If I Have a Wicked Stepmother Where's My Prince

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother Where's My Prince by Melissa Kantor follows Lucy Norton who was uprooted from California when her Father gets married and spends most of her time alone in her room in the basement her new house with her wicked stepmother and bratty twin sisters.   She is treated badly by her stepmother and her father is away most of the time and doesn't have any friends at her new school.  When the school basketball star (the prince) asks her out she is very excited and finds her life changing. 

I loved this book.  It was sweet and fluffy and a nice fairytale adaptation.  I loved Lucy who grows from an unconfident shy girl into a girl who is finally able to express her needs to fix both her social and family life.  I tore through this book reading it very quickly and was sad when it ended. 

Appropriateness:  Lucy's boyfriend drinks excessively on several occasions (and this is used to make him seem less than perfect).  Lucy drinks a glass of wine at an art show but does not drink when her boyfriend does.  She's rebellious at times but not in a destructive manner (running off to an art gallery opening instead of going home)  This is a perfect book to use as a starting point for what to do if your teen does go to a party where alcohol is served or if their boyfriend or friends are drinking as Lucy is fairly immune to peer pressure when she knows something is wrong.  I would recommend this book to readers 12+ (with an encouraged parental discussion with the middle school crowd)

review copy provided by netgalley

How to Slay a Dragon

How to Slay a Dragon by Bill Allen tells the story of Greg Hart a small boy with an overactive imagination who is pulled into a real adventure in a different realm. Greg is told that he is Greghart the dragon slayer and that there is a prophecy that he is to slay the dragon and save the princess.  Greg and his new friend Lucky go on an adventure after adventure until finally meeting the dragon in his lair. 

This is a fantastic fantasy novel that is filled with adventure (and difficult vocabulary words!) and humor.  There is plenty of action (but nothing excessively violent).  I loved reading what adventure was going to happen next and how Greg and Lucky would get through them.  The book moves quickly from one scene to another and at around 250 pages it would make for a fantastic read aloud.

Appropriateness:  This is a book that boys will enjoy.  There are multiple strong male characters and the only female character while strong and spunky is only around for a small part of the book.  The book does have quite a bit of difficult vocabulary making it a great read for younger advanced readers.  I would recommend this book to readers 9-14 who are fans of adventure and fantasy and as a read aloud for younger readers.

Review copy obtained by amazon vine

Cheap books for Kindle

In this feature I'll post books (by large publishers or that I've read myself) that are cheap or free for your Kindle.

Please double check the prices as they probably will change because these are some HUGE discounts.

First we have Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski.  It's a terrific book that's fun and funny and romantic.  Review Here  It's currently selling for .99 on kindle.  Not bad for a book that's only available in hard back!





 Second we have  Bumped By Megan McCafferty it's a funny dystopian that takes place in a world where teenagers are encouraged to get pregnant and give their babies away (or sell them) because older women can not get pregnant.  Review HereIt's currently selling for .99 on kindle.  Not bad for a book that's only available in hard back!

A Tinfoil Sky

A Tinfoil Sky by Cindy Sand-Eveland follows Mel who has lived a rough life.  When her mother pulls Mel in the middle of the night from her abusive boyfriends house to move near her grandmother the two end up homeless.  After Mel's mother is arrested she moves in with her grandmother who is less than welcoming.  With the help of a few kind strangers things in Mel's life start to change.

This is an interesting book that lets readers into the life of a homeless pre-teen.  I really enjoyed Mel and found myself rooting for her.  The book is an easy read and although Mel's life is tough she is a good kid who tries to make good decisions.  I finished the book quickly and was very interested in what would happen next.

Appropriateness:  While this book covers a tough subject it does so in a way that kids will be able to relate to and without any adult content (aside from Mel's mom drinking).  I would recommend this book to readers 10-14 

Review copy provided by netgalley

Double

Double by Jenny Valentine is a story of a mixed identity.  When Chap a runaway is mistaken for a missing boy names Cassiel he decides to take on this boys identity.  He soon realizes that it is not as easy as it seems to take Cassiel's place and he soon realizes that his life may be in danger. 

I wasn't very impressed with this book.  It seemed a lot like The Lying Game except without the fun parts.  I figured out the mystery by the fifth chapter and the resolution wasn't that interesting.

However, it is a book with a male narrator and a bit of action and no romance which makes it a good book for boys.  The book wasn't bad, I think it wasn't just my style.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  I would recommend it to teens 12+

Review copy provided by Netgalley

Flyaway

Flyaway by Helen Landalf tells the story of fifteen year old Stevie whose mother is a meth addict.  Stevie is taken in by her aunt when her mother doesn't come home.  Stevie comes to grip with the reality of her life and her mothers addiction over the summer while also helping out at a bird hospital.

This is a terrific teen contemporary novel that will speak to reluctant readers.  Helen is a flawed character who doesn't always make the right decisions but who continues to grow who will speak to readers who can't relate to the perfect teen character.  The book is short and easy to read and shows how drugs can hurt without being preachy.

