednesday: Happy Earth Day

Just a few nature books for Earth Day!

It isn't always easy to tell when Spring is here to stay. There are lots of tricky moments when it feels like the weather has changed, but it changes back. This is a great example of those hard to tell moments.

Folks working in the community garden shares knowledge on how to grow plants. There's a lot of plants shared in this book. I love how this book ends in a community feast. The illustrations are colorful and cheerful. The characters are diverse.  There's an end page that shares more about the plants talked about in this book. 

Grace's teacher gave her the book The Secret Garden not knowing it would change her world. Grace became interested in gardening. She became an activist, but she never forgot about gardening. Years later, in Detroit, she started a garden in vacant lots. She created something magical with the help of the community and several youth volunteers. 

How are you celebrating Earth Day?

Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

 This week's topic is books that made me cry

Have you read these? Did any of them also make you cry or tear up?

Middle Grade Review: School for Thieves

 

Tom has been living on the streets for a long time. He had a mentor who used to tell the most outrageous stories, but he passes away. Tom's mentor taught him. Tom passed along that knowledge to other kids. Kids aren't safe on the streets; it's not long before his found family is snatched up and forced into a workhouse. 

Luckily, Tom escaped. And because of that, he's offered an opportunity of a lifetime - a chance to go to school. It's not your average school. This one teaches you how to become criminals and spies. At first, Tom hesitates, but then he realizes that once he learns enough, he can return and rescue his friends. 

But the school has it's own secrets...

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one - there were lots of moments of action and danger. There were secrets and betrayals and double crosses. I liked the friendship Tom made. I really love that he didn't forget his found family. This book seems like it's set up for a sequel, but there's no news about another book coming. 

Cover Thoughts: Neat - I love the gold foil

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your school or public library middle grade collection.

Hand this one: readers who like City Spies or Charlie Thorne books

Board Books

Just a few more new to the library and to me board books

What do animals like to eat? This book features several animals and the snacks they enjoy. The illustrations are a mix of photos and clip art. 

This cute board book is a great introduction to Star Wars by showcasing the characters. 

These two board books are perfect for the IRead Summer Reading theme. 

The flower book shares many different types of flowers while the gardening book shares both plants and animals/insects you might find in the garden. 

Both have charming illustrations that are great to pour over and look at all the details. 

This is a fantastic board book about bodies and mental health and self-love. Such wonderful messages in this book.

Another book for summer reading's garden theme. The caterpillar is sharing who he sees in the garden. The touch and feel illustrations and the action prompts make this a fun read. 

Review: His Face is the Sun

 

* Book 1 in a trilogy *

Four people: a thief, a rebel, a Princess, and a priestess in training are all tied together because of a prophecy. Only they don't know it. 

The thief releases an evil that no one can stop.

The rebel helps ignite a revolution that will forever change her world

The Princess sees something terrible happening but doesn't stop it.

The priestess in training is trying to understand her new life, but she's also forced to understand the politics of the palace. 

Why are they important and what can they do together?

My Thoughts: This book is about discovering who these four characters are and why they are important. There are a lot of twist and turns, lots of action, and lots of danger. The four stories are woven together, similar to Game of Thrones. Luckily, I read this one and then the sequel (more on that soon). I love how the stories come together. There's so much to pour over in this book - and it just might made the reader look up Ancient Egyptian mythology.  The blend of history and fantasy couldn't have been better. This opening book is perfect for a crossover with adults! 

Cover Thoughts: Intriguing 

Source: Book sent for review (PLA panel)

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your public libraries.

On Your Radar: Change of Plans

 

It's been EONS since I've done one of these.

Title: Change of Plans

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Date Published: May 5, 20206

Why It Should be On Your Radar:

Summer romance

getting to know your family

mother/daughter relationship

restaurant chaos

off the grid

blended family

Friendship

Trust

Secrets

It's been 7 years since the last Sarah Dessen novel and it was everything I wanted it to be!

Verdict: 5 stars. Don't sleep on this one. And if you haven't read her before, go back and read her. Start with The Truth about Forever (it's my favorite)

* Source: ARC from PLA