Book Review - Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

 

 

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow is about a young boy who tries to deal with past trauma when his family moves to a new city. Twelve-year-old Simon O’Keeffe claims that his family had to move to the National Quiet Zone because his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or perhaps, it was when the alpaca caused a stir in church causing the disaster to go viral on YouTube. He loves retelling different versions of the story to all his new classmates causing them to wonder if any are true.

There is one story, however, that Simon wishes to keep a secret. He likes that the internet is banned in the National Quiet Zone due to its interference with the technology the astronomers use. He feels that he can keep his secret a lot longer. That is, until someone finds out that two years ago, Simon is the only kid in his class to survive a school shooting. Now, Simon is followed by whispers and looks of pity wherever he goes.

Simon is desperate for his community to move on from his past trauma so that he can go back to being just “the New Kid”. He and his new friends concoct a plan to trick the  astronomers that someone or something from outer space is trying to connect with them. They feel that everyone would focus on the message instead of Simon. Will Simon and his friends be able to pull off their covert space message mission?

I thought the book was a fun and heartwarming read. The book was filled with fun and gross facts about animals and people. It was fun watching Simon bond with his new friends while trying to adjust to his new life. It was heartwarming seeing Simon come to terms with his PTSD and navigating the different things life threw at him, including new friendships. Some of his friends didn’t know how to handle Simon when he was having an episode and found it easier to ignore and/or hide from him. He had to deal with people who were either too coddling him or ignored him. He wanted someone who just treated him like a normal twelve year old boy. If you like reading children's books about friendship and coping with tragedy with humor sprinkled in, then you will enjoy this book.

 

Book Review - The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien

 

The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien is about a young girl named Bailee who decides to play a game with her classmates, but things expectedly start going wrong. The residents of Fall Hollow know that the town is haunted, especially after Abigail Snook went into the woods in 1982, and was never seen again. People assume that Abigail is the one haunting the town and its residents, at least according to the legend.

It’s been tradition since Abigail's disappearance for the sixth graders at Beckett Elementary to play the Bellwoods Game on Halloween Night. On this current year’s fateful night, three players are picked to go into the woods. To win, one of the players would need to ring the bell before they all get caught by Abigail. If the players win, the town is saved for another year. If the spirit catches you, you will need a “gift” to guarantee safe passage out of the woods and the spirit is given free reign to cause havoc on the town if no one rings the bell. No one knows for sure if the tale is true, as previous players are sworn to secrecy about the game.

Bailee is excited that it is finally her year to play the game. Bailee loves reading and writing horror stories and is obsessed with finding out the truth. Legend has it that the winner of the game is granted one wish. Bailee is determined to win because she wants things to go back to the way they were before her grandmother got sick and her friends started hating her. Her friends believed that she ratted them out to the principal about a dangerous stunt, causing the entire class to get detention. She once was surrounded by so many friends but now with most of her friends ignoring her, she feels lonely. As the game participants get ready to play the game, strange things start to happen. Is the local legend true or is someone playing a prank on them?

The book is geared towards young readers and has fun illustrations that added to my enjoyment of the novel. It was a quick read that had some scary and spooky elements that might be scary to some young readers, but I thought it was okay as an adult reader. It reminded me of the works of R.L Stine, with the creepy and scary factor but nothing that I was terrified or lost sleep over. The plot moved at the perfect pace to set the creepy mood and move the story along. I was a bit confused by the ending, I believe the author left it a bit open for more books and I would be open to reading more. If you or your young reader love mild horror books, then you will enjoy this book!

Book Review - Somebody's Daughter by David Bell

 

Somebody's Daughter by David Bell is about a man who is roped in to save a child that may be his. Michael Frazier was having an enjoyable dinner with his wife, Angela, and the last thing he expected was his ex-wife, Erica, showing up. He hasn’t seen or talked to her in the last ten years  since they divorced.

Erica is desperate for Michael’s help. Her ten-year-old daughter, Felicity, is missing and Erica claims Michael is the father. Michael is unsure because Erica never mentioned anything about a child and he feels that she is lying to him so he feels obligated to help her.

Michael is hesitant to follow Erica into the dark of the night but he is unwilling to turn his back to a child who might be in danger.  As Michael follows Erica into the darkness of the night, he realizes that there are secrets and lies from the past decade unraveling that might put his new family in danger. He doesn’t know who he can trust and who else is hiding secrets from him.

