MIRACLE AT THE HIGHER GROUNDS CAFE by Max Lucado

Chelsea Champers inherited the Higher Grounds Cafe when her mom died. She has great memories of the place - and a significant need of somewhere to put her energy - so she decides to run it on her own. But she discovers she owns a crazy amount of back taxes on it. How will she ever make that kind of money? Enter The God Blog. It's the only website her router gets and customers come from miles around to have a chance to ask one question and have God respond. What will The God Blog do for Chelsea's business? For her family? For herself?

This is a touching story of faith and family. Glimpses of angels and dark forces at work give this a little different tone at times. I enjoy stories which touch me emotionally and this did that. It's a fairly typical relationship story ("Can the main characters work out their history and problems?") with angels thrown in. The build up was a little slow, but once The God Blog became a factor, the story really got interesting.

4 out of 5 stars

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

GET HAPPY by Mary Amato BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY!

I am pleased to welcome author, Mary Amato to Bring on the Books today! She is the author of the great book posted here - Get Happy. Because of the influence of music that runs through this entire story (as well as Ms. Amato's other stories like Guitar Notes), I asked her to share about that aspect of her writing. Here is her response:

I love music and wanted to write another novel exploring music in the life of a character. Music is often the thing that gets a teen through the day. How many times I remember being depressed or angry or sad or confused and then singing my heart out to whatever song I was hooked on and just letting the song take care of purging the negative and replacing it with joy.

When I write I keep my instruments nearby and throughout the day I take little breaks to play and sing. I also work well with music on and often choose music that I think my characters would like or music that reminds me of my characters.

While I was writing Get Happy, I was lucky to see or hear some inspiring local female vocalists: Victoria Vox (http://www.victoriavox.com ) and The Sweater Set ( http://www.thesweaterset.com/)

Check them out and make sure to also check out the 16-year-old Jamey Geston http://www.jameygestonmusic.com who recorded my Get Happy Songs!

Many thanks to Mary Amato for stopping by on her blog tour. You can check out the rest of the tour here. Mary is also offering a copy of Get Happy to one of my readers. Comment below (or on my Facebook or Twitter posts) by 11:59pm on October 31, 2014 for a chance to win!

I thoroughly enjoyed Get Happy. The main character has two great friends who support her throughout the story. When things start to fall apart for her, her anger is raw and realistic as she discovers that relationships are complicated and adults aren't perfect. I flew through this one, cover to cover, and enjoyed every page. I think this would appeal to middle school and high school readers as well as those of us adults who are lucky enough to know how much fun it is to read books that are supposed to be for kids! Four out of five stars.

Remember to comment by the end of October for a chance to win a copy of Get Happy and check out the rest of the blog tour.

Author Bio:

Mary Amato is an award-winning children's book author, songwriter, musician, puppeteer, and poet. She writes for children of all ages, and is beginning to focus on YA. Her first YA novel was Guitar Notes. Mary lives with her family outside Washington, DC, where she also performs regularly, singing and playing her own songs. Mary is a popular speaker and runs numerous workshops for teachers and students, including many on all aspects of creative writing, even songwriting. The author lives in Silver Spring, MD. You can visit her online at www.maryamato.com. You can also find here at www.thrumsociety.com 

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

FINDING RUBY STARLING by Karen Rivers

Ruth Quayle is playing around with pictures of herself online when she finds pictures of her face - but she knows she is not the girl in the pictures. That girl is Ruby Starling, and she lives in England. But why does she look exactly like Ruth?

I really enjoyed this story told through emails between these two girls and their families and friends. Emotions are expressed honestly about a confusing situation, although maybe more poetically and maturely expressed than you might expect from such young characters. Themes include identity, family, and truth. There is also a Buddhist aspect to the story.

4.5 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at the time of this writing.

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

IF YOU'RE READING THIS by Trent Reedy

Mike Wilson's dad was killed in the war in Afghanistan when Mike was a boy. Now he's almost 16, and he has a lot of questions. His life has been difficult and platitudes about how his dad was a "hero" are empty when Mike doesn't know how his dad died. Then the letters start coming - letters Mike's dad wrote to him from Afghanistan in anticipation of Mike's 16th birthday and offering advice and challenges in case his dad never made it home.

This was lovely. Mike is a great character - hard working, responsibly, with deep questions. He's trying to figure out life without his dad around and with his mom facing her own struggles. I've never been part of a family walking through deployment or losing a loved one to war, but the description seemed reasonable and realistic. The story is intense and emotional but not so detailed as to be too much for teen readers. Themes include racial tension, a budding romance, bullying, team, identity, family and responsibility.

