Middle Grade Review: Unstuck

 

Lyla is stoked that her English class will be spending time creative writing. She can't wait to start her fantasy novel. She might even make it part of a series. Lyla even creates the perfect opening sentence. But after that, she can't seem to write a single word.

Nothing is helping. Her teacher is trying by giving her all kinds of helpful hints. They don't help.

To make matters worse, drama creeps into the rest of her life. Her best friend attends another school and they are drifting apart. Her sister is applying for college. Dahlia isn't sure she wants to go to college.  

Most of her life, Lyla has been second to her perfect sister. For once in her life, Lyla could eclipse her sister. If only she could find the words.

My Thoughts: A fantastic book about writing and more importantly the process of writing. I spend a lot of time thinking about writing too. I loved the moments between the sisters. Things were tense between them as secrets are spilled. I felt bad for Lyla and her friendship drama. I enjoyed her moments with Journey. I loved the moments of Lyla in the library - and I loved that it was a place of sanctuary for her. I love that. This was a great blend of drama: friendship, family, and writing. Barbara Dee does it again!  

Cover Thoughts: Perfect

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have middle grade book for your school and public library collections! 

Middle Grade Book: Just Keep Walking

 

I read this book and was so impressed with Jo. 

She hiked and hiked and hiked.

While I'm an amateur hiker, this is nowhere on my level. 

Here are some previous posts about hiking.:

About Me

Bryce National Park and Zion National Park

Rocky Mountains

Grand Canyon

Acadia National Park

I loved how Jo talked about books (Little Women and Anne of Green Gables for the win!)

@yabooknerdlibrarian Are you a hiker? Jo and her mom start a massive hiking journey together- can they accomplish their goal? #hiking #middlegradebooks #survival #booktok @Scholastic ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

Books and Treats (11)

A new blog idea inspired by Andi @ http://andiabcs.com/2014/08/01/pub-date-1/ with the Pub Date where a few bloggers share book and beer pair ups.  Andi states that the idea is the brain child of Brittany at The Book Addict’s Guide.

Frankie and her family run a B and B, she's responsible one day a week for baking cookies. I craved cookies while reading this one!

You know, the kind that are still warm and the chocolate is gooey in the middle...

photo credit: http://thequotablekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IMG_0703.jpg

It's a cute story and I reviewed it on Fresh Fiction.

Review: Restart

To say Chase isn't the nicest person is a huge understatement; he's downright mean. Or at least he used to be. After falling off the roof and hitting his head, Chase doesn't remember anything. He's not sure why people cower in front of him at school or why his friends act like Neanderthals.

It's not hard to guess that he used to be the biggest bully in school - but he's changed. As Chase navigates the halls of middle school, he becomes interested in things besides football, which he can't play due to his head injury. He joins the video club, under protest of some of the members.

Chase's new actions gain him new friends but leave his old friends feeling neglected. Could this be a permanent change?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise. I liked the story told from perspectives of Chase and those he bullied. I liked watching Chase and Mr. Solway build a relationship. I really liked Chase's interactions with others from his friends to victims of his past bullying. I felt the other characters were brave and trusting. I don't know if I could be that trusting. The ending seems a tiny bit unrealistic, but it was a nice touch. I hated Chase's downfall, but enjoyed him struggle past it. Another hit for Gordon Korman.

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: My Library
Read for: Cybils' short list

Library Recommendation: A must have for all public and school libraries.

Review: The Gauntlet

They're celebrating Farah's birthday. Because of a move, she hasn't seen her two best friends in a while. They head upstairs to try to escape her younger brother. Her aunt left her a birthday present. When they unwrap it, they find the strangest game they've ever seen: The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand.

Before they realize what happened, her younger brother vanishes into the game. They go in after him, knowing they must beat the game or be trapped inside forever. 

My Thoughts: I really loved this book. I loved the Middle Eastern flair. I loved how the friends had to come together to save Farah's little brother. Of course I loved the description of food. And the board gaming. I loved reading about the puzzles and the challenges they had to solve. I enjoyed the characters (especially the giant lizards) in the game who wanted to help them and get out of the game itself. The world building was amazingly good; I loved the descriptions. The action and the danger pulled the story along making me not want to put the book down. 

Cover Thoughts: Really Great
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have for both middle school and public libraries