Review: Almost Home

Almost Home
by Joan Bauer

Book Description:

When twelve-year-old Sugar's grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off yet again, Sugar and her mother lose their home in Missouri. They head to Chicago for a fresh start, only to discover that fresh starts aren't so easy to come by for the homeless. Nevertheless, Sugar's mother has taught her to be grateful no matter what, so Sugar does her best. With the help of a rescue dog, Shush; a foster family; a supportive teacher; a love of poetry; and her own grace and good humor, Sugar comes to understand that while she can't control the hand life deals her, she can control how she responds.

Review:
This was a sweet, heart-string plucking book. It reminded me a lot of One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Sugar is a girl who strives to be sweet...to take on the world with a positive attitude. Even after she gets stuck in foster care and she doesn't quite trust her new situation, she vows to be kind. What a fabulous and strong character! A girl who is forced to take on a grown-up role too young, Sugar's street smarts, compassion, and independent character carry this story through to a satisfying conclusion.

If you like realistic stories about characters dealing with tough situations, but not something quite as hard to read as A Child Called It, this is the type of book you should check out.  There is also a super cute puppy in this story, so if you're an animal lover this would probably be a great choice too.  

Review: Because It Is My Blood

Because It Is My Blood
by Gabrielle Zevin
Birthright series, book two

Book Description:
Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship.But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It’s a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.

Review:
I loved diving back into Anya's version of our future. (I still can't quite wrap my head around chocolate and COFFEE being illegal, LOL!)

Since this is the second book in the series, I don't want to give too much away... but I will say that what I really enjoyed the most about this book was seeing Anya really define herself and the place she wanted to be in her world. She goes on a sort of emotional journey along with her physical one and I definitely found myself cheering her on as she made some BIG decisions about how she wanted to present herself and what role she wanted to play in chocolate's future.

The book took some surprising turns, and I loved it. I cannot wait to see how things go In the Age of Love and Chocolate, which comes out this October...

Review: Drama

Drama

by Raina Telgemeier

Book Description:

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen, and when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

 

Review:

I have to admit, I'm not a huge graphic novel reader and that's partly because I have a little bit of trouble following the panels in the manga style ones. I do, however, occasionally find some graphic novels that I truly adore and both of Raina Telgemeier's fall into this category.

 

I love the colors, the drawing styles and they are easy to follow! While her first one, Smile, was somewhat autobiographical, Drama is just a cool middle school story. Callie loves theater and wants to become a set designer someday for Broadway. Seeing her passion made me think back about all the plays and musicals I've seen and how important the stage set can actually be...

 

I also loved seeing her embrace her passion and not be ashamed at all of being into a "dorky" club. It was great to see all the drama "geeks." I was once a drama geek so I loved that connection! Callie's friends each had their own passion and none of them hesitated to do the very best they could in their own facet of the show. 

 

The friendships and crushes seemed very realistic and reminiscent of how I remember feeling about people and interacting with them in my own middle school years. I really thought this was a great read that left me smiling. I would love to read more about Callie and her friends.