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 📚📚📚

BookTok: The Coworker

If you're a reader of adult thrillers, read this one! 

@yabooknerdlibrarian Don’t you love a book that surprises you? Set aside some time to read this thriller! #booktok #coworker #thriller #amreading @Sourcebooks Fiction ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

Romance Review: When in Rome

 

Rae Rose, the Princess of Pop, needs a break. She leaves for tour in a couple weeks. Her manager keeps pushing her; she has interviews lined up. But she really just needs a break. She's always been an Audrey Hepburn fan; she pulls up the nearest Rome. 

Rome as in Roman Holiday. When she arrives in the small town, her car dies. She accepts the help from a stranger until her car can be fixed. This small town turns out to be exactly what she needs to clear her mind and to get excited about singing again.

Here, the townspeople treat her like just a normal person. She's able to relax, let go, and take a long took at her life. 

My Thoughts: Noah's grumpy - she's sunshine and it just works. Amelia (Rae) is the biggest pop star on the planet - not unlike Taylor Swift. But she's not in charge of her life. She has people who want everything from her and she desperately needs a break. I love the small town of Rome. All the people in the town are charming. I love Noah and his sisters. I laughed a lot reading this one. I loved how everything turned out. I can't wait to read more about this charming town and the people it. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute but it doesn't make the book.

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A fantastic romance novel - highly recommended for your romance section. 

Book Pairings

These books reminded me of each other.

One book for older readers and one book for younger readers:

Mystery surrounding a pet turtle. 

Learning about Elephants

Dressing up for Easter (and Sunday services) in the Black community 

Harlem Renaissance  

Picture Book Wednesday: Family Books

A few books about family:

Lily and her mother are moving to Taiwan. Lily isn't happy there. It's not her home. She's so unhappy there. Could she find happiness in another country so far from her own home?

This is an emotional story about a girl coming to term with her new home.

Jin loves his grandmother's cooking. He wants to help cook dinner for their Lunar New Year. When Jin offers to help, his aunties laugh. But his grandmother insists he help her. 

The message of cooking comes for your heart is perfect. A lovely blend of family, cooking, and love, 

Girl Dads are great at so many things - he's serious and tough but also knows about tea parties and dancing. He wears so many hats to support his daughter.

A touching story about Girl Dads and their daughters. 

Grandparents are coming to stay! The kids are excited, but something is very different. Oma is acting strange. 

This is a good introduction to talking about Alzheimer's disease with children. In finding all the items that go missing, the family shares stories. Things might not be the same, but they find joy in the memories and in the present. This is based on one family's experience and contains an author note about the disease and tips for kids. 

Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

 This week's topic is April Showers. I didn't have books with rain on the cover, so how about some lakes/ocean. These are all books on my upcoming TBR list! 

Any of these books on your list too?

Review: Hummingbird Season

 

Archie's life is rapidly changing - and he's having a hard time with it. Covid has hit and the world shuts down. Everyone thinks it's only going to be for a few weeks. Archie hates online school. He needs help and there's no one to help him. 

His brother is not interested in hanging out. Because of Archie's medical condition, he can't go outside. His brother's allowed to go outside and play with friends. Archie feels lonely and frustrated. He shrinks into himself, barely talking.

The bright spots of his days are when he sees Ruby, the hummingbird that visits his birdfeeder. Nature takes over - bringing a wildfire close to their house. Archie wonders if he will ever see Ruby again or if he will find his voice again.

My Thoughts: This one is a young middle grade novel in verse. I just wanted to wrap Archie up in a hug. He felt so lonely, so isolate, and had such a hard time staying inside. Lots of knowledge about hummingbirds in this one - which made me want to do some research of my own. I love how things turned out.

Cover Thoughts:Cute

Source: ARC sent for review

Library Recommendation: A great novel in verse about Covid, emotions, and family. 

Also about Covid: