Once Upon A Toad

Title: Once Upon A Toad
Author: Heather Vogel Fredericks
Pages: 272
Language: G
Content: G
Level: Middle School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Once upon a time, Cat Starr lived with her astronaut mom in Houston. But when her mother gets sent on a long-term mission, Cat has to move to a far away land—her dad’s house, halfway across the country—and share a room with her real-life evil stepsister, Olivia. Just when Cat can’t take it anymore, Great-Aunt Abyssinia comes to the rescue. And things go from bad to worse.

The next morning, Cat opens her mouth and a toad hops out! What’s more, when Olivia speaks, diamonds and flowers appear. How unfair is that? Before you can say "happily ever after," the girls are on the run from jewel thieves and a government agency. Can Cat save the day—and get rid of all those toads?

Review:  A sweet and entertaining book for girls who are looking for an Ella Enchanted read-alike.   Not full of teen drama, and an easy plot to follow for younger readers.

Queen of Kentucky

Title: The Queen of Kentucky
Author: Alecia Whitaker
Pages: 375 pages
Content: PG/PG13
Language: PG
Level: Middle School High School
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would prefer to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and the boy next door Luke says he misses "plain old Ricki Jo."

Review:  Fun and easy contemporary read for those girls who are tired of dystopian or paranormal genres.  The writing is light and the characters are ones that youth can relate to.  

Ten Miles Past Normal

Title: Ten Miles Past Normal
Author: Frances O'Roark Dowell
Pages: 211
Language: PG13
Content: PG
Level: High School, Upper Middle
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary: Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation—and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much.

Review: The characters are all kind of quirky and unique.  And Monster - what a character to add to the story.  The civil war aspect was also nicely added to the book.  It is a short, entertaining read.

Title: Game Changers #1
Author: Mike Lupica
Pages: 224
Content: G
Language: G
Level: Middle school
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Ben McBain is every football team's dream player. He's a jack-of-all-trades guy that can handle almost any position. When the game is on the line, Ben's number is the one being called for the final play. But Ben wants to be the starting quarterback and the one thing standing in his way is the coach's son.  Shawn O'Brien looks the part. He has been groomed by his father, a former professional quarterback. But despite his size and arm strength, Shawn is struggling.  Ben is torn between being a good teammate and going after his own dream. As Ben finds out, Shawn isn't the easiest person to help. And when Ben gets an unexpected opportunity, the entire game will change for the both of them.

Review:  Read this with my 10-year old son. The bulk of the book is actual descriptions of football games. So of course, it's great for kids more obsessed with sports than reading.  I think it was great that Ben always did the right thing, but I think some kids would have trouble relating.  I think in real life more kids tend to behave like the protagonist than the main character.  It would have been more interesting if he had struggled a little more, the way most kids do in real life.  My son enjoyed it, as did my husband who listened in.  I am pretty sure my "tween" girls even wanted to know how the book turned out!  Good book for reluctant readers!

Viola in Reel Life

Title: Viola in Reel Life
Author: Adriana Trigiani
Pages: 288
Language: G
Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  I'm marooned.  Abandoned.  Left to rot in boarding school . . .  Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.   There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.  Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.  But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.

Review:  An easy read for teen girls.  This was a sweet but very simple YA novel. Viola always managed to have a thoughtful, mature epiphany whenever one was needed to keep conflict from spiraling. It was a little hard to believe that a friendship between four very different girls all living together, away from home for the first time, would be as straightforward as depicted--I still appreciated that friendships were the focus of both the book and Viola's journey, and I liked the depiction of how natural it was for the girls to support each other, knowing when to help each other.

Wicked Jealous

Title: Wicked Jealous
Author: Robin Palmer
Pages: 272
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary: Simone never saw herself as the “cute girl”—she was always the chunky, band tee wearing, France-obsessed smart girl. But now that Simone’s a few pounds lighter and sporting a new retro style, things have gotten, well, weird. Her crush Jason seems to actually know she exists. And when Simone’s soon-to-be stepmonster Hillary stops ignoring her, Simone knows something is up. When Simone’s brother offers to let her move in with him and his six roommates on the beach for the summer, Simone jumps at the chance. But living with seven very different college boys isn’t exactly helping her land her very own happily ever after.

Review: An easy read with an updated fairy tale and a protagonist that I really enjoyed. Her teen angst was real without being exaggerated like it can be in so many books.This, as if you couldn't tell just by looking at the cover, is a modern day version of Snow White, complete with 7 silly boys, with funny nicknames closely resembling those of the 7 dwarfs. The story is predictable of course, but does have a lot of humor in it which was enjoyable.  Good moral to the story.

Little Miss Red

Title: Little Miss Red
Author: Robin Palmer
Pages: 254
Content: PG
Language: G
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary: Sophie Greene gets good grades, does the right thing, and has a boyfriend that her parents— and her younger brother—just love. (Too bad she doesn’t love him.) Sophie dreams of being more like Devon Deveraux, star of her favorite romance novels, but, in reality, Sophie isn’t even daring enough to change her nail polish. All of that changes when Sophie goes to Florida to visit her grandma Roz, and she finds herself seated next to a wolfishly goodlooking guy on the plane. The two hit it off, and before she knows it, Sophie’s living on the edge. But is the drama all it’s cracked up to be?