The book was narrated from multiple perspectives: Michael; Angela; and one of the detectives on the case, Detective Griffin. The book was fast paced and had a lot of twists and turns. However, I felt the book left a lot to be desired and seemed a bit clunky, in that the book introduces a lot of twists and side stories about secrets from the last decade but none of them are really fleshed out. One of the side stories questions the paternity of the missing girl but even in the end, they never really tell us who the father is. There is another subplot where Erica stole the baby but nothing comes from that and the two characters just faded out. I felt like that the author just threw a bunch of random possibilities to keep the reader guessing but failed to say this is what really happened.

I questioned a lot of the characters’ intelligence because they did things that I wonder why they thought they were good ideas. When Michael left Angela at home, she was going crazy thinking of the different things that could go wrong. Her mother in law, Gail, offers to come over and keep her company. Angela had seen a strange man stalking their house and they both ended up inviting that stranger into their house. The stranger was aggressive and then started searching their house and taking their phones hostage. Eventually, Angela leaves with this person willingly even though she is terrified and her husband doesn’t know where she is. I don’t know if any rational person would let a stranger into my house when their spouse’s supposed child went missing and then that person takes my phone.

I felt like the book was a slow build with the short chapters that were alternating narratives between the characters. It did make the story seem like it was fast paced but sometimes I wanted to read more about what was going on in the current arc for a particular chapter. I felt the ending came out of nowhere and it wasn’t something I expected. I felt like the author could have edited the book and made it a bit more focused and I’d have enjoyed the book a lot more. If you like suspenseful thrillers with twists and turns, you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

 

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon is about a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter trio who decide to solve a murder.  Lana Rubicon is known for her killer business skills. She’d caused many people to tremble in their shoes when they knew she was coming. She is proud of the L.A. real estate empire she has built with her keen business intuition and taste.

After having a health scare, she decides to move 300 miles north of the city to a small coastal town where her daughter, Beth lives with her teenage granddaughter, Jack. Lana isn’t used to the easygoing sleepy town vibes. She tries to get used to the slower pace of life instead of fast paced life in LA but it’s a hard adjustment spending her days doing nothing. Lana feels that the boredom might kill her before the cancer does and that she needs something to do to make her feel relevant again.

Jack is independent and loves the slough near their house. She works as a kayak tour guide and wants to save up enough money for a boat to go sailing by herself. While on a tour, one of the kayakers finds a dead body. Jack brings in the group and reports the body to the police. Jack becomes a suspect because she finds the body but she was also out in the slough the day before with another tour group. Beth and Lana are worried that the police will just blame Jack for the murder without actually investigating the crime. Beth wants her mother to focus on getting better while finding Jack a lawyer instead of Lana sticking her nose into the investigation. However, Lana decides that she can’t sit still while her granddaughter is accused of something she didn’t do. Lana will stop at nothing to protect her family while proving that she is still useful. Will Lana be able to find out the truth behind the murder?

The book was a fun and quick read. The characters were quirky with some laughable moments. I liked reading about Lana and her amateur sleuthing journey. I like that the author showed us how Lana was piecing together the clues and her thought pattern behind her deductions. The murderer was easy to guess but their motivation was slightly different than I was expecting.

The murder aspect does play a role but the story also focuses on repairing and strengthening the bonds between the three women. Lana cares about her daughter and granddaughter but didn’t spend any time with them. She has to learn how to bridge the gap that has widened over the years. While Beth is trying to let go control of her daughter and giving her own space and independence.  Beth finds it difficult since it has only been the two of them for years. It was interesting seeing how the characters were trying to navigate the relationships with each other while trying to figure out their needs and the murderer. If you are looking for a murder mystery with a bit of heart, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - All You Have to Do by Autumn Allen

 

All You Have to Do by Autumn Allen is about two Black male students who struggle to gain acceptance and equality in the prestigious schools they attend. In April 1968, Kevin was a student at Princeton and lived through the day when Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. He and his fellow students decide to join a protest to protect the neighboring community from losing their homes as Columbia University gobbles up more real estate to expand their institution to build a new gym. Kevin and his fellow students are disappointed in the college because those homes belong to low income people of color who won’t have anywhere else to go. The school made it seem that it cares about the community and its students of color but the move made the students think otherwise. Kevin is unsure where he falls in the spectrum because his family has afforded him more privileges in comparison to other Black students. At times, he questions if he should be pushing hard for equality or should be grateful for his opportunities and keep quiet.

In September 1995, Gibran attended a prestigious private prep school. He and his fellow Black male students want to attend the Million Man March to show support of their culture. When they try to convince the school to allow them to attend, they face backlash which might lead to several consequences for Gibran if he doesn’t get in line with the policies at school. Gibran feels that even though the school has a Black principal, his and his fellow classmates' needs are not being met. They are expected to conform to their White classmates and other faculty’s perspectives of them. Gibran is quick to anger and he feels with every injustice that he consecutively faces, that his fuse gets smaller and smaller. The people around him worry about him and for him, especially when he seems to be ready to explode at any given moment. 

