Trina and her father move to a tiny town where they’ll live in and restore a gorgeous house rumored to be haunted. Though at first Trina struggles to fit in with the other kids in town—all she wants is a friend, just one friend—she soon meets Augustine, a doll who helps Trina face truths about herself and others around her. She finds the courage to reach out to her estranged mom and find new friends who help her bring the town back together.
Trina also finds a friend in the house, whom she calls Goldenrod. It’s often Goldenrod’s leading that prompts Trina to act, though at first she finds the old home spooky and worries it may be haunted, like the rumors say. As Trina learns to sense Goldenrod’s feelings, she also begins to listen and watch the people around her, which helps her connect to them and value them. As she learns to be kind and listen to others, she soon builds relationships with many people in town.
The spooky elements make this a great Halloween read, but the elements of heart make The Secret of Goldenrod a fantastic read for any season.
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Cultural Elements
Characters are white, middle class or upper class in a very small American town.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Trina’s dad insists there’s no such thing as ghosts, but Trina believes she senses Goldenrod. A doll also moves and speaks with her. A ball shows up mysteriously several times. The townspeople believe that anyone who has stolen anything from the house is then cursed with bad luck. After Trina and her dad move in, people begin returning items they’ve stolen, grateful to be relieved of the curse.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When a panic attack lands Viviana in the hospital, her mother insists that she slow down and stop taking her studies so seriously. But even the thought of slowing down stresses Vivi out. She has summer engineering camp to attend! And SATs to prep for! And college applications to write! Everything has to go perfectly, no room for error. It’s the only way her dad will stop being disappointed in her and come home. And after her failure at school, the one involving Dean and that photo she sent him, Vivi needs something to go right.
But her mom won’t be swayed, so instead, Vivi ends up spending the summer with her best friend working at the community pool. At first it seems like a nice change of pace. But Vivi’s mistakes find her, even in her new quieter life. And she discovers that she’s not the only one who was hiding from the truth. Her father has a secret that could destroy the entire family.
I found it so easy to identify with driven, perfectionist Viviana. I loved her relationships with her mom and sister and the way her friendship with Sammie changed over the course of the story, too. It felt very real and authentic, exactly the kinds of changes relationships can go through in high school. I liked that Vivi’s family was so complex. I liked that her mom’s cancer was something they’d overcome together, and you could still see the shadow of it over them, but it didn’t define them as a family, or her mom as a character. Her mom surprised me. I kind of expected not to like her, and then as the story went on, you could really see the strength she possesses and how much Vivi gets that same strong character from her.
For me, The Best Possible Answer is another win for Kottaras. I loved it. Fans of Eleanor & Park might like it, even though the romance isn’t really a central component. I think Viviana shares a lot of the qualities that drew me to Eleanor.
Recommended for Ages 13 up.
Cultural Elements
Vivi’s mother is Russian and Jewish. Her best friend Sammie is Filipino. Viviana has been suffering panic attacks. A neighbor is schizophrenic.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used with moderate frequency.
Romance/Sexual Content While Vivi dated a boy named Dean, she sent him a picture of herself naked. After they broke up, he distributed the picture to the whole school. Vivi kisses another boy several times.
Spiritual Content Vivi and a friend help a schizophrenic man. They also debate whether love exists. Her friend says yes, though Vivi’s less certain. Vivi’s friend Sammie follows horoscopes and believes they come true. Another friend says it’s bogus.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content
Vivi recalls a party years ago at which she drank a beer, her one and only ever. Later she and some friends go to a college dorm where some other kids have been drinking. They don’t associate much with anyone who’s been drinking though.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Trouble with the law sends John back to his mom’s house, a place he hasn’t lived since a year after his brother’s accident. Still reeling from his girlfriend’s death, John’s only plan is to keep his head down until he’s served out his time. Then he’s California bound. Connections, especially with a girl, are the last thing he needs. But as the issues he once left behind begin to catch up with John at home, he finds that his usual retreats—pot and alcohol—aren’t enough. As the pressure builds, John must make a choice: to face the terrible truth about his past or let it destroy him and his family again.
The Homecoming is pretty much exactly the kind of novel I love reading. While John’s coping strategies aren’t my favorite in literature, I can’t help but root for a guy like him. He has a great heart, which we saw a little bit of in Ramey’s earlier novel, The Sister Pact, which describes some of his relationship with Leah from Leah’s sister’s point-of-view. Speaking of sisters, I love John’s relationship with his little sister and found it super endearing.
