Saturday, April 28, 2018

Sleeper by MacKenzie Cadenhead

Sleeper
This book, while not technically a paranormal book is very like a YA paranormal romance in many ways. High school student, Sarah, has a sleep disorder that is so severe she has to be tied to her bed or she might hurt other people.  This causes problems in her social life.  When she meets Wes, who is literally the boy of her dreams, and she finds out they are both taking the same experimental medication at the same sleep clinic which is allowing them to affect people's real lives, a plot of revenge and danger emerges.  Action, danger and romance abound in this YA mystery thriller.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Call Me Sunflower by Miriam Spitzer Franklin

Call Me Sunflower
Upper elementary age and middle grade students will enjoy this story of 6th grader, Sunny, who has moved with her mother and sister to live with her grandmother.  Sunny wants to move back home to where her father lives and she plots and plans ways to get her parents back together.  When she learns that her parents have been lying to her all along, Sunny decides that she needs to make sure she gets home to her dad. Along the way she learns lessons about friendship, family, and life. 

The Best Kind of Magic by Crystal Cestari

The Best Kind of Magic (Windy City Magic, #1)
In this fun to read first book in the series, high school student Amber Sand is not a witch, although her mother is one.  Amber is a matchmaker.  She can look into people's eyes and see their true love.  When the mayor's son, a classmate of hers, asks for help finding his missing stepmother, Amber is drawn into more mystery and romance than she had counted on!  I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series.

Friday, April 20, 2018

The Anger Volcano by Amanda Greenslade


This is a simple, rhyming book for children about feeling angry and how to control your angry feelings without erupting like a volcano.  Counting backwards, taking slow breaths, and other anger control techniques are introduced in a simple way.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Beauty in the Broken Places by Allison Pataki

Beauty in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience
When Allison's husband, Dave, had a stroke, while on an airplane on their way to a vacation, both of their lives changed drastically.  Allison was five months pregnant with their first child, and Dave was a medical student.  After the stroke, which he was lucky to survive, he had no short term memory and had to relearn many things.  Allison had to rely on her faith and help from others and she wrote letters to Dave throughout his recovery to help keep her own sanity and document his journey for him when he recovered.  The memoir is well written and inspiring. 

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Dishcloths to Crochet: Fun Designs to Brighten Your Kitchen! by Pat Olski

Dishcloths to Crochet: Fun Designs to Brighten Your Kitchen!


These are cute and unique dishcloth designs!  They are so adorable that I would just want to hang them as decoration.  The instructions are well written and I think that people will enjoy crocheting them.

Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye

Wizard for Hire
This is a fun read for middle grade kids and teens.  When Ozzy was 7 years old, he and his parents, who were scientists, moved away to live in the woods far away from anyone.  Then, his parents are kidnapped and he is left alone.  He survives and most of the story takes place when Ozzy is 14 years old and re-enters society and goes to high school and finds an ad for a wizard named Rin, and hires him to find his parents.  Along with a sentient mechanical bird made by his scientist parents, Ozzy and Rin search for his parents.  Is Rin really a wizard?  The reader must decide. 

Refugee by Alan Gratz

Refugee
This book rotates among three refugee families in different times and places.  Josef is a  12 year old Jewish boy in Germany as WWII begins. His father is put into a concentration camp and is able to be released, but his mind is never the same.  Their family winds up on the ship, the Saint Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees that is turned away from many places. 
Isabel is a 12 year old Cuban girl in 1994 whose family escapes from Cuba on a leaky, homemade boat.
Mahmoud is a 12 year old Syrian boy in 2015 whose family leaves Syria in search of a better life. 
Their stories are compelling and sad and are all tied together at the end. 

Friday, April 6, 2018

Midnight Reynolds and the Agency of Spectral Protection (Midnight Reynolds #2) by Catherine Holt

Midnight Reynolds and the Agency of Spectral Protection
Such a fun series for middle grade readers!  In this second book, Midnight and her friend Tabitha must protect the town from mysterious robberies that are spectral in nature and causing excessive rain and could cause much worse problems for the town and it's people and possibly ruin Midnight's mother's plans for an outdoor viking themed wedding.  Mystery, friendship, and a little bit of romance make this book a wonderfully fun read!

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1)
The future is perfect.  No hunger, no illness, no death, unless one is purposefully gleaned by a Scythe in order to assist population control.  The Scythes are supposed to be impartial and glean randomly without feeling.  When two teens, Citra and Rowan, are chosen as apprentice Scythes and pitted against one another, they learn that not all Scythes follow the rules.