The two students are connected and their struggles overlap in many different ways. They both want to emphasize the struggles and inequalities that Black people face on a daily basis. Both Gibran and Kevin came from families that were able to provide them with opportunities that other people of color might not have. They want to protest the quality of treatment Black people receive but, calling attention to the cause might cause them both to lose their opportunities that their parents worked hard to provide them with. Will Kevin and Gibran be able to discover who they want to be instead of accepting who society tells them they are?

I thought the book was an emotional read. It spoke of two turbulent times in history where racial tensions were high. I never knew about the Columbia gym fiasco and that was interesting to read and learn about. The book was narrated by Gibran and Kevin who were born decades apart but had similar struggles. It was interesting seeing how they both navigated what society and their respective families wanted for them and how they wanted the world to perceive them. Both character arcs were well developed and coincide with historical events to add more depth to their stories.

The book showcases how different people experience different things. In Gibran’s chapters, he talks about how he and his fellow Black students had to watch a talent show in which white students were mimicking their culture and how disrespectful it felt to them. When he tried to explain how it made them feel, he was expected to show them respect about their thoughts and feelings but he  didn’t get the same respect back. It was hard to read that because we are taught to show respect but I can relate to how he was feeling of not being seen and respected. I feel like these chapters might be hard to digest for some readers but it is important to understand other people’s feelings and culture and treat them respectfully. 

I thought the book was thought provoking and had many important heartfelt moments. However, I was surprised at the language the book had included for young readers. Personally, I wish the author didn’t include this but, I can understand if they felt that it made the characters more authentic. This was the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - Holly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora

 

Holly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora is about a young girl who moved into a new house following her parents’ divorce. Evie Archer, her brother, Stan, and her mother move from NYC to Ravenglass, Massachusetts for a fresh start. Evie is excited for a new start and to blend in with everyone. She quickly learns that the house she moves into has a dark history and all the locals know about it. 

The Hobbie House is also known as the Horror House after a young girl around Evie’s age named Holly Hobbie, goes missing from the home. Her body was never found and no one knows how she disappeared as she vanished from her bedroom without a trace.

As Evie begins to investigate the house’s past, she realizes there is more to the story. She learns that before Holly went missing another young girl disappeared in an eerily similar way. Evie wonders if the two cases are connected. As she investigates, she realizes that something insidious is in the house and it’s slowly encroaching on Evie’s life. Evie is starting to have a hard time differentiating what is real and what isn’t. Will Evie find out what happened to Holly or will she suffer a similar fate?

The young adult novel was a quick and entertaining read. The author slowly builds up the suspense and creepiness factor to set the mood. The book is told from Evie’s perspective and her character is well fleshed out. However, the author did not do as great a job developing the other supporting characters in my view. I wish we got to learn more about her mother, Stan, and Evie’s romantic interest, Desmond. The story hints that something happened with her father but, it was much later did we get some idea of what occurred. I hoped the reader got more detail about familial relationships earlier on especially when Evie was struggling at Hobbie House. It would have helped shine some light on Evie’s mental state.

While the book is billed as a horror novel, I didn’t find it scary or spooky. I found that the story was a bit slow to build up and it was very predictable. The romantic element was a bit fast, especially the intensity. It seemed that Evie liked Desmond but then didn’t always keep him in the loop and they went from talking about their sewing class to being madly in love. It seems that a lot of the characters said that Evie was spiraling out of control but didn’t do much to ensure she was okay or vice versa. Her friend, Tina, who got Evie interested in the history of Hobbie House didn’t really play much of a role. I was surprised that the book was going to be a part of the series as I felt like it could be a standalone. I felt like the book took forever to build up and when it finally got to the end, it happened so quickly. However, I would be open to reading more books from the series. If you like young adult horror series, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Spotlight - Light Comes to Shadow Mountain by Toni Buzzeo + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: LIGHT COMES TO SHADOW MOUNTAIN

Author: Toni Buzzeo

Pub. Date: July 11, 2023

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 272

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/LIGHT-COMES-TO-SHADOW-MOUNTAIN

Cora Mae Tipton is determined to light up her Appalachian community in this historical fiction novel from an award-winning author and former librarian.