4.5 out of 5 stars
AR Reading level of 4.6
AR Interest level of Middle Grade + (Middle school and up)

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH by Jennifer L. Holm

Ellie is entering middle school when a teenage family member moves into her house - her grandfather. A scientist, Melvin has figured out how to turn himself from a 77-year-old man to a 13-year-old boy. And living with him introduces Ellie to her passion - science.

This book is lovely. It's about family. It's about aging, the cycle of life, the beauty and consequences of science. It's about identity and finding your passion. Ellie is a wonderful, insightful character. She shows great observation of her experiences and the things happening around her.

5 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at the time of this writing.

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

SISTERS by Raina Telgemeier

Raina, her sister, brother and their mom drive from California to Colorado and back for a family reunion. Includes flashbacks to previous moments in Raina's life like Raina's desire for a little sister, and what it's like when she gets her wish.

I received an electronic Advanced Reader Copy of this from the publisher. The art was not in color in my version. This is a family story all about siblings, parents and children, extended family, and growing up. My students have been clamoring for this since May - and they won't be disappointed. I know I am going to need multiple copies to keep them satisfied!

4 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at the time of this writing

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

THE BAKER STREET LETTERS by Michael Robertson

Reggie Heath works in the famous 221 B Baker St. - literary home of Sherlock Holmes. And one of the responsibilities under his lease is to have someone respond to the mail that comes to the address for the famous fictional detective. Reggie gives that job to his brother, Nigel, who's been through some personal trauma. What should be a simple task becomes immensely complicated when Nigel disappears to solve a mystery in one of the letters and dead bodies start to pile up in his wake. Reggie will have his hands full keeping both of them out of jail - and out of the morgue.

This was a decent mystery (I did see some of the solution coming) with a great premise and intriguing characters. The book was as much about the brothers and their lives and relationship as it was about the mystery. I've already shared this one with my husband and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series! I'll have a review of book two next week. (Some language)

4 out of 5 stars

        

ATHLETE VS. MATHLETE - TIME-OUT by W. C. Mack

Owen would rather go to basketball camp than go on the annual family Spring Break trip, even if he has to manipulate his family to get what he wants. Since his twin, Russell, bombed at his Masters of the Mind competition (and even threw up on the competition), he's withdrawn from everything. Owen convinces his folks that camp will help Russ bounce back. But there's only one spot left for the basketball camp... Surely Russ won't care if he goes to a multi-sport camp instead so Owen can go the camp he wants. Everybody wins, right?

This series, told from the perspective of both twins, is great for exploring themes like teamwork, friendship, and family. The first two books focused a lot on issues of identity, too. This book adds the theme of responding to failure. The book really clicked for me when Russ says, "No, this camp was going to be a series of failures, one after another." After his huge failure, this camp is going to force him to face that experience and decide what he's going to do about it. This could be a great classroom read-aloud with opportunities to talk about perseverance and responding to failure as well as talking about the differences between the two main characters.

Owen is a self-centered jerk for blocks of this story. When he starts to get some personal insight, it doesn't last long. He has to keep learning his lessons over and over. Russell is a more likeable character and is a great balance to Owen. Both boys get to learn a lot in this book and watching that evolution is a lot of fun.

5 out of 5 stars.
No AR level at the time of this writing.

EL DEAFO by CeCe Bell

Author and illustrator CeCe Bell (wife of author Tom Angleberger) is releasing an autobiographical graphic novel this fall about her experience growing up deaf in the 1970s. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book at the nErDcampMI conference this summer. Of all the ARCs I received, this was the one that made me giddy! I was halfway through it before the conference even started for the day.

This was great!  It's also a story about childhood - crushes, social roller coasters, schools, etc. It's a friendship story. It's a family story. It's a story of being deaf - and all the well-meaning, clueless and mean responses of others. There's a great author's note about deaf culture and cautions about lumping her experiences into "all deaf people" stereotypes. There's a great "side story" about "El Deafo," Cece's alter-ego superhero figure pictured here on the cover.

I think a teacher with several students reading El Deafo could have some great discussions about relating to people who have different abilities and what it means to be a good friend.

4 out of 5 stars.
Match this one with Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Both could be used as mentor texts for visual story telling as well as autobiographical stories.

El Deafo should release on September 2, 2014.

TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han

Lara Jean writes a "farewell" letter to the boys she loves when she is ready to let them go emotionally. She writes the letter, gets some closure, and then she saves it in a special hatbox her mom gave her. But when two of the boys walk up to her, holding her letters in their hands, Lara Jean's secrets are out and she'll have to figure out where she stands.

This was a fun "what if" story that is well-balanced with a strong family story. Lara Jean is still growing up and figuring out who she is and who she wants to be -- at home, at school and in her personal life. And these letters really complicate that process for awhile, but they also force Lara Jean to look at her life and her choices from a different perspective. Great read!

