Review: When Audrey Met Alice

Title: When Audrey Met Alice
Author: Rebecca Behrens
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction
Ages: 11-15

Goodreads Description:
First Daughter Audrey Rhodes is convinced that living in the White House is like being permanently grounded. Except with better security. What good is having your own bowling alley if you don’t have anyone to play with?

After the Secret Service cancels the party she'd spent forever planning, Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless--until she discovers Alice Roosevelt’s hidden diary. Alice was a White House wild child, and her diary tells all about her outrageous turn-of-the-century exploits, like shocking State visitors with her pet snake and racking up speeding tickets in her runabout. Audrey starts asking herself: What Would Alice Do? The former First Daughter’s outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun . . . and get her into more trouble than she can handle!

My Review:
I loved this book! Audrey is living the life as a First Daughter is the White House.  Through the book we get a glimpse into life at the White House, but while there are perks to living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, there are also many challenges.  Audrey struggles to get the adults around her to recognize that she not a baby any longer and to allow her to gain some freedoms.  This is well written as I felt myself getting annoyed at Audrey's circumstances and cheering her on as she tries to live her own life.  Additionally, Audrey finds Alice Roosevelt's diary, which adds another fascinating character to the story.  It was interesting to compare her life in the White House to security today, as well as to learn a little about this spunky Roosevelt.  While the diary is fiction it included some real events and managed to capture Alice's sass.  The resources that the author includes are a wonderful addition to the book as after finishing the story, I was interested in learning more about the Roosevelt's as well as life for the residents of 1600.

*ARC provided by NetGalley

December reading

Sorry it's been so quiet around here lately! Here's a quick look at what I've been reading this past month.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan

  

Duncan gets the opportunity to hear the full version of last year's tragic events from last year's senior Tim.  A story of unlikely love and trying to fit into the social dynamics of high school.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbra Robinson

What happens when the worst kids in the history of the world decide to join the church's Christmas pageant? Hilarity and a thought provoking look at the story of the nativity.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

The story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife as they deal with the unforeseen consequences of their actions when they decide not to report boat that washes ashore with a dead man and baby.  Despite all the great recommendations I was given, I struggled to get to the end of this book.  The plot was a little too slow for my liking.

The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements

Getting hit by a rubber band is the last straw for the choir director.  As a result the students are in charge of their own holiday concert and the most popular student, Hart, is elected to be in charge.  Hart most learn to balance popularity with leadership while trying to produce an original holiday concert.  A good book by a great author.

Spotlight on Elizabeth Wein

Recently, I read two amazing books.  I started by picking up Code Name Verity at the local library (I love historical fiction).  When I found out that Elizabeth Wein was coming out with another book in the series I had to get my hands on a copy of it (thank you Netgalley!).  It was well worth it.  Strong female characters, glimpses into history, intriguing story lines, what more could you want? 

Code Name Verity

Author: Elizabeth Wein
Ages: 15-18 years old
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Thriller

  

Summary via Goodreads:

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

Review: 

Through the writings of Maddie and Julia the reader the story unfolds of these two strong girls and their involvement in the war.  To be honest, I was bored through the first part of the book.  There was a lot of details about flying planes and the role of the ATA in the war.  Interesting facts, but they don't make much of a book.  BUT, then it happens--the twist in the story line, and just as you are about to give up on the book you suddenly cannot read it fast enough and it is ending too soon.  I was so glad I kept reading though this book because the rest of the book is worth it.  Maddie and Julia make for strong characters who give the reader an idea of what it was like to be involved in World War II.  I appreciated that it presented a different viewpoint of the war than the typical one of concentration camps and hiding from the Nazis.  Although those stories are important to history, presenting a different side of the story might help to capture a reader who does not typically read historical fiction.

Rose Under Fire

Author: Elizabeth Wein
Ages: 15-18 years
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction

Summary via Goodreads:

While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?

Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.

