Book Review - One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko and Églantine Ceulemans + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Liam knows that fifth grade is not for beginners and being more than one-third nerd is not cool. Liam and his family live in the Bay area in San Franciso with his mom and two sisters. Dakota has a big personality and loves science but, has a hard time making friends. Izzy has Down syndrome, loves giving hugs and can make friends easily. Their dad works in insurance and lives across town but, stops by with food often. And Cupcake is their lovable German shepherd that guards their apartment.

Lately, Cupcake has a problem. She has been peeing all over the apartment. The family wants to take her to the vet before their landlord can find out. Their parents have said if Cupcake doesn't stop, they will have to find her a new home. However, the kids can't give their beloved pet away. Will they be able to save Cupcake in time?

The novel was a fun and quick read. I like how each of the characters had their own well developed and distinct personality. Liam being the caring, protective older brother, Izzy being the intuitive friendly sister and Dakota was caring but a bit brash. I am disheartened to say, that I found Dakota to be a bit too much and I felt her character was a bit over the top, even if she meant well. Overall, it was a fun read.

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**   

Title: ONE-THIRD NERD

Author: Gennifer Choldenko, Églantine Ceulemans (Illustrations)

Pub. Date: January 29, 2019

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 224

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

A funny, fast-paced, and heartfelt story from the Newbery Honor-winning author of the Al Capone series.

Fifth grade is not for amateurs, according to Liam. Luckily, he knows that being more than one-third nerd is not cool. Liam lives in the Bay area near San Francisco with his mom and two younger sisters. Dakota is fascinated by science and has a big personality but struggles to make friends; Izzy, a child with Down syndrome, makes friends easily and notices things that go past everyone else. Dad lives across town, but he's over a lot. And then there's Cupcake, their lovable German shepherd, who guards their basement apartment.

Recently, Cupcake has a problem--she's peeing in the house. The kids need to make enough money to take her to the vet before their landlord upstairs finds out. And Mom and Dad have said if Cupcake doesn't stop, they will find her a new home. But the kids will never let Cupcake go. Can they save her? 

About Gennifer:

Choldenko is best known for her Tales from Alcatraz series, which has sold more than 2 million copies. Book #1: Al Capone Does My Shirts was a Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of twenty other awards. Book #4: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is due out in 2018. BookPage said of her most recent novel, Chasing Secrets: “Choldenko’s ability to research obscure yet intriguing topics is uncanny, and as she did with the popular Al Capone trilogy she turns a tough topic into a high interest read … a compelling work of historical fiction.” Gennifer lives with her loyal husband and naughty dog in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of ONE-THIRD NERD, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2883/?

Tour Schedule:

Week Two:

1/28/2019- BookHounds YA- Review

1/28/2019- Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog- Excerpt

1/29/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review

1/29/2019- Wonder Struck- Review

1/30/2019- Nerdophiles- Review

1/30/2019- Texan Holly Reads- Review

1/31/2019- Such A Novel Idea- Review

1/31/2019- For the Love of KidLit- Interview

2/1/2019- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt

2/1/2019- Two Points of Interest- Review

Book Review - Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen McManus + Giveaway

 

Photo Credit - Amazon

Ellery's mother is from a small town called Echo Ridge. Ellery has never been there but, she heard about it. Her aunt went missing when she was seventeen. Five years later, a homecoming queen was murdered at a local amusement park. Now Ellery and her brother, Ezra has to move to Echo Ridge to live with their maternal grandmother they barely know.

Even the small picture-perfect town is hiding secrets. In a memorial service before school begins, there was an ominous message about homecoming becoming deadly as it was five years ago. Shortly after the message appears, a girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about people keeping secrets. Her mother and grandmother are keeping secrets too. The longer she spends in Echo Ridge, the more she realizes that everyone is hiding something.  She realizes that someone is willing to kill to keep their secret quiet. Will Ellery be able to find out what happened to her aunt years ago?

I usually like reading novels like these because they usually have unexpected twists and delicious secrets. I was saddened when the story was predictable except for a portion of the ending. On a side note, while I did enjoy the novel, I found that there was a lot of characters and the ages were a bit confusing to me. For example, Ellery's mother and the other students are the same age but, the other students have younger siblings who are the same age as Ellery and Ezra. This was hard for me to grasp and conceptualize.  I wish there was a timeline of ages and past events as this would have made some of the story easier to follow along. Overall, a fun read for people who love novels with "small towns with deadly secrets".

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  

About the Book:

Title: TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET 

Author: Karen McManus

Pub. Date: January 8, 2019

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible,  B&N, iBooks, TBD

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone's declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

About Karen: 

As a kid I used to write books when I was supposed to be playing outside, and not much has changed. I'm a marketing and communications professional who also writes Young Adult contemporary and fantasy fiction in Cambridge, MA.

When not writing or working I love to travel, and along with my nine-year old son I've ridden horses in Colombia and bicycles through Paris. A member of SCBWI, I hold a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. Which I have never, ever used professionally.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET, US Only.

Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2873/?

Tour Schedule:

Week Five:

1/28/2019- The Clever Reader- Review

1/29/2019- All the Ups and Downs- Review

1/30/2019- Two Points of Interest- Review

1/31/2019- EatingbetweenthelinesINC- Review

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