Middle Grade Monday: School Dance

* Book 3 in the Brinkley Yearbook series * 

The Snowball Soiree is fast approaching and Milo is nervous. Whenever he dances, something bad happens. While he wants to go, he doesn't think that he should. His father is a great dance and tries to help. Taking dance lessons might work - but the only person who can take him is his grandmother who's not supposed to drive without one of his parents. Keeping secrets is making him more stressed. Can he relax and find his rhythm?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book - there's a lot of drama and friendship. There's even a little romance. I loved the group of friends. I loved Milo's grandmother and her desire for freedom, even though it's hard. She made me miss my grandmother! I loved their relationship. I loved how everything turned out. I hope there are many more books in this series.

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

 Library Recommendation: A must have series for your school or public library. 

Middle Grade Review: Treasure of Ocean Parkway

* Book 2 in the series *

Thea discovers a clue hidden in a closet in her apartment. She knows exactly who should help her solve it - the podcasters from her apartment building. She finds Roya and Amin and pitches them the idea, a new mystery for their next podcast.

The clue is a treasure hunt from her grandfather. Her dad won't talk about him; they don't have a good relationship. Currently her grandfather lives in a home for people with dementia. The clues are supposed to lead to a treasure within the apartment building. 

Can they solve the clues and find the treasure or is it lost forever?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this sequel. I felt bad for Thea as she was lonely without her sister for company and she barely saw her parents.  I love that she gave from a long time of artists. I love how she became friends with Roya and Amin over the course of figuring out the puzzles. I love how the puzzles here related to the building and also art. Amin's train contest was a fun side story. I love how they set this up for another book in the series. I hope there are several more in the works. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Why I Read This One: I loved the first book - and the combination of mysteries and podcasts

Library Recommendation: Highly Recommended for your middle grade collections.

Graphic Novel Review: We Are Big Time

Aliya and her family moved from Florida to Wisconsin to be closer to family. There she and her siblings attend an all-Muslim school. She tries out for the school basketball team. Neither the girls' team or the boys' team is really any good. But Aliya and her new friends start working hard.

As they start winning games, a reporter writes a piece about the girls. The piece starts getting buzz. Soon more reporters want to interview the girls - asking about their religion and their uniform. How far will their talent and hard work take them?

My Thoughts: I've been waiting to read this book as I love books about basketball. I loved how Aliya started playing basketball for the school. I love how they didn't take the bait of the reporters - they focused on basketball. I enjoyed the hard work they put in. I loved the relationship the girls had with their coach. I love that she was not Muslin and that she tried to understand them too. I didn't want this book to end - I wouldn't mind seeing this book develop into a series for the next three years.

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your school and public library.

Graphic Novel Review: Tryouts

The middle school baseball team is going for a decade of winning the championship. Al's been playing baseball for years, she's not sure that she'll be allowed to tryout for the team. But baseball is her life, and she's determined to try.

She doesn't have to fight to join the team. The coach is more than happy to give her a shot. It seems like everything is working out - until the team gets their first win. The local news channel wants to interview her. Even though Al talks about the team, that part is cut. The interview makes it seem like Al is responsible for the win. The rest of the team isn't thrilled about this. 

They keep losing and moral is at an all-time low. Even though this is a rebuilding year, they still want to win.

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the yearbook series. I love how this one centered around sports. Al was great - strong, determined, and talented. The team didn't gel, but they did have some good moments. I loved the side stories: the art club, the mascot, and the girls' basketball team. I love how the coach didn't need to be convinced to let a girl try out for the team. I admired that. I'll be honest, that wasn't where I thought the story was going. Lots of strong friendship moments in this graphic novel series. Looking forward to the next book in this series. 

Cover Thoughts: Strong

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A great graphic novel series for your school and public library collection

Review: Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple

 

Bibsy is in third grade and she's having a tough time. She always wants to share. Her teacher moves apples in the tree lower and lower if a child misbehaves. Bibsy's apple get quite low most days. So far, she's never gotten a hole punched in her apple. Everyone knows that means your rotten.  But one day, that hole punch comes out. And she feels horrible.