Appropriateness:  There is teen behavior in this book but it is handled in a manner that uses the negatives as a teaching tool.  The main character's mother is a stripper and a drug addict and her best friend is becoming addicted to meth.  Stevie lies and steals and acts out but is ultimately a good girl.  I'd recommend this book to readers 13+ 

Romance for Teens: Coming Home

Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher follows Judith Dunbar for ten years before and during World War II in England.  The book begins with fourteen year old Judith being left at Boarding school in Cornwall while her mother and sister join her father in Singapore.  Judith soon makes friends with Loveday Carey-Lewis and is swept into her family and their eccentric privileged life.  Judith grows from a timid young girl to a woman and faces love and loss, joy and tragedy. 

I've been in a mood lately where I hate everything so I decided to go back and read a book that I adored when I was a teen and see what I thought of it now.  This is a huge book ringing in at around a thousand pages and encompassing ten years of Judith's life.  The book tends to be overly descriptive (an abridged copy would have been terrific) and reads slow at times however Judith and the Carey-Lewis clan is so compelling and their lives are so romantic and tragic that it keeps the reader interested.  I found myself drawn into the time period and into Cornwall.  Falling in love when she did and crying when her heart was broken.   

Appropriateness:    This is a book to buy for teens who have gotten into books like Gone With the Wind and want to be lost in a characters life and a time in history.  There is a bit of sex and alcohol but nothing more than you would find in a young adult book.

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan is the story of Ivan, a gorilla who lives in a circus themed shopping mall.  Ivan loves art.  His best human friend introduced him to drawing and his master sells his pictures in the gift shop.  After his friend and elderly elephant dies and a baby elephant is brought into the mall Ivan uses his art to rescue his new friend so they can go live someplace better, a zoo.

This is a very touching and sad book based on a true story.  The characters both animal and human are all well written and varied.  The book makes the reader both sad and happy at the same time and has a fantastic ending.  It teaches compassion in the same way that Wilbur did in Charlotte's web.  I loved this book and finished it quickly.

Appropriateness:  This book is filled with simple languages and short sentences and has many pictures without having the feel of being a book written for very young children.  I would recommend this book for readers 8-12

Review copy provided by amazon vine

Bad Kitty for President

Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel is the newest Bad Kitty book.  This series follows Bad Kitty (who is a very bad kitty) and is perfect for kids who are ready to transition from picture to chapter books.  This book follows Bad Kitty as he runs for president (of the kitty association) and he learns how the American political system works.  

This is a fantastic book full of laughs while also teaching readers about the political system.  Bad Kitty's campaign is full of scandals and lies (inferring that his opponent may be a dog, getting in a cat fight) which are very entertaining.  If you loved the other Bad Kitty books then you will love this one also.

Appropriateness:  This is an illustrated novel that is perfect for kids that are moving from picture books to chapter books and it's short enough to work as a read aloud for younger readers.   I recommend it to readers 4+

Review copy provided by Netgalley

Fractured Light

Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan stars Llona who is an Aura, a supernatural with the ability to harness and control light.  Llona has spent her whole life running from the Vyken's whom killed her mother and working hard at remaining anonymous.    When during her senior year she starts making friends she finds her life changing and realizes that her powers are far different than she has imagined. 

This was a great book with a new and original mythology that I enjoyed.  Llona is a strong heroine who isn't afraid to question what she has been told and does not fall into the "I'm in trouble because I made stupid decisions" trap that so many female heroines fall into.  Her relationships with her friends, her bother and the complicated relationship with Christian make for an interesting story and everything folds together at the end (although a little predictably).

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in the book.  Llona skips school excessively but is otherwise a model teen.  The romance is limited to a few clandestine kisses.  Llona is a high school senior and acts her age.  I would recommend this book to teens 13+

Life Eternal

Life Eternal (A Dead Beautiful Novel) by Yvonne Woon is the second book in the Dead Beautiful series.  This series features a mythology where if a child dies before they are twenty one and isn't buried or cremated they reanimate and while they can be totally normal they also want to suck the souls out of others to sustain their lives.
  Renee is training to be a monitor whose job is to bury the dead if they misbehave.  In the last book Renee's boyfriend was one of the dead and but they shared a soul so he didn't kill her when they kissed.  In this book Renee moves to a new school that is just for monitors.  In this book she has been having visions.  She uses these visions to solve a mystery.  

I was very disappointed in this sequel.  Renee spends way too much time whining and pining over her boyfriend.  The mystery was very slow and didn't start to get interesting until about three quarters through.  The characters aside from Renee floated in and out of the story and were not around long enough for me to become invested in them and some would randomly disappear for large chunks of time.

Appropriateness: There isn't any adult content in this book.  There is a sappy whiny romance that doesn't get physical and no substance abuse.  I would recommend this book to teens 13+