4 out of 5 stars
This is a story for teens/young adults/adults due to language and adult themes.

WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart

The liars - Cady, Mirren, Johnny and Gat. Cousins. Friends. Summering together every year on the family's private island. Until "summer fifteen" when everything changed. Cady can't remember what happened - only that she had an accident and has a traumatic brain injury that gives her debilitating migraines. But now, she wants to know what really happened.

Wow. This isn't my usual style of book. Some of the writing and descriptions were more figurative and flowery than I usually read. The family dynamics in the story were captivating - great love, manipulation, keeping up appearances, drinking to excess. I don't want to say much more than "wow" because this is a story that needs to be experienced first hand and not spoiled for maximum enjoyment. I will say that I had read that the ending would be stunning, so I was trying to guess the ending - solve it like a mystery. But I never came close to the truth in my guessing.

4 out of 5 stars
For teens/young adults/adults. Language, alcohol use.

I KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD by Paul Acampora

Afraid that their summer reading list will kill the joy of reading a great classic like To Kill a Mockingbird, Lucy, Elena and Michael start a movement that sweeps the internet, social media and the country as copies of the book go missing and an "I Kill the Mockingbird" flyers get left in their place.

This was a great friendship story! The three main characters love books and literature in general (although they don't always love the same books). They have supportive, solid families appropriately involved in the lives of their children. The kids are worried about high school, dating, Lucy's mom's cancer, etc., yet they are also positive and hopeful. Fun name-dropping when the social media part of the book takes off (Wil Wheaton was my favorite). I think this would be a fantastic book to read out loud, although the crush/dating parts might push the age up a little higher than it might just for individual reading. You do not have to have read or seen To Kill a Mockingbird to understand this book. Just have a love for kids and books!

5 out of 5 stars - so far, this is my favorite book of the summer!
No AR reading level at this time

ELLIE MCDOODLE: HAVE PEN, WILL TRAVEL by Ruth McNally Barshaw

When Ellie's parents are called away for a family emergency, Ellie and her little brother are sent to stay with family and go on a camping trip. Ellie finds her aunt and uncle to be grumpy, thinks her cousins are lame, and believes everything the family does is wrong. She records all her experiences, thoughts, and feelings in her sketch book. When her cousin finds the sketch book, things get pretty awkward and uncomfortable.

I discovered Ellie McDoodle last fall and fell in love with her. In this particular book, she was a little harder to love because she was SO unhappy (I guess that is a sign of good writing that her mood was so evident!). In this book, Ellie deals with some lessons in learning to get along. I thought it was a great example of how everything YOUR family does always seems "right" and everything others do feels "wrong." This could be an interesting discussion in a book club or a classroom setting. Ellie deals with her guilty feelings and the confrontations with her family in realistic ways and she learns a lot along the way. I think fans of Ellie's other books will like this one. I don't think readers have to read them in order to enjoy them, although I might suggest to students that they start with one of the more light-hearted books before diving into this one. The journaling-format, with art, might appeal to fans of Dork Diaries or Big Nate or Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

3 out of 5 stars

A TIME FOR ME TO COME HOME by Dorothy Shackleford with Travis Thrasher

Heath Sawyer is a country music star trying to get home to Oklahoma for Christmas. In the airport, he meets Cara who is also heading to Oklahoma. They get stranded in Chicago when a blizzard hits the Midwest and their flight is canceled. They decide to try to get home together. Through a variety of travel joys and disasters, they learn about eachother and about themselves.

I tried a couple chapters of this for free at Barnes and Noble, a perk they provide for Nook readers in the story. I liked the writing and the character of Heath enough to buy the whole story so I could find out what happens. A nice mild romance with an emphasis on family relationships. Heath tells the story, so his journey and growth is the one readers get the best feel for. The main message is the importance of family and home at the holidays - and any other time we need to be anchored and loved and be ourselves.

4 out of 5 stars

THREE TIMES LUCKY by Sheila Turnage

Mo (short from Moses) was found as a baby in a hurricane. She was found by "The Colonel" who lost his memory in that same storm. The Colonel and Miss Lana have raised Mo in their small community of Tupelo Landing, North Carolina. When one of the locals is murdered, Mo and her best friend, Dale, decide to become detectives to keep Dale (one of the last people to see the victim alive) from being a suspect. The police become a presence in the town and the Colonel goes missing. Then Miss Lana is kidnapped. Mo is desperate to figure out what's going on and to get her family back, but she'll have to figure out who she can trust first.

At its core, this is a great mystery for kids. But for me, the mystery was secondary to the story about Mo and her family and friends - this community of characters. It is also about Mo's quest for identity as an orphan with a mysterious past. A really enjoyable story that will appeal to mystery fans as well as readers who enjoy realistic fiction.

