Crossover Kwame Alexander 3.5 Stars Josh Bell loves a lot of things, but basketball is something he loves more than anything. He also loves poetry and writing and words. So when Josh “Filthy McNasty” finds that life is starting to get a little more complicated than your average layup, he turns to writing to…
Sofia Martinez: My Family Adventure Jacqueline Jules illustrated by Kim Smith 4 Stars Sofia Martinez is one of my new favorite characters. She is smart. She is funny. She loves her family. And I just wish that she was a real girl who came to my library programs. Because she is cool. This book is…
For Real Alison Cherry 4 Stars Claire loves reality television. Her older sister Miranda is smart and talented…and has just graduated from college. When Miranda catches her boyfriend Samir cheating on her, she storms home with Claire to re-group. But Claire doesn’t want Miranda to wallow in self-pity. She wants her to be the strong…
The Things You Kiss Goodbye Leslie Connor 4 Stars Bettina has a very strict father. He is the type that wants to make sure he knows where his daughter is at all times. But Bettina is in high school and wants to be a little more independent. So she goes to school looking one way…
True (…sort of) Katherine Hannigan 5 Stars Delly is the type of girl that always tends to get into trouble. It isn’t because she is mean and wants to make trouble. It is just that trouble seems to find her. One day when Delly wakes up she feels that she is about to get a…
Charlie Bumpers vs. the Really Nice Gnome Bill Harley illustrated by Adam Gustavson 3.5 Stars Charlie Bumpers is excited to be in Mrs. Burke’s play…until he learns that Mrs. Burke has cast him as the Nice Gnome. He doesn’t want to be the Nice Gnome. The Nice Gnome is so boring and…well…good. Instead he wants…
Destination Unknown Amy Clipston 3 Stars Whitney Richards is the captain of the cheerleading squad. She is also trying to be the perfect daughter that her mother wants her to be. However, when her boyfriend, the captain of the football team breaks up with her on Valentine’s Day, she realizes that she isn’t all that…
The Last Best Kiss Claire LaZebnik 4 Stars I loved LaZebnik’s remake of Pride and Prejudice and I also enjoyed her remake of Mansfield Park so I was especially excited to see that she had done another–this time a remake of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Anna Eliot is the youngest of three girls. Her parents are…
The Geography of You and Me Jennifer E. Smith 4.5 Stars Lucy and Owen live in New York. Lucy loves New York but wishes she could travel with her parents who always seem to be jetting off someplace. Owen does not even like New York. It is a place he tolerates because he has to.…
Dear Mr. Knightley Katherine Reay 4 Stars Samantha Moore has had a hard life. She grew up going from foster home to foster home (with some time with her parents who were worse than all the foster homes put together) and one group home. In order to survive her horrid up bringing she would read…