Full Ride

Full Ride by Margaret Peterson Haddix follows Becca who has gone into hiding with her mother after her father is arrested for a huge and embarrassing white collar crime.  Becca is in her senior year of high school and struggling with how she will pay for college when her mother is sure that an evil company is watching for their every move and so she can't apply for financial aid.  When she applies for a full ride scholarship she wonders who it is that created the scholarship.

This is an interesting book that had a premise that just didn't work.  It was hard to believe that anyone was really as paranoid as Becca and her Mother are and the final twist also didn't work well.  I didn't however have problems finishing the book and I really liked Becca and her friends as characters.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  I would recommend it for readers 12-16

Double Digit

Double Digit by Annabel Monaghan is the sequel to A Girl Named Digit.  This series stars Digit a girl with an extreme ability to figure out codes and numbers.  Digit is a new student at MIT and trying to be just like any other student.  Unfortunately her computer is being traced and she's kidnapped.  Will her math and code breaking skills be able to save herself and the world.

This book is entertaining but the main character is frustrating.  She acts like a spoiled twelve year old crying and having tantrums over everything.  The romance is written in a way that makes you want to shake the heroine for being such a dolt instead of wanting to root for it.  Finally the villain is absurdly cartoonist and Digit obviously is going to solve whatever the problem is saving everyone.  If this was a book with a twelve year old main character this all would have made sense and it probably would have worked as a basic chapter book.  But instead the main character is in college and attending parties with alcohol while acting like a spoiled kid.

 Appropriateness:  This book is short and a quick read.  There is alcohol use and the main character is obsessed with her romantic relationships.  The book reads like it was written for eleven year olds but the content is more appropriate for older readers.  I suppose I'd recommend this book for twelve and thirteen year olds.  Readers who like spy novels and are looking for a quick read.

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

A Frog in the Bog

A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson and Joan Rankin is a delightful rhythmic children's book by the author that brought us The Bear Snores On.  My students loved this book and were able to keep the beat throughout the story (provided I could keep up) and the twist at the end makes them giggle.  This is a book that my students ask for over and over again.

I recommend this book for kids 3-8

Parasite

Parasite by Mira Grant takes place in a world where everyone lives with a tapeworm inside their body protecting them from illness.  Sally woke up after a car accident with no memory of her earlier life.  Sally's medical care was paid for by Symbogen, the company that engineered the tapeworms and her life is carefully monitored by them.  When people suddenly start blacking out and turning into sleepwalkers Sally and her boyfriend decide that they have to figure out what's going on.

While this was an interesting novel that readers who enjoy Mira Grant's style will enjoyed it suffered by telling too much instead of showing.  A huge portion of the book was taken with explanations of the "science" and it really dragged down the storytelling.  The action and horror were good but it took a long time for the story to get started.  I will not read the sequel without reading the reviews first.

Appropriateness:  Mira Grant's books fit in the "new adult" genre.  No excessive adult content but certainly written for older readers with a main character in their early 20's.  This is a great book for teen sci-fi fans.

This is What Happy Looks Like

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith begins with a mistyped e-mail address.  Graham, a teenage movie star accidentally e-mails Ellie about his pet pig.  The two soon start a cute and flirtatious exchange and then Graham gets his movie to film in Ellie's small town during the summer.  The two soon meet but things aren't as simple as boy meets girl because Ellie has a secret about her past that her mother wants kept in the closet.

I loved this book.  It was sweet and romantic.  The secret that kept the two apart worked well (and there was no maddening love triangle complication).  I couldn't put the book down and it made me smile throughout.

Appropriateness:  There's no adult content in this book.  The book is very romantic but includes no more than kissing.  I recommend this book to readers 14+ (however it's fully appropriate for younger readers)

Dinosaur Pet

Dinosaur Pet by Marc Sedaka and Tim Bowers is a rewrite of Neil Sedaka's classic song Calendar Girl.  Each month of the year as is related to a growing dinosaur pet.

This is a fun book that my students love to hear again and again and sing along with from the start.  The music is peppy and fun.

I recommend this book for kids 3-8

The Geography of You and Me

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith follows Lucy and Owen who meet after a power outage in New York City leaves them stuck in an elevator.  They both move away from New York but can not forget about the night they spent together and communicate in e-mails and postcards.

I liked this book, the story was sweet and romantic.  The author did a great job of intertwining the two stories that were only a bit related and took place on different sides of the world.  I read the book quickly and remained entertained throughout.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book and the romance is sweet.  I would recommend it to readers 12+ (and it is fully appropriate for younger readers).

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

Mind Benders

Mind Benders published by DK is a fantastic activity book filled with pages of mind benders along with activities and how they trick our minds.

I bought this book for my daughter to read while on a very long road trip.  She adored it and it kept her busy for hours figuring out how everything worked.  It was a perfect car book.

I recommend this book for readers 7 and up.  It's a great gift book for older kids.

Taste Test

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore follows Nora the small town daughter of a BBQ restaurant as she becomes a contestant in the high school cooking reality show Taste Test.  The competition isn't the only challenge in Nora's life.  She also has to deal with the cocky and wealthy son of a famous chef that's her biggest competition on the show and possibly for her heart and she also has to solve the mystery of who has been sabotaging the competition by causing major accidents in the kitchen.

I loved this book, it has everything that a young teen wants in a romance.  It's got a bit of mystery, a romance that burns slowly and a confident heroine who works hard so that she can accomplish her goals.  The cooking segments were fun to read and sounded delicious and the reality TV portion although not super realistic added to the fun of the book.

Appropriateness:  There's no adult content in this book.  The mystery involves contestants being harmed but there's nothing violent or scary.  The romance is sweet and fun and consists of nothing more than kissing (if your kid can get past the cover then they'll be fine with the romance).  I would recommend this book to readers 11-15

Don't Stick Sticks Up Your Nose! Don't Stuff Stuff In Your Ears!

Don't Stick Sticks Up Your Nose!  Don't Stuff Stuff In Your Ears by Dr. Jerald Altman is a great book to read to young children.

The book rhymes and has a fun repetitive section which kids would enjoy repeating together and reenforces the lesson to not put things in your nose, ears and mouth.  It's a great book for toddlers and young pre-schoolers.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

The Farmer in the Dell

The Farmer in the Dell illustrated by John O'Brien is a terrific illustrated version of the classic children's song The Farmer in the Dell.  The book is nicely illustrated and easy to sing along to.

I recommend this book for kids from 3-7