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YA

Returning to the World of The Uglies

Posted on October 29, 2018 by michelle @ books my kids read

Frey and Rafi are inseparable . . . but very few people have ever seen them together. This is because Frey is Rafi’s double, raised in the shadows of their rich father’s fortress. While Rafi has been taught to charm, Frey has been taught to kill. Frey only exists to protect her sister. There is … Continue reading Returning to the World of The Uglies

Posted in dystopia, fantasy, YATagged dystopia, fantasy, power, Scott Westerfeld, sisters, YALeave a comment

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I receive review copies from NetGalley, the KidLitExchange Network, and publishers. All reviews are my own opinion. No harm or infringement is intended.

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We recently got a subscription to the YA arm of the Junior Library Guild at our school and I snuck this one out before it even got wrapped (gasp!). But it has been on my list for a while and it was well worth it. 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️ ALA called it “a bittersweet modern fairy tale,” but I didn’t feel that way, maybe because I read too many fairy tales. What it was was an amazing story about figuring out who you are and how to move on from a major loss. What I honestly didn’t really get until the end, is that it is a book about addicts and how they have the ability to change a person’s life. If you have ever loved someone wrapped in a biter cycle of drugs or alcohol, you will know what I mean. 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️ Sylvia is a 16 year old ballerina. Her older sister, Julia, disappeared a year earlier but has randomly sent Sylvia a book. As the story progresses, we understand what happened to Jules and why she left town. Sylvia feels a need to save her, but in the end, Sylvia realizes that she needs to save herself. 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️ I was incredibly touched by this story, including tears at the end. Somehow Sylvia just feels like a character you know or want to know. She is instantly a friend even though she keeps people at an arm’s distance. Her quest is an important one and she learns a great deal on the journey, for it is the journey that is often the most important part, not what is at the end of that journey. 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️ Sylvia’s brother, Everett, has the winning line in the book - “you can use the bad things that happen to you. You can make something out of them.” I wasn’t expecting a powerful read when I first sat down with this, but that’s just what I got. #bookstagram #yafiction #findingyourself #quests #somethingoutofnothing #growingfromheartache #sisters #family #addiction #recovery #alateen #janetmcnally #thelookingglass #girlsintrouble #harperteen

#partner Thank you @kidlitexchange for a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***** We have all heard the phrase “you’re not my best friend anymore.” Stephanie Watson turns that concept into a very funny book with “Best Friends in the Universe.” That’s actually only one titled used within the book. Friends Hector and Louie are such AMAZING friends that they decide to write a book about it focusing on all of the things they have in common. Then they change the cover and say how they keep each other’s secrets, except Hector accidentally tells one, which of course leads Louie to tell one....you see where I’m going with this. Of course, when they decide not to be friends anymore, they realize how much they miss the other one and manage to make up. ***** Friendship in the younger elementary school years can be precarious at times. Best friends one day, big fight the next, then all of a sudden, best friends again. This is a really comical look at that process that I think will resonate with a lot of kids. The illustrations are super fun and I adore the journal format of the book. Let’s encourage more kids to experiment with writing books! #kidlitexchange #stephaniewatson #leuyenpham #bookstagram #picturebooks #friendship

#partner Thank you @kidlitexchange and @scholasticinc for a chance to review these books coming out 1/1/19. All opinions are my own. 📚📚📚📚 The world of “readable” biographies is expanding and these 2 new books from @jennilwalsh and Scholastic are awesome! Not only are they about two young women who showed remarkable courage, but they highlight two women who can be role models to our children. That’s the point of this new series. Both books encourage us to meet the person and “get inspired.” 📚📚📚📚 There have been many books written on Malala, but she had to be one of the first subjects of this series given her age and impact. This book on her allows young readers to get to know her a bit more than the picture book bios they might have heard or read. Bethany Hamilton is a little less known, but she showed that you can never give up on your dreams, even after a shark bites off your arm. This book allows us to follow her journey from injury to her comeback, understanding her fears and set-backs. 📚📚📚📚 While on some levels I wish we could have the series be “they dared” instead of “she,” the books are powerful and moving. Telling these stories as just that, stories, their lives are more accessible. Both books also offer not only bibliographies, but good books and resources to get more information or to read about similar topics. A great addition to juvenile biographies! 📚📚📚📚 #kidlitexchange #scholastic #malala #bethanyhamilton #biographiesforkids #shedared #inspiration #inspireothers #changetheworld #bravery #persistence #courage

#partner thank you @kidlitexchange and author @rachelealpine for a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. 💡 💡💡💡💡 Ballet and football, two things that are not often put together, especially in middle grade fiction. But that’s exactly what Rachele Alpine did in her new novel, Friday Night Stage Lights. 💡💡💡💡💡 In this book, Brooklyn Gartner has just moved to Texas where football is the way of life. Not only is football the heart and soul of the town she moved to, but her new step-brother is the star of the high school team. Problem is, Brooklyn is a dancer and can’t stand football. The one place that she can feel like herself is at the dance studio. To her dismay, the floundering middle school football team is going to invade her space when their coach decides that conditioning classes might improve their playing. To make matters worse, Brooklyn’s dance partner gets injured and her teacher thinks that one of the football players would make a great partner. 💡💡💡💡💡 Friday Night Stage Lights is a book about trust. About being true to yourself, even when those around you don’t understand your decisions. But most importantly, it is about opening yourself up to new ideas. Brooklyn has to respect that football players and they learn a thing or two about just how difficult ballet is. With the help of the football player turned dancer, her brother, and her best friend, Brooklyn gets a whole new understanding of teamwork. She learns a great deal about herself and manages to help others in her football obsessed school open themselves up to the notion that there is more than football out there. A charming story for 8-12 year olds. 💡💡💡💡💡 #kidlitexchange #bookstagram #fridaynightstagelights #balletmeetsfootball #mgfiction #trust #friendship #teamwork @simonkids

#partner thank you @kidlitexchange for a review copy of this book published 9/25/18 👸🏻🤴 We finally got fall here in NC, but we’ve already had a ton of days off of school due to hurricanes. Matthew Cordell touches on some of the hilarity that ensues when trapped at home on snow days with a very creative and messy child. 👸🏻🤴 Alice is stuck at home and decides that she is King Alice. She comes up with ideas of things to do that make her father wince. When she decides to write a book, he is all for it. Alice writes and illustrates a great story, though in bits and starts. For kids who enjoy children who don’t necessarily like behaving or cleaning up after themselves, this is a comical look at a snow day for a creative mind. Good for preschool - 2nd grade. #kidlit #kingalice #snowdays #creativekids #kidlitexchange

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