I liked that the story dealt with issues of family. John’s brother is disabled, and the family struggles a lot with how to manage his care. He’s not a perfectly likeable guy, either, which I found to be different than we often see in literature. His family clearly loved him, but it wasn’t always easy.
A couple of other interesting elements: John discovers a talent for architecture and begins learning the CAD program in a class. It’s a bright moment for him. At his dad’s insistence, he joins the lacrosse team, which also turns out to be a good thing for him. So several scenes show him exploring both of those interests which are a bit unusual for YA. I liked that.
If you like tragic-yet-hopeful contemporary YA, this is definitely a book you should check out.
Recommended for Ages 16 up.
Cultural Elements
Major characters are all white middle class. John’s brother is disabled.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.
Romance/Sexual Content John reflects on having been with a number of girls since Leah’s death, but that those relationships were superficial and didn’t touch his heart. He and one girl begin making out and retreat to her room to have sex but are interrupted. At the time, she states that she wants to have a casual relationship with him.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content John’s brother Ryan punches family members and injures them. A car accident injures a boy. Another accident injures a woman and her adult son. During a lacrosse game, another player makes unkind comments to John and other players take turns going after the guy. No detailed descriptions of violence or injuries.
Drug Content
John smokes pot and drinks alcohol, sometimes alone and sometimes with others.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Fall is flying by! In Central FL, it’s finally cool enough to walk to your car without breaking a sweat. I’m gearing up to go to YALLFEST in Charleston next month, so I’m super excited about that. I’m sure I’ll be tweeting and will write up a post about my experience there afterward. If you’re going to be there, leave me a comment! I’d love to meet up.
This month, I received a few more books in the mail. Actually, I’m kind of cheating here, because I received Every Exquisite Thing and The Secret of Goldenrod a couple of months ago and somehow they never made it into my calendar of books for review. So I’m including them here. The other two I got through BookLook Bloggers, which is a partnership between Zondervan and Thomas Nelson through which I get many of my Christian titles for review.
I also received my second ever OwlCrate box this month, and I absolutely loved it! I have a feeling I’ll be wearing the Lost Boys beanie on my Charleston trip. (Don’t judge! Upper 60s is COLD to this Florida girl!) I’ve already been wearing the Sleeping Beauty themed bracelet all over the place. So fun.
Also, if you missed my post yesterday about my Steampunk Book Fairy Costume, go back and check that out! My mom made it for me for my birthday this year, and I can’t wait to wear it to a costume party next weekend.
And, like always, here’s the list of books I reviewed this month. Check out the ones you may have missed, and let me know if you’ve read any or plan to!
This was one of the most fun reads ever. We listened to the story on a road trip months ago. Entertained the whole car and we are still talking about it!
This would be a good go-to for a creepy read this season, though there’s more emphasis on the tactical military side than the scary zombie-like enemies the characters face.
I loved the first book in this man vs machines series, so I was super excited that I didn’t have to wait long for the second book. My only complaint is that it ends on a cliffhanger and now I have to wait for the third!
Really fascinating premise– Cease stars in a reality-drama, a TV show in which she plays Joan of Arc competing against other historical figures to be voted top couple with one of the boys.
This was another fun story in which kids jump to another world in which one of them has been foretold to save the goblins. Loved the voice and characters.
This was such a fun read! I loved the way Teagan used science throughout the story and the lessons about friendship and forgiveness were perfect and heartfelt.
This haunting story based on true events prompted me to spend an hour looking up more information about the situation that inspired the tale. I loved the writing and the characters immediately grabbed me by the heart.
After Alice’s mom dies, Alice, her sister, and her dad move to Monterey, California. There Alice tries to confront her fear of water by kayaking in the bay. A sudden storm drags her out to sea, and a mysterious boy rescues her. Alice can’t stop thinking about Henry, the young sailor who came to her rescue. Then she learns that Henry has been dead for over one hundred years, bound by a curse which can only be undone when he atones for wrongs he committed in his life. Henry warns her that their love is forbidden by rules that govern his curse. But to break the curse, Alice risks losing Henry.
This story reminded me a lot of Ophelia Adrift. Grief-stricken girl meets the ghost of a sailor and falls in love. Lots in common there, though there are some significant differences in the plotlines, too. I loved the setting of this novel—Monterey, CA. It definitely added to the story and felt real. I liked Henry and some of the other characters.
As the action ramped up, sometimes it got a little hard to believe. Things happened quickly, and sometimes just didn’t seem logical or like there was enough motivation set up for the characters to make the choices they did. Because of the prologue and the Ghost Maven abilities and artifacts, I kind of thought this might be a series. The end of the novel doesn’t really indicate that the story continues, though.
If you enjoyed Ophelia Adrift or have an interest in ghost stories, you’ll want to check out this book.
Recommended Age 13 up.
Cultural Elements
Characters are white middle class Americans.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Brief kissing. Rumors spread about one girl’s behavior with boys at school. Later, a boy reveals he completed her homework in exchange for some intimate behavior.
Spiritual Content Since Alice’s mom died, she no longer believes in God. It seems the whole town believes in ghosts, though, even members of a local church. Alice learns of a curse which causes anyone who drowns in the bay to continue to walk among mortals, though their heart no longer beats. She also learns of a group of warriors who can destroy these undead creatures. Symbols and artifacts help defeat them.
Alice and her friend hold a séance to try to reach a girl believed to be dead. Alice’s mom communicates with the girls. Alice’s friend has psychic visions of events to come and senses things about people near her.
It probably sounds weird, but the psychic elements on their own bothered me less than the fact the in some places they were sort of mixed in with Christian ideas. In one scene, characters take refuge in a church and then rely on other symbols to protect them.
Violent Content A battle takes place between the people of the town and those cursed.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Author Amy S. Foster joins me today to talk about what inspired her to write The Rift Uprising, a new teen sci-fi that promises to keep readers on the edge of their seats. I know I’m anxious to read it! Also, be sure you stop by the bottom of this post to enter for a chance to win one of three giveaway copies of The Rift Uprising! There are also links to the other blogs on the tour to check out and some other information about the book. First I’ll let Amy share with us the top ten movies, songs, and stories that inspired her to create her novel. Here’s the list…
Top Ten Movies, Songs and Stories that Inspired The Rift Uprising
Normal seventeen-year-old girls go to high school, binge watch TV shows all weekend, and flirt with everyone on the face of the Earth. But Ryn Whitaker is trying to save it.
Ryn is a Citadel. A soldier. A liar. Ryn and her fellow Citadels were specially chosen and trained to guard a Rift—one of fourteen unpredictable tears in the fabric of the universe that serve as doorways to alternate Earths. Unbeknownst to her family, Ryn leaves for school each day and then reports for duty as an elite, cybernetically-altered soldier who can run faster, jump farther, and fight better than a Navy SEAL—which comes in handy when she’s not sure if axe-wielding Vikings or any number of other terrified and often dangerous beings come through the Rift. A fine-tuned weapon, Ryn is a picture-perfect Citadel. But that’s all about to change.
When a young man named Ezra is pulled through the Rift, Ryn finds herself immediately drawn to him, despite her training. What starts as a physical attraction quickly grows deeper, and Ezra’s curiosity throws Ryn off balance when he starts questioning the Rifts, the mysterious organization that oversees them, and the Citadels themselves—questions that lead Ryn to wonder if the lies she’s been telling her family are just the surface of a much bigger lie told to her. As Ryn and Ezra desperately try to get to that truth, they discover that each revelation blurs the line between the villains and the heroes even more.
Amy S. Foster is a celebrated songwriter, best known as Michael Bublé’s writing partner. You might recognize her work in his four hit singles, including “Home” and “Haven’t Met You Yet.” She has also collaborated with Destiny’s Child, Diana Krall, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and a host of other artists. She is also the author of the novel When Autumn Leaves. When she’s not in a studio in Nashville, Amy lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. Amy is the daughter of singer B.J. Cook and the legendary music producer, David Foster. Fun fact about Amy: Her extended family tree includes Bella and Gigi Hadid, Sara and Erin Foster and Brody and Brandon Jenner, and Clay Aiken! The Rift Uprising, her YA debut, will be released on October 4, 2016.
Check out the other stops on the tour!
Stop by and see some of the other posts about The Rift Uprising. Also don’t forget to enter for your chance to win one of three giveaway copies of the book below!
