Funny and Poignant Middle-Grade Story of Poverty, Homelessness and Hope

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

My rating: 5 of 5 stars  To be published September 2015

Crenshaw is Jackson's invisible friend; a very large black and white cat.  Jackson is 10 now and doesn't think he needs Crenshaw.  But, sometimes friends, even invisible ones, are there when you need them most.

Jackson's family is struggling and they have for many years.  His father has MS and his mother is working multiple part-time jobs to keep everything together.  But, there is just not enough money - for food, for rent, for clothes.  Crenshaw first appeared when Jackson was younger and his family was living in their mini-van.  Now he has returned.

Jackson is concerned now because he feels his parents don't trust him and his younger sister Robin enough to tell them the truth about their financial situation.  They always stay positive even when Jackson and Robin think they are crazy to be positive.  But, now they are having a yard sale and selling almost everything they own.  Jackson is getting worried. Worried kids need invisible friends.  Jackson assumes that is why he is seeing Crenshaw once again.

Crenshaw is a story told by Jackson, a young boy who is more mature than his years and often tries to care for his entire family.  He sometimes feels he is the most mature of the group.  Jackson is a charming character, full of humor and wisdom.  He is very introspective and possibly understands himself more than he is willing to admit, even to Crenshaw.

This story is full of humor, sadness, and hope.  An excellent middle-grade story that should appeal equally to boys and girls.  Crenshaw is an excellent way to introduce children to these serious problems in our society - poverty and homelessness - as it is told with truth, empathy and humor.  Highly recommended.

I received a Netgalley ARC.


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Reawakened by Colleen Houck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To be published August 11, 2015.

Reawakened, as a fantasy, is not the type of book I would normally select to read, but I received an advance reader copy from the publisher and it grabbed my attention.  I have not read the Tiger's Curse series by Houck and wanted to check out this first book in her new series.

Reawakened is an Action-Adventure Love Story with a wonderfully researched tie to Ancient Egyptian Mythology. The major characters of the story are Lilliana (Lily) Young, a 17 year-old girl from New York City, and Amon (pronounced aah-moan) a centuries-old mummy who must "reawaken" every thousand years in order to save the world working with his two "brothers".

Lilliana Young is a very compliant 17 year-old daughter of professional parents.  They have very specific expectations of her and she attempts to meet them.  However, she is starting to question her compliance as she is  getting ready to select a college to attend and her parents are pressuring her to attend their choice.  This is a minor piece of the story, but a very important aspect of Lilliana's personality and growth throughout the story.  As she is working on her college decision in an Egyptian display not yet open to the public at the Metropolitan Museum, she meets Amon, who begins calling her "young Lily" and attaches himself to her as he expected to reawaken in Egypt and has no idea where he is.  Lilliana initially sees Amon as a homeless boy with serious sanity issues, although with an extremely attractive, almost model-like appearance.

Lily quickly gets caught up in Amon's story - he is an ancient Egyptian prince who represents the sun god and awakens from his mummy state every thousand years.  He has been given several powers by the Sun God Amun-Ra.  However, the source of his powers are his "canopic" (death) jars which were not brought to New York with his sarcophagus.  In order to have adequate energy to get back to Egypt and to complete his purpose, he bonds with Lilliana (after being hit by a car) and she must accompany him.

Amon must go back to Egypt, locate the mummies of his two "brothers" and complete a ceremony which will prevent the dark god of chaos - Seth - from bringing ruin to the earth.  Without his full powers, Amon needs Lily with him and she is compelled to assist him.  It doesn't hurt that both Amon and Lily are very attractive people and are drawn to each other immediately.  They set out on an adventure that changes Lily's life.

Reawakened is an action-adventure story with a great deal of Egyptian Mythology tied to the action.  In addition, it is a love story about Amon and Lily.  The love story is a key part of the story, as is often true of this type of action-adventure, with both characters often sacrificing to protect their partner.

I loved the story and the characters.  I found the Egyptian mythology particularly interesting as I am very unfamiliar with it.  I also enjoyed seeing Lily's character grow and change from her experiences and from her ability to sacrifice for Amon.  Lily also seems to be the source of much of the book's humor as she banters with Amon, his brothers Ahmose and Asten and with Dr. Hassar, the Egyptologist/Vizier who is the source of a great deal of the information.

The obvious recommendation is to Percy Jackson lovers.  The mythology and action would definitely appeal, and the humor is similar.  This may lend itself more to the female fan due to the romantic aspects, but this may not bother the male fans as it is a key part of the story, but not at the expense of the action.


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Oxford Public Library Teen Picks: Off the Page, by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Lee...

Oxford Public Library Teen Picks: Off the Page, by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Lee...: Off the Page , the sequel to 2012's Between the Lines marks the second offering by the mother-daughter writing team of Jodi Picoult an...

Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sweet starts as a meet cute romance, that turns into a bit of a mystery and then all heck breaks loose! It is a unique read with an amazing good vs evil twist and a cautionary tale about the disadvantages of lose weight quick schemes.

Laurel has been invited along on a Cruise to Lose - a cruise to launch a new weight loss product/sweetener called SOLU. Her best friend Vivika is so excited to try the new product, and her father obtained tickets for the exclusive, star-studded event.

Laurel experiences sea sickness which gives her an excuse not to use the sweetener. She is content with her body and does not really like the idea of weight loss by chemicals.

Tom, the second perspective in the story, was a chubby child actor who hopes appearing as a Ryan Seacrest type host for the cruise will relaunch his career as an adult. As a teen, he has embarked on a strict eating plan and exercise regimen to get his body in top shape. He does not want to risk his hard work by taking SOLU, so he also abstains.

Together Laurel and Tom tell the story as they begin to see startling weight losses and strange behavior amongst the SOLU users. This escalates quickly and soon the luxury cruise evolves to an amazing and crazy end.

Luckily for me, I was able to read this cold and had no idea where the author was taking the story. I hope other readers can have this same experience. Fast paced writing and an unusual story line made this a quick and fun read. Not for everyone, but I think the right teen audience will eat this up. This could be a good title to recommend to reluctant readers, but be sure the romance adverse know what appears to be a Sweet little romance has an amazing twist.



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