Review:  This book was a little bit too predictable for my taste.  An easy read for any girls who like romance, adventure, and travel.  The plot is VERY loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood, and Sophie goes for a walk on the wild side but realizes it is good to stay true to yourself.

The Ruining

Title: The Ruining
Author: Anna Collomore
Pages: 312
Language: PG 13 1 "F" 1 "B"
Content: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Annie Phillips is thrilled to leave her past behind and begin a shiny new life on Belvedere Island, as a nanny for the picture-perfect Cohen family. In no time at all, she falls in love with the Cohens, especially with Libby, the beautiful young matriarch of the family. Life is better than she ever imagined. She even finds romance with the boy next door.  All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play?  The Ruining is a complex ride through first love, chilling manipulation, and the terrifying depths of insanity.

Review: The first half of the book was very intriguing and I felt like I was watching a thriller on television.  I found the second half a little predictable, and the ending was rushed and too neat. I would have liked some ambiguity or even a major big showdown or twist. Still though, this is a good read overall.

Just Your Average Princess

Title: Just Your Average Princess
Author: Kristina Springer
Pages: 197
Language: PG
Content: PG (couple references to sex)
Level: Middle School Plus
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary:   Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!

Review:  The story is cute, but not much is truly resolved by the end of the book, give or take a friendship or two.   The main character doesn't change a lot over the course of the story, but it is a cute, easy read for chick lit.

Unigfted

Title: Ungifted
Author: Gordon Korman
Pages: 288
Language: G
Content: G
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: When Donovan Curtis pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he’s finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students.

Although it wasn’t exactly what Donovan had intended, the ASD couldn’t be a more perfectly unexpected hideout for someone like him. But as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed. 

Review: Fun, refreshing, although it probably appeals more to boys, girls can also enjoy this book.  The content and subject make this a great book for reluctant readers and/or troublemakers! 

Blood-Kissed Sky

Title: Blood-Kissed Sky
Author: J.A. London
Pages: 338
Language: PG13
Content: PG13
Level: Upper Middle School/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  There's nowhere left to hide.  

I thought vampires were our enemies--they controlled our lives, isolated our cities, and demanded our blood-- until I met Victor.  With Victor taking over as the new Lord Valentine, things were supposed to get better.  Instead, they're worse than ever.

Day walkers, a new breed of vampires who can walk in the sun, are terrorizing the city.  Blood supplies are low, and if Victor's vampires don't get enough, they will become infected with the Thirst-- a disease that will turn them into mindless killers.

To stop it, I must journey across the desolate wasteland to the very place where the sickness began.  I can only hope that the answers that await me are enough to save us all... before it's too late.

Review: This is the second in the Dawn Series.  The first did not keep me as interested as the second did.  There is one use of the F-word and a bedroom scene which includes making out and petting.  The main character does drink a glass of wine --she is underage-- but drinking is not a major theme in the book.  Overall, I would recommend this novel to anyone who is into the paranormal genre.  Quick and easy!

The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume

Title: The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume
Author: Lisa Rumsey Harris
Pages: 304
Level: High School
Content: PG
Language: G
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: With her love of sweaters, goofy hair, and awkward manners—-not to mention her family curse—-Treasure Blume knows love is not in her future. That is, until she matches wits with Dennis Cameron, a divorced chef with a six-year-old daughter. Full of mischief, mayhem, and laugh-out-loud humor, this is an unlikely love story you'll want to read over and over again!

Review:  Witty humor, great characters, and a fun read! It conveys an important and timely message about looking past exteriors to find inner beauty.

Treasure is the most "unlikely" heroine you can imagine. She is awkward, old-fashioned, and completely clueless. But she is also compassionate, honest, and real. Grammy Blume, Treasure's ancestors, Bonnie (the villain), the Steppers geriatric dance team, and even the kids in Treasure's first grade class added their own flavor and color to the story.

Peeled

Title: Peeled
Author: Joan Bauer
Pages: 247
Level: Middle School/High School
Content: PG
Language: G
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Hildy Biddle wants something monumental to happen so she can finally prove herself to be more than a high school journalist. The problem? Her town's biggest story stars a ghost, which is not an easy interview. But while the local paper is playing up people's fears with shocking headlines of creepy happenings, Hildy is determined to discover what's really going on. Unfortunately, her desire to uncover the truth is starting to cause a stir. With rumors swirling and tensions high, can Hildy push past all the hype ...

Review: Very easy read, with quirky characters.  Suspense, mystery, and teens bent on helping their small community in New York. 

Also Known As

Title: Also Known As
Author: Robin Benway
Pages: 320
Content: PG13
Language: PG
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.  Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Review: Fans of Ally Carter Spies or Heist Society novels will enjoy this book.  Maggie is easy to like, and the reader can sense her frustrations as she tries to live a normal life when nothing about her life is normal!

Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer

Title: Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer
Author: John Grisham
Pages: 272
Content: G
Language: PG
Level: Middle School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he's only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he's one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk-and a lot about the law. He dreams of a life in the courtroom. But he finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much-maybe too much-he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won't stop until justice is served.

Review: Quick easy read with a male character (which seems harder and harder to find).  Interesting story, with a little bit of mystery.  Easy to read and full of information about the justice system in the United States.  Grisham does a great job of keeping the mystery and intrigue of his books on a level for young readers.

Wonder

Title: Wonder
Author: R. J. Palacio
Pages: 310
Language: G
Content: PG
Level: Upper Elementary/Middle/High School
Recommendation: Must Read

Summary: I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.   August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

Review: I can't say enough about this book!  I wish every LA class could read this outloud so that all students could see how their actions can hurt, hinder, or help their peers, and how Kindness can change lives.  I wanted to write down quote after quote of this book.  Although August is a young boy, readers of all ages can enjoy this book.

Withering Tights

Title: Withering Tights
Author: Louise Rennison
Pages: 304
Language: PG
Content: PG/PG13
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Reccomendation: Optional

Summary:  Wow. This is it. This is me growing up. On my own, going to Performing Arts College. This is good-bye, Tallulah, you long, gangly thing, and helloooooo, Lullah, star of stage.

Tallulah Casey is ready to find her inner artist. And some new mates. And maybe a boy or two or three. She's bound for a performing arts program in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales—eerily similar to the windswept moors of Wuthering Heights.

Acting? Tights? Moors? Check, check, check.  Louise Rennison returns with her trademark wit, a hilarious new cast, and a heroine who is poised to discover plenty of opportunities for (mis)adventure!

Review: I haven't read the other series by Louise Rennison, but I had heard that this was as "hilarious" as her other series was.  Maybe I just don't get British humor, as I didn't find it as funny as the reviews had said it was going to, but I had to keep reading...kind of like the quote in the book, "Watching you is like watching someone whose pants are on fire.  Stragely fascinating, keep it up".    This book is truly light reading. It is full of nonsensical ramblings from the mind of 14-year-old Tallulah, most of it over the top. There was very little plot around Tallulah and how she interacts with friends and local boys.  Her obsession with her small "corkers" and knobby knees got very old and I have to wonder if all 14 year old girls are that obsessed with their bodies. 

Off Side

Title: Off Side
Author: M. G. Higgins
Pages: 109
Content: PG13
Language: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Between finishing late school projects and looking after her brothers and sister, Faith Patel barely has time to play soccer. And when she's at practice, surrounded by girls who can afford to play in club leagues, she doesn't even feel like part of the team. So when Coach Berg starts to give Faith extra attention, she feels . . . really special.   It might be crazy, but suddenly Faith has a crush on her coach. Can she keep her head in the game? The situation gets worse after Faith's frenemy Caitlyn decides that Faith's getting special treatment. Will Caitlyn tell the rest of the team—and make Faith into a total outcast? 

Review: A short, easy read for teens who love sports. Common teen issues are presented and dealt with as Faith tried to continue doing what she loves - playing soccer. Although some of the issues may be too mature for younger readers, the storyline is presented an interesting way to keep the reader involved in Faith's story.

Catching Jordan

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Pages: 281
Content: PG13
Language: PG13/R (40+ swears, 10 "f")
Level: High School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary: What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though- she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Greeen moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line? "A beautiful novel with a real and captivating depiction of high school relationships, Catching Jordan shows the same reverence for the human heart that it does for the game of football."

Review: Loved the storyline, hated the language.  I realize that this book centers around sports, but it is full of locker room talk.  I was disappointed in the amount of swearwords, "f" words, but mostly how casual the topic of sex is handled.  I wish the story could be re-written for a more conservative audience, because the story and the issues in this book are great.

The Tribe: Homeroom Headhunters

Title: The Tribe: Homeroom Headhunters
Author: Clay Chapman
Level: Middle/High School
Content: PG
Language: PG
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: All Schools are the same and Spencer Pendleton expects no less from Greenfield Middle. But Spencer hasn’t met them yet—the Tribe, a group of runaway students who secretly own the school. They live off cafeteria food and wield weapons made out of everyday school supplies. Strangely, no one seems to know they exist, except for Spencer. And the group wants him to join their ranks. All he has to do is pass the initiations...and leave his mother and life behind. Can Spencer go through with it? Better yet, what will happen if he says no?
Review:   A new students at a school, the main character confronts bullying head on!  Feeling alone, he finds a missing poster of "Sully".  Turns out Sully isn't really missing!  She has joined a tribe/gang of students who aren't missing at all, but taking revenge on those who treated them badly at school!  An interesting read for anyone who deals with middle school kids, teasing, or bullying!  Although retaliation may not be the best avenue to deal with unfair treatment, the book opens eyes to the world of bullying and hurt feelings.