Natalia's life is a bit odd. She is the daughter of a famous actor (think "The Rock") but she doesn't know who her mother is. They have recently moved to Canada to get away from the paparazzi due to an incident in San Francisco. Natalia still writes to her friend there but it is complicated because her friend was the reason they left. She also still talks to "The Bird" - a woman she randomly called on a phone she found and now talks to regularly. In Canada, Natalia meets Harry. Harry is going through his own stuff. He was born Harriet and his parents are struggling with accepting him as Harry. In the midst of it all Natalia is trying to figure out life, friends, puberty, and changes in general.
This was a decent book - some humor, some angst. I thought there was a bit much that coincidentally happened around the same time. Kids won't mind as much as I did. Not sure yet how I am feeling about this overall - I think it needs to sit with me a bit more.
Told in alternating voices this is the story of Sierra and Lauren.
Lauren has always been a help to her family. Her brother is autistic and she has worked on helping him communicate and negotiate through his frustrations. But now he is gone to a boarding school and Lauren hates it. To make matters worse, her best friend doesn't seem to understand. In an effort to cope she focus her attention on raising money to get help for other autistic kids. But her means of getting the money - stealing things and then selling them online is hardly the way to go.
Sierra has had a rough upbringing. Her dad is an addict and in jail and her mom is an alcoholic and after the latest episode is in rehab and Sierra is living with foster parents next door to Lauren.
The girls finds solace and friendship with each other but Sierra ends up covering for Lauren just like she used to cover for her mom. Can both girls get what they need?
I enjoyed the mixed format of this book and the story overall was well done and had some good themes. My one issue was how fast Lauren's issue took root and bloomed from merely taking things from home that no one seemingly wanted to shoplifting and stealing. Maybe realistic but it seemed a big, quick jump to me. Kids won't mind though...
After Ethan's father's mysterious death last year things have been unsettled. His mom is a mess and his own life is upside down. But that is nothing compared to what happens after he and his friend Jacob discover a map. Instead of treasure they find a centuries old secret society and Ethan is directly related to its founder and expected to be the new leader.
Can Ethan, his new friends, and the Three Hares expose a plot by the new mayor and the Red Fox gang which is behind it all and determined to end both Ethan and the Three Hares forever?
This had some good action and some nice twists. It was a bit unrealistic in that weeks went by with little involvement or concern from Ethan, Jacob, or Liz's parents - although part of that was revealed in a plot twist at the end (I saw it coming - will readers?). All in all a solid and clever book.
I may be the only person on the planet who, as heavily read in children's literature as I am, have not read Anne of Green Gables or any of L.M Montgomery's other works. To me then a biography about her life was not a must read. I have an ARC that was sent to me and I read it.
What a sad life. It is amazing to me that she overcame to the extent she did and produced works that have brought joy to so many people.
This book is way too heavy for my own library but it may be a good fit at a high school level for students familiar with her works or interested in mental health issues from that last century.
I love the cover so much I made it larger. I just felt like Rin was so Hagrid like :)
Ozzy's parents mysteriously move the family to a deserted area near Portland, OR when he was about 7. Shortly after they moved however they were taken by some men and Ozzy was left alone. Fortunately his parents had stockpiled canned foods, he knew how to read, and he was able to survive. Over the years he found tapes that his father had recorded and a mechanical bird his father had invented. But he became curious and started venturing out - to the surrounding area and eventually to school. Finally, he decided to really start looking for his parents, and after seeing an ad in the local flyer about a Wizard for Hire, he met Rin.
Just who is Rin? A real wizard or a delusion man? It didn't really matter because together they were able to track down what happened to Ozzy's parents and why. Along the way Ozzy also made friends with Rin's daughter and learned some important lessons.
This was a fun book. Rin was a hoot - again Hagrid like - and Ozzy's innocence and efforts were awesome. Clark the bird was also great. I really enjoyed this. A sequel is hinted at but not necessary.
This is another informative, investigation into an unusual occurrence in the scientific world. It is interesting and for those who like these kind of books it will be popular.
I was born in 1969 - a little more than a year about King's assassination and Robert Kennedy's. Growing up I really had no sense of these events. In history class we never got far enough to discuss Civil Rights, Vietnam, etc. Were the events too new, recent, raw? Was it because I grew up in a predominantly white area? As such this was an informative read for me. The book had a lot of background leading up to the assassination. The title is a bit of a misnomer because the actual hunt of James Earl Ray only took up about the last 50 pages of the book.
The book is worthy of reading, discussing, and having in collections for junior high and up.