Review:

I was unsure what to expect from this book. I was pleasantly surprised to have Maddie reappear in this book in a minor role.  However, this book was very different from Verity.  While Verity was about the involvement in war, this was the typical book on the horrors of Nazi concentration camps while prisoners cling to hope and fight to survive.  The characters in the book are strong, yet honest and portray raw emotions based on what they are forced to go through.  I have always been horrified, yet felt the need to be aware of what took place.  While the book is based on fictional characters, the book in a way tells the story of people who once were real and had to endure the atrocities that the book depicts.  It is the mix of fact and fiction, combined with hope that moves the story forward so that you cannot put the book down until you hear Rose's story.

Book Review: 45 Pounds (More or Less)

Title: 45 Pounds (More or Less)
Author: K.A. Baron
Genre: Realistic Fiction, YA
Ages: 13 to 17 years

Goodreads Summary:
She is 16.
And a size 17.
Her perfect mother is a size 6.
Her Aunt Jackie is getting married in 10 weeks, and wants Ann to be her bridesmaid.
So Ann makes up her mind: Time to lose 45 pounds (more or less) in 2 1/2 months.

Welcome to the world of informercial diet plans, wedding dance lessons, embarrassing run-ins with the cutest guy Ann’s ever seen—-and some surprises about her NOT-so-perfect mother. 

And there’s one more thing. It’s all about feeling comfortable in your own skin-—no matter how you add it up!

Review:
The best part of this book? It's realistic main character.  Ann struggles to deal with a self-consciousness that comes with her weight, along with a complicated family situation, friendship struggles, and the new, unsure feelings that comes with a new crush.  Baron tackles overeating as well as anorexia in order to demonstrate the balance that is truly healthy eating.  In the end, Ann is able to discover and appreciate a balanced healthy lifestyle thanks to her family's help.  She is able to recognize the people in her life for who they are.  Most importantly, she learns who she is as a person, and that the number on the scale is only a small reflection of that person.



*ARC provided by NetGalley

Review: The Rules for Disappearing

Title: The Rules for Disappearing
Author: Ashley Elston
Genre: Suspense, thriller, realistic fiction, YA
Ages: 15-18 years

Goodreads Description:
She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

My Review:

This book had something for everyone--suspense, action, romance.  The idea of being in the Witness Protection program is an interesting one, especially surviving the process while also dealing with the normal struggles of being a teenager.  The main character is mature and strong, dealing with many issues including surviving the witness protection program, an alcoholic mother, and taking care of her younger sister.  However, readers relate to her as she also deals with figuring out who she is, avoiding drama caused by the popular mean girl, and having a crush on a cute boy.  The book was well written and filled with suspense and action that make it easy to keep the pages turning.


*ARC provided by NetGalley.

Book Review: Twerp

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt
Ages: 12-15 years old

Description according to Goodreads:
Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a week long suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.

My Review:
This book quickly pulled me in, with its numerous short stories and antics of the main character, Julian, and his friends.  There is a lot of material for tweens to connect to such as friendships, crushes, first dates, and sports.  However, the author does a great job of tackling a very serious subject matter, bullying, and how a "prank" or "joke" can escalate and turn out to be less funny and more hurtful than intended.  The author hints at this ugly incident throughout the book, but allows the reader to get to know the characters and their world before revealing what happened in its entirety--a smart moves that lends itself to a well-wrapped up ending.



*ARC provided by NetGalley.

Book Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Title: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Novel
Summary: Lily is bored with her life and wants to meet a boy, so with the help of her brother she starts plants a notebook in a bookstore.  Dash stumbles upon this notebook and is intrigued; he decides to up the ante by creating dares of his own for Lily to complete.  Soon the two are communicating in the notebook while using the dares to live life outside of the notebook at the same time. 
Evaluation: This was a simple, fun read.  I liked that the concept of a book, of using a notebook to get to know someone.  The authors did a nice job of expanding that plot and allowing the notebook to help the characters to learn more about themselves while finding a life outside of the book.  There was some swearing in the book, but not too much.  Fans of romance, realistic fiction, or someone looking for a holiday read would enjoy this book.

*This book was provided by NetGalley.