Review: Oh My Affogato!

 

Soraya and her two best friends are traveling Europe together the summer before they leave for college. What her two friends don't know is that they are starting in the same city where her ex-boyfriend is also visiting. 

At first, she's stunned that the hotel is not a 5-star resort, but before long, she comes to appreciate their attention to detail and the beauty of the place - even if it is a little run down. The owner's son has suggestions on out of the way places to visit.

By day, Soraya hangs out with her friends, but by night, she meets up with Wes. Until - she and Wes come face to face with her friends. They get into a major fight that threatens to ruin everything. 

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I loved the setting and how it was Italy, but not one of the major cities. I love how the friends set up the trip. I didn't like the major conflict of the book because I felt bad for everyone involved. But it did make for a great story. I love how this takes place the summer before college. I loved the adventures the friends went on together - the out of the way ones. I would love to see Pompeii. This book made me want to travel to Italy.  And I wouldn't mind companion novels with the other two friends leading each book.

Cover Thoughts: Stunning 

Source: my Library

Library Recommendations: A great summer romance for your teen collection - highly recommended.

Nonfiction Review: Art but Make It Sports

LJ Rader takes sports pictures and connects them to famous picture of art.

As a sports and an art person, I found this fascinating. 

I didn't know all the art works showcased. 

I loved how (most of the time), I could see exactly what the author was thinking choosing these works of art. 

There were some women's sport pictures, but there could have been more.

I love this idea. I hope this gets looked at a lot in my library.

Picture Book Review: I'm (almost) always Kind

 

One child's mother told them the most important thing in all the world is to be kind. And they try to be kind, but sometimes it doesn't work out the way they imagine. 

When that happens, their mother offers more advice. Try putting yourself in their shoes (not literally).

The child tries again. And this time, it works. Being kind is nice and it's contagious. 

The message of this book is wonderful. I adore the illustrations; they are charming. 

** I didn't realize it, but this book is part of an (almost) series.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer books

 This week's topic is to pick a word in the title. After a few tries, I'm going with summer.

Here are books about summer that I've read and Loved:

* Bonus from my childhood:

** There are a LOT of books with summer in the title. 

Middle Grade Monday: Offside

With the World Cup happening, I'm highlighting a soccer graphic novel out tomorrow

The soccer team at the middle school has gone co-ed and not everyone is happy about it. 

1. Nicky fought for the opportunity to try out. Her friends are mad that she left the girls' team. She wants to play professionally.

2. Al, the team captain, is NOT happy to play with girls. 

3. His father makes a bunch of comments to his family about how girls shouldn't play soccer. 

4. Palmer gets injured off the field and it out for the season

5. Fabiola and Seba are new to school and speak Spanish but not much English

6. Their coach is excited about this team

Can they find a way to play together?

My Thoughts: This graphic novel has a lot going on. There is both Spanish and English text, which is cool. I loved the coach and how he was inspired by Ted Lasso. The misogyny and bullying in this book made me angry - but I did enjoy how it all worked out. The characters made a lot of mistakes. I didn't agree with many of the choices, but I enjoyed their problem-solving skills. I really liked the storyline with Palmer as a journalist and meeting an adult journalist. There wasn't one central character, which I enjoyed. This graphic novel is perfect for any reader; there's something for everyone here. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: This is a great sports graphic novel with ALL the drama - a must have book for school and public libraries.

TBR Check-in: First half of the year

 

Earlier this week, I shared my most anticipated books of the 2nd half of the year.

So, it's time to see what I read from the first half.

Read:

6 out of 10 - pretty good.

Books for America's 250th Birthday

While I don't love the choices my country has made over the last several years, the milestone is impressive. And hopefully after the next couple years, we can get back on track.

Here are some children's books to share from a variety of ages.

This board book starts with the birthday of America but moves into voting, the states, and more. It's full of information presented in a fun way with bright illustrations. I really love this series.

We the People means EVERYONE. This book has so many great messages about including all people. There's so much to talk about with this book. This picture book is just fantastic.

A picture book for older elementary school readers, this book shares about the times leading up to the revolution and how the men created the documents that led to our Independence. There are some fun facts on the pages, and the book does include some women as well. 

James Forten was born a free man. His father died when he was young; he had to quit school to work. At the age of fourteen, he joined the fight for revolution. He became of prisoner of war. After the revolution, he started fighting for the end of slavery and equal rights for Black people. He continued that fight until his death. I hadn't heard about this man, so I'm happy to learn about him now. There is an afterword, timeline, and family tree at the end of this picture book biography.

This nonfiction book showcases the United States. It breaks up the states by region. In each region, the book talks about fun facts, American icons, historical moments, mini biographies of people who lived in that region, a recipe, a craft, and stats. Just like a typical DK book, the information is divided into short chunks, the pictures and illustrations are bright, and it's easy to skip around and come back.

A timeline of American history - this nonfiction book is great for older students. It's formatted to look like a newspaper and it's split into centuries. It doesn't shy away from tough topics. This is a really impressive book. 

This was such a fun read: about a boy who's family took a road trip across the country for America's 200th birthday. There's a lot here: cool places to travel, photos, family drama, funny moments, and historical facts. It's a blend of fiction and nonfiction making this a fun book to read. And the illustrations/photos are neat.