It’s 1937 and the government is pushing to bring electricity to the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. It’s all Cora can think of; radios with news from around the world, machines that keep food cold, lightbulbs by which to read at night! Cora figures she can help spread the word by starting a school newspaper and convincing her neighbors to support the Rural Electrification Act.

But resistance to change isn’t easy to overcome, especially when it starts at home. Cora’s mother is a fierce opponent of electrification. She argues that protecting the landscape of the holler—the trees, the streams, the land that provides for their way of life—is their responsibility. But Cora just can’t let go of wanting more.

Lyrical, literary, and deeply heartfelt, this debut novel from an award-winning author-librarian speaks to family, friendship, and loss through the spirited perspective of a girl eager for an electrified existence, but most of all, the light of her mother’s love and acceptance.

Back matter includes an Author’s Note; further information on the Rural Electrification Act, the herbs and plants of Appalachia, the Pack Horse Library Project, and more; and a “Quick Questions” historical trivia section for readers.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

 

About Taylor Tyng:

Toni Buzzeo is a New York Times bestselling children’s author. She has published twenty-nine picture books for kids as well as eleven books for teachers and librarians. A former librarian and college and high school writing teacher, Toni and her books have won many awards, including a Caldecott Honor for One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small. Endlessly enthusiastic, Toni draws on her career experiences as an elementary school librarian in crafting her books and speaking with audiences of children in schools and libraries. Toni lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of LIGHT COMES TO SHADOW MOUNTAIN, US Only.

Ends August 22nd, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/7/2023	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Excerpt/IG Post
8/7/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
8/8/2023	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
8/8/2023	Paws.Read.Repeat	Review/IG Post
8/9/2023	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
8/9/2023	Gryffindorbookishnerd	IG Review
8/10/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
8/10/2023	avainbookland	Review/IG Post
8/11/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review/IG Post
8/11/2023	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

8/14/2023	@get.outside.and.read	IG Review
8/14/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
8/15/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
8/15/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
8/16/2023	@jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/16/2023	enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/17/2023	gsreadingspree	IG Review
8/17/2023	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/18/2023	@dharashahauthor	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/18/2023	popthebutterfly	Review/IG Post

Book Spotlight - Clara Poole and the Long Way Round by Taylor Tyng + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: CLARA POOLE AND THE LONG WAY ROUND

Author: Taylor Tyng

Pub. Date: July 4, 2023

Publisher: Pixel+Ink

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/CLARA-POOLE-AND-THE-LONG-WAY-ROUND

Mr. Lemoncello meets the Amazing Race in this quirky high-octane balloon-racing middle grade around-the-world adventure.

When an unintended flight over Michigan in her class science project—a lawn chair held aloft by balloons—brings her instant celebrity, Clara Poole is invited to be the spokesperson for a round-the-world adventure race. But when her overprotective father refuses, Clara forges his signature in a moment of defiance and runs away to Paris to take her place in the skies. If only she’d read the fine print first.

Partnered with a veteran aeronaut who wants nothing to do with her, Clara faces down ten treacherous stages in a race around the world—capturing flags in the perilous mountains of Nepal; being a guest of honor at a maybe-wedding in the Saharan desert; flying through rings of fire in Hong Kong—all while learning the ropes alongside a colorful cast of international competitors.

But there are more dangers ahead. Someone is trying to sabotage the competition. And surviving this race means Clara must come to terms with the tragedy that set her fleeing to the skies in the first place, and accepting that forgiving herself isn’t a process she has to undertake alone.

Gorgeous prose and winning characters combine in this quirky, often-hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking, and thoroughly captivating middle grade adventure series starter from an incredible new talent.

Book Trailer:

 About Taylor Tyng:

Taylor Tyng has worked as a designer, animator, film editor, and software CEO. He finds endless

joy in writing for middle-grade readers, who are no longer children but not quite adults. He lives

in Massachusetts with his family. Visit him online at TaylorTyng.com.

https://linktr.ee/taylortyng

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of CLARA POOLE AND THE LONG WAY ROUND, US Only.

Ends August 22nd, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/7/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
8/7/2023	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
8/8/2023	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
8/8/2023	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/9/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
8/9/2023	Destiny's Path	Review/IG Post
8/10/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review/IG Post
8/10/2023	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post
8/11/2023	enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/11/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

8/14/2023	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/14/2023	@katherinebichler	TikTok Post
8/15/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
8/15/2023	Gryffindorbookishnerd	IG Review
8/16/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
8/16/2023	@get.outside.and.read	IG Review
8/17/2023	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
8/17/2023	popthebutterfly	Review/IG Post
8/18/2023	@pagesforpaige	Review/IG Post
8/18/2023	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post