Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
“It takes more than heartache to break a girl.”
Rating: 4/5 stars
Content: romance, violence, and sci-fi elements
Age Reccomendation: 12 years old
Summary: Chance and Fate make a bet on an ugly stepsister’s redemption.
Review: Stepsister was saturated with it’s theme: beauty is not defined by appearance and everyone should get a second chance at redemption. It was an interesting take on one of my favorite fairy tales.
My Heart Lies South by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
Rating: 5/5 stars
Content: romance
Age Reccomendation: thirteen years old
Summary: Elizabeth Borton *accidentally* invites and accepts a proposal of marriage from her Mexican tour guide. Then she falls in love with him and they get married. She learns the ways of the Mexican household and adapts to her new culture.
Review: Having lived much of my live in the west Texas city of El Paso, I think its safe to say I will always be interested in stories from Northern Mexico. My Heart Lies South establishes the culture and setting very nicely and I loved getting to experience Northern Mexico through the author’s eyes. Besides that, it was well structured and intriguing.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
“He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial.”
Rating: 2/5 stars
Content: some violence
Age Reccomendation: nine years old
Summary: Buck lives a great life and has everything he could ever need.. or so he thinks. Then, Buck is dog napped and taken away to Alaska to pull sleds for gold diggers. He undergoes much hardship, but learns to heed the call of the wild.
Review: I think the fact that I finished it two weeks past when I was supposed says a lot about how much I enjoyed it. It was definitely not for me… I didn’t like the narrator or the plot in general – it was way to slow for my taste and by the end of the book I didn’t care about the characters at all.
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
“If nothing ever changed there’d be no such thing as butterflies.”
Rating: 4/5 stars
Content: very clean, I can’t really remember there being anything inappropriate
Age Reccomendation: ten years old
Summary: Four kids (Logan, Miles, Philip, go to Life is Sweet Candy Factory to participate in a candy making competition that will change their lives.
Review: This is my second time reading the Candymakers. It has been a favorite of mine for a few years now. I reread it after receiving the sequel for Christmas. Reading it for the second time, I fell in love with the characters and setting all over again. Serious books have there place, but I think it is something special about a book that just serves to make its reader smile. And how can you not be happy when you’re reading about candy?
Evidence for Jesus by Ralph O. Muncaster
Rating: 3/5 stars
Content: no inappropriate content
Age Reccomendation: twelve years old
Summary: In Evidence for Jesus, Muncaster underlines reasons that the Christian faith is sound and provides evidence for belief in Christ.
Review: Great thesus, but the structure and order of the chapters made it hard to follow. And while it is a great resource for people who are doubting their faith I don’t recommend using its arguments and statistics for evangelic purposes. Defensive arguments are not what will win people to Christ, rather, Jesus reflected through us, his sanctuary, and plain old fashioned conversation.
The Yanks are Coming by Albert Marrin
Rating: 4/5 stars
Content: violence, some cursing in quotations
Age Reccomendation: eleven years old
Summary: The Yanks are Coming is a nonfiction book about America’s impact and involvement in the first world war.
Review: The Yanks Are Coming, is likely one of my favorite nonfictions about WWI. Its photos and stories of real soldiers made me want to keep reading.
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
“the way I see it, hard times aren’t only about money, or drought, or dust. hard times are about losing spirit, and hope, and what happens when dreams dry up. “
Rating: 3/5 stars
Content: some graphic elements
Age Reccomendation: ten years old
Summary: Billie Jo’s life in Dust Bowl era Oklahoma is turned upside down in a freak accident. This is the story, written in free verse, of how she learns to live and love again.
Review: I loved the story and theme and think that the free verse format worked well.
Army Brats by Daphne Benedis-Grab
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Content: no inapropriate content
Age Reccomendation: ten years old
Summary: The Bailey’s kids help their brother Tom out when he is bullied at his new school in Fort Patrick.
Review: Very relatable and realistic. I like the different characters and their personalities.
The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase by Wendy Mass
“Some days you control life; other days life controls you.”
Rating: 4/5 stars
Content: one or two curse words
Age Reccomendation: ten years old
Summary: Logan & freinds are back in this epic sequel to the Candymakers filled with unexpected plot twists, revelations, and characters.
Review: I may have found a new favorite author in Wendy Mass. I could really tell how much fun she had writing this. It was very clever and creative. Also, can there please be another sequel… maybe one where Daisy and Philip get married?
A note on my rating methods…
I do things a bit different than Goodreads does.
If I give a book one star, I didn’t finish it.
If I give a book two stars, I finished it but didn’t enjoy it.
If I give a book three stars, I finished it and thought it was okay.
If I give a book four stars, I finished it and enjoyed it.
If I give a book five stars, I loved it and will reccomend it too as many people as possible.
Let’s Talk!
What have you been reading lately? Let me know in the comments section.
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Until next time! <3
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