My Thoughts: I felt so bad for Bibsy. Yes, she likes to share information and her knowledge with everyone. And I can see how that would be annoying. I'm glad she finds her voice at the end of the story. I did enjoy the way apples were woven into the science fair experiment. It was clever. A fun back to school chapter books.

Cover Thoughts: Cute - fits in perfectly with the story. 

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Recommended for your school and public library collection.

It's nice to see a back-to-school chapter book, we often see pictures books about going back to school, but older students have a hard time adjusting to new classrooms and new teachers too. 

Picture Book Review: Mornings with Monet

This snippet in time is mornings on the boat with Monet. He painted when the light was right. And when it changed, he changed canvases and kept working.

This is a lovely story with great illustrations. As a fan of Monet, I enjoyed this book. It would be amazing to actually on the boat with Monet and painting with him. I love how he moved with the light.

Review: Off the Record

 

Josie is a writer - a really good one. She's been a journalist for years, but now she's won an amazing competition. She's going to follow the press tour for a big blockbuster movie and write a celebrity profile on the young movie star. 

Josie's really excited about this opportunity. She gets to travel to big cities and meet movie stars. What could be better?

Than one of the movie stars tells her a secret. A big secret. A secret that she wants Josie to write about. At first, Josie is not sure. But the more she thinks about it and the more she hears, she wants to help. There's a director in Hollywood who is preying on young women. They can't speak up alone, but with Josie's help, they just might be able to expose them. Josie's not sure she's the best person to write the article. But she definitely wants justice for these young people.

My Thoughts: I really loved this powerful #MeToo novel, I love books about Hollywood and this one had a slightly different take than the usual books. But it was a great take. I loved Josie - from her writing abilities to her determination to her interview questions. I loved her moments with Marcus. I enjoyed their getting to know each other. But I also loved Josie questioning his morals - even though that went sideways on her. I loved her moments with actresses. I loved the ending and how everything worked out - lots of anxious moments there. A fantastic feminist read. 

Cover Thoughts: Love it

Source My library

Library Recommendation: A must have for school and public library collections.

Review: Magic Murder and What We Wore

Annis's father just died, leaving her with little money. She and her aunt must make their own way in society. Before she even thinks about becoming a governess, she dreams of opening up her own dress shop. But Annis has plenty of questions about her father's death.

Why was he traveling alone on such a dark night? Why was his truck headed in the opposite direction? Did his death have something to do with him being a spy? Annis needs those questions answered and she's not above going directly to the source to uncover the truth.

There's someone who doesn't want the truth to come out and he's willing to do almost anything to prevent it.

My Thoughts: It took me a while to get into the book, but then I was hooked. I loved the action and the danger. I loved the double life Annis led and of  course the problems that created. I loved the spy thoughts and how that changed over the course of the story. This historical fantasy (set in 1818) was fun - lots of action and danger plus lots of fashion and society. It's the best of both worlds. Add in a dash of magic and it's a winning combination. 

Cover Thoughts: Gets the dress right, but not the danger element
Source: Book sent for review

Picture Book Review: Miss Paul and the President

Alice Paul saw her father vote and wondered why she couldn't vote too! As she grew older, she fought to change the laws - going to the President himself to change the law.

I really loved this book; Alice Paul is so inspiring to me. She was determined against all costs. I loved the illustrations. I confess I didn't know about Margaret Wilson and I'm curious about her too. This story is a great introduction to Votes for Women and equal rights for women and  perfect for both school and public libraries.

Review: Case of the Girl in Grey

 * Book 2 in the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency Series *

Their first case was supposed to be kept secret, but right now the detective agency is the worst kept secret in London. Everyone wants the girls to solve a case for them.

A woman visits Ada with concern for her niece and her upcoming marriage.

Mary sees a strange girl running through the park in the rain.

When both girls visit their new client, Mary believes their cases may be connected.

But will the agency be right a second time or was the first time just a fluke?

My Thoughts: Another fun historical mystery based on The Woman in White. More sisters appear, adding chaos, annoyance, and some good ideas to the mix. Although I did have a hard time keeping track of them. Favorite characters return. Great illustrations. I like how the agency seems to help out younger women. I'm looking forward to see who they help out next. 

At the end of the book, historical notes are found, which I quite enjoyed. Including some of the differences between this book and The Woman in White. 

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for both schools and public libraries for their Children's Collections.