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 3.9

GAME CHANGERS by Mike Lupica

Ben McBain is a quarterback - at least, in his heart. In reality, he's a small guy for his age, and he hasn't been able to get a coach to give him a chance. It's not likely to happen this year either as the other guy trying out is the coach's son. Shawn is streaky behind center, but his dad makes him QB anyway. In his determination to be positive and be a team player, Ben reaches out to Shawn and tries to help him. But Shawn doesn't seem to know how to lead a team - or how to respond to overtures of friendship. And when Shawn's dad benches Shawn, the team's record improves under Ben's leadership, but the team relationships get a lot more complicated.

This was a great story!! This is not a book I would have picked up on my own; it's one of the books in our fall Scholastic book fair. But I loved it! Great family relationships - not perfect, but loving and wanting the best. Great group of friends, too - they don't always agree with Ben but they always have his back. Great football - win or lose. Great themes of family, identity, teamwork and attitude.

5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 5.2

There is a second book in the series (Playmakers, with an AR reading level of 5.4) and a third book, Heavy Hitters, coming out in February 2014.
   

I SURVIVED THE JAPANESE TSUNAMI, 2011 by Lauren Tarshis

Ben and his mom and little brother are visiting Japan four months after Ben's dad died. They were visiting Ben's great-uncle when the tsunami hit. As his family tried to flee by car, the car was overtaken by water and Ben was separated from his family. There's so much loss - so much devastation. Ben has lost so much. What could possibly happen next?

It's hard to write much of summary of the story without giving too much away. This was a great installment in this adventure series. My students devour these books! And they will love this one. The family is likeable, their grief feels authentic. And the fear in the midst of the earthquake/tsunami felt very real to me! This book is informative and engrossing. Another winner!

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.6

ATHLETE VS. MATHLETE: DOUBLE DRIBBLE by W. C. Mack

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher at ALA this summer.

The twins - athlete Owen and mathlete Russell - are back. They're still both playing basketball, but there's a new set of twins on the team - Marcus and Mitch. They are identical, brilliant, and basketball superstars. Where do Owen and Russell fit if they aren't "the twins" anymore - and if they're riding the bench?

I reviewed the first book in this series this summer - I loved it! And I enjoyed this one as much as the first. The contrast between Owen and Russell makes for great storytelling as each takes a turn at the job. Owen's jealousy of the new twins felt authentic, but it didn't make him very like-able. Russell is a good contrast there, again, as he set aside his feelings to really look at Marcus and Mitch as individuals. This is a great story about family, team and identity. I can't wait to share it with students!

4 out of 5 stars.
No AR rating as this book doesn't release until November 5.

Graphic Novel Week: THE SILVER SIX by AJ Lieberman and Darren Rawlings

Phoebe is an orphan who's been living on her own and trying not to be found when she is captured and thrown into an orphanage. The occupants of her barracks - the Silver group - band together and escape to an uninhabited moon where they discover they were all connected long before they met in the orphanage. They also find out what really happened to their parents.

Lots of action and danger in this story, which will appeal to middle and older elementary readers. The Silver Six are a great group of kids who work together to find the truth and take care of one another. This is a story about friendship and family and truth. My students will enjoy this one!

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 2.6

COUNTING BY 7S by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I don't normally post here on Tuesdays, but I did so much reading this summer, I am already working on posts for October. This book was too good to wait two months to write about it.

[I received an advance reader copy of this book at the American Library Association Annual Conference this summer. The book will release on August 29th.]

Willow is a brilliant yet odd girl - she counts by 7s, is fascinated by medical conditions, and aces the standardized tests at school with a perfect score, which gets her sent to counseling for cheating. Through the counselor, Willow meets Mai, a high school student, and her brother Quang-ha. When Willow's parents are killed in a car accident, and she has no one to care for her, Mai insists Willow stay with her family. But Willow knows this can only be temporary. There's no where she truly "belongs" now.

This was lovely. So moving and engrossing. As odd as Willow is, readers will still relate to her. Her descriptions of her grief are stunning. She says things like, "I want to turn off the sun and live in darkness." {As I read an uncorrected proof of the book, this quote might change or be eliminated in the final product - but it is only one example of all sorts of beautiful statements in this book - if this one isn't there, you'll find plenty of others.} Having walked through my own grief experience in the last couple years, I completely identified with Willow's descriptions of her grief. Each of the other characters in this story - Mai; Quang-ha; their mother, Pattie; the school counselor; and a cab driver - evolves over time, just like Willow does, in completely reasonable and beautiful ways.

I would recommend this for readers in 5th grade and older. Any reader who loves material where he/she can really connect with a character emotionally will enjoy Counting by 7s. I will recommend this to my students who have loved books like Love, Aubrey.

5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 5.6