Tag Archives: friendship

Review: Pretty Funny for a Girl by Rebecca Elliot

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Pretty Funny for a Girl by Rebecca Elliot

Pretty Funny for a Girl
Rebecca Elliot
Peachtree Publishing Company
Published October 1, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Pretty Funny for a Girl

Haylah Swinton is an ace best friend, a loving daughter, and an incredibly patient sister to a four-year-old nutcase of a brother. Best of all, she’s pretty confident she’s mastered making light of every situation–from her mom’s new boyfriend to unsolicited remarks on her plus-sized figure. Haylah’s learning to embrace all of her curvy parts and, besides, she has a secret: one day, she’ll be a stand-up comedian star.

So when impossibly cool and thirstalicious Leo reveals he’s also into comedy, Haylah jumps at the chance to ghost-write his sets. But is Leo as interested in returning the favor? Even though her friends warn her of Leo’s intentions, Haylah’s not ready to listen–and she might just be digging herself deeper toward heartbreak. If Haylah’s ever going to step into the spotlight, first she’ll need to find the confidence to put herself out there and strut like the boss she really is.

My Review

Okay, so when I first asked to review this book, I had it mixed up with a different book that I’d wanted to read. Then when I got the book and read the cover copy, I realized it was not the book I’d been thinking of, and I was a little disappointed. Then.

I started reading. And I found that I really liked Haylah’s voice. She’s blunt and pragmatic and, as the title hints, hilarious. I loved her relationship with her mom and little brother. I also loved the way she leaned into her awkwardness. Her way of dealing with kids picking on her is as genius as it is heartbreaking. I wanted to stand up and cheer for her when she changed the name she wanted to be called.

Haylah wrestles with a lot of things on her journey, from finding confidence to believe she can be a comedian to wrestling with how she feels about her body and how to be beautiful in a way that’s authentically hers and stays true to her feminist values. I loved that the story tackled some of those nuanced issues in this really frank, believable way, and in a way that made me laugh out loud and cheer.

If you’re looking for a book packed with humor and personal triumph, PRETTY FUNNY FOR A GIRL needs to be on your shelf.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Haylah is a self-described fat girl. Leo is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used a few times. Some crude language used throughout.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some bullying and name-calling.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of PRETTY FUNNY FOR A GIRL in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

The Double Life of Danny Day
Mike Thayer
Feiwel & Friends
Published June 15, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Double Life of Danny Day

My name is Danny Day, and I live every day twice.

The first time, it’s a “discard day.” It’s kind of like a practice run. At the end of the day, I go to bed, wake up, and poof everything gets reset, everything except my memory, that is.

The second time, everything is normal, just like it is for everyone else. That’s when everything counts and my actions stick. As you could probably guess, “Sticky Day” Danny is very different from “Discard Day” Danny.

When Danny’s family moves across the country, he suddenly has to use his ability for more than just slacking off and playing video games. Now he’s making new friends, fending off jerks, exposing a ring of cheaters in the lunchtime video game tournament, and taking down bullies one day at a time … or is it two days at a time?

My Review

Erg! I’m so late posting this review. I prefer to post as close to the release date as I can, but as you can see, it’s been weeks and weeks. I’m just having a hard time keeping up with things this summer. Hopefully I’m close to getting back on track, though I’ve got a few other titles I’m just really late in getting to besides this one.

So. The Double Life of Danny Day. This one started out a little rough for me– Danny isn’t really a compassionate guy at the opening of the book. He’s kind of disillusioned with his double-day ability and mostly uses it to goof off or have extra time to play video games. He’s more aloof and calculating.

Then he meets two new friends who begin to change how Danny sees things. One friend opens his eyes to the opportunity he has to make positive changes in terms of justice, and the other helps him find an opportunity that will make a big impact.

Once Danny began to have other motivations besides looking out for himself and having fun on his “discard day,” I got pretty hooked into the story. I liked the descriptions of the game that he and his friends played. I loved Freddie and her creative non-swearing and her grit and determination. I loved Zak and his deep sense of justice and his willingness to trust his friends.

This book reminded me a bit of the books about ROGER TARKINGTON AND THE MAGIC CALENDAR, and sometimes had a bit of a similar feel to it. I liked the character growth that Danny experienced and the way his relationships changed through the course of the story. I think readers who enjoyed MY LIFE AS A POTATO will also enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Danny is white. His best friend Zak’s dad is Black. Freddie comes from a poor family and lives with her grandmother.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Danny lives each day twice. The first time he refers to as a “discard day” because whatever happens that day doesn’t last.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for Bullying
A bully attacks Danny and punches him more than once. Some students use an online social media profile called “Duds or Studs” to post pictures of other students (taken without their permission) edited with filters. Sometimes they’re unflattering pictures with cruel captions that encourage other kids to pile on and say awful things.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE DOUBLE LIFE OF DANNY DAY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Case for Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro

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The Case for Jamie (Charlotte Holmes #3)
Brittany Cavallaro
Katherine Tegen Books
March 6, 2018

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Case for Jamie

The hotly anticipated and explosive third book in the New York Times bestselling Charlotte Holmes series.

It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken.

Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for.

Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex—and Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows her Watson can’t forgive her.

Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but when strange things start happening, it’s clear that someone wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time.

Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead.

My Review

I feel like suddenly this year I’ve become such a series reader! THE CASE FOR JAMIE is another book I listened to through my insomnia (during election week), and it was such a great book to distract me from the things that were on my mind.

I liked that in this one, the chapters alternate between Charlotte and Jamie’s perspectives, where in the past the story has been mostly Jamie’s point-of-view. For much of the story the two are separated, so that also brought something different to this one, because instead of Jamie reporting on and analyzing and pining after Charlotte, he kind of works on his own stuff a bit. I was into it.

Another thing that I enjoyed was again getting to see the relationship between Jamie’s dad and Charlotte’s uncle, so a previous generation of Holmes and Watson besties. That was interesting and fun, too.

If you’re unfamiliar with the series, I definitely recommend that you start with book one, A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE, because the stories do continue and build on one another. This one especially has lots of threads in it that relate to things that happened in the first two books.

I think fans of mysteries and star-crossed-ish romances will love the fast-paced adventure of this series and the complex relationship between Charlotte and Jamie.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Charlotte is from London. Jamie is white American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to a conversation between boy and girl about whether they should have sex. One scene hints that two characters are about to have sex and then cuts to pick up afterward with no details about the exchange.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. In one scene, a man beats a boy. A boy beats a man. Several times guns are pointed at people. A couple times people are shot.

Drug Content
Charlotte is an opiate addict. She carries two pills with her and takes a picture of them each day to send to a contact for accountability. Jamie and his friends attend a party where teens are drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe by Tricia Springstubb

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The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe
Tricia Springstubb
Margaret Ferguson Books
Published June 1, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe by Tricia Springstubb

Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah’s surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than Loah her daughter?

Things get worse yet when Loah’s elderly caretakers fall ill and she finds herself all alone except for her friend Ellis. Ellis has big problems of her own, but she believes in Loah. She’s certain Loah has strengths that are hidden yet wonderful, like the golden feather tucked away on her namesake bird’s wing. When Dr. Londonderry’s expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world.

Beautifully written, THE MOST PERFECT THING IN THE UNIVERSE is about expeditions big and small, about creatures who defy gravity and those of us who are bound by it.

For fans of SHOUTING AT THE RAIN by Lynda Mullaly and THE ADVENTURES OF A GIRL CALLED BICYCLE by Christina Uss, a novel about one unadventurous girl who discovers she is anything but.

My Review

I want to say all the things about this book at the same time, which could be my coffee kicking in. This book is odd in all the best possible ways. It has super quirky characters. A mysterious home deep in the woods. I love stories that feature the importance of community and found family, and THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE UNIVERSE absolutely does that so well.

At the beginning of the story, Loah is isolated and fearful. She’s counting down the days until her mom comes home and life will be normal again. Not only does that not happen, but her mom extending her trip is only the first in a series of dominoes that change Loah’s carefully ordered small world. As she faces circumstances that challenge her, she finds a fierceness that she didn’t know she had. The girl who once felt as isolated as an endangered bird becomes the catalyst for bringing a group of unconnected people together as a community.

I love the characters in this book. Sweet, soft-spoken Theo who can always be counted on to slip Loah some gummy worms and pragmatic, no-nonsense Miss Rinker reminded me of Matthew and Marilla from ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. Loah’s neighbors, a keep-to-themselves, self-sufficient family also have strong personalities. At first they scare Loah, but they teach her a lot about resilience and family.

I haven’t read either of the two books mentioned in the book summary, but THE MOST PERFECT THING IN THE UNIVERSE reminded me of SIX FEET BELOW ZERO by Ena Jones or CHIRP by Kate Messner. I think readers who enjoyed either of those books or who just like stories featuring small, quirky towns with big characters will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
One minor character is described as having dark skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some pieces fall from Loah’s roof, nearly injuring someone. A vulture vomits on someone.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE MOST PERFECT THING IN THE UNIVERSE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

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Lucky Girl
Jamie Pacton
Page Street Kids
Published May 11, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Lucky Girl

58,642,129. That’s how many dollars seventeen-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather just won in the lotto jackpot. It’s also about how many reasons she has for not coming forward to claim her prize.

Problem #1: Jane is still a minor, and if anyone discovers she bought the ticket underage, she’ll either have to forfeit the ticket, or worse . . .

Problem #2: Let her hoarder mother cash it. The last thing Jane’s mom needs is millions of dollars to buy more junk. Then . . .

Problem #3: Jane’s best friend, aspiring journalist Brandon Kim, declares on the news that he’s going to find the lucky winner. It’s one thing to keep her secret from the town — it’s another thing entirely to lie to her best friend. Especially when . . .

Problem #4: Jane’s ex-boyfriend, Holden, is suddenly back in her life, and he has big ideas about what he’d do with the prize money. As suspicion and jealousy turn neighbor against neighbor, and no good options for cashing the ticket come forward, Jane begins to wonder: Could this much money actually be a bad thing?

My Review

I loved a lot of things about this book. Here are a few, in no particular order: it’s not centered around a romantic relationship; it features people dealing with grief in really disparate ways and explores how that impacts their relationship; I love the friendship between Brandon and Jane.

So, first, I loved that LUCKY GIRL isn’t about the lotto ticket leading her to love. Not that there’s anything wrong with romance, but sometimes it’s nice to read stories that don’t center around romantic love, or the idea that being in love or finding the right person solves all the problems. I like that Jane navigates some tricky relationships and has to make decisions where the outcome isn’t obvious.

I also loved the friendship between Jane and Brandon. They had a great dynamic between them and it led to a lot of fun and a lot of truth coming out. Their friendship made LUCKY GIRL a really fun read.

Jane’s dad passed away years before the story begins, and Jane and her mom deal with that loss in really different ways. While Jane wants to be patient with her mom and understands that her issues spring from her grief, she also has a lot of frustration and fear about her mom’s behavior. That felt really real to me. I would have liked to see a little bit of what happened to her mom at the very end of the book, but I’m not sure if that would have tied things up too neatly? I’m not sure.

Since Jamie Pacton’s debut, THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY was one of my favorite books from last year, I feel like LUCKY GIRL had a lot to live up to. It’s a completely different story, but a really great one. I’m happy to have them on shelves next to one another, and I think readers who enjoyed Kit’s story will love Jane’s too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Jane is bisexual. Her best friend Branon is Korean-American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. In one scene, a boy briefly reaches under a girl’s shirt.

Spiritual Content
Jane writes private messages to her dad, who has passed on, through his Facebook page.

Violent Content
Holden and his friends throw water balloons at other people and shake an unanchored space. They’re obviously being jerks. In one scene, teens break into a gas station and damage an item.

Drug Content
The teens in Jane’s town spend weekend nights at the beach on the lake drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of LUCKY GIRL in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Best Worst Summer by Elizabeth Eulberg

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

The Best Worst Summer
Elizabeth Eulberg
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published May 4, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Best Worst Summer

This is going to be the worst summer ever for Peyton. Her family just moved, and she had to leave her best friend behind. She’s lonely. She’s bored. Until . . . she comes across a box buried in her backyard, with a message: I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. Things are about to get interesting.

Back in 1989, it’s going to be the best summer ever for Melissa and Jessica. They have two whole months to goof around and explore, and they’re even going to bury a time capsule! But when one girl’s family secret starts to unravel, it’s clear things may not go exactly as planned.

In alternating chapters, from Peyton in present day to Melissa three decades earlier (a time with no cell phones, no social media, and camera film that took days to develop, but also a whole lot of freedom), a story of a mystery that two sets of characters will never forget.

My Review

I was a little nervous at first that this book would come off as shallow and cheesy. I wasn’t immediately drawn into Peyton or Melissa’s voices, but as I read and got to know them better, I feel like I appreciated their goofiness a lot more. I really enjoyed watching the friendship between Peyton and Lucas develop. I liked that they both struggled for more autonomy from their parents but for different reasons. With Jessica and Melissa, I felt sad for the fractures in their friendship and the times they seemed to just miss really seeing each other. It made me remember some things, too, that I wished I’d done differently with a friend.

On the whole, I read the book pretty quickly, and I loved the way the past and present tied together over the mystery of the box. I thought the pacing of that reveal was nicely done and the way everything connected together was also great.

I think readers who enjoyed the celebration of friendship in THE GIRLS OF FIREFLY CABIN by Cynthia Ellingsen will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Both point-of-view characters are white. Jessica, Melissa’s best friend is Korean, adopted by white parents. Lucas, Peyton’s friend is in a wheelchair. One scene shows two women who are married.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
One scene shows two women who are married. I think one kisses the other on the cheek.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Melissa’s father is an angry, domineering person. He’s described as abusive, but his behavior is mostly referenced and not shown on scene. Melissa mostly steers clear of him when she can.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE BEST WORST SUMMER in exchange for my honest review.